AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ve never seen someone look so frightened around a wolf before,” Rona continued. “If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t think you were a shifter at all. You looked like a scared little girl in front of the king.”
“Rona!” Adora said.
“I’m just stating the obvious,” Rona said. “A queen shouldn’t have been so spooked by something as simple as the king’s wolf. She should be honored to be in his presence.”
Irritation boiled over in my chest. What was Rona’s problem with me? I hadn’t done anything against her, but every opportunity she had, she was throwing cruel, childish barbs at me. I was already sleep-deprived and shaken up, and I was sick of having to sit here and listen to her judge me.
“It was not his wolf that disturbed me,” I shot back, even though it was only half-true. “But his savage behavior beforehand. Snapping a lord’s neck like that? At dinner? That’s not the behavior of a leader—it’s the behavior of a bully. A true king should manage such affairs in private, through the proper legal channels.” I sniffed. “And a respectable shifter keeps her wolf under control.”
The king strode into the dining hall.
I snapped my mouth closed. Rona looked inordinately pleased, like a cat who’d just caught a long-hunted bird.
He was grinning as he dropped unceremoniously into the seat at the head of the table, looking well-rested and full of energy. What had he been doing last night? Had he run through the woods outside the city and slept as his wolf? Is that why his feet were still bare on the floor?
“I hope you don’t mind having a savage join you for breakfast,” he said with a grin as he fixed himself a plate of eggs and sausage. “I promise to use my utensils.”
My cheeks burned as I stared into my coffee cup. This had to stop happening. I had to stop saying things like that—even when I thought it was safe, it never really was. There was no excuse for my behavior. Conversational barbs like that worked when I was riposting with the Court of Daybreak, where my reputation was established, but here it was only getting me into trouble. My wolf was clouding my judgment. Being in Efra—being around the king—was making her far too active.
We returned to our meals as an uneasy silence fell over the table. I knew everyone was thinking about last night. About the king’s wolf. About how he’d sniffed me like we were packmates. The skin on my neck and shoulders prickled with the memory, but the sensation wasn’t entirely unpleasant. Though that had to be my wolf’s influence.
“Your Highness,” Fina asked delicately, “we seem to be missing Wynona.”
“Ah,” the king said. He sat back in his chair and kicked his feet out under the table, crossing them at the ankle. I pulled my own legs back under my chair to avoid him. “Wynona has been sent home.”
I nearly dropped my fork. The other three girls looked equally shocked.
“She was not my match,” the king said. “And so she was dismissed.”
“Of course,” Fina said. She took a sip of her coffee.
Nothing more was said about the subject. Adora easily filled in the conversation with light discussion about the upcoming trial, but I struggled to focus on her words. I was disappointed—I’d hoped I would be the first one dismissed. And why was Wynona dismissed privately? I’d thought there’d be more pomp and circumstance to the Choice. More ceremony, more showmanship. The king had wanted this Choice to boost his reputation in Efra, hadn’t he? How did dismissing competitors in private help that?
And, I realized suddenly, with Wynona gone, I’d have no one to lose to in our matches today.
Fina was strong, but not trained in combat, as far as I knew. Rona was likely a brawler. Adora—well, I’d be shocked if Adora had ever picked up a sword in her life.
My appetite dissipated. This was going to complicate things. And from the way the king was watching me, I had the feeling he might know that, too.
After breakfast, the king wished us luck and left the solarium just as briskly as we’d arrived. Lady Glennis strode in afterward, as elegant as ever with her notebook in hand and a small pair of silver glasses resting at the tip of her nose. “Ladies,” she said, “are you prepared for today’s trial?”
“Yes, milady,” we said in unison.
“Good,” Lady Glennis said. “Today’s trial will not be held here in the manor. Come with me.”
As it turned out, not in the manor was an understatement. Glennis had us pile into coaches, and then head into town. I had no idea where we were going, only that Rona was getting more and more excited as we headed west through the narrow streets.
“The arena?” she asked Lady Glennis. “We’re doing this at the arena?”
Lady Glennis nodded demurely. “The king suggested we invite the citizens to spectate,” she said as she reviewed her notebook. “The arena seemed to be the best venue.”
When we stepped out of the coach outside the arena, the crowd was already hooting and hollering. The structure wasn’t anything fancy, just large wooden stands built around a playing field of packed dirt, dotted with booths of food and drink sellers. Above the stands flew flags bearing the Nightfall crest.
“Typically, the arena is used for jousting and boxing matches,” Lady Glennis said. She sounded somewhere between bored and resigned. “This event has certainly garnered some attention, so you’ll be happy to know the stands are full.”
“Happy?” Adora nearly wailed. “This will be my worst event!”
“Well, perhaps you should’ve trained more,” Lady Glennis said. “This way, please, ladies.”
