Page 114 of The Star's Sword

“Cleo is a mere dog!”

The vampires laughed to themselves, folding their arms with false bravado to hide the fact that they looked somewhat nervous.

“Oh no, neither of them is going to die,” Simon said. “Or at least they shouldn’t, if they are the Morningstar. No, what will happen is that every few minutes, a new trial of endurance will begin. The first to leave the arena or pass out, or die, will lose.” He looked to Vasara and then me. “So, more power if your supporters are willing to stake their life on your strength. But then again, if you fail, you lose them all.”

Vasara looked like she was unsure about this, her lip trembling slightly though she was trying to keep it still. “What kind of pain are we talking about?”

Simon smiled. “The kind of pain a Morningstar might face. During her rise, a Morningstar must rely on her friends and stand all the pain she can for them. Sometimes, a fight isn’t all that’s needed. Sometimes, just standing and enduring is all it takes.” He shook his head. “But the Morningstar must be someone who would take pain for her friends. Someone people are willing to risk their lives for.”

The door opened and I saw Griffin, Os and Mor piling in, walking over to stand on my side, along with Cayne, who entered last and stood right behind me.

“You’ve got this, Cleo,” he said.

“She can’t do that!” Vasara said. “Those aren’t vampires.”

“They are willing to risk their lives for her, so they can participate in the trial,” Simon said. He looked at the hundreds of vampires standing on Vasara’s side. “Vasara, given your low tolerance for pain, are you sure you wouldn’t rather spare some of your vamps this trial? You won’t have them to support you later, if this goes wrong.”

Vasara’s lip curled. “I won’t lose to Cleo in anything.” But her hand, shaking at her side, didn’t seem too sure. Instead of telling any of her vampires to back down, however, she merely walked to the crowd and began to scold the elder vampires for not coming in, too.

A few more reluctantly came in and went over to her side.

“Right,” Simon said. “Now, the two of you both have two minutes of opening arguments to win those in the arena to your side. After that, you will draw strength only from those behind your line, and if you tap out, all behind you will be punished.”

I nodded, looking gratefully at my friends behind me.

If there was one thing they knew they could count on me to do, it was suffer and never run to leave my friends exposed.

But as I looked over at Vasara’s vampires, and recognized some of my friends from the tunnels, glaring at me bitterly, pity entered my heart.

If there was one thing I knew she was going to do, it was betray them and run.

Like she had the night Cayne tried to challenge her for what she’d done.

The vamps stared at me as Simon gestured to me to start the opening statements.

What could I say to convince them? How could I save them? Was there any point?

But did they deserve to die for being tricked? Couldn’t they still help my rise as the Morningstar, and bring a new world to all?

“My friends,” I said, stepping forward to address them, sword sheathed and hands clasped low in front of me. “I beg you, don’t do this. Not only is she not the Morningstar, but she thinks only of herself.” I raised my eyes to theirs, looking from vamp to vamp and trying to impress the seriousness of the situation on them.

“You may only move sides now,” Simon said. “Not exit the arena! Remember that.”

“Please come to my side,” I said softly. “Not for me, but for you. She is fooling you. You do not deserve to die.”

“Stop condescending to us!” a vampire yelled.

“Fuck you!” another one said.

“Can’t wait to see all your friends die, you fraud!”

I gritted my teeth, but Simon signaled I still had a minute. And I wouldn’t be the Morningstar if I didn’t at least try to fight for those I shared a world with.

“I won’t leave no matter what,” I said. “There is nothing that could make me leave a friend. I have suffered to this point, though none of you believe my stories.”

“Vasara beat a slayer-turned-rogue!” a vampire yelled. “With a hole in her!”

“That was me,” I yelled back. “Don’t you understand? Everything good she says she has done is mine, and she puts every bad thing on me, and it plays on your brain’s desire to be right, despite logic telling you differently. My friends can tell you, that was my fight. And I stayed till it was over.” I glared at Vasara. “And I did not enjoy it.”

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