At least a quarter of a millee separated us. The stadium was so huge that it could easily seat thousands upon thousands of the capital’s residents.
And not one of those seats was empty.
Ignoring Georgyanna, I searched the crowd, trying to find the prince. My eyes fell on the dais in the middle of the stadium, hovering directly over the arena and undoubtedly with the best view. Now that I’d spotted it, I didn’t know how I hadn’t immediately zeroed in on it.
King Novakin sat on his throne, his sons at his side. My breath sucked in. I could practically feel the power emanating from Norivun. He sat rigidly in full-black attire, royal embellishments on his chest and shoulders, and the shining silver crown on his head made him look every inch a royal. It was the first time I’d ever seen him wear a crown. But it was a prince’s crown, small and simple, nothing like the crown perched atop his father’s head.
Despite his resplendent attire, it was the look on Norivun’s face that truly captured my attention. His features were a mask of fury encased in ice, and the way he stared at the king with murder in his gaze made my heart beat even harder. He looked as though he wanted to kill the king.
Behind them, Queen Lissandra sat on a smaller throne, and the king’s throne blocked her view.
I didn’t have time to assess anything further since Sir Featherton bustled out to the center of the arena and used a magical device to project his voice. “Good morning, sons and daughters of the Solis continent! I welcome you to this fine day in which we welcome our rising queen to the royal family.”
The crowd went wild as Sir Featherton dipped in a low bow toward the king and queen.
“Queen Lissandra has ruled by our blessed king’s side for many centuries, and she will continue to do so until our king is ready to step down. When that day comes, we shall always hold her dear in our hearts, and she shall remain a beckoning light in our memories. Her beauty and kindness have surpassed all of our great continent’s presiding queens, and I know that she is beloved among all of us.”
Everyone stood in their seats and angled to face the dais. Each and every citizen brought a fist to their chest and bowed deeply toward their queen.
Queen Lissandra rose from her throne and brought a fist to her chest in return, nodding her head in quiet acceptance of their love and praise.
The crowd cheered again, their love for their queen obvious, but the second Sir Featherton turned his attention to the king, their cheers rose even higher.
“And our great king, King Novakin, is why we’re here today on the Eve of Olirum. It is his great foresight and strong leadership that has created this Trial that shall once again prove to our realm the strength and might of the powerful Solis race!”
The roar became deafening.
I bristled from where I stood. Sand shifted beneath my feet. My hands clenched into fists as the king, oblivious to the daggers I was mentally shooting at him, seemed to relish the cheers and roars of the fae around him.
It made me want to scream in fury.
After the crowd finally quieted, Sir Featherton spoke of the affinities Georgyanna and I held as the crowd oohed and awed under his theatrical performance. The entire time I felt Norivun watching me, but I couldn’t look at him. This was happening. There was no way out of it, and I couldn’t let anything distract me.
“And now, without further ado. May I present your rising queens.” Sir Featherton spread his arms wide, his right arm going toward me and his left toward Georgyanna. He beckoned us closer as the wild cheers rose again.
Georgyanna and I walked toward him. I took in the expanse of the arena and the thousands upon thousands of Solis citizens who had arrived for today’s final test.
“I’m sure you’re all wondering how the victor will be decided today,” Sir Featherton said, stopping Georgyanna and me with his hand motions when we were halfway to reaching him. He halted in a dramatic pause as everyone seemed to hold their breath. “There shall be many perils and challenges presented to our future queen today. The winner . . . will be the first to reach the crown.”
As if on cue, a pillar abruptly rose from beneath the sand just behind Sir Featherton. It shot from the ground to rise high above and wait fifty feet in the air. Seated atop it was a crown worthy of a queen.
The crowd sucked in a collective sound of breaths as the glittering gems and jewels upon it sparkled in the sunlight.
Sir Featherton beamed. “This crown shall one day be worn by one of you as you sit atop the queen’s throne.”
I eyed Georgyanna from the distance that spanned us. Her gaze had fixated upon the crown as a dark snarl twisted her features. I knew she would do whatever was needed to reach that crown.
But I would too.
CHAPTER 31
Sir Featherton raised his arms. “On my mark.” His finger pointed upward as familiar sparks and fireworks of magic exploded from his hand. A dazzling three appeared in the sky.
“Two.” Another firework of magic shot up as the three disappeared. A flaming two appeared in the sky, hovering where the three had been only a second prior.
My muscles tensed and coiled. I felt again for my magic. It was still there, but crap, something still covered it.
“One.”
The second he uttered the final word, he was whisked off the arena’s floor, and a blast of magic rocketed into me. The ground moved, shifting and vibrating, and then chasms split open in the sand as a flood of insects lifted from beneath the stadium.
Georgyanna leaped back as the ground split before her as well.
My eyes widened when a swarm of stinging nettles suddenly clouded the air in front of me.
Terror slid through my veins. The deadly insects were only found on the southernmost tip of our continent, but the potency of their venom was legendary. One prick from a single stinger would paralyze a fairy until their lungs seized completely, and their heart stopped. To have a swarm of them buzzing toward me at this very second . . .
“Blessed Mother, help me,” I prayed.
Georgyanna seemed in a similar state of panic as she staggered back. She raised her hands, and a huge gust of her electric affinity flew from her. The buzzing creatures seized midair but didn’t fall as electricity spiraled through them.
I called upon my magic, trying to do the same, but to my horror it was once again sluggish to respond.
I ran backward, stumbling away from the nettles, as Prince Norivun shot to standing.
I tripped when a dozen rocks suddenly appeared behind me. The arena’s floor was shifting and moving with every breath I took—just another trick of the final test.
I screamed in fury that my magic wasn’t responding, and perhaps it was the panic in my call, but a flash of my fire element abruptly blazed around me.
The swarm of nettles incinerated in midair, but it had been so close. One of the insects had only been feet away from me before my magic finally responded.
Georgyanna was already through her cloud of deadly insects and sprinting toward the crown. She tried to spread her wings and fly toward it, but a zap of magic appeared from the air and stifled her flight.
I called upon my mistphasing magic, but whatever was zinging through the air, zapped that out of me too.
As if sensing that magic was working against our powers, Georgyanna began to run. I pushed to my feet and did the same, legs pumping beneath me as our eyes met across the arena.