We walk across the large floor of the Pit, stopping in the middle where a makeshift stage rises a few feet off the ground. Ten plush chairs line the back of it while two more are centered in front. The Imperials usher us onto the stage where we take a seat. My gaze catches Lenny’s, and he gives me a reassuring nod before stepping into line with the other Imperials.
“Welcome, fellow Ilyans, to the sixth ever Purging Trials!”
The crowd roars as I snap my head towards the high, female voice. She turns to face us, brown eyes bright with excitement and full, red lips curved into a smile as she takes us in.
Tealah.
Ironic that her bright teal hair matches her name. I’d never seen the young women who conducted the interviews for the previous Trials, but I’ve heard enough about her unique appearance to identify her.
“Oh, but this is no ordinary Trials!” She beams at the crowd, flashing her white teeth. “For the first time in Purging Trials history, we have a future Enforcer competing.” I can almost feel the thousands of eyes shift in Kai’s direction. He’s clearly used to this attention, appearing completely relaxed as he reclines in his chair.
Tealah continues, “And because of that, this year’s Trials will look a little…different.”
The crowd goes wild.
Ellie’s words echo in my head, mirroring the ones Tealah just spoke.
Different.
All because there is royal blood competing? All to make things more difficult for the future Enforcer?
I don’t have time to ponder it more before Tealah says, “Are you ready to meet your Elites?” She flattens her hand to her chest as she speaks, causing her words to carry across the arena. Her ability as an Amplifier allows her to project her voice, as well as the voices of others, so long as she is touching them. A Mundane power, yet useful in this line of work.
The crowd cheers and stomps, mimicking the rumble of thunder. “Why don’t we meet Jax first? Jax, sweetie, would you come sit up here with me?”
Jax plops down in the chair angled towards Tealah at the front of the stage with a shy smile on his face. He fidgets, one of his long legs bouncing on the ground as she pelts him with idle questions about his life and the Trials.
“Er, I like sparring with Kitt. Mostly because he lets me win sometimes. Kai…not so much.” The crowd erupts in laughter at Jax’s response to what he likes most about training for the Trials. He smiles sheepishly at Tealah, his grin widening when he shifts in his seat to spot Kai’s quick shrug.
“Isn’t he just adorable?” Tealah flashes a smile at the crowd before asking, “Tell me, Jax, how old are you again?”
Tealah’s hand rests on his shoulder, amplifying his answer. “Fifteen.”
Plagues, he’s so young.
“Fifteen and already bestowed the honor of competing in the Trials!” Tealah exclaims, looking towards the crowd for approval which they offer in the form of stomps and cheers. “And remind us again of your power?”
He clears his throat. “I’m a Blink.”
“How fascinating! Tell us more for those who haven’t witnessed this ability.”
“Well,” he straightens in his seat, “I can teleport anywhere that I can see, in a…well, in a blink.” He smiles as the audience laughs.
“Alright, Jax, one more question before you show us what you can do.” Tealah looks suddenly serious as she says, “What are you expecting from the Trials?”
Jax’s head tilts to the side thoughtfully. “Well, I’m not sure what the Trials will consist of, but no matter what, I’m expecting to honor my kingdom, my family…" He pauses and tosses a glance at Kai. “And myself.”
The stadium explodes in applause at hearing the motto of the Purging Trials. Tealah stands and guides Jax down the steps of the stage and onto the packed sand of the Pit in front of us.
“The floor is all yours, Jax!”
One second, Jax is grinning at the audience, and the next he’s gone. I spin in my seat to see where he went, only to find him standing right behind Kai, a mischievous grin on his face. He ruffles his hair before vanishing, leaving the prince sputtering.
Jax continues his little routine, Blinking from one spot to the next, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise at each new place he appears in. After a few minutes, he Blinks back to his original seat, right between Kai and Braxton, where the former doesn’t hesitate to trap him in a headlock and mercilessly ruffle his hair.
Tealah continues her own routine of questioning the contestants before letting them loose to show off their abilities, following the same pattern.
It’s nothing but a talent show. A showcase of who is the strongest.
Braxton smashes and hurtles stone statues that have been scattered across the stadium for him. After Ace’s interview, where he spoke as though he’d already won the Trials, he strode down into The Pit, pompous as ever. The illusions he casts look so real, so easy to mistake for reality. He made fire flare, burning across the sand in a trail of flame, managing to even smell of smoke. And then it was gone in a flash as quickly as it had appeared, leaving nothing behind.
Sadie, being a Cloner, displayed her power by creating ten copies of herself and striding them through the stands. Each duplicate offered quick waves to the crowd before filing back to her seat.
Blair followed Sadie’s interview, being annoyingly sweet towards Tealah and the crowd, though I don’t miss the sharpness return to her voice when talking about winning the Trials. She stepped out onto the packed sand and gently lifted Tealah right off the ground using her power of Telekinesis, informing me that her strength lies mentally rather than physically. In fact, the blade that sliced my ear only yesterday was likely thrown by her power, not her hand.
Hera was shy, squirming in her seat and only talking when necessary. I could practically see her sigh in relief when she was finally free to show off her ability and avoid talking to the audience. She vanishes, and after a moment, Tealah vanishes too. The crowd applauds, left staring at the empty air where they once stood.
Andy was the most entertaining by far, unashamedly telling embarrassing stories about her childhood with Kitt and Kai. The crowd loved her, laughed at her every word. But when she stepped out onto the floor of the Pit to display her power, my gasp was swallowed up by the crowds. Right before my very eyes, she transformed into a tiger. Then a falcon. A wolf. All of them the same wine color of her hair. And then, after casually switching between multiple animals, she transformed back into her human self, her lilac dress somehow still perfectly intact.
Tealah chooses Kai next, leaving me for last.
Great.
With Kai smiling at her, Tealah looks flushed and flustered. It’s clear he’s slipped on his charming mask as he jokes and interacts with the crowd. When Tealah asks him about what he’s expecting from the Trials, his answer is the same as all the other contestants before him: Honor to my kingdom, my family, and myself.
When the prince finally finishes, he flashes a grin at the blushing Tealah before stepping right off the stage to showcase his power. Well, everyone else’s powers. He goes right down the line of contestants, using each of their abilities and wooing the audience with them. Their powers seem easy to him, familiar, the result of many years of training.