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

time she’d felt anything genuine toward him. In his world-weariness, he’d never looked more tragically beautiful.

“I honestly have no interest in being a prince, or a lord, or any other titles that came with my powers awakening and my father’s ambition.” This was the same Cullen Eira had heard the echo of in the Windwalkers’ study. “You’re not the only one with a messed-up family that has secrets stacked up to your hip, Eira. But at least yours loves you.”

“I’m sure yours—”

“Don’t presume anything about my family.” He stopped her on the spot. “You have no idea what happens behind closed doors.”

“I guess I don’t.” Eira had learned well today that it was impossible to really have a clear picture of a family, even your own.

Cullen patted her knee with a heavy hand. “You’re allowed to feel all this. Don’t try not to. Clearly that wasn’t working out well.” He motioned around at the disheveled room. “But don’t let those feelings shake the fact that they love you. It may be hard to believe now, but their love for you hasn’t changed.”

“I…I’ll try.” She didn’t want to argue. She was far too tired to try. He was right, nothing had changed, not really. And, yet, everything felt irrevocably different. She needed to find a way to apologize to her parents, but she couldn’t bear even the thought of looking them in the eyes.

“Good.” Cullen stood.

“Where are you going?”

“I, unfortunately, have dinner with the empress to discuss the next trial.”

She laughed softly. “Cullen, you’re the only man alive who would make dinner with the empress sound like a chore.” That earned her a small smirk and a playful glint in his eyes as they darted toward her.

“It’s certainly not a chore. But, sometimes, there are other things I’d rather do that my current position doesn’t allow… In any case, I’ll find Alyss and send her.” Cullen ran a hand down his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles that her body had left when he’d held her.

“Cullen—” She stopped him when he was at the door.

“Yes?” He turned in a way that almost made it look like he was…eager?

“I… Thank you for staying with me. For earlier.”

His face softened and the sad eyes returned. “You’re welcome. Oh, and don’t worry about the room. I’ll put in a word with Her Majesty and smooth it all over.”

Cullen left. Eira bit her lip. Thanks wasn’t entirely what she’d wanted to say… What she’d really wanted was to ask him to stay. Because, for a moment, in his arms, there had been something stable in her world again. He’d felt warm, and safe, and everything she suddenly found herself desperate for.

When Alyss arrived, all the ice that had covered Eira and the floor around her had completely vanished. She didn’t know where she found the strength to dismiss it. But at some point she must’ve, because water didn’t usually evaporate that quickly in the cool halls of the palace.

“Eira?” Alyss said softly, poking her nose into the room. “Are you here?”

“Over here.”

“Are you all right?” Alyss stepped in. That was when Eira noticed her arm was in a sling.

“I should be asking you that.” Eira pushed herself to her feet. It was easier to move when she was focusing on someone else. “What happened?”

“Oh, this?” Alyss motioned to her injury. “I fell in the trial and cracked a few things. They gave me a bone regrowth potion—honestly the potion hurt worse than anything in the trial—and they don’t want me to move it for an hour or two so everything sets up right. I’m sorry I didn’t see your run though.”

Eira shook her head. “Don’t apologize. You didn’t miss anything special.”

“Not true, from what I hear. Everyone is talking about how impressed they are.”

“You’re lying.”

“Well…no… I mean, they’re saying they’re impressed either by the fact that you could actually hoist yourself over a wall, or how hard you fell, or—oh, this is a good one—the creative ways you used your magic!”

“I get it.” Eira held up a hand. Comparative to all the other emotional revelations, people making sarcastic comments about her physical ineptitudes was fairly benign. But she didn’t particularly enjoy it, either.

“They’re still impressed with you though.” Alyss came over and wrapped her good arm around Eira’s shoulders. “Fritz also announced another special dinner tonight for the competitors. So let’s get back to the Tower and get cleaned up.”

“I doubt I’ll go,” Eira murmured, shuffling forward at Alyss’s tugging.

“Why not? I can’t wait to see Noelle’s expressions over dinner. I bet she’s sour you’re still in the running. I hear Adam didn’t make it.”

“He didn’t?” Eira gaped. She should have noticed that it was his name beneath the line as the sole person she was competing against, but there were a dozen other things she’d been focusing on at the start of the trial.

“I thought that would cheer you up.” Alyss laughed as they emerged into the halls.

Eira gave a wary glance around her for any of her family. Just the thought of them put a rock in her stomach now. Her brain couldn’t even seem to conjure the image of their faces. They had completely shifted in her mind into something she no longer recognized. Did she know them at all anymore?

Of course you do, they’re still your family, part of her wanted to say. The other part of her just felt empty.

“Why the long face, anyway? Cullen, of all people, seemed worried about you. Now I can see why; you don’t look like a woman who just progressed to the next trial.”

“I…” As Eira stared ahead, the halls before her seemed to elongate into infinity. They were never ending—a maze she would be trapped in forever. She had to get out. She couldn’t go back to the Tower. Not yet. “Can we go to Margery’s?”

“The bakery?”

“Do we know of any other Margery?”

“Fair. Sure, I can go.”

“Good. I have a dire need of a sweet bun.”

Alyss turned them in an about-face. With every step