Page 17 of Spirit Trials (The Spirit Kingdoms #1)

At the door, Hector stops me. “You make it back here.”

I frown. “You’re not going with?”

“No. I don’t want to watch.” With that he turns and walks away. I stare after him for a moment, debating.

I decide to just go for it and run after him.

“Hector.” When he turns around, I step tentatively toward him and wrap my arms around him.

“Thank you for everything.” I don’t wait for him to hug me back; it’s over and done in less than a second.

He looks down, and for some reason I think he’s emotional, which is crazy.

Without a word, he walks away. I watch him go for a moment before turning around and walking out the front door.

Jamik and Lox are waiting for me outside.

Neither of them say a word as we mount the horses Jamik readied for us.

Lox takes the lead, and I follow him with Jamik taking up the rear as we ride to the entrance to the city.

When we get outside the city walls, we let the horses run towards the woods in the distance.

I take them in, in the early morning light.

They stretch further than I can see. I repeatedly remind myself: I know the woods.

That’s where I’m most comfortable: I’ll be fine.

After riding parallel with the trees for a while, we come upon the group that’s already gathered. Lox pulls his horse to a stop, and I follow suit. “We’ll leave the horses here and walk,” he tells me without looking at me.

“Okay.” I tighten the straps on my bag, double check the four knives I have strapped to my thighs and check my quiver and then grab ahold of my bow. I glance over my shoulder and realize Jamik isn’t following. “Aren’t you coming with?”

Jamik shakes his head. “I’m staying with the horses.”

“Oh.” I walk the short distance separating us. “Thanks, Jamik, for training me and helping me.”

His dark eyes that look so much like his older brother’s meet mine. “You don’t need to thank me.” He sounds so much like Rysden, I hide my smile.

“I do, and I will.”

He glances at the woods and then back at me. “Win and then come back and teach me how to do it.”

A slow smile fills my face. “Sounds like a plan.” He will be competing in his own spirit trials in about two years; he told me yesterday. I turn around and see Rysden talking to Lox. I have no idea where he came from. I walk over to the two of them, and they stop talking when I get close.

“This is where I leave you,” Lox says, still not smiling.

I give him what I hope is a confident smile. “Okay. Thanks, Lox. For everything.”

“Come here.” He reaches out and grabs me and wraps me in a warm hug. My eyes close tight because I’m pretty sure it’s the warmest hug I’ve ever received. When he pulls back, he’s back to his smiling self. “Now, go show them how it’s done.” I can’t keep my own smile off my face.

Rysden is scowling when I turn back around. He walks away without a word, and I hurry to catch up. “You have all your knives?” he asks in a low voice when I reach his side. I nod. “And your throwing stars?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t get too close in hand-to-hand. You’ll never be strong enough with somebody who has already had their spirit animal emerge.

And don’t forget you can’t kill a spirit animal.

” I nod again. The only way to get rid of a spirit animal is to kill its owner, something I don’t plan on doing.

“Don’t try to outrun a spirit wolf or jaguar unless you have some distance, or you’re dead. And don’t—”

“Climb,” I fill in for him. “I remember.”

“Spirit animals can sustain injuries just like corporal jags and wolves,” he reminds me.

I nod. “Got it.”

“What areas give you maximum impact injury?”

“Eyes, nose, throat, knees, and groin,” I answer.

“What kind of berries are safe to eat?”

“The dark blue ones and the bright green ones.”

“Which ones are toxic?” he continues.

“Purple.”

“Remember to watch for snakes when you gather wood for a fire. Don’t use wood that has red streaks because—”

“They are home to spillas, which are tiny little bugs that have a painful bite that burns.” I parrot back to him everything he and the other guys have taught me over the last two weeks.

Then because I feel like he’s spiraling, I stop walking.

It takes him a moment to notice. “I’m going to be okay, Rysden. ”

“I just want you to be prepared.”

My heart warms. “I know. You guys have spent every minute of the last two weeks preparing me for this. I’m as ready as I can be.” We both know it’s not enough compared to every other competitor here who’s spent their entire lives up to this point training for this. “It will have to be enough.”

“Just remember,” he says, still serious. “You’re not invincible.”

I grin. “You sure about that?” When he doesn’t smile, mine drops. “I know, Rysden.”

He looks over at the group and then back at me. “This is as far as I can go.” I look over at the group that’s gathering and then back at him.

I don’t know what to say. What do you say to your kidnapper who’s making you compete in this trial but who’s also made sure you were as prepared as possible?

I keep it simple. “Thank you for training me.” I turn and walk away and don’t look back, but I feel his eyes on me the entire time.

It doesn’t take me long to reach the group that’s already assembled.

Over the next hour, more and more competitors arrive, and I get more and more anxious.

The mood today is so different than last night.

There is no levity or celebrating. Today, everyone has brought their warrior selves for the competition.

Finally, I watch the king and his entourage arrive.

There's a tall man next to him that has gray hair. I take note because these people age slowly. I haven’t seen anyone with gray hair since I got here.

Lox says it’s because of their connection to their spirit animals.

“He’s one of the last surviving rulers with a spirit gryphon,” a female voice says to my right. I stare at the man in awe, wondering what his gryphon spirit animal looks like. “Pretty crazy, right?”

I manage to pull my attention away from the older man and face the girl next to me and take her in.

She’s even shorter than me, which is saying a lot.

But her gorgeous blond hair and beaming smile make up for it.

She beams at me and puts out her hand. I stare at her hand a moment before I put my own out reluctantly.

“I’m Kinsley.” I don’t say anything as she pumps my hand.

“This is where you tell me your name,” she says, never losing the smile. She reminds me of Lox.

“Farrah,” I finally tell her and pull my hand away.

“Nice to meet you, Farrah. Which kingdom are you from?”

“Wolf.” It’s sort of the truth; I’m from there now. I face the front where the leadership is gathering on a stage of sorts.

“Me too...sort of.”

Her answer catches my attention. “Sort of?” I question. I don’t know why. I don’t really want to talk to her, but there’s something about her that makes it hard to ignore her. I blame Lox; he’s kind of grown on me.

She drops her head a moment, and I regret the question.

“I’m part of the banished community,” she says softly and then looks around quickly like she’s making sure nobody else heard her.

My eyes widen in surprise. She notices and smiles sadly.

“Yeah, even the children of the banished get to enter the spirit trials in hopes that we’re not like our parents and fail to produce a spirit animal. ”

I don’t even know what to say; the guys didn’t prepare me for this. “I’m sorry?” My words come out more of a question, and I grimace.

She smiles again. “It’s okay.” She shrugs. “I don’t know anything different.”

I take in her clothes and suddenly feel guilty for everything I am wearing and carrying. Her clothes are tattered and threadbare. She has an old bag on her shoulder, but it looks pretty empty. “Oh, there’s Harper. Come on.”

“Oh, um, I’m good. I don’t—”

“Come on. Her bite is worse than her bark.”

It takes a minute for her words to register. “Wait, I think you said that wrong.”

“Nope,” she says, eyes twinkling. Suddenly, she takes my arm and I’m practically being dragged across the field over to where a tall girl with long dark hair stands.

“Look what the cat drug in,” the girl says without turning to us.

“Hey, Harper, I brought over a friend,” Kinsley says.

Harper finally turns to me, and I watch as her eyes harden.

“Play nicely,” Kinsley says softly. I’m not really sure if she’s saying that to me or to Harper.

“Harper, this is Farrah. Farrah, Harper.” I don’t have to be told that this girl is one of the banished as well.

Her clothing and lack of a full bag do all the telling.

I stand there awkwardly for a moment and then try for conversation, mostly for Kinsley’s sake.

She’s been nice to me, and I want to return the favor.

“Were you both at the dinner last night?”

Harper turns her gaze back to the front. “Oh, that’s cute. Brainiac here thinks we were invited to the king’s fancy dinner.” I keep my own snide comment to myself.

“I was thinking that if we all stay together—” Kinsley starts.

“Don’t even think about it,” Harper cuts her off. “Not gonna happen.”

Harper beats me to it, and I’m glad. I don’t need these girls slowing me down.

But at least I don’t have to sound like a jerk to the nice girl; Harper did that all on her own.

Before I can say anything to Kinsley, some guy bumps my shoulder hard.

“If it’s not the kingslayer,” he calls out loudly.

Another guy joins him, and they both circle around the three of us.

I frown because I have no idea who these guys are and what they’re talking about.

The loud guy stops and sniffs the air. “Do you smell that?” He sniffs again. “Smells like banished.”

“Ha, ha, very funny,” Harper says dryly.

“You three definitely should stay together,” the obnoxious guy says.

His friend laughs. “Yeah, so you can all get banished together.”

The first guy looks at my new friends. “What? You didn’t hear about this idiot that knocked the king’s cup right out of his hand?”

I feel more than see both Harper and Kinsley turn to look at me. I don’t look at them, though. I’m too busy keeping my eye on the two threats in front of me. The louder one leans forward. “Better watch yourself out there.” He and his friend laugh and walk off.

“Great,” Harper mumbles. “Helpless and stupid.”

I ignore her comment. “You knocked the king’s glass out of his hand? With what?” Kinsley asks with wide eyes.

“A throwing star,” I say quietly. Not my brightest move.

Harper scoffs. “You should have buried it in his black heart.”

“Not a fan of the Wolf King, I take it?” I ask Harper.

She gives me a look. “Would you be if you were banished?”

“No,” I say honestly.

“You three,” somebody shouts. We all turn to see a guy walking towards us. “You’re in the middle group.” I realize they’re dividing the crowd into large groups. We move forward, joining the middle group. The king puts his hands up, and everybody quiets.

“Competitors from the Jaguar Kingdom, Dragon Kingdom, and of course our very own Wolf Kingdom, welcome to the 221 st Spirit Trials.”

A cheer goes around us. “And the banished,” Harper adds under her breath. “Thank you so much for your kind invitation.”

I smirk but keep my mouth shut. This is going to be more interesting than I thought.