Page 106

Kaelen fought last among the seniors.

His match lasted twenty seconds.

He shifted into the enormous black wolf I had seen before, and the Solace lion sent against him was on its back before it had finished roaring.

Kaelen did not bow.

He did not acknowledge the envoys' box.

He shifted back, took the black robe a first-year offered him, and walked out of the ring without looking toward his father.

That was supposed to be the final scheduled match.

Varga rolled up the list in his hand and passed it to an assistant. Around the Pit, students began stretching their legs, collecting abandoned coats, and talking over one another.

I started to stand.

The combat portion was over. My observation was supposed to come next.

“One more,” Aldric Vance said from the envoys' box.

He didn't raise his voice, but he didn't have to. Conversation faded almost at once.

Varga turned toward him.

For a moment, the two men looked at each other. Aldric gave the smallest inclination of his head.

Varga’s grin widened as he reached for a separate slip of paper and unfolded it.

“By order of the Chair,” he called, his voice carrying easily through the Pit, “an exceptional assessment. Hale, the Hollow, against Marrow.”

For several seconds, I was certain I had misunderstood him, because registered Hollows were not matched against anyone.

A low confusion spread through the Pit as people turned to one another, murmuring beneath their breath. Everyone here knew the rule. Shifter first-years fought seniors, while Hollows were brought in for observation alone. I was supposed to walk onto the sand, let the envoys study me, and then walk out again.

Oda rose from her chair.

“Chairman,” she said, and although her voice remained quiet, it carried through the entire chamber. “Miss Hale is a registered Hollow. She is here for observation, not pairing.” Her great gold eyes shifted toward Delphine. “And the opponent you have selected is Councillor Marrow’s daughter, the woman promised to your own son, while her father sits among the examining envoys.”

Another murmur passed through the tiers.

“Councillor Marrow will abstain from the final vote,” Aldric said pleasantly. “The Chair may order an exceptional assessment whenever a classification is in doubt, and I find Miss Hale’s classification very much in doubt.”

“Her classification was entered by your own registrar.”

He leaned forward slightly. “And yet this girl survived a Moonrun and brought a feral bear back to himself. I think it is worth discovering what else the glass may have failed to see.”

Oda remained standing for several seconds before slowly lowering herself back into her chair. Her eyes moved from Aldric to me, and for once there was nothing unreadable in her expression. She was furious.

“Oh my god. It’s in his power to do it,” Tamsin whispered beside me. Her face had gone white. “The Chair has the authority to order an exceptional assessment. Oda can’t overrule him in front of the envoys.”

Across the Pit, Delphine Marrow was already removing her black jacket.

She did not look surprised, and that frightened me more than anything else could have.

By the time she stepped down onto the sand, she was wearing only a plain white shift. There was something deliberate about the simplicity of it, especially against the black sand beneath her feet. She looked up at me and smiled.

“Since Miss Hale cannot shift, the Chair has authorized a weapon,” Varga announced.