Page 108 of Avalon Tower
His eyes widen. “What did you just say?” he snarls.
“Poor mummy’s boy. You know, the rottweilers will kill you if you cry.”
I have to move quickly as he screeches in fury and tries to bludgeon me in the head. The power of his rage is so intense that it flays our telepathic connection. His thoughts vanish from my mind, and he goes after me.
But no longer am I fighting the careful, cunning Tarquin. This guy is mindless, a raging, furious child throwing a tantrum. All his years of training are forgotten. He uses his sword like a battle-axe, swinging carelessly, trying to annihilate me. The judges, noticing the change, are shouting that the trial is over, but Tarquin can’t hear them. Perhaps he doesn’t even know where he is anymore. He’s no longer fighting me. He’s a little boy raging at his bully cousins.
I jump to the left as he swings, his sword lodging itself deeply in the ground. As he tries to pull it out, I bash his face with the pommel of my rapier. I feel his nose crunching. As hard as I can, I kick his wrist, and a bone snaps.
He screams in agony as I jump back. His hand dangles at his side uselessly, his sword stuck in the ground.
At last, Wrythe shouts that the trial is over. The cadets are roaring, screaming,
I can hardly catch my breath as I glance at the judges. Wrythe and Amon both look horrified.
But Viviane meets my eyes, and her lips twist in a tiny smile.
There’s a small grin on my lips as I watch Tana and Serana battling each other in the tiltyard. For them, it’s the last trial. They’ve aced everything else, and I can tell by the distinctly coordinated whirling and swinging that they’ve choreographed this. Serana’s ginger hair flows around her as she pivots gracefully.
Today, the summer sun beams down on us. It’s been a few days since my tournament against Tarquin, and my muscles still ache.
But today’s competition is a dance, not a battle. Serana has even allowed Tana to draw a little blood to make it look real, but I already know that neither of them will end up hurt.
Darius leans in to me and whispers, “If Serana were actually fighting Tana, she’d possibly be dead by now. Let’s hope Tana doesn’t face any real threats in the field.”
“We’ll all keep her safe.” I clear my throat. “Assuming I pass.”
“You’ll pass,” he says. “Can you believe I got copper? I didn’t even think I’d pass at all. I was certain I’d be culled.”
Darius has a habit of fishing for compliments, and I have a habit of indulging him. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course you passed. You’re brilliant. We all know this.”
“Thank you, love. Are you nervous for your magic trial tomorrow?”
My stomach clenches, and I feel like I want to throw up. “Nope.”
“Liar.”
“Hold your arms!” Amon shouts. “The trial is concluded. By a small margin, Serana O’Rourke is the winner.”
My breath catches. They’re about to announce the torcs.
I watch as the trio of judges confer for a few minutes in a tense huddle. Viviane is pulling out papers, pointing to them.
I swallow hard.
At last, Viviane turns to the arena, and the wind whips at her blonde hair. “Tana Campbell,” she bellows. “Silver!”
Darius grabs my arm in a death grip, grinning. “She’s a knight! She’s a fucking knight.”
“Serana O’Rourke,” Viviane calls out. “Silver!”
I feel the grin splitting my face from ear to ear. “Holy shit. This almost makes up for the fact that Tarquin and Horatio got gold.”
“They’re going to be insufferable. Well, they didn’t earn theirs, did they? Tarquin lost to you. But these torcs actually make sense.” Darius is bouncing in his seat, and he reaches down to pick up a blue paper bag. “I knew it. I fucking knew it. I mean, I didn’t realize it would be silver, but I knew they’d pass. Obviously.”
He pulls out a bottle of champagne and with a whoop, uncorks it. Champagne fizz bursts over the people in front of us, and they yelp with irritation.
Suppressing a laugh, I say, “Don’t you want to wait for the two knights?”