“Miss Katrin.”
Katy turned to see a servant girl beckoning to her.
“You need to dress for the test as well,” the girl said.
Katy looked at Peter and shrugged helplessly. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go.” She began to slide her hand out of his, but his fingers tightened.
“This is important.” His voice was low but urgent. “After the test it may be too late.”
Katy froze. There was something frantic in his blue eyes that she hadn’t seen in a long time. “Can you tell me fast?” she asked.
“Miss Katrin!” the girl called again. “If you’re not properly dressed, they won’t let you test!”
Katy apologetically pulled her hand from his. The hurt on his face made her feel guilty. “I promise!” she said as she walked toward the servant girl. “I’ll get dressed as fast as I can, and we’ll talk then!”
Peter stared at her for a moment longer, then simply nodded and walked away.
***
The outfit they’d prepared for Katy took three times longer than usual to don. The dress was still as graceful and colorful as ever, a sleeveless green gauzy gown with flowing layers cascading to the ground, but when Katy put it on, she realized it wasn’t a dress at all. The skirt had been sewn down the middle and cut to create two pant legs that were wide enough to look like a dress. Then her helper pulled a long strip of leather with a hole in the middle from her wardrobe.
“What is that?” Katy asked.
“Armor,” the girl replied, batting a brown curl from her face.
Katy stared at it. “Why do I need armor? I thought this was a test of politics or flying or other fairy skills.”
The girl fit Katy’s head through the hole in the middle and dropped the two sides down her front and back. A belt tied the leather more snugly to her waist, and two strips ran down the front and back of her legs. the It was heavy and somewhat difficult to move quickly in.
“It’s impossible to know what the chancels will choose for your tests. Most likely, you won’t need these at all, but it’s best to be prepared.”
“Did Princess Nova wear these last year?”
The girl paused, but she didn’t meet Katy’s eyes. “I can’t recall.”
By the time Katy was hurried down for the test, she knew that there wouldn’t be enough time to talk about whatever it was with Peter. She and the female fairy flew away from the palace toward a large structure she hadn’t been able to see before. A colossal arena, an oval nearly as wide as the palace itself and half as tall had been built just on the other side of a hill, making it just invisible from the palace. She could hear the roar of the crowd as they approached. There had to be far more than the two hundred people that had originally come.
“You and Prince Peter will enter the arena from here,” her attendant said as they landed just outside a large tunnel on the outside of the arena. Katy peered into the dark, and she could see a tall silhouette pacing inside.
“Thank you,” she said to the girl, giving her her best smile. Then she turned and walked inside as the girl flew away.
“Peter?” she called. The silhouette stopped pacing and stared. As her eyes adjusted, she could see the slight furrow between his brows as he took in her outfit.
“It’s strange, isn’t it?” she said, holding out her arms. “Not what I expected at all.”
He didn’t speak, just studied her with a frown.
Katy swallowed and did her best to appear unruffled. “So what was it that you wanted to speak with me about?” She glanced out at the hole on the other side, the one, she guessed, that led into the arena.
He shook his head at the ground. “There isn’t time.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry.”
For a long moment, they listened to the cheers and chatter on the other side of the metal gate that separated them from the arena floor. Katy glanced at him several times, but none of those times was he looking at her.
"I...um. I have something to tell you," she finally said, fingering her leather breastplate nervously.
He said nothing, but he did at least look down.
“I might have…” She took a deep breath and fixed her eyes on the end of the tunnel. “I might have broken the Tree of Diadems.”
The silence that followed was so long that she finally dared to look back up at him. When she did, she could tell he was trying not to smile, but the corner of his mouth betrayed him. He shook his head.
“What?” She laughed back.
“Leave it to you,” he muttered, his smile growing a little more before he shook his head at the ceiling. “Well, all I can say is that I’m sure it’s nothing Atharo didn’t plan for.” He paused, and for a moment, Katy thought he might be willing to tell her whatever it was that he’d found out.
He did open his mouth as though to speak, but to Katy’s chagrin, any sign of a smile that had been there before was gone again now. “While you were out there with them,” he finally said slowly, “did you ever imagine what life would be like if you were to stay?”
“Stay here?”
“With the fairies, I mean.”
Then Katy understood, and she was reminded of what Jagan had said the night before. That he wished she knew she had more than one choice. She reached up and touched Peter’s face. “I did,” she said softly. How could she not when at every turn, someone was telling her what life would have been like if she’d been raised with her family? “But my life is with you,” she continued, giving him her most reassuring smile. “That’s just the way it’s supposed to be.”
He attempted a smile in return, but in his eyes, she could see that her answer was not what he had wanted to hear. Before she could go on, however, drums boomed from the arena, and the gate was raised. They gave each other one more glance before turning and walking out of the tunnel.
The afternoon light was nearly blinding as they entered the arena floor. The crowd roared even louder, but every sense seemed so heightened here that Katy was sure she could hear the crunch of the dirt beneath her feet. Fairies and humans filled the stands that encircled them, many of the fairies hovering several feet over where they should have been sitting. On the north, south, east, and west sides in the lowest level of the stands sat a drummer. Each drum was nearly as wide as Peter was tall. The beat they pounded out rattled Katy’s bones and seemed to take over the rhythm of her heart as she and Peter walked toward the grandstand on the south side of the level bottom floor.
A platform jutted out into the arena, a cloth covering shielding its occupants from the sun. As Katy’s eyes adjusted to the light, she was able to make out Donella, who had changed clothes as well, and the rest of the Higher and Lower Chancel members and their spouses and families. She and Peter came to a stop just before the stand, where they could look up to those in front, and the drumbeats sped faster and faster until they came to a stop. And with them, the crowds went silent as well.
“Welcome, Clarisant, also known as Katrin McKine. And welcome, Peter Kyran Readagh of the Third Isle,” Donella said as she stood. Ethemu, who sat beside her, stood as well. “Today,” Donella continued, “you shall be tested to see whether or not it is wise for you to kneel before the Tree of Diadems. For the rhin who kneels must have a wife of equal stamina and worth. Furthermore, she must be the right partner to aid him as he serves for the rest of his life.” She smiled down at Peter and then Katy. “Each of you has endured a difficult week of education and assimilation for the tasks the chancels thought you needed mastering. And for your hard work, we congratulate you. But the hard part has only begun. Now is your chance to prove that you are indeed well-matched to the chancels and the Lairis Isles as a whole.” She turned to Katy.
“Katrin, you will sit beside me until it is your turn.” She turned to Peter. “And you, Peter, will be tested first. Please be patient while the test is prepared.” And with that, she sat down.
Katy reached out and squeezed Peter’s hand once more before flying up t
o sit in the empty seat to Donella’s right. She wrung her hands in the folds of her green gown, hoping no one else could see how nervous she was. Peter began to walk in a circle slowly, keeping an eye on the tunnel from which they’d entered.
“Do tests usually take place out here in the arena?” Katy leaned over toward Donella, suddenly desperate to distract herself before her heart beat its way out of her chest.
“This arena was built several hundred years after the High King and his family passed away. It was meant as a place for entertainment and pleasure.” Donella paused to wave at someone. “The children of the High King would traditionally gather together to see theater performed, songs sung, and other forms of skill and talent displayed inside the palace itself. But as the years went on, the rhins and their families grew so numerous that they could no longer all fit in the palace throne room for such entertainment. So this was built instead. Is it not majestic?”
Katy had to admit that it was. On the flight over, she had noticed that a blue marble colonnade surrounded the outside of the arena. The seats, from what she could tell, even the regular seats outside the chancels’ tent, were all a white marble with gold and silver veins. The highest row in the back was probably as tall, if not taller, than the platform on the castle at home.
“Do most of the tests happen out here?” she asked.
“Why do you ask?”
Katy shifted, her leather armor already making her sweat. “I heard someone saying the last test was done in the palace.”
“Yes, it was. Tests are varied according to the couple. The last couple to test was Karel and Nova. As Karel was already known to be proficient in swordsmanship, we narrowed his test to the areas of military strategy and agriculture. Nova was a nobleman’s daughter, so she was tested in civics and economics.”
“So what exactly are we being tested on today?”
“Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to tell you that.”
Katy looked down at the arena before her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t imagine how in the isles she or Peter could even have attempted to anticipate what the chancels were planning.
“I know you can’t tell me what this test is about.” Katy kept her eyes on Peter. “But may I ask why this test seems so different from theirs in nature?”
Donella opened her mouth to speak, but a sour looking fairy that Katy was rather sure belonged to the Lower Chancel, answered her instead.
“To be frank, we don’t know who or even what either of you are.”
Donella gave him a disproving stare, but before she could respond, the drums sounded again. Four loud beats later, Ethemu, who was sitting two chairs down, rose to his feet. The crowds grew silent.
“Today we are testing the next rhin of the Third Isle, the first to come before us in four hundred years.”
As he spoke, Peter walked once more to where Katy was sitting with Donella. To Katy’s dismay, he had somehow, when she must have been talking to Donella, dressed in his full battle armor, even more than he’d been wearing before. Only his helmet was removed now, though he held that under his arm. His face was hard, as though it were chiseled from ice.
“Anyone who has seen Peter Kyran Readagh,” Ethemu continued, “can see that he is no ordinary prince. He bears a mark like one of the fae, which was received, reportedly, upon the manifestation of the Third Isle’s sole fairy. No one, not even this prince, claims to know the meaning of his mark.”
Katy turned to stare at Ethemu, annoyance beginning to mix with her nerves. Did Ethemu doubt what they had told him? Did the chancels have any reason to distrust them? But when Katy glanced around at the faces surrounding her, she could see the same unease in their eyes as that which was swirling around in her heart. And she knew without question that yes, human and fairy alike could doubt Peter. They already doubted very much. She had been sure this entire time that if they failed, it would be because of her. Now, she wondered, was there a possibility of failure because of Peter?
Ethemu looked down at Peter. “Rhin of the Third Isle, your passing or failing of this test dictates your eligibility to marry and kneel before the tree. Do you accept?”
Peter turned, and for the first time, he looked at Ethemu directly. “I understand,” he said. Then he turned to look at Katy. “But no matter what the chancels decide,” he said, his deep voice reverberating through the stadium, “this changes nothing.”
Despite her angst, Katy’s chest swelled. In the brief moment she held his gaze, she had to suppress the urge to fly.
Ethemu, however, did not look so pleased. “If you’re finished,” he plopped down in his seat with a scowl, “you may begin.”
The gate in the tunnel slid open once more. Katy stiffened when five wolves slinked forth from the doors and immediately fixed their eyes on Peter.
Peter drew his sword, but the swift look he sent up to the chancels broke Katy’s heart. Did they truly want him to kill these animals for the sake of the test? Peter hated killing anything. He would kill to eat when he had to while he and his knights traveled at home, but he was loath to hunt for sport. And now they wanted him to kill simply to see what he could do?
She could see the indecision in his stance even as he stood with his sword held in a defensive position, and she could practically hear the thoughts running through his head. Should he stay calm and attempt to let the animals be, hoping they would leave him be as well? That might signal that he would be a king of peace. But what if they attacked? Then he would be forced to kill them.
Katy had only asked him once if he had ever killed someone, and the look he’d given her had been enough to never ask again. So what happened now if he was too proficient in the art of death? What would the chancels say then?
What would Peter think of himself then?
Peter didn’t have long to make a decision. One of the wolves leaped at him, teeth barred as it snarled. Katy’s heart twisted as Peter plunged his sword deep into the animal’s chest.
Whether it was the movement or the scent of blood, Katy didn’t know, but the remaining four of them were on him in an instant. Fur, blood, and claws kicked up the dust so much that the actual fight was difficult to see. She was afraid to breathe as she clutched her skirts, straining to see him. Her hands twitched. She was tempted to use her gift to keep him safe, but she reminded herself again and again that this was his test. Who knew what the chancels might do if she interfered?
And yet, there was no reason to worry. Within minutes, all the wolves were dead. Katy slumped back in her chair when the dust settled and Peter stood victoriously over their corpses. Blood coated his arms and hands, and the pommel of his sword was so wet it looked red. Various cuts and scratches covered his skin, and he was breathing hard. But most importantly, he was breathing.
As she glanced over at the chancel members again, however, she was surprised to see looks of disappointment on most of their faces as they conferred with their isle counterparts. Shauna looked unaffected, as usual, and King William looked possibly…relieved? But several, including Akello and two fairies, got up and whispered with Ethemu and Donella. Donella’s lips were pinched into a thin line, and Ethemu wore a full scowl. He stood, Katy guessed, to speak again. Instead of speaking, however, he merely waved. To whom, Katy couldn’t see. The arena gate opened again. This time, a group of armored men, fourteen in all, walked out toward him.
Surely they only meant for him to spar with them. They couldn’t actually mean for anyone to die.
The men walked toward him slowly but steadily. Then, as if a silent order had been given, the first man drew his sword. The others did the same. Peter had only seconds to look at the chancel members incredulously before he was forced to meet the attack.
There was no fear in his fighting, despite the turmoil she knew would be raging in his soul. Every move was clean and smooth, executed with perfection. Turns, parries, strikes, and jumps were as smooth as though he were doing a dance rather than fighting. But as they watched his flawless perform
ance, managing to fight, disarm, and throw them to the ground without making a single kill, the chancel members appeared more and more dissatisfied.
But what more could they want? What was he supposed to do with them?
She almost missed it. But out of the corner of her eye, Katy saw the tiniest flick of Ethemu’s fingers. Immediately, one of the men below separated himself from the group and began moving toward the platform where they were sitting. At first, she thought perhaps he was coming to consult with Ethemu. But then his eyes narrowed at her.
Katy’s hands burned as she clenched them in her lap. This was all just a test, after all. She couldn’t kill him for doing what he had been told to do for the test. But as she restrained her power, the human only walked faster. About forty paces away, he raised his weapon in the air and let out a war cry.
Peter’s head snapped toward them at the sound of the man’s voice. A flash of green lit the arena just before a near deafening boom that shook everyone in their seats. In one sweep, Peter had somehow flattened four of his opponents against the ground. Others ran toward him, but he was already sprinting toward her attacker. His opponents tried to follow, but with each strike, more fell to the ground. Katy couldn’t tell if they were still breathing, but when she saw Peter’s face, her heart stopped.
His beautiful storm blue eyes shone a metallic green, as did the mark on his jaw. He let out a guttural roar as he raised his sword toward the man facing Katy.
“Peter!” she screamed, jumping to her feet. The man was twenty paces from her now, and he was still advancing as though Peter weren’t behind him. Katy would have thought him either deaf or incredibly stupid had it not been for the single questioning glance he flicked up at Ethemu.
“Peter, don’t!” she shrieked again.
But Peter continued to advance, each stride toward her attacker more feral than the last. His eyes blazed brighter, and he made no response to her cries.
Ten paces from her, the man finally turned around to face Peter. But rather than stop, Peter only raised his sword higher. The man tripped backward and threw up his arms, screaming for mercy.
The Autumn Fairy of Ages Page 19