37. Chapter 37
Yareli poked the slumbering embers in the fireplace in an attempt to coax a fire. When nothing occurred, she leaned forward to gently blow on them, and a spark jumped in response. Gratified, she continued to prod at the wood until a fire sprang to life.
She sat back on her bottom, satisfied with her accomplishment, until she remembered the second challenge was approaching. In the past day, she had learned more about her family and was comfortable drawing magic forward to her fingertips. It still didn’t feel like enough.
A gnawing unrest sat low in her belly; a constant hunger for more, more, and more reminded her of the flames in her fireplace, constrained to its small plot, but always hungry.
One spark. All it took was one spark for it to devour everything in its path.
Its drumbeat of destruction called to her.
Her feet moved in slow, acquiescing steps as time went on.
A siren’s call was not one to be resisted, and yet she did.
She wanted power, and now that she had some, it attempted to woo her toward devastation.
Only she wasn’t sure what that entailed.
Her thoughts and desires were blurring together, and with no time to think, Yareli was increasingly restless.
Her bedroom door swung open, and Erick waltzed in without an invitation. Leo followed after him, shooting Yareli a “Not-Guilty-But-I-Encouraged-It” look. Augrys was noticeably absent.
“Geez, ever heard of knocking?”
“Royalty doesn’t wait for anyone,” Erick replied, plopping on the sofa.
“Royalty, my ass,” she grumbled, but she stood.
He ignored her, saying, “We snooped around. The most we found was the expected theme of tonight’s challenge—strength. Believe me, I tried all my connections, but they were all a bust.”
Yareli couldn’t help but feel the rush of disappointment.
The last challenge had been difficult enough that she wanted every advantage she could get.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Allyah had said they kept the challenges a secret, only known to the Fire Court’s trifecta.
Asking them to dig further was asking them to do the impossible. She gave them a resigned smile.
“Alright, so any ideas what a ‘strength’ challenge could be?”
Erick raised his hand. “As someone who has a fair amount of Fire Court friends, they value sacrifice. Anything that tests your endurance is viable. In my opinion, be ready for an endurance challenge that tests your strength. Have you kept up with your core exercises?”
Yareli nodded, giving a pointed look at Leo. “Hard to miss a day when you have Leo around, but I can’t say I resent him for it. It really saved my butt last time.”
Leo grinned at her. “You always forget that Bri was my teacher. If I missed a day with you, she’d punish me with drills.”
She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched upward. Bri was brutal.
Her smile fell. Although Bri had checked in earlier that day, she missed her and her quiet, steady support.
Leo’s expression lost its playfulness, his eyebrows scrunching downward as he contemplated her question.
“While what Erick said is true about their love of sacrifice and strength, they also value cleverness. Combat has been a staple in their culture since before Izmari’s conception.
Their three tenets are based on their old customs. You will find that the challenges test both your mind and body as you compete.
How you complete the challenge matters little compared to actually completing it. ”
“Like a combat mission—completing the objective is what matters,” she replied.
“Yes, exactly! Do what you must to get the job done.”
Erick chimed in. “As always, I’ll be here to help with your recovery.”
She peered at his relaxed posture: his head flopped on an orange pillow, his feet on the couch.
He had at least taken off his shoes. If not, Yareli would have chewed him a new one.
She wanted to be annoyed at him, at his easy-going personality and his fast recovery from their earlier argument, but then he yawned and settled farther into her couch, exhaustion clear on his face.
He was here for her because he cared, and even if he stumbled a little, he meant well.
“Wake up,” Leo chided him. “You have to walk Reli to the challenge in half an hour.”
His response was mumbled. “Twenty-minute nap, then.”
Yareli met Leo’s eyes and shrugged.
“Stay sharp and don’t let Erick sleep a minute longer than twenty,” Leo said, patting Yareli's arm. He hesitated and squeezed her shoulder, but he drew her into a hug.
The effect was immediate. His heat sank into her cold bones, and she burrowed into his arms. She rested her forehead on his chest.
“Will you be okay now that you’ve shown your face here?” she whispered.
Officially, Leo was still missing in action, and word would get around that he had suddenly reemerged at the festival in Augrys’s company, alerting his brother to his location, but he had insisted on accompanying them.
His arms tightened around her. “Don’t worry about that. I’m here for you.”
She squeezed him in return, confessing, “I’m nervous.”
“Anyone in your place would be,” he replies. “You’re doing a great service to the Keepers. Remember that.”
She stiffened, feeling a little put out at his choice of words to comfort her. “Right.”
His heat lost its comforting touch, becoming smothering, but she clamped her mouth shut and bore it. He was here, and that was all that mattered, but his words settled in her stomach like a solid lump that she failed to digest.
Erick’s voice pierced their bubble. “Hey, a man is trying to sleep over here.”
“Shut up, or I’ll kick you out,” Yareli snapped.
But the moment had been ruined, and Leo stepped away from her. “You’ve got your mind shield on?”
Yareli nodded. “Yeah, it’s in place.”
“Still drawing magic easily?”
Yareli lifted her hand, summoning magic to her palm where it churned under her skin. Leo beamed. He’d been as excited as she was when they found out magic was responsive to her will.
“You’re amazing.” In a softer voice, he added, “You’re going to do great. I’ll see you soon.”
She gave him a tight smile as he departed. Leo had to leave early to sneak into their tent. It was a futile attempt to hide him from the public, but nevertheless, they tried. The tension in her shoulders didn’t ease after he left; instead, her thoughts turned to their missing group member.
“Where’s Augrys?”
Erick had covered his face with a pillow, and his words came out garbled.
“What?”
He lifted the pillow enough to reveal his mouth. “He’s with Allyah, but don’t worry, he’ll be at the challenge.”
Yareli scrunched her nose, surprised at the bitterness souring the taste in her mouth, but it wasn’t any of her business.
She had, after all, chosen to ignore her old feelings for him, crushing them under her feet any time they made an appearance.
Besides, he was still unhappy with her decision to participate in the Fire Festival, and she didn’t feel like dealing with his mood.
A quiet voice in her argued that maybe he was the reasonable one, and she was unreasonable, but if that was the cost of power, then she’d gladly pay her sanity for it.
She sank back onto the floor by her fireplace, clutching her knees, and stared into the flames.
Fire. It was everywhere in her life, from her natal chart, dreams, and real life.
Was she destined to always toe the line with fire, then?
Sighing, she ran her finger on the floor in idle circles.
She needed to stop overthinking, but it was easier said than done.
There were so many loose ends, so many things that needed to be done, but it was as if there was never enough time.
And despite her previous exhilaration from winning the first challenge, her voice was wracked with resignation when she said, “Five more minutes, Erick. Then it’s go-time.”
Yareli stood on an island of her own; the other contestants had left a noticeable distance between them and her, marking her as an outsider.
Despite their ostracization, she held her chin high, her back straight.
She refused to cower; she had a feeling if they sensed a hint of cowardice from her, they would pounce and pick her bones clean.
She knew her friends were somewhere in the crowd as spectators, but it brought her little comfort, and the knots in her stomach grew tighter.
Allyah stepped forward, her skin-tight military uniform flashing from beneath the fur cape she wore. Silence swept across the audience, and Yareli fought the twinge of admiration for Allyah’s commandeering of the crowd.
“A society cannot exist without strength, and there is no greater creature emblematic of strength than the egheur.” Allyah paused, the silence pregnant with the crowd’s anticipation.
Yareli didn’t know what an egheur was, but its name rang familiar.
Leo must have covered it months ago during one of his overviews on the courts.
Rumbling resounded across the clearing, sending a shudder down her spine.
Allyah’s final words echoed over them, her voice as clear as the night sky above them, and as cold as the stars shining in it.
“Only by dominating an egheur will you stand a chance to complete the challenge.”
The starting gong sounded.
The contestants spun, surging toward the arena behind them—a prairie with tall grass and shrubbery.
Only then did Yareli dare to slide her gaze to the benches, hoping to catch a friendly face before she willingly ran into the den of the unknown, but she couldn’t make them out in the sea of strangers.
A foolhardy hope; they were likely in the tent, away from prying eyes.
The yellow-brown grass rustled, a reminder of her task. She licked her dry lips and was reminded of a novel she had read years ago about a woman who walked into tall grass. She didn’t come back alive. The grass swayed in a soft breeze, and before more worries could take hold, she walked forward.