A Blade from the Wastes - Throne of Glass

Five Hundred Souls

Thirteen champions. With three dead, Celaena had secured her spot not just from the death, but with her skill. Which was now being tested. Aelia stood on the mezzanine of the training room and watched the test. Poisons. Seven goblets sit before each champion. They had to put them in order from most to least deadly. It was silent as the champions arranged and rearranged the goblets. From where Aelia stood, she could smell each poison. One goblet held only water, while the others ranged from simply hemlock to the lovely belladonna.

Celaena had her back to Aelia, so even if the princess did want to help, she couldn't. After another grueling few minutes, Brullo called time and the champions made their final order. Brullo went to each table asking the champions to drink. As each person drank their goblet, Aelia either cringed or kept still. Most of them had to receive the antidote. Not one had passed yet. When Brullo got to Celaena's table, Aelia sighed in relief. Her poisons were in the right order. She and one other champion passed. Celaena had, again, proved that she was indeed the best.

***

Two nights later, Aelia sat on the floor in Celaena's rooms with a book of Wyrdmarks sitting between them. Aelia was copying as many as she could, trying her hardest to root up her memories on the ancient language. Celaena was doing the same, though less motivated than the witchling.

"Are you going to have me remember all of these for you?"

Celaena rubbed at her eyes. "You understand this more than I do."

"Barely. The last I saw a glimpse of the marks was way before Rhoe and Evalin. I had to figure out how to decipher them on my own." Aelia was in the middle of copying a mark down when Celaena quickly smacked the book shut.

Aelia stayed hunched over her paper but looked up. "I was copying that."

Celaena huffed. "If I look at them any longer, my brain with explode."

Aelia dropped her glass pen and straightened.

"Then maybe we need a break. I promise the Wyrdmarks aren't going anywhere."

Aelia had barely finished speaking when Celaena's room door creaked open.

The squeal of the hinges made Aelia cringe with how loud they were. When they looked up, they saw Nehemia standing in the doorway. Aelia first noticed the black kohl running down her cheeks. Aelia could feel the despair a second later. Both Aelia and Celaena stood, but Celaena spoke first.

"Nehemia? What happened at the play?"

The princess shrugged her shoulders and slowly looked up from the floor to the women.

"I—I didn't know where else to go." Nehemia spoke in Eyllwe, but they understood her just fine.

Celaena's breath caught in her throat and Aelia saw a piece of paper in Nehemia's hand.

"Nehemia?" Aelia's voice was soft. "What happened?"

Nehemia's chin wavered. "They massacred them."

Celaena went still. "Who?"

Aelia could tell Nehemia was trying to keep it together, but a sob wracked through her body.

"A legion of Adarlan's army captured five hundred Eyllwe rebels hiding on the border of Oakwald Forest and the Stone Marshes."

Her tears came faster. "My father says they were to go to Callaculla as prisoners of war. But some of the rebels tried to escape on the journey and..." Her breath shuddered. "And the soldiers killed them all as punishment. Even the children."

Aelia felt the weight of her words and tears immediately welled in her eyes.

Five hundred souls.

Dead.