The Things We Do

Four trials
Four hundred competitors
One seat on the Council

An orphan.
A noble.
A spy.
A peasant.
Who will win and what will it cost them?

In a world where power means everything, many would go to great lengths to rise. And what better way than entering The Trials, a ruthless and cutthroat competition for a seat on the Council and a rare chance for the lowborn to claim fame, fortune, and influence?

Elimination doesn't mean death-or does it?

Fynar
With his parents murdered when he was a young child, Fynar had to raise himself. Doing whatever it took to put food in his stomach and a roof over his head, he is accustomed to doing the dirty work of the nobles, so when he is offered a job most would consider difficult in exchange for revenge on his parent's murderer, he accepts with little hesitation. The only problem? It involves entering The Trials, something he promised himself he would never do.

Mokyn
She's beautiful. She's poised. She's dangerous. Raised from birth to compete in The Trials, Mokyn is more than ready to decimate the competition. Easily able to navigate noble politics, she is going to follow in her mother's footsteps, except she's actually going to win The Trials, unlike her predecessor. That's what she's been told all her life, anyway.

Rohta
When war is threatened against her kingdom, she has no choice. Rohta has to go to a foreign country and enter an event they call The Trials so she can win a vote for her people. Failure means an arranged marriage with a man she's never met, and discovery means death.

Naksyl
He's so done with the life he was cursed with. Naksyl doesn't want to live forever as a lowly farmer's son, expected to take over from his father. So, he secretly applies for The Trials, taking the chance given to him, planning to use it for all it's worth, and willing to do anything to gain what he craves.