A Kingdom of Bloodshed (A Crimson Court Series)

*¬*Chapter Six*¬*

    I've spent the better part of the morning being knocked on my ass. My skin is itchy from sweat, the heat of early summer now beginning to show itself. It's barely the end of May but here, in this court, the heat hits with an unforgiving force. Back at home, it would still feel like the end of spring because of how gentle the weather is, but this? This is ridiculous.

Wiping sweat from my forehead, I faced the obstacle course before. After barging into Kaz's room earlier this morning and showing him the sketch, his face had blanched of all colour. His eyes went wide.

"How do you know of this?" He'd asked me. His eyes widened as his pupils consumed the entirety of the amber. "I don't. What is it?" My lack of knowledge on what that crown was must have been written across my face because Kaz simply shook his head, tossed the book back to me and told me to meet with him privately after the tournament today. I hadn't realized we'd be having one so soon, but I did not retort as I strode from his room and tried to get some sleep.

It was a futile effort, but when the sun rose and it was time to crawl downstairs for breakfast to meet with the others, I was more bleary-eyed than ever. After consuming as much food as possible, we strode to the back of the palace, to a training wing that stood proudly a few feet from Scarwood. Kazimir said that this training facility was known as the Barracks. A training ground for all the Crimson Court warriors and where we would now attempt the obstacle course that was designed to weed out the weak from the strong.

Except this time it was to see who was the smartest. Who could complete the course as none have done before. "Not a single one of my past contestants were able to successfully complete this obstacle course. The only ones who have were my soldiers, trained from birth to be quick witted and fast. If any of you are able to complete this course, or at least come close you will be crowned the victor for today's challenge."

His words are clipped. Heavy. Heavy like the exhaustion that had weighed me down due to lack of sleep.

Both Kaz and Augustus were observing the challenge today. His presence made me tense and uncomfortable. The images of what he'd begun to do the other night careens through my mind. When the signal had been given to start, we were all allotted a few practice attempts of the course before being timed. That practice was spent being knocked on my ass and becoming increasingly frustrated at not being able to complete the course.

One by one the girls went. Each one allowed one chance to try. Wherever they stopped was the goal to beat for the next one. Some made it far, some didn't. The course consisted of steps that lead towards a rope wall in which one had to climb. Upon climbing that wall water is dumped on you causing the rope to be wet and slippery. If you made it past that, then you were to walk quickly and precisely along a wooden bridge in which every so many planks would crack beneath your weight. If you didn't fall through and catch yourself, then you'd move on to the next phase. This one harder than the last.

If you mastered the wall and the crumbling wooden bridge then there was the last part. High above, there were metal rings. Rings in which you had to grab and hang from, swinging yourself forward until you could reach the next one. A battle of strength. If you could swing across all ten rings and land firmly on the mat at the other end you would come to a riddle which needed to be solved before you were crowned the winner.

This challenge was meant to exhaust us both mentally and physically and having to think about a riddle at the end...

By the gods it would be nearly impossible. As the line before me begins to shorten, I can feel my heart hammering in my chest. I get one chance at this. One.

I need to make it count. Bree is first, then Eve. Then Alla and Equity. Fiona and Morigan then finally Tara. She makes it the farthest. Even managing to reach the riddle at the end, but her mind is so exhausted that she is unable to solve it when the timer runs out.