Earth Iridis had altered the Battle Arena into an unrecognizable room. The plain tribunes had been pushed back and turned into a seating area more suited for the nobility attending Caiden's birthday celebration.
Pillars towered in every corner of the room, each top dressed with intense flames hot enough to melt the flesh of bones. Naked trees with branches as thick as my thigh sprouted from the stone flooring between each pillar, damp from the spray of the waterfalls pouring from a long opening in the wall behind.
I sucked my lower lip inward, trapping it between my teeth to keep myself from gasping aloud when I caught sight of Master Cadoc greeting the arriving guests. I immediately pulled the curtain back to its flaccid state.
Master Cadoc had been almost as cruel as Miss Penny throughout the past week while teaching us this routine that would be the opening act to initiate the celebration of our crown prince. It would serve as a demonstration for the nobility to assess our progress and get a closer look at each suitor.
I gritted my teeth as I once again considered the new variety of potential answers that this trial could demand from us. A ball only left a limited number of examination options, but this—
A live demonstration before an audience of the guests we were to engage with afterward left countless more.
It was entirely possible that this trial wouldn't be determined by the golden royals but by a majority vote. I just didn't know how or what rules applied.
"Do you see Prince Altas?" Calla whispered behind me, her airy sleeves tickling my neck.
I chuckled and shook my head. "Sorry. Not yet."
We hadn't seen him all day, leaving us with no option to congratulate him on his twenty-second year.
"Line up, girls!" Evie shouted just before I felt my uniform being tugged backward, forcing me into the line with the other suitors. "Water goes first, then fire—"
I rubbed my sore throat from Evie's brutal handling of my aching body, but I didn't say anything. Crossing Evie when stress bounced from her brow wouldn't be wise.
Azure shifted her weight in front of me, tugging at the fur collar tightly wound around her throat. The heat here had to be unbearable for the Water Iridis in their elemental uniforms.
Thick ponchos with fur edges cascaded down their shoulders, a thick belt molding the poncho to fit their waists. White shin guards wound tightly around their shins and knees, while golden bracelets wrapped their naked arms.
I didn't know what their ponchos concealed, but I couldn't imagine it being their naked skin. Their uniforms were made to shield them against the cold, leaving them vulnerable in the heat.
Fire, on the other hand, wouldn't stand a chance against the icy mountains in the north. Their uniforms closely resembled the Flare Warriors' uniforms but without the immaculate details of the stitching and wires. Their boots were different, too.
Instead of brown leather boots with windings around their calves, they wore copper-colored over-the-knee boots with a golden ring acting as the cuff to keep them in place.
The brown bodices also included an extra attachment that served as a holster for their weapons when they needed both hands.
Calla, Haylee, and Elle wore uniforms like mine, while the Earth Iridis wore uniforms more modest than the other elements.
Silver knee- and elbow pads protected their vulnerable skin against the rocky surfaces of the mountains they tamed. Various belts framed their waists and thighs, carrying countless tiny pouches to carry seeds of various plants.
Their loose sleeves made it easy to move, and the gloves were probably just as protective as the thick soles of their green boots. Everything made sense in relation to their element and their familiar environment.
"Stop staring at your fellow suitors, Wildcard," Master Cadoc said, his voice low as he whacked the back of my head. "Focus. The opening act will begin soon."
"My apologies, Master Cadoc," I said, ignoring the throbbing pain.
Master Cadoc was a superior teacher but much more unpolished and brutal than Art. He lacked the same patience as Art, but he never pushed us further beyond our limits than absolutely necessary the way Art did. He never sought to purposely humiliate us in front of the cameras—at least not since our first lecture when he paired me up with Alia.
"Water, initiate the show," Master Cadoc suddenly shouted, turning away from me to signal Piper and the other Water Iridis to approach the curtain.
"And now, for the moment you have all been waiting for—"
I stopped to listen to Arawn's voice, greeting the guests and introducing us. Then I heard him speak the cue.
The curtains pulled back, and the sound of water rushing through the air made the crowd gasp. Then, the wave of water picked up the remaining Water Iridis to carry them forward. I scarcely saw the tide crystallize into ice before the curtains fell back in place again to hide the rest of us again.
I knew this routine by heart, so it wasn't foreign to me what currently transpired before the eyes of the guests, although I couldn't see it. However, it didn't stop my nerves from spiking and my stomach from turning in dread.
The Storm Fans felt sharper to hold in my hands than usual. Thankfully, Art had spent the past weeks teaching me to wield them to an acceptable degree; however, I still preferred the staff over these complicated leaves, even though it remained a training weapon.
"Fire!" Master Cadoc shouted just before the curtains were drawn back again, allowing the Fire Iridis to pass through.
An icy shiver crept down my spine as the talons of panic deepened their grip on my flesh.
I'd never performed in front of others who expected nothing short of perfection. I was the Wildcard. I hadn't earned my spot here. In their eyes, I'd been lucky, and more than anyone, I needed to prove why I still deserved to be here. There was no room for mistakes.
"You'll be fine, Will," Calla whispered behind me, placing a calming hand on my shoulder. "We've been practicing the routine for weeks now, and you didn't miss a single step during the practice yesterday. Trust your instincts, and you'll be fine."
I covered her hand with mine as Art's voice echoed in my head from when he first handed me the tuning fork. I'd lost myself back then amid the continuous defeats and doubts overwhelming me in tormenting waves as tall as the royal turret. However, after realizing that most of my misfortunes hadn't been mine to cause alone, I'd found new strength in my quest to obtain control.
"Air!"
That was our cue.
The curtains swung aside as we unfolded our Storm Fans, and I followed Elle on our way to the floor of the Battle Arena.
The sea of flames obstructed our view of the tribunes, but that was on purpose. The Fire Iridis had prepared a big entrance scene for us, and all we needed now was to deprive the wall of its dominion.
We all ran to our designated spots and prepared our blades, waiting for Elle's signal. And there it was.
I took a deep breath and held it in before we jumped two steps ahead, our blades carrying the winds to extinguish the sea of inferno fire.
As the wind and dust settled, hundreds of people emerged before my eyes. The invited crowd was much larger than I'd expected, but I had no time to let something as pointless as stage fright shake me.
I stamped my heel into the ground and spun around to direct the wind along the path of my weapon, creating a whirlwind strong enough to force the spectators to strap down their belongings.
The winds lifted us from the ground, carrying us to the pedestals standing to present us as individuals. Then the true presentation of our powers began.
***
"Stand still, Willow," Adriel hissed, groaning as his fingers tore through my entangled hair like a jagged weapon violently biting through my bones.
He'd forced my hair into a tight braid for our presentation, but the next phase of the trial was too formal for my usual appearance. So now, he was trying to untangle the chaos he'd caused while rushing his undeniable talent.
"It's a little hard when you're—ouch—when you're pulling this hard," I said through clenched teeth, working against the forces pulling me backward. Adriel acted frustrated and nervous, and nothing I said seemed to help him calm down.
Another pull was too much for my aching body after our demonstration, and my neck failed to offer the necessary support. "Adriel!"
"Sorry!" he said, catching my head before I lost my balance entirely. "I-I'm a little nervous, I must admit. A few of my old friends and masters are among the crowd. They expect much of me, and I would like to—"
"Adriel," I said, turning to smack his cheeks between my hands so he would shut up. "You have nothing to prove to anyone! You're as great as any stylist out there—if not better!"
I wouldn't stand here, listening to Adriel beat himself down like that, doubting the abilities he had mastered so beautifully over the years.
"Anyone who has witnessed you perform your magic should praise themselves more fortunate than the luckiest of beasts."
Adriel blinked a few times, but I didn't waver from his puzzled gaze, determined to make him wholeheartedly understand the value of his irreplaceable soul.
Then a faint smile kindled the tender light in his eyes that I'd grown so used to seeing. His shoulders finally dropped from his ears, and a breath ridding him of his uncertainties warmed his lips.
"You always seem to know what to say in times of need."
I offered him a smile. "That is the superpower I am most proud of."
"I got your dress!" Faye suddenly exclaimed as she burst through the door with garments that made my eye twitch in contempt.
"Oh, come on, Will," she said, rolling her eyes as I wrinkled my nose. "It's so different from what you usually wear and perfect for an event like tonight!"
The dress was bathed in the usual pale blue color matching my blood, but it was strapless, and the skirt was layered in countless nuances of blue that would make me appear like a decorated napkin.
"I don't know," I said, scratching my left arm as I swept my brain for any potential excuse to avoid dressing in that. "Isn't it a little much? Do you have anything else I could wear?"
The dress I'd worn during the festival of the Rising Sun had already given rise to more attention than I'd been comfortable with. I did not need that same attention tonight.
"Nope," Faye said, her smile turning uncomfortably wicked. "This is the only dress I brought, so you'll either have to go out there wearing nothing but your underwear or this dress." She waved the strapless dress in front of her face, too satisfied with herself.
I gritted my teeth, debating silently whether to yell at her or not. Instead, I took a deep breath, realizing it wouldn't matter whether I demanded her to find another dress. We didn't have time. If I didn't arrive at the ball soon, Evie would skin me alive.
"Fine!" I whispered. "But only because you've left me with no other option."
She chuckled gleefully as she skipped across the floor like a child who'd finally gotten the puppy she'd been harassing her parents about for years. "You won't regret it! It's so much more comfortable than it looks, I promise."
She wasn't wrong.
The fabric felt light around my body. In addition, a layer of delicate fabric protected my sensitive legs against the itchy tulle adding depth to the skirt.
I still felt naked without something covering my shoulders, but Faye hadn't brought a cape or jacket. Whether that was intentional or a consequence of her forgetful mind was still debatable.
"Go win this, girl," Faye whispered when I stepped through the door to the dressing room I'd been assigned.
I narrowed my eyes at her before I closed the door behind me. She knew I wasn't in this competition to win Caiden's heart, yet she acted as if nothing else mattered. And I couldn't tell her off with Adriel in the room.
Piper and Calla weren't anywhere to be seen in the hallway. In fact, I was uncomfortably alone, as if I could feel the room around me being abandoned without knowing it for sure.
Music echoed through the naked hall. I knew exactly where to go, but for some reason, my feet refused to move.
I'd made it through the demonstration without making a single mistake. I'd performed in front of hundreds of skilled Iridis, royals, and diplomats and been applauded for the display of my abilities, yet joining this crowd as a suitor instead of a warrior terrified me more than any display of my powers ever would.
An icy shiver made my throat constrict, but I shook it off.
I'd fought and survived an attack from a rogue Raeewh. I should be able to survive interacting with other human beings—hopefully.
I swallowed the crippling anxiety paralyzing my body and forced my feet to move one step at a time. A few minutes later, I rounded a corner where two guards stood, awaiting me.
They bowed their heads to greet me before opening the door leading to a lively party meant to celebrate Caiden's twenty-second year.
A loud sigh of relief slipped past my tongue as none of the guests inside the enormous room cared to turn their heads in my direction as I walked through the doors.
My dress faded compared to most of the ladies in the crowd. Surprisingly, I whispered a quiet word of gratitude to Faye. If I'd had things my way and forced her to dress me in less glamorous clothes, I would've stood out—the wrong way.
I stepped into the sea of people, allowing myself to be swallowed by the preoccupied voices drowning each other out in order to be heard above all.
My mission remained unchanged: find Piper and Calla and survive the evening. Potentially do my best to avoid Caiden as much as possible. I could apologize and congratulate him tomorrow in the Parlor.
I quickly found Azure and Kaia talking to a headmaster from one of the Ocean Academies. I couldn't remember which one, but that hardly seemed relevant tonight. I didn't plan to engage in any form of conversation with anyone from the academies. Only the Storm Academy knew vaguely of my situation. I didn't want to risk revealing my secrets by accident because I couldn't answer simple questions known by all academy attendees.
I craned my neck to search for other familiar faces when I caught a glimpse of a stunning beige dress bestrewn with a layer of golden glitter. A cape of decorated lace hugged her naked shoulders, the bottom scarcely grazing the floor. Golden pendants hung from the roots of her long, amber ponytail, matching the rhinestones adorning the area around her eyes.
Alia looked absolutely stunning, people swarming her as if she was the personification of the sun—warm and gentle on a cold winter morning.
I clenched my fists, realizing that this moment could be an ample opportunity for me to finally confront her about Faye's claims regarding the truth behind her and Caiden's relationship. She couldn't escape me here, nor could she deny me an answer with all these people around us.
Alia had changed since the festivities of the Rising Sun. She no longer cared to bother me; instead, she acted like I didn't exist.
It should be considered a welcome change, but not only did she ignore me; she avoided me too. She'd slipped away every time I'd found a chance—no matter how small—to approach her, but not this time.
I needed to hear her story before turning to confront Caiden. I owed her that much for judging her character before genuinely knowing her.
The dense air felt heavy in my lungs as I straightened my back. My eyes didn't leave Alia's face as I made my way through the crowd, gracefully dodging any bodies in my way as if these people were obstacles from Art's training grounds.
A few more steps and I'd breach the thickest wall of people. A few more steps and I'd—
A blood-curdling whine sent my heart tumbling as my shoulder made contact with another warm-skinned body. My face drained of color, and the world around me stilled when I saw the glass of burgundy wine spilling onto the woman's white evening gown.
She'd stepped into my path without warning, and I'd had left with mere milliseconds to react. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible for me yet.
"I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed when I finally regained control of my shaking limbs. "I-I didn't—"
"No, no," the woman said, shaking her hands to rid her body of the wine that her dress hadn't absorbed. "This little incident is entirely my fault. I should know better than turning without checking my surroundings first."
My shoulders tensed at the sight of her ruined dress despite the woman's attempt to claim responsibility. She wasn't wrong about the consequences of inattentiveness, but I still couldn't shake the sense of responsibility on my part. It wasn't my dress that had been ruined.
"I-I'll find you a towel," I said, turning to detect a manageable path through the crowd again. However, before I could take the first step, I felt a warm hand curl around my wrist, holding me back.
"That will not be necessary," she said, a gentle smile stretching her lips. "The servers do not need to bother themselves with such trivial things. They already seem overworked and understaffed. Those poor souls."
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my mouth shut. The woman had obviously misunderstood my intentions. I didn't plan to ask the servers for their assistance. I'd planned to get a towel myself.
However, as I considered the plan again, I realized that a suitor bringing a guest a towel would most likely raise suspicion. Maybe the spirits were guarding me after all.
"T-then take my dress," I said, searching for a room to exchange dresses. She looked to approximately match my build and height. "I have hundreds of dresses in my room, so—"
"Thank you for the offer, Miss," the woman said, chuckling as if she found my reactions amusing. "But I—"
She interrupted herself when I turned to meet her brown eyes again. "Wait," she said, narrowing her speculative gaze. I tightened my jaw, fearing what realizations may have caused her to react like that. "Aren't you the Wildcard? Willow Aldwyn."
The tension left my body like a shadow fading from the sun. I didn't like being recognized as the Wildcard, but it was better than the alternative.
"I am," I said, offering her a small courtesy. "But I do prefer Willow over my given title."
The woman's face lit up, a brighter tint of red coloring her cheeks. "What pleasure it is to finally meet you, Miss Aldwyn," she said, grabbing my hand to shake it. "I have been breathlessly tracking your process in the Crown Trials from the Inferno Palace. Your fight against the Raeewh was the most rousing moment of the competition so far, and you handled it like a true warrior."
So, she was from the Inferno Palace.
Evie had forced us through the various families that would attend tonight's event, but her face didn't ring any bells. She looked roughly ten years older than me, so she couldn't be a child of the Inferno. Perhaps a royal advisor?
"I hope you won't mind answering a few of my questions—unless you have somewhere else to be," she said, patiently awaiting my answer.
I discreetly looked past her to the background where I'd seen Alia standing moments before. A sigh of disappointment itched my throat when I found the area occupied by other faces than before. Alia had slipped away from me again.
"I guess I can spare a few minutes," I said, smiling at the curious First-blood woman who squeezed my hand even tighter in response to my answer.
"You have my deepest gratitude, Miss Aldwyn," she said, rising to her toes as if looking for something important before calling a name. "Cyrus, dear!"
She raised her arm, signaling our current position without letting go of my hand.
My entire body turned impossibly still, and my stomach recoiled in horror when I saw a man with small, wild curls decorating his crowned head turn toward us.
This was bad.
That man was Cyrus Aarush—the current king of the Inferno Realm—which meant that the woman whose dress I'd soiled must be Raina Aarush—the Inferno Queen.