by T J Kelly
Once I was at my workspace, which was separated from the other competitors only with a white line painted on the ground, I waved towards the stands. Another roar of welcome rose from the audience.
I muffled the noise with a spell so I wouldn’t be distracted while I worked. Instead of blocking all the noise, I built an imaginary dome in my mind that covered the entirety of my work section in the ring. The sound of the crowd dimmed, but I could still hear my competitors just in case they came at me.
Stamping the spell firmly in place, I then turned my attention to the work tables, examining their set up and locating the supplies. Mort had done a fantastic job at the castle reproducing everything exactly as it would be during the trials. Everything was where I expected it to be, including the equipment Peony had ordered for me.
I turned to my right when the bells tolled three long times. The Robus team entered the arena. Once they settled into place, I greeted them with a formal bow, and they returned the courtesy. The crowd really liked that if their cheers were any indication.
The bells continued to toll each rank until all the competitors were on the field. We were ready to begin.
◆◆◆
I glanced up at the Rector suite. It was hard to look away from the only familiar faces in the entire stadium even though I was supposed to connect with the audience. Peony said that if I looked at any one spot for three to five seconds, it would seem like I was making eye contact. She told me the crowds liked the competitors who did that the best although how anyone could believe that I actually made eye contact with thousands of people was beyond me.
It took forever to get the teams on the field. Most of the time was allotted to review their supplies, and I was getting bored. By the fourth or fifth time I looked at the Rector suite, I realized something was wrong. Considering the look on their faces, it was bad. Armageddon was gesturing angrily and pointing. I looked around inside of the suite but couldn’t see why.
Peony was sitting near the windows, looking out. She wasn’t focusing on anything, not even my uncle, and she looked hurt. Why was she so upset? I knew she was worried about me, but my aunt didn’t look worried. She looked like she was about to cry.
Mort and Peter stood next to each other, their arms crossed over their chests, faces blank. At first, I couldn’t tell what they were feeling, but when Peter finally looked down at my workstation, he seemed worried.
I searched every inch of the interior of the suite, but Chas wasn’t there. Then my eyes caught a movement in the suite next to ours, and that’s when I saw him.
Chas was sitting in the suite assigned to the Taines.
All the noise around me disappeared, no spell needed. I couldn’t see or hear anyone else at that moment. I wasn’t sure if I needed to panic or not. Not understanding why he was even in there, I strained forward, my entire body calling to him, trying to get him to look at me. But he didn’t.
Chas stared off to the side, motionless and stiff as if he were carved from of a block of ice. I couldn’t even tell he was breathing. He was that still.
Clarissa sat next to him. She had left her blond hair down, softly framing her face. She wasn’t staring off to the side like Chas. No, she stared directly at me, just waiting for me to catch her eye.
I watched helplessly as Clarissa ran her finger along Chas’s arm, smiling triumphantly, and then resting her hand on him possessively. I wasn’t sure, but I thought Chas was gritting his teeth. I hoped he was. Still, he didn’t stop Clarissa from touching him. He just sat there letting her do whatever she wanted, refusing to look my way.
“Are you sure you’re ready for the big time, little girl?” Oberon called out. “If you’re surprised by what you see, then maybe you should return to your nursery.”
My gaze shifted to him in spite of myself. Oberon wasn’t all that far away, and my spell hadn’t muffled anything he said. But still, I questioned my comprehension. Surely Chas wouldn’t visit his father before the trials. He had told his brothers no.
I turned away without answering and concentrated on my work table, forcing myself not to look back into the Taine suite or at Oberon. If he was playing a game, I didn’t want him to think it was working. Besides, I was afraid of what I might see next.
“Cat got your tongue? Or are you trying not to cry, you little baby? It’s hard, isn’t it? It’s hard when you realize that nobody means what they say, not even when they say it in a clearing full of butterflies and dandelion fluff.”
My head jerked around, and I stared at Oberon in horror. How could he possibly know anything about that? How could he know what happened on my picnic with Chas? Did he find a way to spy on us?
Oberon laughed. His sons and brothers joined in. “You actually fell for it, didn’t you? What a fool. I can’t wait to meet you in the ring, little idiot. I’m going to slaughter you.”
I looked back up at Oberon’s suite. There was Chas, still sitting next to Clarissa, still refusing to look my way. Clarissa said something, and Chas leaned his head closer to her perfect pink lips so he could hear her better. He nodded and looked in my direction.
No. He wasn’t looking at me. He was actually looking at Oberon. It was as if Chas didn’t see me at all. He nodded to his father and then turned away.
“Oh, yeah, little girl,” Oberon purred. “You better hold on. It’s going to be one hell of a ride. Welcome to my world.”
Tearing my gaze away from Chas and Clarissa, I looked at my own suite. They were all staring at me. I could see the pity on their faces, and the anger.
My uncle caught my eye, and he nodded encouragingly at me. I looked at my aunt, then Mort, and they did the same. Peter nodded, too, but there was something in his gaze. Something he was trying to say to me. He raised his hand and pressed it against the window. The magic inside of me reached out and pushed against the wards that had been woven into the glass. A whisper of thought made it through.
I wasn’t alone.
Remembering that was the only thing that kept me from falling to the ground in grief when I finally admitted to myself that the only way Oberon could have known about my perfect day was if Chas told him about it.
Chas had betrayed me.
The pain nearly crushed the life out of me. But instead of my vision going black, I focused on them. Armageddon and Peony. Mort and Peter. My family. My light. I wasn’t alone.
My enemy would not break me.
Peter nodded to me again. And I nodded back. They were there for me. That was all I needed. I turned towards Oberon, who was still staring at me, mocking me, laughing.
“Oh, I’m ready, you old fool,” I said. “Nothing you do is going to stop me. And when they cart your body out of the ring today, you’re going to finally know what it’s like to lose to a Rector.”
I was spared his response by the resounding peals of the final bell, the sound we had all been waiting for.
Round one had begun.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Round One
I ran to the work tables.
During my practice sessions, we planned everything down to the last detail. I was supposed to walk sedately, but I was at the tables before I realized what happened. Too many thoughts and emotions swirled around in my head for me to concentrate.
Chas. The butterflies. Oberon. Pain. How could he do that to me?
I wanted to pick up one of the crystals, but my hands were so weak and shaky that I knew I would drop it. I needed to get a grip, or I would never make it though.
The problem was, I couldn’t stop thinking about what else Chas might have told his father. Oberon was right. I did believe Chas meant what he said. I even got into a fight with Armageddon about him. I defended him. Believed in him. Let him into my family suite and sit at the table while we planned my strategy.
It was unbearable. I wondered if I was about to faint. I couldn’t catch my breath and that usually happened before everything went dark.
I looked up at the domed ceiling of the stadium. I wish they h
ad opened it for the competition. Maybe the heavens could guide me. I directed my gaze back to the tables, and I caught sight of my family suite again.
Peony was standing near the front windows, holding her hand against them as Peter had done. I thought about how her grasp had soothed me when I was hurt, and I concentrated on that. My heart slowed just a little, enough to allow me to close my eyes and take a breath. I gave myself over to my magic, and in my moment of need, it gave me my center.
My eyes snapped open. My heart rate returned to normal, my hands stilled, and I knew I could do it.
My gaze flicked to Mort, standing a few feet away from Peony. His eyes were scanning the arena, looking for an imminent attack. I took the hint and turned around, scanning the stadium. The competitors were spaced evenly around the center of the arena in a circle, making it possible to see what the other teams were doing. Fortunately for me, none of them had taken advantage of my distraction to come for me.
I could see the Taines and the Robus family the best since they were on either side of me. Every one of their team members was either working on a task or scanning the arena like I was, on the lookout for danger.
The Spinigers were hard at work, but the Unguis and Perdo families across the way were already in each other’s faces, flares of light flashing between their workstations. They were keeping each other occupied, and I lowered their risk factor in my assessment. I turned back to my work area and propped up a shiny platter against a stack of wooden bowls. Its intended purpose was for display once I completed the cornucopia task. Instead, I used it like a mirror so I could see behind me. I angled it towards the Taine’s side of the ring so I could determine whether they were going to attack from behind.
Trying to control my emotions had already wasted ten minutes. My finish time wouldn’t be as impressive, but I was determined to amaze everyone anyway.
I picked up a handful of crystals. The spell process that would imprint them with light formed in my head. Before I released the magic, I added a little flair for the audience. Nobody had seen me perform magic before. They had only seen me fail.
Time for my world debut.
Firmly pinning a smile on my face, I tossed a handful of crystals into the air, freezing their position once they reached a spot roughly three feet above my head. Although I didn’t need to make any gestures to perform magic, I held my hands in the air above my head as if I were aiming at them.
The crowd went wild as the crystals flared, sparkling like a fireworks display. I spun in a pirouette and the crystals twisted around in a tornado of light as they mimicked my movements. I swooped my hands in a downward motion, and the crystals followed, landing gently on the black velvet display set up for my completed tasks. Acting like a ballerina wasn’t necessary for me to perform magic, but the crowd seemed to love it, and I wanted them on my side. I wanted them to want me to win.
I peeked up into my family’s suite. Peter and Mort were grinning. Peony had backed away from the windows. She and my uncle were deep in conversation. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I hoped they were telling each other I crushed it.
Glancing around the arena, I noted my rivals weren’t paying any attention to me. Excellent.
My next task was to alter the original Rector light-spell and turn them into a heat source. They spent slightly more time in the air, this time visibly changing from golden yellow to red. I continued my performance, again adding the spinning and the sparkles for flare. The crowd cheered. I thought that was kind of cool.
My juggling act was intended to give the impression that the element I used to perform spells was Air. It wouldn’t do me any harm if my enemies, or even a few of my supporters, were mistaken about my source of magic.
I turned away from the crowd. Titus Taine, the only brother I hadn’t yet met, was staring at me. He looked pissed off. Probably because I completed two tasks while his family was still laying crystals out on the table. He should have known I would be faster. My family created the spells. The Taines should have been better prepared. Besides, it wasn’t my fault they didn’t have the right kind of magic.
I smiled at Titus, then winked. He raised a hand, and a fireball appeared. I wasn’t sure if he was only threatening me or intended to actually throw it, but Mort taught me that my enemies would never hesitate. That’s why they won so often. So it was important that I also not hesitate.
I wiggled my fingers at Titus as if I were flirting, shattering the fireball in his hand.
The audience roared their approval.
With a toss of my head and a sweeping gesture, I erected a shield between myself and the Taines that glowed with colors and swirls and pictures that faded in and out. A cat pouncing on a bird, a dog chasing down a rat, an owl snatching a bat out of the sky, and a burst of butterflies. I shouldn’t have added that last one, but the pictures just came out with my thoughts, and I wasn’t going to erase them. The Taines didn’t need to know how hurt I was that Chas told them about us.
The people in the stands had jumped to their feet, hopping up and down and waving their arms in the air. Their cheers would be deafening if I stopped muffling the noise. However, I made sure that I could still hear the commentator. He described each of the different scenes I projected on my shield. I giggled as I mocked the Taines with my images. I felt pretty good about it, especially since the people were laughing and pointing.
A thought flitted through my mind. I wondered if I was going to pay for their humiliation in the next round. Probably. But at that moment, I didn’t care. I wanted to embarrass them.
I wanted Oberon to feel the way I did when he laughed at me.
A throne-like chair made of mahogany appeared out of nowhere, created by my thoughts. I sauntered over to it, sitting down with perfect posture, ankles crossed. I magically transported a tea cart holding some of the snacks from the waiting room. I theatrically poured myself a cup of tea, arching my wrist as I poured. I even held the pot about two feet above the cup in an exaggerated gesture of grace. Meanwhile, I performed my next set of tasks to a background of screams, cheers, and laughter.
I didn’t know how to juggle with my hands, but as long as I was careful to trace pathways for every object in my mind, I could avoid disaster. I determined a route for every ingredient I needed and made a map in my head, then set the spell and let it fly.
A whirlwind of movement surrounded me while I ate dainty little sandwiches made of cucumber and cream cheese or salmon and dill. I took small sips of tea with my pinky out. It looked like I wasn’t even paying attention. Like the Cornucopias created themselves as water crystals spouted their life-giving liquid. Power crystals formed rapidly amid sparks and miniature bolts of lightning with no discernible direction from me.
An overwhelming flurry of activity surrounded me because there were so many components, so many tasks, and so many items the Rectors offered the world to make it a better place to live. That thought filled me with pride.
Finishing my snack, I rose to my feet. My tasks were complete. Power buzzed and hummed inside of me. It felt joyful as if my magic approved. That it thought what I was doing was not just good, or useful, or helpful, but also fun.
I brushed off my pants in case any crumbs had fallen from my sandwiches and then clapped my hands once. In a burst of light, the chair and tea cart disappeared as the business items I had created landed softly on the black velvet presentation table. Everywhere I looked, people were cheering, jumping, and screaming my name.
Praelia Nox.
Snapping my fingers, I caused the shield I had created to taunt the Taines to disappear in a burst of glitter. I glanced to my left and, sure enough, Oberon was glaring at me. His team was still working on the second task and having a hard time changing a light crystal into a heat crystal.
I winked at him. Then I made a gesture as if wiping dust off of my hands, flicked my fingers at him, and walked off the field. None of the other competitors were even close to being finished. I finally had my chance to prove mysel
f. I did it. I beat them. And I beat them in front of millions of people.
I made sure the world would forget that nobody, not even a team of powerful magicians, could replace me.
◆◆◆
I watched the rest of round one from the waiting room. I sat near the windows so I could observe my competitors in person instead of on the mounted television.
Attacks against me were prohibited once I left the field, but as a precaution, I placed a shield around the room anyway. I wasn’t nervous about round two yet, mostly because I refused to think about it, but I still wished I could go back to my family suite for some encouragement.
I wasn’t allowed to communicate with my family, so I occasionally watched them instead of the other teams. They were relaxed and laughing together. I could sense their pride from where I sat. It felt great. I had never before performed magic and received praise for a spell well done. Their reaction was the best morale boost I had ever experienced.
Several cameras were aimed at me, so I spent my time giving the impression that I was confident, capable, and maybe just a little bored.
But I wasn’t. Instead, I was trying not to think about Chas. I didn’t understand. How he could have fooled me? I walked into the bathroom so the cameras wouldn’t catch my tears when they started to fall. I gripped the edge of the sink and breathed deeply, trying to reject the conclusions that struck me like blows.
Obviously, this was a ploy by the Taines to weaken me and to distract me enough that they could take me out in the second round. But how was it possible that Chas had purposefully made me fall in love with him merely to help his family? And how did that work, anyway? He was banished when I was only thirteen, and none of us knew that I would be in the position to fight for my company in the trials or that I wouldn’t ascend in the first place.
That meant that there was more to his actions than I understood. The part of me that loved Chas, that trusted him and had faith, came roaring back to life. It burned out the weakness and pain. I straightened up. There had to be an explanation for what he did. Maybe it was some kind of trick. I didn’t know how, but I wasn’t willing to believe every moment I spent with Chas was false. Fake. Geared towards betrayal. Nobody could lie that well.
