“What else do you expect? I’m about to have a grand old time on your raft.”
“No, you’re not,” he said quietly.
“What?”
“We may not get along well—”
“You think?”
He narrowed his eyes. “If you would just let me finish.”
I motioned for him to continue, and then mimed buttoning my lips.
“We may not get along well,” he tried again, “but I’m not going to put you through that. I’ll forfeit my spot in the Games and try again next year.”
Panic clawed its way up my throat—funny I felt more alarmed by losing the chance at the island’s gift than getting drenched by lake water. “No!”
He frowned. “Daella, you will get wet.”
“Yes, but…” How could I phrase this? “I believe in your mission. You want to protect everyone from Isveig. So do I.” Just as long as they weren’t Draugr.
“There isn’t room for both of us on that raft,” he pointed out.
“Well.” I flushed. “I’m sure there’s a way to make it work.”
He propped his hands on his waist and stared at the ridiculous contraption I’d spent so many hours building. In the light of everything else, it looked a mess. The edges of the logs weren’t lined up, and the rope was frayed and far too thin for my liking. The last thing I wanted was to share the thing with Rivelin, but what else were we to do?
“You’ll have to sit on my lap,” he finally said.
R ivelin heaved the raft into his arms and carried it through the house and out onto the front steps, like the thing weighed no more than a feather. A moment later, he came back inside and rooted around in a trunk before handing me some leather oilcloth—it was waterproof, apparently, though I wasn’t convinced. The material was thick and far too warm for summer weather, but I’d rather be sweaty than shivering in pain.
After changing into the oilcloth, I stomped outside in waxed leather boots. Instantly, the morning sun baked me. Rivelin looked me up and down, then nodded in satisfaction. “You sure you don’t want something to cover your face?”
“As long as you don’t tip the thing sideways, it should be fine,” I snapped, scowling.
He chuckled.
“What?”
“It’s just nice to see your true nature come out.”
“And what true nature would that be?”
“You try to pretend that you’re cheerful all the time, but inside, you’re just as prickly as I am.”
I scoffed. “No one is as prickly as you are.”
A bell chimed in the distance, and a flock of blackbirds scattered into the air, their retreating bodies flecks of black against the clear sky, like grains of peppercorns. Rivelin’s smile dropped as he gathered the raft in his arms. “That’s the signal. We need to go.”
“All right.” Nervously, I pressed down the front of the oilcloth, thick and clammy against my skin. My gloves made it so I couldn’t feel the material at all, and my senses seemed dulled because of it—like I was blind in one eye.
Rivelin paused. “You can still say no to this. If it’s too much, I’ll understand if you want to back out.”
I shook my head. “I never back out.”
“Then we’ve got a trial to win.”
14
DAELLA
W e found the lake beyond a copse of trees on the other side of the village. Everyone else had beaten us there, and it felt like the entire village had spilled out of their packed homes to bask in the sun along the shore. Hundreds of spectators milled through merchant tents scattered across the hill, including the Traveling Tavern, where Lilia was already busy with a long line of patrons.
Six other boats of various shapes and sizes were lined up on the bank where the contestants were gathered. A couple of them were rafts, though they were much larger than ours. Some were proper boats. Gregor stood with crossed arms sizing up the competition. His boat was twice as large as any others and looked far sturdier than anticipated.
“He couldn’t have built that in one day,” I muttered to Rivelin as we approached the lake.
“You’re right. But he’ll have made sure there’s no way to prove it. That’s how he wins.”
“Shouldn’t the magic be able to tell? If you cheat, why would it give you the win?”
“The magic isn’t what gives you the win,” he said. “It’s everyone else, all these spectators. If they vote him the winner, he’s the winner. The only way he’s out is if he fails to finish a task, breaks a village law, or gets caught cheating.”
I frowned. “So even if we do better than him, he could win on popularity alone.”
“The last thing Gregor can call himself is popular.”
Rivelin carried the raft to the end of the line and deposited the mangled thing on the sand. A flash of guilt went through me when I saw how small it looked compared to the others. I truly had done a terrible job.
Hofsa whispered in from the crowd, wearing another glorious gown that flowed around her long, lean legs. This time, it was a blue as brilliant as the sky. As she approached the contestants, the roar from the spectators dropped to a pregnant silence. Everyone stopped what they were doing to divert their full attention to the fourteen of us readying ourselves for the Games. Seven contestants. Seven assistants.
A nervous tingle lit up my insides. Rivelin had explained these challenges were just for fun and that no one took it too seriously, but there was lightning in the air. I could feel the scorch of it, even through the thick oilcloth coating my skin.
Hofsa clapped and motioned to the fourteen of us. “The Vatnor Trial is officially upon us and will launch this year’s Midsummer Games. Contestants, including their assistants, must board their homemade ships and sail to the other side of the lake where the water meets the woods. There, they will hunt for one of the many flags we’ve left there for you to find.” She paused and smiled. “When the drumbeat sounds, go.”
The roar of the cheering spectators washed over me. Swallowing, I grabbed one side of the raft and helped Rivelin tug it closer to the edge of the crystalline blue water. My heart thundered; tension spiked me like a deadly spear. As soon as I climbed on that raft, there truly was no turning back. When we were out on the water, I would be fully submerged in this task, and I’d have no choice but to see it through. It wasn’t as if I could swim back.
Rivelin seemed to read my mind. He leaned forward and cupped my elbow in a reassuring grip. “You ready?”
“No.” I swallowed again. “So whoever is fastest wins, right?”
“Not necessarily. If someone doesn’t play fair, they won’t vote for him to win,” he replied in a low voice, his gaze drifting over my shoulder. I knew who he was looking at: Gregor. If anyone would try to shove me in the water, it’d be him. Possibly because I hadn’t exactly been…polite, shall we say?
“Does he know about my condition?” I whispered.
“The entire world knows. Orcs like you are things of legend, Daella.”
I didn’t want to be a thing of legend. I just wanted to get through this trial without having a rush of water close in over my head. Swimming had never been my strong point. Yes, Isveig had trained me to paddle in the sea, but I’d never been particularly good at it. Even with the salt protecting me, I’d never been able to fully relax. I could manage for a few moments at a time but that was about it.