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

“No.”

“But—” Adam grabbed her arm.

“I have no reason to allow you to explain!” Noelle swung her free hand and sent sparks crackling in the air just before Adam’s face. He jumped back. “Stop following me.”

Alyss and Eira stopped just up the hall from them, watching the situation unfold.

“Lovers’ quarrel?” Alyss murmured to Eira.

“Looks like,” she whispered back.

The two had yet to notice them. They were too enraged with each other to have noticed a giant, northern noru cat charging up the hall.

“You’re being unreasonable,” Adam growled.

“And you’re being an ass.” Noelle threw back her head and laughed, a grating and terrible sound. “You had me fooled for the longest time. But I’m so done with you and your games. Now get away from me.”

“You are my woman.” Adam stepped forward and grabbed Noelle by the shoulders. It was in this movement that Eira noticed Adam’s lack of candidate pin. Alyss had mentioned it, but seeing his chest void of metal brought about an ugly sense of satisfaction. Perhaps the feeling of triumph was what ultimately emboldened her.

Noelle leaned forward and sneered in his face, “I am not yours or anyone else’s. Now let me go or I will burn your skin to the bone.”

“You wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Try me.”

“Noelle,” Eira called. Both heads snapped up to her and Alyss. “Sorry to keep you waiting!”

“What in the Mother’s name are you doing?” Alyss said out of the corner of her mouth.

Eira ignored her and bounded down to Noelle, shooting Adam a glare. “Let’s go to dinner?”

“You… You were on your way to meet these freaks?” Adam balked.

“Yes, you brute. I’m finally realizing who the quality people are in the Tower.” Noelle slapped his hands away and, thankfully, Adam’s arms fell limply to his sides. “Now get away from me. I’m not going to be late to the candidates’ dinner on your account.” Noelle carefully tucked strands of her long, black hair back into the braids they’d fallen from. When she walked down the Tower hall, she seemed to half-stride, half-float like a royal would.

Adam shot Alyss and Eira glares as they passed, catching up with Noelle.

Noelle glanced over her shoulder, prompting Eira to do the same. Adam was nowhere to be seen. Her dark eyes met Eira’s. “You didn’t have to do that. I had everything under control.”

“See, we shouldn’t have helped. She clearly doesn’t want us,” Alyss said snidely.

Eira ignored her friend. “You burn him and they would’ve taken your pin for it,” she retorted. “So you’re welcome.”

Noelle snorted. “Fine. Thank you, I suppose.”

“I take it the Tower’s ‘power couple’ of Noelle and Adam is no more?” Alyss asked.

“What gave you your first hint?” Noelle muttered.

“Did you dump him because he didn’t pass the trial?” Alyss didn’t miss the chance to question Noelle. “Did he vow to pass it to prove his love to you or something? Then you couldn’t handle the shame?”

Eira barely resisted stopping Alyss to tell her she read too many romance novels.

“What’re you talking about?” Noelle rolled her eyes. She sighed, shoulders hunching slightly—a movement Noelle quickly corrected. “I suppose I might as well tell you. He’s going to start rumors, no doubt, and I should be ahead of them. No, it had nothing to do with the trials and everything to do with the fact that he is an ass. I made excuses for it long enough, but I woke up to the fact when I found out he’s been dallying with some stable girl.”

“Yeah, I can believe that,” Eira murmured. “I could’ve told you he was an ass.”

Noelle stopped short and Eira did as well. They locked eyes. For a brief second, Eira braced herself to have Noelle defend Adam. As she said herself, she always had.

But Noelle surprised her when she said, “I know now. And I’m sorry for not seeing it earlier—when I should have…when seeing it would’ve put me in a position to stop him.”

Eira pursed her lips slightly. The movement prompted Noelle to continue.

“What he did to you was exceptionally cruel, and I’m sorry.” Deeming the matter finished, Noelle charged ahead.

Not even your mother could love you. Those were the words Noelle had said to her three years ago on that fateful night. Words that hurt more than ever. Eira clenched her fists, but kept her magic under control.

“What’re you sorry for?” Eira called on an impulse.

Noelle halted and glanced behind her. Her eyes narrowed slightly. “For what he did.”

“Don’t apologize for him. If you’re going to apologize, apologize for your hand in it.”

Noelle stood a little straighter, determined to not back down. “I’m sorry for what I said to you that night. I helped organize the whole affair. I was just as cruel as he was. And I should have apologized much sooner than now.”

Eira pursed her lips. She wanted to gloat, basking in this moment of bringing Noelle to task. She wanted to yell, saying that two words—I’m sorry—could never be enough. Instead of doing either of those things, she just sighed.

“Fine, I forgive you.”

Noelle’s eyes widened a fraction in shock. She gave a small nod, and quickly disappeared around the corner into the mess hall—as if she didn’t want to risk Eira revoking the forgiveness. A part of Eira was admittedly tempted to.

“You…you forgive her?” Alyss gaped at Eira. “No way. I don’t believe it. You’re trying to trick her, right? Lull her into a false sense of security and then strike her down right before the next trial to throw off her attempt?”

Eira shook her head. “I always knew Adam was the real leader of that whole night and…” She let out a sigh that she felt like she’d been holding in for years. On that exhale, all the tension that knotted her neck and shoulders about Adam and his cruelty vanished. The words they said might linger, but Eira would do everything in her power not to willingly carry them a minute longer. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“How can it not matter? What he did was— What