Page 135 of A City of Flames

The uncertainty of what can happen burrows into my bones, and I gaze back at the queen as she waves a hand and says, “good luck… and let the first trial begin.”

Chanting starts up from the stands, intensifying each second as rocks skitter and reverberate beneath my boots. I look at Rydan on the other side of me just as someone blows a horn and horrid shrills, ones I should recognize like the back of my hand by now rise from the other side of the arena.

Rümens.

* * *

My back slams against the wooden walls as I slouch down with panting breaths. I hold my blade to my chest, listening to the painful cries from other trainees possibly injured… and on the verge of dying after charging into the pit once the trials began.

“Of course, it had to be rümens,” Freya mutters beside me, clutching her bowstring like it’s the only thing tethering her to life. We look at each other as she says with an assertive nod, “it was likely my father’s idea.”

Likely no, for certain, yes.

Rydan and Link converge on the opposite wall to us. While Rydan looks relatively calm, Link presses his hand against his heart counting to himself. His worries have doubled and so have mine.

“Were all the trials like this?” Link asks and flinches when a shriek booms again.

Freya nods. “Death was certain, that I know.”

And the general is hoping for my demise I suppose.

“Death or not at least I got to stand on the same grounds the Golden Thief was on,” Rydan suddenly says with a faraway smile. My brows draw together, I should be used to this by now, but before I can add to that he continues, “that shifter got to live out my dream of being choked by him.”

I don’t even blink.

“Seriously?” Freya hisses but it’s cut too soon when a rümen lunges from the corner of a wall, catching us off guard as it heads toward Link, throwing him down onto the ground.

Panic encircles me as I shout his name and he uses his sword to barricade himself from the rümen’s ferocious bites. I rise to my feet, swinging my blade in the rümen’s direction but I don’t land the blow. Rydan does.

The rümen’s severed serpent head rolls onto the floor and blood spills from Rydan’s sword. I stare with wide eyes between the three as Link frantically shoves off the headless rümen’s body and stands up, patting at the bloodied stains on his armor. “I think I’m going to be sick.” He swallows as Freya tries to comfort him and Rydan places a palm out below Link’s mouth as a precaution.

My gaze can’t help wandering to the deceased rümen. I haven’t seen one since that day near the Screaming Forests. I’d killed it, but not before it’d looked at me like every creature does in the world. To know that part of this is what killed my father, only wounds my heart further.

I look behind me, and start walking to the edge of the wall, peeking from the side to where every scream, every cry and every painful crushing bone is heard.

My eyes then dart upward and spot the queen’s brows pinch with frustration as she watches the pit. The general however, smiles with malice at the chaos unfolding.

A sick twisted man.

If anyone survives with but a simple a scratch, he’ll just use them as part of his supposed army.

Even after everything you just seem to fascinate all creatures.

I think of what he’d said that night in the dungeons.

Whether I liked it or not he’s right.

I do fascinate them.

Glancing at my left hand, I trace the scar with my eyes and for half a heartbeat I almost search for Lorcan in the crowd but stop myself. I take a shallow breath, seeing that because of him I wanted this, the title of a venator. That shortly after my parents died, I became a trapper to learn… to one day kill. But truthfully, never was it for Ivarron or for my need to feed the anger I felt towards dragons, but because it’s the only time I’d be… closer to creatures and I hated it. I hated it so much because I didn’t want to care for them.

And then that Ardenti dragon came, and I did care.

Too much.

I clench my hand into a fist then stare at the blade in my other palm. An idea—a mad one blooms.

“Nara?” Freya’s voice echoes and I whirl my head to her. “Are you okay?” Her mouth moves but the sounds don’t come out with it. I just stare. My breathing loud in my ears and my heart in my throat as I look back to the pit.

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