Page 53 of Midnight Trials

Putting the brush down on the dressing table, she places her hands on my shoulders and turns me from the mirror. She looks uncharacteristically solemn as she releases an exhausted sigh.

“I just have this feeling…” She trails off, her eyes glazing over as she loses herself in her thoughts. I’ve always thought Selina was different and unusually inciteful, so I have learned to follow her warnings when she gets these feelings, but watching her now, I wonder if it’s more than that. Her eyes clear and lock on me, and then she grips my arm. “Just be careful. Something is about to happen, but I don’t know if it’s for good or bad.”

I nod my head. I wasn’t just going to throw caution to the wind with this trial, that’s never been who I am, but I’ll certainly heed her warning and be extra vigilant.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, I take a deep breath and smile, reaching out to squeeze her arm in gratitude for helping me get ready. “I’m going to see Nicolai. I’ll pass on your love.”

She smiles, her whole face lighting up. “Tell him the pack misses him and he needs to get better and help keep everyone in order.”

I chuckle at that. As third-in-command, he’s the one who smooths things over after my dad has been on the warpath. He’s passionate about our pack, and without his cheeky attitude, I imagine everything feels strange. Thinking of my father makes a twinge of unease go through me, and a small frown creases my brow.

“Will you say hi to my father for me?” I ask, attempting to push my unease aside.

I was surprised when I found Selina at my door this morning and not my father, but I’d been happy to see her anyway. Apparently he’d been called away to deal with an issue, which was unusual. I don’t get many opportunities to see anyone outside of the champions’ compound, so I thought I’d see him before my trial.

Sensing my anxiety despite my best efforts to hide it, Selina cups my cheek affectionately. “Of course. Take care of yourself, and win these bloody trials so we can all go home.”

Snorting a laugh, I nod my agreement. If only it were that easy. We say our goodbyes, and she leaves. As soon as the door shuts behind her, the anxiety comes back full force. Something is coming, Selina’s feeling confirmed that, and my instincts are fired up, telling me to be aware. I just feel… off.

It doesn’t help that I’m missing my mates. It feels strange to be without them after constantly having one of them with me for the last day and a half. Early this morning, we were all ordered back to our rooms to get ready, despite the fact that the trial isn’t until this afternoon. We’re not supposed to leave until someone comes to get us, but I’ve been granted permission to go to the healers’ compound to see Nicolai first. It was an unexpected but welcome gesture from the council. A little voice in the back of my mind whispers that the council doesn’t do anything unless it benefits them, but I’m so glad to spend time with my friend that I don’t care.

Warmth fills my chest as Joel reacts to the twisting nerves in my stomach, his steady presence strengthening me. Seconds later, I feel Syn’s concern reaching me through the bond. Smiling to myself, I send a wave of reassurance to him so he doesn’t break the rules and storm to my room to make sure I’m okay. It’s hard to be apart when our bond is so fresh, but we’re managing—me more so than Syn.

A knock on the door breaks me from my musings, and I hurry over, checking who’s on the other side through the peephole. Memories from the other day flash through my mind, and my stomach turns. Taking several deep breaths, I pull open the door and take in the guard who’s waiting for me.It’s different this time, I assure myself, picking up on the differences between this and when I was attacked.

“Your presence is requested at the healers’ compound,” the guard intones as his eyes run over my outfit, dismissing me as a threat in a second.

Sticking my head out into the corridor, I see that it’s empty. My gut tells me that I’ll be safe going to see Nicolai, and whatever my instincts are trying to warn me about isn’t around this issue. Taking a deep breath, I leave the room, letting the door slam behind me as I follow the guard in silence.

The ride down in the lift has me bouncing on my toes, and I don’t miss the looks the guard keeps shooting my way, but I just ignore him. The rest of the journey is uneventful, and as soon as I step through the doors of the compound, one of the healers steps forward to meet me.

“Laelia, thank you for coming. Please come with me.”

I recognise the healer. She’s been working with Nicolai a lot, and I’ve had conversations with her before, and she was always kind and chatty. However, the formal way she’s speaking makes me nervous. I’ve seen enough movies to know that this is how doctors speak when they have bad news. Following behind her, I press my hand against my chest in an effort to contain my sudden surging panic.

“Did something happen? Is Nicolai okay?” I demand, my voice harsher than I meant it to be, but she seems to understand as she glances at me over her shoulder. That one look stops me in my tracks, my feet feeling like they are made of lead and I’m suddenly unable to move.

Realising that I’m no longer following her, she turns and makes her way over to me, and it’s obvious she’s bracing herself for an uncomfortable conversation. Her eyes scan my face as if she’s assessing what my reaction to her news is going to be, and eventually, she sighs.

“I’m afraid he’s taken a turn for the worse.”

“But he seemed okay yesterday!” I’m practically shouting as I gesture towards the room at the end of the corridor where I know he’s resting. “He was sitting up and making jokes.” My disbelief at how quickly things have changed is tinged with grief and guilt and what-ifs. If only I’d spent more time with him. I should have refused to leave his side. If only he hadn’t entered the trials to keep an eye on me.

My fault, my fault, my fault. The words ring in my mind like an alarm I can’t switch off.

The healer takes it all in stride, clutching her hands in front of her. “We’re not sure why he isn’t responding to our medication as he should be. This is an illness we’ve not come across before.” Her expression is apologetic as she explains, pausing for a moment to collect her words. “Patients who are nearing the end of their life often have a surge of energy before they pass.”

I wait for her to continue, not sure why she’s telling me this since it couldn’t be relevant to Nicolai. However, after a few seconds, I take in her sympathetic expression and absorb what she’s saying, although it’s what she’snotsaying that seems so much louder. I sway on my feet, my legs feeling weak, and I brace a hand against the wall beside me to stop myself from falling down. I want to cry and shout and scream, to slam my fists against the wall and beg the goddess to step in, because that’s all that will save him now.

“You’re saying that he’s about to die.” I barely recognise my voice, the quake in it making me sound like someone who’s about to lose someone close to them, and that can’t be me—itcan’tbe. They said that he was dying before, and then he perked up, so maybe this is just a bad day and he’ll be fine again tomorrow. That despicable part of my mind whispers that I’m being naïve and ignoring the facts that have been put before me. Nicolai is dying.

“We don’t know for sure, since we don’t understand this illness.” The healer looks apologetic at being unable to give me a proper answer. “But if I had to take a guess, I’d say it won’t be long now.” Reaching out, she touches my arm, squeezing it gently in a gesture I’m sure is supposed to be comforting. “He’s awake and asking for you.”

Numbly, I nod my head. Not wanting to waste any more time, I turn from the healer and make my way down the corridor to Nicolai’s room. I pause before I step inside and take a moment to gather my thoughts and rid my expression of grief. He’s not dead yet, and I won’t allow him to know how close to shattering I am. We need to make the most of this time.

“Laelia, is that you?” he calls, his voice weak but unmistakably his. He can probably hear me hanging around outside, and he’s wondering why I’m not going inside.

Pulling myself together, I pray to the goddess for strength, taking comfort in the bonds warming my chest. I force a smile onto my face and enter the room, my eyes going straight to him. I barely recognise him. I only saw him yesterday, but he’s lost almost all the colour from his skin, and he has large, grey circles under his eyes. He looked thin yesterday, but he looks practically skeletal now.

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