Never Keep (Sins of the Zodiac #1)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

M y Combat Trial had been laughable. The magically-altered beast I’d fought had looked to have been an ape at some point, but fighting it was nothing compared to the true chaos of war, the bloody fight for survival and clash of steel and death which I was so accustomed to. I’d stalked from the assessment chamber without even bothering to wait for the Reapers there to confirm that I had achieved the necessary judgement. I hadn’t even used the golden weapon they’d given me to kill it, showing them what I was capable of with brute force and my bare hands instead. If that was their idea of battle preparation, then I was glad I wasn’t receiving any physical combat training for war in this place.

The Reaper whose cold and clammy palm had pressed to my forehead while invading my mind with their Cyclops power had actually snatched his hand back after delving into some of my most brutal memories. I’d done things in the name of Stormfell which apparently made even the servants of the stars flinch. I’d given him a sweet smile as he ushered me out of the assessment, confirming I had no Seer abilities either, his pallor decidedly paler than when I’d begun.

I strode out into a wide courtyard where all those Fae who had passed their Combat Trials before me were either pausing for a break or heading to join the long lines which rose up the distant pathway clinging to the mountain ahead of us.