Page 113 (1/1)

The firebird can fly vast distances, subsisting only on air and courage It cancreature, for its substance is not flesh but aht for each other but Lord Gargaron tore theal and blaspheement with the priests in order to do so

"First trial! Beacon, Garon Stable!"

Looking startled and angry, Kalliarkos bounces into the ready cage as if he is about to jureen belt for Trees over his gold silk tunic His fancy gold rille above old except for his black hair and dark eyes There is a lift to his chin and a squareness to his shoulders that he didn’t have before we rescued end walked out of the past, noble and handsoht in all manner of conduct as iven to theods in the most ancient times He is a beacon, in truth

Then it hits: I aainst Kalliarkos

Has Princess Berenise paid off sorandson can run in an easier trial?

I aze I nod, adversary to adversary, and he nods back as with a e in his eyes but I am too stunned to knohat to say or do

We hear the cheering of the crowd as the first trial is announced We hear our names spoken but no one chants them as they will chant Thynos’s Fives name when he is announced You can take a name with you onto the court, but the crowd has to approve and anoint you Most hopeful adversaries run trials without ever getting the crowd to sing out their naback as he goes his way, I follow my custodian up a ladder and down a tunnel to the sate-custodian awaits I dust my hands with chalk and take ly truth sinks in: This isn’t Princess Berenise’s doing This is what Lord Gargaron meant when he said I had to pass muster He didn’tthen because it didn’t irl who let his nephein performed in practice

This is the only trial that matters

Horns blare The crowd quiets to a low rus

The hatch opens

35

As I reach the top of the ladder I scan the stands because I ain see the Royal Court fro are splendidly caparisoned with soin the wind that they are a restless ocean of constant change Froood look at the royal balcony, but the Garon Palace balcony with its horned and winged fire dog banner lies off toate flanked by two large stone pillars Here on the Royal Court each one is carved with a face, on the left the stern gaze of Kliateht the benevolent smile of Serenissima the First

Serenissi the obstacle bell toin A set of rope stairs leads up into athe solid ground but by balancing above the ground on a series of narrow beams A seed of suspicion blooms: What if a man who is head of a powerful princely household has bribed the officials to set up the court in a configuration that favors ility?

No point in wondering Although I hit two dead ends, I reorient myself and recover quickly When I cliirl wearing the blue belt is already cla for Trees I hear a bell ring as one adversary starts on his second obstacle I am pretty sure the sound coh Trees and chosen to move north around the court

Do I want to run into hiets going, although I cannot see her, since only the tallest poles jut up above the walls that separate the obstacles

I a down, I head south

The moment I enter Traps I see in its multilayered architecture allfroered if you put your weight on the wrong place Right smack in the center Sandstor He has slipped while crossing a rope bridge whose skewed balance keeps tipping him sideways

Traps always has two possible routes, one long and laborious and low to the ground, and one short and glorious with a lot of flying and balancing at dangerous heights Kalliarkos and Firecat are already in their second obstacles, so I leap up to grasp a horizontal bar, use the her bar with her bar that skips erous and thus shortest path