I took in my surroundings. I was alone. The portal had left me at the edge of a dense, unfamiliar forest. Tall trees filtered the last light into streaks of gold and shadow. The air was damp and sweet with rain-soaked earth and wildflowers.
These were not the sequoias near the Glass Castle, but palms, sea grapes, and banana trees, lush and coastal.
I was on the island's south, usually uninhabited, miles from any town or shelter.
Somewhere in the distance, waves crashed loudly against rock, confirming my thoughts.
I pulled the folded map from my pocket and opened it. The outline of the island was familiar, the boundary of the veil around the King's Forest clearly marked. A single golden mark pulsed toward the southwest near the cliffs. My first trial.
If my bearings were correct, it would be near.
The second trial location remained hidden, locked until I retrieved the topaz gem of the strength test.
I folded the map again, already planning my route. Time was of the essence. If I could clear the first two trials during the night, I'd have the daylight to recharge my magic and face the third and final trial, the longest and most dangerous one, traditionally.
I reached the sea after sunset. Checking the stars, I saw the Osiris star above the island, confirming I was south and near my first trial. I ran west along the cliffs; the moon lit the sea and rocks ahead. The faint light was just enough, but I refused to use my fire and drain magic early.
I reach the location quickly. Tropical forest behind me, cliffs in front of me, and to the dark, deep ocean. But no one was here yet. I double-checked the map; certain I was right. My heartbeat raced with anticipation and uncertainty. For a long moment, all I could hear was the sea below me. Then, a voice cut through nature’s voice.
"You are in the right spot, Solenhart," I heard from behind me. A female voice I could almost place. I turned around immediately as an auroric suppression veil surged above us, my magic getting stripped out of my veins in an instant.
Of course, it was her. Marla Yung. I quickly shoved the map back into my pocket as she walked toward me with ease.
"I prayed to the Gods of Solvir and Lunareth alike that I would be paired with you," she said with a wicked smile. "And it worked."
I instinctively raised my guard and shifted into a defensive stance, ready for the fight to begin, but Marla kept striding toward me slowly, appearing almost uninterested.
"You really think you have a chance, do you?" she said, letting out a low laugh. "You don't. You will leave this forest without a gem."
Marla rushed at me, swinging punches at my face. I shielded myself with my hands and, seeing an opening, kicked at her. She caught my leg, twisted it painfully, and hurled me several feet away.
“Why do you hate me so much?” I gasped, struggling to my knees. Marla’s hatred was venomous, her glare almost a physical blow. It couldn’t just be rivalry over a Sunheart male—it couldn’t. The rage in her eyes burned deeper than anything I’d ever seen. Dread twisted in my stomach.
"Where to begin?" she said, looking toward the horizon for a second. "You're a Solenhart. That's enough."
I stood to face her again. I was done explaining myself, done paying for my family's actions, whatever it was she thought we had done to her. Today, I was fighting my trials, and time was already ticking.
I launched at her with fury and pushed her to the ground. I landed on top of her and threw punches at her face until blood appeared. She only smiled before kicking me and throwing me closer to the cliffs.
"I don't know what we did to deserve this hatred," I said as I slowly stood up. Marla was already on her feet, blood dripping from her nose onto her green uniform.
"You might be fooling everyone in this academy, softening hearts and making people forget," Marla said as she walked toward me. "But you don't fool me, Solenhart. You will be the same piece of trash as all royals before you."
She smiled. "If I stop you from getting your topaz today, I'll be doing everyone in Rionis a favor."
I raised my arms again, ready for her. Marla came at me with a brutal hook. I lowered myself, dodged it, and struck her with a left hook straight to her side.
She let out a low growl and drove her knee into my chin, sending me crashing backward into the rocks below, the cliffs now dangerously close behind me. I touched my jaw; certain it wasn't broken despite the blinding pain.
Marla stepped over me and kicked my ribs again. And again. I cried out.
The pain was excruciating. If nothing had broken yet, it soon would or I would faint, losing the trial altogether.
Then I remembered my fight with Lorik.
The night on the sky terrace, how I had swept him off his feet and pinned him when he least expected it.
With the bit of strength I had left, I kicked Marla's legs. She lost her balance and fell beside me. In an instant, I was on top of her again. I punched her once but she just grinned.