Elemental Trial, page 4
“Daniel went there once, remember?” Leon said to her. “When he went to check out the magical weapons dealer in Philadelphia.”
“Oh, I remember,” Ari said, in a tone that told me she wished she hadn’t. “The Lands might be connected to the human world, and other paranormals might live there, but it’s not a place you want to hang out in too long.”
“Yet here it is,” I said as we reached the bottom of the cavern and approached the opening in the wall. A group of shifters hung out before it. I could hear their yips and excited talking as we approached.
“I thought they left,” I said, frowning. “Guess we won’t be rid of them that easily.”
“Until this whole thing with you being queen gets cleared up, I don’t think any of them are going home,” Ari said.
“They’re always looking for more ways to get power,” Sienna said. “This is the best opportunity they’ve had in a while. They won’t give up without a fight.”
I hoped that didn’t mean literally. Even with the strength of the Outcasts I had no disillusions about who would win in the end.
“What are they all looking at?” Leon said.
He was craning his neck to get a view of whoever the shifters were crowding around. It struck me then that they hadn’t paid any attention to us, fixated as they were on something else.
“Did someone come through from the other side?” Sienna said, trying in vain to see over the immense height of the bear shifters.
“But who—” I started.
And then the group of shifters parted and Lukas stepped through, looking as though I’d never thrown him off the side of the palace.
“Well, well, your majesty.” He gave a mocking bow. “Look who’s come back from the dead.”
Chapter Five
“You!” I snarled.
I summoned my fire, sweeping one foot back and bracing myself in a defensive posture just like Jasper had taught me. My friends were just as quick to react, Ari and Leon shifting to their cheetah and lion forms in the blink of an eye while Sienna cupped a crackling mass of magic in her hands, looking as though she’d like nothing more than to pitch it straight at Lukas’s triumphantly sneering face.
“Please.” Lukas waved his hand and his snarling pack slowly backed off. “There’s no reason for us to be enemies. After all, you found your precious throne. And I’m no worse for wear. Shifter healing is a miracle, isn’t it?”
I wouldn’t call him being here and very much alive anything close to a miracle, but he did look totally fine. The fringes of his leather jacket were just barely singed where I’d gripped him with my fiery hands. I was dismayed to see there wasn’t even a Riley-sized footprint on his chest where I’d kicked him off the cliff’s edge. His golden eyes gleamed at me from beneath his shaven head, crisscrossed with tiny white scars.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I have every right to be here. Especially now after such an interesting development.”
He peered over his shoulder at the opening in the wall, totally unconcerned about the four of us ready to attack him. The trouble was, I knew he didn’t have any reason to be worried. As the alpha of the Pack, he was incredibly strong—I’d seen that firsthand. I had no doubt that even in a four-on-one fight, there was still a chance we might lose. Coupled with the fact that I couldn’t do anything to him without really being seen as the bad guy, and he had the advantage.
“Guys…” I nudged my chin to the hill above, where Valencia and some of the Deathless were making their way down, followed closely behind by my parents and those from the Elemental Order.
“I still need to pay him back for what he did to Jasper,” Ari growled.
“Just one little spell,” Sienna pleaded. “I promise it won’t kill him. Probably.”
I shook my head and they eventually backed off, Leon and Ari grudgingly shifting back into their human forms right as the others arrived. Jasper didn’t even try to mask his shock at seeing Lukas alive.
“You’re supposed to be dead.”
I held in a groan. Subtle. Veeery subtle.
“You aren’t the first one to be disappointed,” Lukas said. “It’ll take much more than a simple fall to kill me. Much, much more.”
“How…fortunate for us,” Valencia said. “It gladdens me to see you back, Lukas.”
He gave us a grin, the light glinting off his sharp teeth. “No, it doesn’t. I leave for a half day and you already start having trouble with this imposter girl thinking she has the right to rule over us.”
“As part elemental, Riley has the only legitimate claim to the throne,” my dad said firmly. “You all agreed to honor that when you agreed to follow the prophecy.”
Nobody said anything for a full beat while Lukas stared at the gap. I hated how, not a minute back from the dead, he was already taking control of the situation. Even Valencia, who with Farrar had put up a united front against any attempts Lukas had made to get power, was staying silent, waiting for what he’d say next.
Then Lukas cast me a spiteful look out of the corner of his eye, and I knew my fight with him was just truly beginning.
“I see a scared little girl on a meaningless throne. I don’t see a queen.” His eyes traveled up to my head. “Or a crown. But now…”
He turned back to the opening. Sienna let out a little gasp.
“Who’s that?”
I looked where she pointed. Though the land on the other side of the opening was still difficult to see, I could make out the shadowed outline of a figure walking toward us. It seemed Lukas had been waiting for them.
“There is no discussion,” my mother insisted. “Riley is the legitimate ruler. The prophecy was clear. The curse that the witches put on the Outcasts was made explicitly to help see the fulfillment of that—”
“I think it’s far past time we stop letting a piece of poetry written years ago inform what we do now. Wouldn’t you agree, Valencia?” Lukas said.
Valencia’s gaze had zeroed in on the new figure. “I’m listening.”
A small space cleared out in the center of our group as the newcomer arrived. He was shorter up close, with moonlight-silver hair falling to his shoulders and slightly pointed ears poking up between the strands. He wore a robe like a wizard from a Dungeons and Dragons game or a low-budget fantasy flick, but he emanated undeniable power. It roiled from him into the ground where it held us with bated breath.
“So glad you could all make it,” he said, smiling at each of the gathered groups. “It seems I’ve arrived at the perfect time.”
His gaze rested on me. Sienna started to push in front of me as he approached, but I held up an arm and stood my ground. “You are the one who started everything again, are you? The newest claim to the throne of the elementals.”
“Or so she believes,” Lukas said.
The man smiled. There wasn’t anything mean in it, nothing overtly evil, but it was like he was smiling for my sake, not because he was actually amused. “Indeed. And that’s why I’m here.”
“Which is to do what, exactly?” my mom demanded. As angry as I was at them right now, the fact that she sounded so unsure threw me a bit. They were part of some order so secret not even the other paranormals knew about it. They were supposed to be one step ahead of everything.
“Why, to explain the rules, of course,” the man said. “I come from the Dying Lands, a place of which the Dead City was once a part.” He turned to take in his surroundings. “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve stepped foot here. Longer still that any sort of ruler has tried to claim the throne.”
“Because the throne did not exist here. Not until recently,” Uko said. I hadn’t seen the Horde join us, but here they were, slithering amongst us from the shadows.
“That is correct,” the man said. “I am called the Courier, and I am going to explain how you will determine the true ruler.”
“Riley is the true ruler,” my dad said. “I don’t know how many times we have to say it.”
The Courier held up a hand before anyone else could interrupt. “I’m sure you’re referring to the prophecy. Yes, I’m aware of it. I’m also aware that, while the prophecy chose her, it said nothing about whether finding the throne guaranteed the crown of the rightful ruler. This is the first paranormal royalty in a millennium, and there are multiple claims to the throne. That is why there is a trial to determine who will really be ruler.”
It seemed as though someone had set off a firecracker of voices as everyone started talking at once. My parents shouted more about the prophecy; Valencia gazed coolly at the Courier while the rest of the Deathless hissed and bared their fangs. Lukas was grinning at me again. He’d known. Somehow he’d known about this.
“That guy can’t be serious,” Ari said. “You did what it asked. There can’t be another contest. That’s not fair!”
“Lukas set this up somehow,” Leon said.
“The Courier’s right,” I said.
This time I didn’t have to yell for the shouting to gradually ease off. My skin itched as everyone looked at me. Jasper was frowning, obviously trying to figure out what the heck I was doing.
“Even when I took the throne,” I started, trying to collect my thoughts, “I’ve felt…empty. I woke the city up, but I don’t feel any connection to it. I feel…”
Like a fraud? Like the biggest fake in the world?
“I think he’s right,” I finished lamely.
“Riley, you can’t mean that!” my mom said. “You are supposed to take it. You were always supposed to take it.”
I focused past Jasper’s beseeching look, past Lukas’s triumphant sneer and Valencia’s almost respectful gaze, and settled on the Courier. “I agree to take part in this trial. But if I win, then will you guarantee that the others will listen to me?”
“You will, without any trace of doubt, be ruler,” the Courier said. “Whether they will obey is another matter entirely.”
“We will be content with whoever the true winner is,” Valencia said. “if that is what is necessary.”
“As will we,” Uko hissed.
I looked at Lukas.
“But of course,” he said. “I’m sure by the end there will be no doubt who the true ruler is.”
“Then it is decided,” the Courier said. “Each group shall choose one champion to represent them. The rules are simple: the champions will traverse the Dying Lands—alone and without help from their peers—and collect shards of the true crown along the way. The champions cannot interfere with each other.” He looked sternly at us. “That means no attacking or killing.
“There are four shards and each champion is required to collect all four before they reach Vulcan the Forger. Whoever reaches him and crafts the crown will be declared the winner.”
“Who came up with these rules?” Sienna mumbled. “Shards? Vulcan? Really?”
“When you’ve chosen your champion, come tell me,” the Courier said.
He stepped back and let the arguing commence once more.
I turned to the others. “I guess that makes our job easy. I choose myself.”
“You shouldn’t have given it up that easily,” Leon said, crossing his arms as he watched the other factions debate amongst themselves. “You’re giving them a chance they don’t deserve.”
No, I wasn’t sure I deserved it. I’d only expressed a little of the gaping, hollow feeling I’d had since touching the throne. All I knew was that I had it, and I was sure that winning this trial would prove to them, and to me, that I truly deserved what the prophecy had given me.
“Lukas is going to find some way to cheat, for sure,” Ari said, glaring at him. “Don’t think for a second we’re going to let you do this alone.”
I smiled. I had no doubt she was right. And despite the Courier’s rules, I wasn’t going to turn down a little assistance. I knew I’d need it.
I watched Jasper standing impassively outside the group of Deathless as they debated with Valencia, no doubt considering which of their own would stand the best chance traversing the Dying Lands.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Kaia said.
I hadn’t seen her join us. She was often semi-transparent, like I was viewing her through a fog machine. Her braids floated just above her shoulders, as though caught in a phantom wind. I figured it must be a wraith thing. “The Dying Lands have been difficult to access for a while. Nobody really knows what to expect out there. And finding a crown? Girl…” she shook her head. “I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“I don’t either,” I admitted. “But while I’m gone, could you please watch out for the other Outcasts?”
“Way ahead of you. I’m checking in with the Loft after this. I think I need a break from…” She nudged her chin toward Uko and the cluster of red eyes behind him that was the rest of his Horde entourage. Uko caught me looking and fixed me with an unnerving stare.
“I assume you guys are picking a champion, too?” I asked him when our staring contest reached uncomfortable levels.
“Of courssse,” Uko said. “We would not leave our fates in the hands of others.”
“It wasn’t long ago that you wanted to leave your fates in my hands,” I said, annoyed. “I thought you were on the side of the true ruler. The Children of Prophecy and all that?”
“You are legitimate, but if there are others who would give us a better chance at regaining our rightful place, then that is a chance we cannot pass up,” Uko said. “When we asked, you wouldn’t ally yourself with us. I warned you there would be a time when giving your word wouldn’t be enough.”
I gave a jerky nod. He had warned me of that. Never mind that promising anything more would have aligned myself with them in ways that could be exploited. I’d already learned that all was fair when it came to paranormals getting what they wanted.
The other groups looked to be wrapping up. The Courier stepped forward. “You’ve all made your choices?”
He nodded to Uko.
“We will send Rasesh,” Uko said.
“Damn,” Kaia whispered.
A ghoul stepped out from the frothing shadows. Exaggerated, protruding knobs of his spine arched him forward, his teeth bare where his lips should have covered them. Knotted bunches of muscle covered every joint and swelled his hands. They seemed so heavy he had to drag them just off the ground.
But I had no doubt those hands could snap me in half.
The Courier nodded. He bypassed our group, clearly already knowing I was going, and looked at the Pack.
“Me, of course,” Lukas said. “The rightful ruler should seek the crown for himself.”
The Courier gave him an indulgent smile before moving on to the Deathless. Valencia was looking right at me in a way that made my skin crawl. I suddenly had a horrible sinking feeling in my gut, even before she curled her finger behind her and Jasper stepped forward, expression fixed.
“We choose Jasper,” Valencia said.
Chapter Six
My fist hit the training dummy’s face with a satisfying smack. I immediately spun on my heel and took out the next one with the back of my leg. My knuckles and calf stung but I enjoyed the bites of pain. I needed to stay focused. The factions had agreed the trial would start in two days. They claimed they needed to prepare for whatever lay in the Dying Lands. So that was what I was doing, by punching a couple of dummies in the shapes of a ghoul and the lean, lithe form of a shifter.
I’d picked them randomly, I swear.
I stopped attacking the poor dummies and took a strong stance, calling my magic up from my core. The tiger inside me yawned and rolled over. A spurt of flame rocketed from my fingertips and scored a mark on the training room’s wallpaper, which immediately began to peel.
“Way to go,” a voice drawled. “I knew your sense of design sucked, but that’s bad, even for you.”
Collette, our resident faerie, stood in the doorway, her perfect lips perfectly covered in gloss quirked in her usual perfect sneer of disapproval, as though saying, “you thought you could pull that off?” to life itself. Her platinum blonde hair fell straight as a sheet down the back of the tight workout clothes she probably lived in.
Collette and I may not have gotten along (I don’t think she got along with anyone except maybe Sawyer) but after we were both nearly killed by Lukas, we’d grown to understand each other a bit more.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t prepping myself for a verbal thrashing.
“I thought it’d liven the place up,” I said, starting to unwrap the cloth from around my knuckles. Done with that, I grabbed the arm of one of the dummies and began dragging it off the floor. “I’m finished. You can have the place to yourself.”
She watched me, perhaps wondering why I wasn’t putting up more of a fight. While I dragged my second dummy off, she daintily placed her water bottle and freshly folded towel on the side of the treadmill. I heard her heave a loud groan.
“Are you seriously going to pretend it’s not a big deal?”
I looked at her, genuinely confused. “What’s not a big deal?”
“You’re so dumb. Sawyer of course already knows all the deets about the trial. He told me the Deathless chose Jasper to go against you.”
Oh. That. I’d honestly tried not to think about it. Whenever I did, I felt like I either might cry or combust with anger. “Yeah, they did. I can’t do anything about it.” I dropped the second dummy and gave it a firm punch of frustration. “I finished the prophecy, but it’s like every step forward they add a new rule to screw me over.”
“Oh boo-hoo.” Collette examined her nails. When she didn’t find anything wrong with how flawless they were she fixed me with an unsympathetic look. “News flash: Of course they’re doing that. They want power. They don’t owe you anything.”
“I know that.”
“No, you don’t. You’re still acting too human. Even if the Pack and Deathless and Horde had fallen to their knees and worshipped you it wouldn’t be enough for some because you didn’t earn it. For paranormals, titles and power aren’t enough. They need respect for your power. You think Lukas and Valencia keep their positions because others let them? Just like them, you have to show the others you’re not somebody they want to mess with. Ever.”
