The Dawn of Light

(16)Mint and Murder

Mint and Murder

The evaluation process was tedious.

It started early the next morning. I'd barely gotten any sleep; my mind was restless and I'd struggled to find a comfortable position in the large, steel cage. Simos and Malreus had both offered their arms as pillows for the night, but after their little alpha-male spat, I wasn't really in the mood to relive another one.

Estra had made sure our journey to the palace fields would be as uncomfortable as possible. We were transferred to a smaller cage and loaded onto an old, rickety carriage. The driver chose the worst, hole-filled path under the sun and so we were knocked and jolted around like cream being whipped. It was embarrassing. We passed Estra's envoy and I realised that that's exactly what she wanted.

"Bitch..." I murmured when we passed, but she kept her face composed and her eyes slanted with reservation. She no doubt felt like she was just doing her job.

Eventually, we reached the fields where the selections and trials would take place. It was a large, grassy field, located beside the biggest palace I'd ever seen on earth. It was higher than it was wide; with towers reaching up to great lengths. From the angle where we stood, it nearly look like the tips were touching the white clouds.

Our awe was interrupted by a rude guard, who reached inside and plucked me from the cage. We were transferred into sturdy cuffs and pushed towards the first phase of the selection process. The prisoners from cages five and six were already through phase one and busy with phase two.

I sighed when a man dressed in a white tunic eyed me from under his thick-rimmed glasses; "What now?"

"You're just three?" He asked with a hint of anger.

Malreus glared at him; "Yes."

"Hmp." The man jotted something down on his scroll and gestured for us to walk towards the right. "Fine. Congratulations; you're all through to the first challenge. Enjoy."

"He does make it sound so exciting, doesn't he?" I muttered under my breath and Simos and Malreus glowered after him, but nodded in agreement to my sarcastic remark.

"At least we don't have to do this shit." Simos said with some relief and wriggled his wrists to ease the blood flow. The cuffs were tight.

"At least..." Malreus commented and then asked; "What exactly do they make you do in the evaluation process?"

"There are four phases." Simos spoke as we were guided towards a large building on the side of the fields. Two guards were stationed at the front entrance, keeping watch. "First there's a medical exam; secondly, you have to complete an obstacle course. Then they make you answer a few psychological questions, just to be sure you won't try anything stupid during the challenges or in the labyrinth. Lastly, they make you fight one of the other prisoners in your cage- whoever wins, betters their chances. The loser goes to the labyrinth immediately."

I looked back to where cage six was sat down and a group of white-tunic wearing men were questioning them intensely. Eleven of those mortals would be dead in the next hour.

"Enter." The guard who'd led us towards the big building gestured to the doors and the guards stationed beside them opened them for us to enter through. Malreus walked first and I followed.

It wasn't as vast inside as it looked from the outside, but it was beautifully decorated. The walls were painted black and dark green, with jade accents and gold lamps hanging from the ceiling. Fur rugs were scattered across the room and a young man emerged from behind a black door and slowly bowed. "Welcome, contestants."