Chapter 30 #2
Both Baylis and Grenda are still among the surviving knights, along with another four I don’t know by name yet.
‘Benny told me he took the High Priestess’s offer,’ Llinos says. ‘Thank the Gods. He also said that there were three others on the platform when the trial ended.’
‘Do you know if they all accepted the gift?’ I question, annoyed that I didn’t think to ask him earlier.
He shakes his head.
‘Kyor won’t have done.’ There’s not a shadow of a doubt in my mind. ‘It’s a matter of pride for him. He’s all about honour,’ I sneer. ‘He won’t think he deserves to win unless he competes in all the trials.’
The minute the words leave my lips, I watch Benny’s expression shift into panic.
‘Do you think that’s true?’ he says. ‘Do you think I can’t win if I miss a trial?’
I shake my head and rush to reassure him. ‘No. If that was the case, it would never have been offered.’
‘Unless it was a test?’ he counters, gnawing on his lip.
I exhale. This prize is seriously doing a number on him, that’s for sure. Maybe he’s right, but Etta’s never struck me as a Goddess who plays games, unlike some of the others. But who can know the mind of a God?
Llinos places a hand on Benny’s shoulder. ‘At the end of the day, it’s about finishing this together, right? As long as one of us gets through, we’re all winners.’
‘Yeah. You’re right. Of course you’re right.
’ Still, an uneasy silence settles over our table, broken only by Loch’s constant muttering.
His fingers are now pressed against his ears.
I’d never say it aloud, but I can’t help feeling that Loch getting to the Ofur is getting less and less likely with each passing day.
‘Incoming,’ Llinos whispers. I glance down to the end of the hall and immediately see who she’s talking about.
Zara is heading straight towards us, eyes flashing with fury.
‘How the fuck did you survive that?’ she spits as she looms over me. There’s no doubt who she’s aiming her question at.
‘Glad to see you made it through the trial too, Zara,’ I say.
I’m not sure why I think injecting a bit of humour into the situation might help.
This is Zara we’re talking about. I doubt she even has a sense of humour at the best of times, and even less so now that her brother’s just died.
Yeah, that probably wasn’t my best move.
With her jaw twitching, she moves her gaze from me to Benny and Llinos.
‘How the hell did you help keep this fucking runt alive?’ she sneers.
I’m sure she thinks that name will have got to me by now, but I find myself growing more and more impervious to it. Though I can’t say the same for my friends. Llinos pushes back her chair, stands up, and faces Zara.
‘That runt,’ she snarls, ‘scaled the tallest jotunn there so that she could take a dagger to his throat. She deserves to be here.’
‘My brother deserves to be here,’ Zara snaps. ‘It’s not right. Why would the Goddess save her and let him die?’
A current of unease swirls through me. I meet her eyes, hoping she’ll see my sincerity. ‘I’m sorry for your loss, Zara. Truly, I am.’
‘Fuck you.’
Everyone in the dining hall is looking at us, but I don’t care.
‘I mean it. I know you two were close—’
‘You’re fucking dead,’ she promises in a low growl. She raises her hands and I brace myself for the pain of my cracked ribs returning, but there’s barely a twinge. She must have nearly drained her magic today.
On the other side of the table, Benny pushes back his shoulders and stands.
‘Your brother chose the trials. He knew the risk, just like the rest of us.’ He moves in between Zara and me. ‘Go back to your table, Duarte. We’ve all got losses to mourn.’
Her top lip curls in a snarl and my throat dries as I think she’s about to turn this thing into a proper fistfight, but instead, she simply looks at me with venom.
‘Your days are numbered,’ she fires at me before swivelling around and marching back to her table.
I don’t know why Etta chose who she chose, and I don’t feel even a modicum of grief over Shim’s death, but I do know the pain of losing a brother. Shim and Zara were twins, and for that reason alone, I feel for her.
‘Well, good to know some things never change,’ Llinos offers with a weak chuckle.
Benny squeezes my shoulder and pointedly sits next to me.
‘Somehow I don’t think Zara and I are going to come out of this thing best buddies,’ I reply weakly. ‘But I’ll deal with that later. Right now, I’m starving.’
I would have thought that seeing that much death in one day would have destroyed my appetite, but apparently not.
I eat more than ever before. Since moving into the barracks, my body has regained the ability to eat decent-sized meals, which means I’m actually putting on muscle.
A very good sign. It’s only when we finish with the savoury and the sweets are brought out that Jonas joins us.
He slides onto the bench on the other side of me, though he speaks to Benny first.
‘Sorry about being a little antsy earlier,’ he says. ‘Pain from the leg.’
‘No problem.’ Benny shrugs. ‘It was a shit day.’
‘Not all of it was shit.’ Jonas throws a glance at me, and I know he’s less than subtly mentioning our kiss. Nervousness pulses through me. I wish he’d keep whatever’s going on with us to himself, but it’s not like the rest of them don’t suspect already.
‘I just hope we get a decent amount of time to train before the next trial,’ I say, trying to steer the conversation. ‘And I hope it doesn’t involve things that want to kill us.’
‘Yeah, good luck with that.’ Llinos laughs.
‘What are everyone’s plans for later?’ Jonas continues. ‘I was going to finish up here and head to the battle yard if anyone wants to join me.’
‘Seriously?’ My eyebrows arch.
‘I need to stretch out a bit. Fancy coming?’
I don’t even hesitate with my answer. ‘Not a chance. I’m getting as much sleep as possible. Big day tomorrow.’
For the first time since I appeared downstairs, Llinos’s face lights up. ‘Oh my Gods, you’re right. The ball. Will we get to meet Kay?’
‘I’d assume so,’ Jonas answers. ‘I probably shouldn’t admit this, but my father managed to smuggle some information to me. He said he’ll be attending the ball with his wards, and I’m pretty sure that includes Acacia now.’
‘Truly?’ Tears prick my eyes at the reality of what Jonas’s news means, and before I can think, I throw my arms around him. ‘You have no idea how grateful I am. Honestly.’
As we break away from the hug, Jonas’s grin is almost as big as mine. It would be great if I had the power or influence to get letters in and out myself, but having a friend who can has to be the next best thing.
‘Just glad we could help.’
With my heart hammering, I sit back down, but I can’t get the smile off my face.
Llinos reaches out, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. ‘You must be so excited.’
‘I am!’ My grin fades a little. ‘Though I’m also kind of nervous.
Does that make sense?’ There’s a good chance that Kay’s still angry at me for entering, and there’s the added little issue of my not giving her a heads up about what I asked Artur to do either.
Yes, there’s a fairly good chance she’s even more pissed at me than when I last saw her.
Llin snorts. ‘Not at all,’ she replies. ‘Come on, we’ll pick out your dress tonight. That way, I’ll have time to make any adjustments.’