A Trial of Sorcerers: Book One by Kova, Elise (universal ebook reader .txt) 📕

“Go. Go!” the masses watching her chanted. She wasn’t making for good entertainment taking her time. Eira didn’t care.

She watched every geyser of fire erupt, counting the time between each of them. Sure enough, there was a pattern. Eira took a deep breath, holding it until the flames rose right before her.

She ran.

As Eira leapt, she twisted her wrist. Steam surrounded her, smothering her as ice met fire. Eira wavered, dizzy. She’d gone from a brisk spring day to a sauna. She had to cool herself or she’d faint.

More ice.

More steam.

Eira pushed her power down the column she was now on—as much as it took to completely snuff the flames. She could feel the Firebearer manipulating the bursts of fire fighting against her. Eira closed her eyes and continued pushing against that raging power. Firebearers always teetered at the edge of control. She’d slip her magic underneath their tethers, severing the source of their flames. If it were possible, she would’ve cut off their magic.

There wasn’t one, but three Firebearers. Fine, no matter, one, three, ten, it didn’t make a difference. Her ice crackled against the flames, finally gaining traction. She pushed until the entire moat was filled with a shimmering blue and a blast of cold hit her face.

She stood, head spinning. Eira wasn’t sure if it was because of using so much power, or because of the deafening roars that erupted from the crowd. The way they carried on, one would think that no other Waterrunner had tried to extinguish the flames.

Wrap your magic around your fingers, one of the journals in that secret room had read. Hold it in place with an unrelenting grip. Eira did as instructed, as she’d been practicing for weeks. The ice stayed in place as she jumped to the second column, and then to the third. By the time she was at the fourth, her hold on the ice was beginning to weaken. The Firebearers hadn’t relented their assault. The edges of the frost were steaming.

But Eira made it across to the next platform that served as the switchback. She released the magic and the ice evaporated as she scanned the crowd. Her father looked down on her with shadowed eyes. She couldn’t bear the sight of her mother, hands clutched with worry.

The better she did, the unhappier they looked. Eira focused back on the course rather than spending too much time distracting herself with them.

She now stood at another ledge. A giant gap separated her and the next platform. There was nothing between the two, just a sheer drop. They hadn’t even hung a safety net.

Ferro had told her during their discussions that safety precautions were taken behind the scenes. The illusion of danger was part of the test. They were challenging the candidates’ bravery and steel will—not trying to kill them.

This obstacle was the embodiment of that. There was white on her platform, and on the steep incline she was expected to land on and then scramble over. She couldn’t use any magic between the two as that would put her in contact with something other than the white paint. Somehow, free fall didn’t break those rules.

Eira backed up as far as she could. The shadow of the balcony where the royals sat was overhead—where Ferro was. He’s watching, Eira reminded herself. Her parents sapped her will. But Ferro restored it, giving her the courage she needed.

Before she could think better, before she could hesitate, Eira sprinted forward. She charged to the ledge and put all the power she could into her long legs as she leapt. For a moment, her heart stopped, her stomach sucked into her ribcage on her inhale of terror. She was weightless, vulnerable. It was terrifying.

It was thrilling.

Time crashed around her, pulling her down with gravity. Eira kicked her legs, as if she could move the air like a Windwalker. As though she could place herself closer to the distant platform. She tipped forward, stretching out her arms.

She fell hard. Her chin snapped against the wood of the incline and her teeth sang. A woman—her mother, likely—let out a yelp. The taste of blood exploded in her mouth and Eira ran her tongue along the backs of her teeth to make sure she hadn’t bitten it clean off.

But gravity wasn’t done with her. She was sliding down the incline. Eira scrambled, digging her nails into the wood at the top of the triangle-shaped platform. Panic had her scratching, splinters embedding into her skin.

She couldn’t find purchase. She was going to slide off into the jagged rocks below. Eira scrambled, her arms screaming with agony as she struggled to use them to support herself.

Stop panicking and think! A lone voice shouted from the back of her mind—her better sense. Use your magic!

Eira gave one final, mighty hoist and brought up a foot. She slammed her toe onto the wood, gaining as much grip as possible. Ice exploded under it. Eira shifted her weight, quickly doing the same with her other foot. Repeating the process from the first obstacle, she tipped over the third and rolled down the other side of the triangle ramp.

An arrow whizzed past her face.

Eira jumped back on instinct. The arrow bounced harmlessly off one of the rocks between the rows of obstacles. It had a blunted tip, coated in a harmless, tacky substance.

The illusion of danger, that’s all it is, she reminded herself. This was the one obstacle that Ferro had warned her of specifically last night. Beams alternated on the path ahead with low walls. She would have to vault over the walls and duck under the beams. All the while, archers would pelt her with arrows, trying to knock her off course, or strike off her pin. And she knew they had the best marksmen in Solaris hiding up in the roosts.

Eira had scoured the journals in the hidden room for something that could help her get past this obstacle. She’d encountered a way