Three Deadly Trials (Battle for The Dark King Book 1)

by VS Winters

  It almost felt homey, with the flourishing lives of the people there. The atmosphere made me feel whole with a sense of deliverance from the solitude the castle had cast upon me over the past several days. Not all of the faces were happy to see me, however. I saw many of them twisted in distaste as I passed by. Deciding not to let them get to me, I set my sights on a small child stretching and arm out for me. She was perhaps four or five and clutching something in her pudgy fist while hopping up and down on the dirt. I glanced at Azrael before stopping to kneel in front of the girl.

  "Princess Eden!" She giggled nervously, stretching her other fist of fingers to her mouth so that she could chew on one for comfort. I smiled at her warmly, nodding to her still-outstretched arm.

  "What do you have there?" I asked gently.

  "I made it for you, my momma told me that I could." I peered into her doe-eyes of gray, noting that even Fae babes were beautiful. Opening my palm beneath her hand, I allowed her to drop the ball of mud and sticks into it. Trying not to let the disgust show on my face, I gave her a grin and thanked her for what I'm sure she had carefully constructed just for me. The mother of the girl rushed to her child, apologizing for the little one's boldness. She moved so quickly that her tattered skirt nearly enveloped the girl completely, before hurrying her elsewhere.

  "Beat that mean woman today, Princess!" The little girl called, trying to wriggle free of her mother's grasp. I waved to her and took my place at Azrael's side again, disregarding the perplexed stare he gave me. The structure of sticky mud was still in my hand. He glanced down at it and raised an eyebrow.

  "Are you going to keep that horse shit in your hand all the way to the coliseum?" He grumbled.

  "Ew," I said, slinging it to the ground, hoping the little girl couldn't see as I discarded her gift. Azrael removed a stained fabric from the inside of his suit of armor, handing it over to me. I happily accepted and cleaned my hand before moving to hand it back. His eyes traveled from the cloth and back up to me.

  "You may keep it."

  Not that I didn't appreciate it, I smiled at him and tossed the cloth into the crowd, watching for a moment as a group of people shoved each other aside to grab at it. Grimacing, I prayed that they would at least clean the thing before including it in their household washcloths.

  "We must maintain our route, Lady Eden," Azrael said, using my proper title for the first time. It felt strange. Like I was a little girl playing dress-up and everyone else was being forced to play along. I tried not to think about it much as let my gaze wander, searching for the coliseum. It wasn't long before the enormous building was unveiled, behind stacks of impeccably constructed dwellings and taverns. My mouth hung slightly ajar as I observed the long lines of people waiting to get in.

  Despite the bickering amongst them, the ambiance felt charged and ample with feel-good energy. These people were ready for whatever the day had in store for me. Who knew how long they had been waiting for an event such as this to occur? I wondered, with a jolt of fear, if the protection spells would hold up this time. Also, how many of these people were here to see me fail. Azrael used his authority and brute force to get us past the thousands idling outside of the coliseum.

  Once indoors, when the door had slammed shut, the air shifted, becoming oddly tranquil. A part of me longed to run back outside, to become a part of the masses rather than a contestant. I hadn't felt much in the way of nerves while walking. But being in that silence sent it barreling through me all at once. My feet halted in place, and I slapped a hand onto Azrael's shoulder to keep myself from toppling over and losing my breakfast.

  He rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh, allowing me to take my time managing myself. Once I was sure that I could stand straight again, I nodded at him, letting him lead us where we needed to be. Being so wrapped up in the thought of people watching me in this event, I hadn't given much thought to the location. What I knew about the coliseum in ancient Rome was that it had been used for battling gladiators.

  Today would be a fight, I was sure of it, observing the massive amphitheater. Seats were not yet filling, but I acknowledged that that would be soon. Terror was gripping my gut with claw-like daggers. My footsteps echoed with the clinking of my armor as we walked the outskirts of the structure. Looking up, I could see a velarium high above, shutting out the sun's bright rays so that the entire structure retained a cryptic feel.

  With a peek over the edge, I was able to see the arena floor several hundred feet below. There sat a labyrinth of erected stones at the bottom. I started to squint my eyes for a better look but Azrael was quick to snatch me away from the edge, giving me a disapproving scowl like he had when fixing my armor.

  "No scheming." He grumbled, shoving me to the other side of him so that I wouldn't get another opportunity to look at the base level. Groaning, I released the temptation to shove him over the side and marched beside him submissively. His steps were growing swift, more urgent, as we neared the corridor that led to the room I'd be held in. He gave the room a scan, as though he expected someone to jump out wielding a blade at any moment.

  "I have been ordered to stay by you until the Trial begins; however, I'm afraid I have more pressing matters to attend to with his Grace." He motioned me into the room, deciding that nobody was waiting to kill me inside. Soon after, a woman stepped in who was cloaked head to toe in pearly-white robes. Her head was lowered. Azrael nodded to her and then to me before returning to the entrance.

  "Best of luck to you, Lady Eden." He said and closed the door. I shifted on my feet awkwardly as the woman began to circle me, her fingers outstretched. I could sense the tingling of magic on my skin as she worked. Her appearance was familiar to me, which I soon pinpointed. She had been one of the women with the crystal balls in the first Trial. Or she resembled them, I couldn't be sure that she was the same.

  "What are you doing?" I asked her, twisting in an attempt to examine her face as she passed in front of me for the third time. Her hands and feet kept moving, though she granted me a flash of her gleaming violet eyes beneath the cowl. Perhaps she wasn't used to being spoken to directly, or maybe I was messing with her concentration. Either way, I was somewhat taken aback when she responded.

  "Protection." She whispered, her voice like that of a serpent as it slithered from her tongue and pierced my ears. I shivered at the sound, despite my trying hard not to. Her full, dark lips curled into a smirk. I wondered if she enjoyed watching people react to her disturbing speech, and figured she probably did, being as how she kept that eerie smile on her face right up until the last round of the spell. Weird.

  "Is this spell different from before?" I asked her. She gave me a nod.

  "Stronger." She said simply. I'd never get used to that voice. I wished she would just shut up so that I wouldn't feel so frightened under her stare. "Close your eyes."

  I did as she asked, ignoring my brain telling me to disobey just so that I could keep my eyes on her. She was quick and silent in her steps, which had me questioning whether she was moving at all. My eyes popped back open at the feeling of something heavy being clasped around each of my wrists, confirming that she had moved, and in doing so grabbed the chains from the walls.

  "Shackles!" I cried out. "I'm in a prison cell, which I'm certain will be bolted when you leave. Do you really think I'm going anywhere?"

  She didn't speak another word, just spun on her heel and exited the room, leaving me in the middle of the floor attached to the walls with the rusty old chains. A grate in the tall ceiling above provided fragments of sunshine that cast bands of light across my face and arms. I waited there, dropping to my knees for a touch of comfort while I listened to the voices of people beginning to gush into the stands beyond my cell walls. The sound of it had my heart hammering inside my chest.

  Nervous sweat trickled down my temples the longer I kneeled there, my body was growing hypersensitive due to the adrenaline pumping through my veins. After an unknown amount of time had passed, an unexpected tremor jolted th
e floor, causing me to wind my fingers around the chains and pull against them tightly to keep myself from falling over. The grinding of stone against stone scraped my eardrums as the chamber began to descend like a giant elevator. I breathed heavily as I watched the door and its wall lift higher and higher. The other three walls stayed firmly in place as I worked to get to my feet as gracefully as possible in preparation for whatever lay at the bottom. It was a slow process getting there, and my legs were aching by the end of it from using every muscle that I owned to remain standing.

  Finally, after what seemed like hours, the room came to a halt, and the wall where the door had been was now open to the arena's base level. The sunlight that I had been graced with before was now long gone, so far above me that I could only just make out a speck of the golden shine. Peering toward the arena, I could discern torches burning heartily against the stone slabs which looked a hundred times larger at eye level than they had from above.

  "Welcome visitors from far and wide!" Rowan's voice thundered throughout the entire stadium so powerfully that I stumbled backward. Wanting to see his face, if even for a moment, I searched the bits of the stands that I could see from inside of the room. Thousands of people were up above, and I was provided no such luck. "Today, we will witness the Trial of Might as a unified set of Kingdoms!" The crowd went wild, screaming joyfully in response to his words.

  "Most of you have watched these women while they earned their places in this prestigious battle. Today, you will behold the birth of a new Fae Queen!" His voice was strong, entrusting, and robust. The assemblage loved it. I realized that I loved it too, forgetting momentarily that I was still pissed about him taking off on me. The way he spoke was inspirational, motivating even. Like he wasn't just explaining the Trial, but a part of it this time. "My finest warriors have captured a creature from the far southern countries. They hunted the beast for nearly a year to track it down and return it here to be unleashed in the arena--" As he spoke my shackles snapped open, permitting me to rub my wrists and start walking forward, into the arena's rugged terrain.

  The roars from the crowd became deafening as I moved out of the shadows and into the torchlight. From the way that people in all directions were screaming, drowning out Rowan's voice, I could only assume that the additional two contestants had been set free as well. It took a long while for the uproar to settle down enough for the Prince to continue. I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel damn great to experience that type of support.

  "Yes! Show your love for your heroines!" Rowan had a smile on his lips, I could hear it in his voice. It made me wonder if he was somewhere up there, gazing down at me. My stomach flipped, and I began to scan the crowd again. "As I was saying, everyone, please also give our Manticore welcome applause."

  The crowd went absolutely insane. This time it wasn't all happy and cheering, though. The screams of women sounded all around me, along with the combined gasps of random people. I swallowed hard. Knowing that this couldn't be a good indication, I searched my mind, trying to remember what exactly a Manticore was. A guttural cry came from within the rock formations and sent a chill through my bones. It sounded like a wild cat, but larger, more powerful. I wanted to run but stood firmly in place with bulging eyes and twitching fingers.

  "The champions will need to fend off the Manticore whilst attempting to best each other. Furthermore, there may be more surprises in store for them. Defenses are fastened to the inner chamber's walls, where the monster roams. Do you hear me, contestants?" My eyes flicked back down to the structure, every muscle in my body tensing as I started to run like hell into it. My breathing was shallow with fear as I entered the walls, carefully making my way along the side with my eyes peeled, watching for movement.

  "There is only one rule. You may not kill each other-" A little bit of booing sounded from the crowd. Apparently, they wanted to watch us die. Too bad for them, I thanked the stars. "When your opponent has been bested, and can no longer fight back, you must cease and allow them to shimmer away. Without further ado, let the Trial begin!"

  With that, it was like a sound barrier came up between the crowd and us. Everything fell eerily silent, only just faint muffled voices came from far off. It was like listening to music at the lowest volume, the noise was there, but I couldn't hear much of anything apart from the crackling torches. I bent my neck to look overhead as the sound of flapping wings passed above my hiding place.

  Compressing myself into the wall, I did what I could to hide from view as Sephial soared through the air. Another set of wings blasted a loose curl from behind my ear and sent it swirling around my face as the Harpy screeched in rage. I observed in loathing as I realized that the additional wings were those belonging to Nija. Of course, she has wings, why not? Exactly as Sephial had figured out which direction she was coming from, Nija raked a clawed hand across her face. Sephial spun out of control, free-falling downward, only just able to regain her control before crashing into a stone slab. She twisted and gave a great push with her wings, grabbing hold of Nija's ankles. The two plunged from the air, entwined with each other until they had fallen behind the stone walls and out of sight.

  Determining that this would be the ideal moment to arm myself with something other than my untamed spells, I un-plastered myself from the wall and sprang into a run. Coming upon stone walls repeatedly, I was growing discouraged in realizing that I might never find the heart of the maze. Taking a left, then a right, then an additional two rights, the walls began to swirl around me, dizzying me to the point of nausea. I clasped my face in my hands and shook my head fervently, attempting to rid myself of the confusion heavy in my mind.

  "What's the matter, little one, are you lost?" I jerked my face up to meet Nija's gleaming stare. What the hell had happened to her being preoccupied with Sephial? I checked my wrist to make sure that she hadn't been defeated. Seeing that no point had been branded there, I looked to Nija in confusion. "I have bigger fish to fry," the Demon chuckled.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Mustering all of my strength through that fuzziness in my brain, I aimed a row of fingers at her, hurling the smallest flash of electricity zipping in her direction. She coolly watched as it flew past her and into a wall that was several feet from where she stood. She dropped her head with a wicked smile, preparing her wings behind her as she opened her clawed hands in an attack stance.

  "Weak and pathetic. Just like dear mommy was when my family convinced King Blaive to cut her down like the weed she was," she said, making my jaw grow tight and my arm muscles harden. So it was her who had been the cause of my mother's death. But how? How did she get under the King's skin enough to make him murder his own wife alongside my mother in cold blood? Nija watched me carefully, edging closer as I raised a second hand between us, my lip curled into a snarl. "What's the matter? Did I strike a nerve?" she asked sweetly.

  With added power surging up inside of me, I hurled another thunderbolt at her. This one connected, but only hard enough to push one of her shoulders backward and piss her off. She peered at the smoke curling down the length of her arm and then back at me, her eyes narrowing so that they were only slits of scarlet light.

  "We would have let her live, you know. Had she taken our side in the war. With the power of the Coven supporting us, we could have put an end to it once and for all. Especially since the fool of a King rid us of our Empaths."

  So there it was. Empaths were evil too. Great, I had a lot of things working against me just because I existed. I was beginning to understand Rowan's reaction, though.

  "It doesn't appear to me that you want the war to end, Nija. You seem perfectly content in the chaos you generate. People are dying, your own included. Does that mean nothing to you?"

  "I don't worry about the lives that have been lost, fool. Those of Rowan's maternal family included." She snarled. "I care about commanding the seven Kingdoms. Primarily this one."

  I dodged as she elevated into the air and spiraled toward me. It wasn't quick enough t
o evade a slashing of nails across my cheek that flung me onto my ass. I disregarded the stinging blood on my face and scrambled to my feet, followed by a sprint that took me several feet away from Nija. She whirled around, wings still beating to keep her airborne. Opening her mouth as if to speak, she paused and cocked her head to listen for something that I couldn't detect.

  Before I could question her further, Sephial crashed into her from behind, taking both of them to the stony ground. Sephial held Nija against the stone with a taloned foot to the chest. All it would take is one hard push with that massive claw that was readied above the demon's heart. Sephial was eager to finish it but was hindered by a grinding that vibrated through the ground beneath us. Another noise rose into the air as well, something other than the harsh scraping of stone.

  "Water?" I asked no one in particular. Sephial's vivid eyes grew, and her hold on Nija slackened as she prepared herself for flight. It was just enough for the Demon to send a sharp elbow into the back of her knee. My hand flew over my open mouth as Nija brought her to her knees, swinging a fist across the Harpy's face before pivoting her to the ground. Nija's eyes snapped in my direction while she held her forearm across the other female's neck. The look was one that told me she would deal with me later. I swallowed and began to back up. With a look to my left, I spotted the next passage and bolted. I wanted to put as much space between myself and that crazy bitch as I could.

  The roaring of water was growing closer. It continued to expand the further I ran until it was all I could hear. Stopping for just a second to take a breather, I looked up just in time to view a gigantic wave before it came crashing down into the labyrinth. My feet were swept from beneath me right before my body was slammed into the stone wall by the sheer strength of the tide. My arms stroked against the current wildly, trying to find their way to the surface. The liquid was dim and murky and I soon understood that searching for something to grab onto was hopeless. The strength of the current didn't allow me to do much of anything. I could only submit to being washed away like a petal in a stream.