Page 14 of Spirit Trials (The Spirit Kingdoms #1)

I stare at the black dress that’s lying on my bed; that definitely wasn’t there earlier.

As if reading my thoughts, Rita says, “The tailor dropped this off for you about an hour ago.” I reach out and touch the fabric; it’s made of the softest silk I’ve ever felt.

The sleeves are a gorgeous lace that I’m afraid will rip too easily with me wearing it.

The top of the dress has the same matching lace and drops into a v.

The dress gathers at the waist before falling to the floor.

“It’s beautiful,” I breathe.

“Try it on,” Tess, the quieter of the two, says.

It takes a few minutes, but we finally get it on.

I realize there’s a slit on the side of the dress that goes up to the middle of my thigh.

It actually works well because I can put my strap for my knife right above where the slit ends.

Once I’ve strapped on my sheath and slipped my knife in and made sure it’s going to stay, I stand up and let the dress fall to the ground.

Both girls are staring at me with matching expressions of shock and maybe horror.

“Are you going to need that at the dinner?” Tess whispers.

I shrug. “I’ve learned to be prepared for anything.”

“Here,” Rita says, handing me matching black satin shoes. I slip them on, surprised that they fit perfectly. They look nice with the dress, but they’re also practical if I need to run or fight.

I turn around and face the girls. “Well, do you think I’ll pass for tonight?”

They both beam smiles at me. “You look like a queen.”

“Let’s not get too carried away,” I say with a laugh.

I tense as I turn to the long mirror. I’m almost scared to look, but when I finally do, I’m blown away.

They worked a miracle on me; that’s the long and short of it.

My bright red hair is soft and vibrant, and it actually lies flat down my back.

My face looks like somebody else’s face with the powder, eye creams, and stain they put on my lips.

And then there’s the dress. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

The tailor is pretty much a magician. Somehow, he made me look like I have curves.

I turn around, studying my reflection in the glass. “You girls are miracle workers.”

“No, Miss Farrah. You’re just really beautiful.”

I feel uncomfortable with the praise. “First, don’t ever call me Miss again. I’m barely a year or two older than either of you, I bet. How old are you, Rita?”

“Nineteen, Mi--, uh, Farrah.”

“See, we’re the same age. And you, Tess?”

“Eighteen.”

“See, we’re all the same; so, stop. I'm going downstairs to see if the guys have any food; I’m starving.” They both hide smiles, and I walk over to the door. “What are you doing?” I ask when I see them starting to clean the mess we made.

“We’re picking up, and then we’ll be out of your hair,” Rita says.

“No, you’re not. You’re coming with me to get something to eat.” I don’t take no for an answer, and soon, the three of us head into the kitchen area.

“Hector, we’re starving. Is there anything we can eat?” I ask, already smelling something divine coming from his pot.

“I’m working on mutton stew,” he says without turning around.

“Oh, thank goodness. I’m so hungry!” He turns around and stares at me a moment. Without saying a word, he turns back to his stew. Ignoring his obvious shock at my appearance, I add, “I’ve got two extra mouths to feed, too.”

“There’s plenty,” he mumbles.

“Mmm. What smells so divine in here?” Lox asks, striding into the kitchen area. “What is—” he stops midsentence and stares at me before letting out a low whistle and advancing on me. “And who is this stranger?”

I scowl up at him. “Very funny.”

He grins. “Who knew there was a female under all that?”

“I still have my knife,” I warn him.

“Of course, you do. I’m just teasing. You look beautiful, Farrah.”

I duck my head down, unused to the praise. I see the girls out of the corner of my eye, and that snaps me out of it. “Lox, these are my friends Rita and Tess.”

His eyes widen. “You have friends?” I elbow him. Hard. He grunts and raises his hands in surrender. “I’m just kidding...sort of.”

I sigh in exasperation. “You done?”

He grins. “Probably not.”

“Anyway, this is Rita and Tess.” He turns towards them, oozing all his Lox charm. “Nice to meet you, beautiful ladies.” I turn away as he continues to make them blush and walk over to Hector, who’s still at the stove.

“Can I help you?”

“No.” His answer is gruff. “You’re dressed far too nicely to help out in the kitchen. Go sit.” He waves me out of the kitchen, and I walk around the counter to go sit at the large table.

Lox grabs a plum and leans against the counter as he takes a bite. “Has Rysden seen you in that dress yet?”

Uncertainty hits me again, not for the first time. I look down at it and then back at Lox. “No, why?”

He shrugs and takes a bite. “Just wondering.” But he’s grinning maniacally, and I don’t think I trust him right now.

I narrow my eyes at him. “Lox.”

He throws his hands up. “I was just wondering.”

I stand up, too nervous to sit and start to pace. “Do I have to do anything weird tonight?”

“Define weird,” Lox says. I give him a look. “Oh, you mean like stripping and running naked under the full moon while singing the Wolf Kingdom anthem?”

Horror fills me. “What?” I screech.

He bends over, laughing. “Your face.”

“Lox!” I shout at him. Realizing he’s no help, I turn to Hector. “I don’t really have to do that, right?”

“Don’t even have a national anthem,” he mutters under his breath as he carries the pot out to the table.

This makes Lox laugh even harder. I shake my head and turn to the girls who are standing off to the side, taking all this in. “Great, Lox. Now you’re scaring our guests.” I motion them to the table.

He sucks in a breath before laughing again. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

I scowl at him as we all sit and start eating. “What time do we have to leave?”

“Soon,” Hector says.

I blow out a nervous breath.“How am I getting there?” I ask, suddenly curious.

“We’re taking you,” Lox says.

I roll my eyes. “Great.” Lox keeps the conversation going, but I focus on eating. I help carry the dishes in, but Hector shoos me away when I try to help wash them. So I go back to pacing.

Jamik comes strolling into the large dining area. He stops when he sees me. He’s silent for almost an entire minute. “Has Rysden seen you in that dress yet?” This causes Lox to burst out laughing once again.

I throw my hands up. “What is with everybody asking that? What’s wrong with this dress?” My voice is almost panicky now, and Jamik must notice.

“It’s fine. I was just curious.” He looks over at the girls.

“Oh, Jamik, these are my friends Rita and Tess.”

“We’ve met,” he says stiffly. I look over and see Tess blushing. Interesting. He looks back at me. “It’s time to get going. Are you ready?”

“You’re coming too?” I ask.

He gives me a short nod. I take in his usual black shirt and trousers before turning to look at Hector and Lox. They’re all wearing just regular clothing. “You guys don’t have to get dressed up?”

Lox grins. “Nope, we’re security for tonight.”

“Oh.” I tuck that information away. “For the king?”

He smiles and bops me on the nose. “Nope. For you.”

“I don’t need security,” I call out after him. I shake my head and turn back to the girls. “Do you need a ride somewhere or—”

“They’re coming with us,” Jamik says as he walks past.

“Oh. Great.” I smile at my new friends. “I guess we’re ready.”

“What about all our stuff? We left your room a mess!”

I wave off her concern. “I’ll gather it later and make Lox return it to you.”

A few minutes later, we’re all settled in a rather large riding coach.

I thought it would be really fun to ride in, but it only takes me two minutes to regret my decision.

“We should have just ridden horses,” I murmur under my breath when we hit a bump and all our heads practically hit the ceiling.

The only thing that helps is that Tess and Rita sit on either side of me.

It’s a tight squeeze, and it helps us keep our seats.

“In that dress?” Lox asks, smirking.

It takes forever for us to get to the castle, but part of that is the ridiculous amount of time we wait in line to get close to the entrance. “This is ridiculous. I could have walked the distance there and back ten times by now.”

“Your patience is showing,” Lox says with an easy smile.

We finally make it to the front of the line, and a guard in uniform opens our door and peers inside. “Name?” he asks, looking down at a paper.

I realize after a moment of silence that all the guys are looking at me. “Oh, Farrah Bromean.”

The guard must find what he’s looking for because he nods and waves us forward.

“This is our stop. We will see you later, Miss, uh, I mean Farrah,” Rita says.

They both jump out before I can ask where they’re going.

I frown, but then we roll forward and I have to focus on not falling out of my seat.

Then the door opens again, and a man dressed in really nice clothes, including white gloves puts out a hand.

“Miss Farrah.”

I stare at his hand a moment before glancing over at the guys.

Lox nods his chin towards the man’s hand, and I take it.

He helps me down and escorts me over to a huge set of stairs that lead to a towering castle.

I glance over at him, wondering if I’m going to have to hold his hand the entire way up.

He doesn’t look back at me, nor does he take his hand away.

All the way up it is. Halfway up, I wonder if this is part of weeding out some of the competitors.

Thankfully, we finally reach the top. “Okay, thank you...” But he keeps walking.

I look over my shoulder and am relieved to see that Lox, Jamik, and Hector are all following.

When we reach the huge double doors, somebody opens them from inside.

“Farrah Bromean,” the man escorting me says and finally drops my hand.

He turns away before I can even thank him.

I step inside and take in the opulence. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

The ceilings are so high, I can barely see them.

There are permalight lanterns everywhere, and they reflect off the glass chandeliers that are enormous and hang every few feet.

The floor is made of white glass; it’s shiny and looks ridiculous. Who has a floor made of glass?

“Right up those stairs is the ballroom,” a man standing near the door says. I nod and head that way. Thankfully, Lox, Hector, and Jamik fall into place around me.

“Really? You guys couldn’t have done that a few minutes ago?”

“And miss watching you being escorted by one of the Wolf King’s finest?

” Lox asks. I scowl at him, and his grin widens.

We reach the top of the short set of steps, and Jamik and Hector leave.

I turn to Lox, who’s looking serious. That alarms me; he’s never serious.

“You still have your knife on you?” he asks in a low voice. I nod. “Good.”

“Should I be worried?” I ask, unsure what to do about his seriousness.

“I’ll keep an eye on you.” I think he meant to reassure me, but it does the opposite.

“Wait, are you leaving?”

“I’ll be out of sight but not far.”

Panic blooms in my chest. “I have to go in there by myself.”

Lox eyes me in concern. “Rysden will be in there.”

“Is that supposed to be a comfort?” Because it’s not. It’s really, really not.

“You’ll be fine,” he says quietly. He looks behind me, and I turn to see two couples ascend the stairs.

He gives me a nod and then disappears. I stare after him, debating running after him.

Then I remember why I’m here. I’m here to meet other contestants and prepare for the trials tomorrow.

I need to focus. I push my fear aside and my shoulders back and walk through the huge open doors.