‘Your fourth trial is simple,’ she continues. ‘Tomorrow night, the ball will not be held in Wrohelm, but on the Eastern Isles.’ I glance at Benny and see the flicker of excitement on his face. ‘All you have to do is reach it. At the bottom of the cliff face, you will find four boats. Each boat will hold two people. When the last boat has landed on the shore, the trial is ended. Simple.’

Excitement flutters in me. A cliff climb and a row? I can do those. Yet almost immediately a knot tightens in my stomach. Those numbers don’t add up. There are sixteen of us, and only four boats.

Half of us won’t even be able to attempt the crossing? Fuck. It’s a race against time.

Everyone is looking at one another, working it out. The knot in my stomach turns into pure dread.

We’re going to have to kill one another. That’s what’s going to happen. I can already see it in Zara’s and Odetta’s eyes. They are going to kill whoever they have to if it means they get a boat.

Kyor leans in towards me. ‘We’re fine,’ he says confidently. ‘No one is getting near us. There’s no one faster down this cliffside than you and me, and we both know it.’

He’s right, but my fate isn’t my only concern. I glance at Jonas. I have no fucking idea what he’s going to do.

‘You can’t waste time thinking about them,’ Kyor says. ‘Everyone knows what they signed up for. You worry about yourself, that’s it. Okay?’

I nod. ‘And you.’

‘I look forward to seeing you on the Eastern Isles,’ Mila concludes her little speech, and a moment later, a flash explodes in the sky.

The fourth trial has officially begun.

I don’t need Kyor to tell me what to do. I race to the edge of the cliff and start to scramble down.

‘I know I said I trust your judgement,’ Kyor calls, ‘but you see it’s pretty steep here, right?’

‘I know you’ve climbed worse,’ I call back. ‘And it’s going to stop the others from doing the same.’

‘Not disagreeing. Just a little bit in awe,’ he says, flashing me a grin. ‘My girl fucking owns it.’

‘Damn right I do.’ I’ve come so far, and in this trial especially, I’m not the weakest. I’m one of the strongest.

It’s amazing how at ease I feel in this part of the trial. Not just at ease, but genuinely excited. I almost forgot my love of climbing. The rush and the thrill of finding the best path and pushing my body to follow it through.

In just a matter of minutes, I’m going to be by the water. But that’s where my advantage ends. There might be boats, but something tells me this isn’t going to be as straightforward as gently rowing across to the Eastern Isles into a warm welcome. There’s something in the water. I’d stake my life on it. And unfortunately, I’m going to have to do exactly that.

‘How are you doing?’ Kyor calls again. He’s almost level with me now, giving me a chance to see the way his arm muscles flex and tighten as he stretches for each of the handholds. I can’t help but remember that first night I saw him and the way his eyes fixed in my mind even then.

‘You all right?’ he asks, concern etched in his features.

‘Sorry.’ I shake the moment away. ‘Got a little distracted.’

He offers me a knowing smirk. ‘Really?’

‘It’s not my fault you look so good in life and death situations,’ I tell him, only for him to chuckle.

‘Come on. Some of the others are closing in. We need to get to the boats first.’

He hits the ground while I’m still ten feet up.

‘Would you be insulted if I offered to catch you?’ he calls up.

‘You really think that me landing on you – me straddling you – is the best use of our time right now?’

‘I wouldn’t argue with it.’

‘For fuck’s sake,’ Benny yells down from above. ‘You do realise things echo off a cliff and get louder, right? I think I preferred it when you two were pretending to hate each other.’

‘I definitely preferred it,’ Jonas mutters.

I land a moment later, my feet firm on the ground. Benny is not far behind, but Jonas still has a long way to go.

‘Make sure you hold that boat for him, Benny!’ I call.

‘Don’t worry. I know the rules,’ he replies. ‘You just get you and your prince across.’

I don’t need to be told twice. I race across the stone beach to where the boats have been dragged up past the shoreline. They’re sturdier than I expected, with wooden hulls and wooden oars with metal ends. Great for a gentle row on a lake, but crossing a freaking channel? We’ll have to wait and see.

‘Where do you want me?’ I ask Kyor. ‘Front or back?’

‘Now, Thorn, really?’ he groans.

‘I meant in the boat,’ I huff.

‘Right. Right, go in the front. I’ll steer.’

I head to the bow and start to drag it forward as Kyor pushes from the back. We need to get it into water, but where we go from there, I’ve no idea. No bright lights guide us as only the faintest glimmers of the Eastern Isles are visible over the waves.

‘Any chance they just have really small lamps on the islands?’ I ask.

Kyor flashes me a grin. ‘Sadly, I think they’re just far away, my love.’

If it wasn’t for the fact that the others are racing down the cliff face behind us and would happily skewer us with their swords, I would let my heart stutter over what he just called me again. But then, it could easily have been a slip of the tongue. Or a casual term of familiarity, nothing more.

I force the words out of my head as my feet hit the water, and a rush of fear judders through me, so visceral it steals my sight.

I don’t want to be here. I shouldn’t be here.

The thoughts come with a hollowness. Like they are somehow detached from my own mind. But how could that possibly be? How can I have thoughts that aren’t my own?

‘Thorn?’ Kyor’s voice snaps me out of the moment. Only then do I realise the water is knee-deep. ‘You need to get in.’

‘Right. Sure.’

As I climb into the boat, Kyor pushes us out, wading through the waves until the water is at his thighs. Then, with one final launch, he jumps in and begins paddling.

For a few minutes, we’re completely silent. The only sounds are the lapping waves and the gentle splash of our oars breaking the surface.

‘Is it just me,’ I say, ‘or does this all feel a little too easy?’

‘Just stay alert,’ Kyor murmurs.

I do as he says, but it doesn’t stop me from talking. ‘Where are the others? How are they doing?’

‘Hold on. They’re … shit.’ His response is enough to make my chest squeeze. ‘Looks like Benny and Jonas are going to have to fight the others for a boat.’

‘Fight who?’

‘Yeva and Odetta.’ My throat constricts even further. Jonas and Yeva are both from Wrohelm, so what does that mean? Would he switch sides and help her instead? No, I can’t imagine he would, and Yeva and Odetta’s combined firepower is substantially greater than what Benny and Jonas are working with.

‘Fuck,’ I say. ‘Any chance you can intervene? Offer them a helping hand?’

Kyor exhales sharply. ‘Rose, my love, are you suggesting that I interfere in other Rettlings’ fights just to aid your friends?’

Yup. There was no mistaking it then. Twice in two minutes. Still, this time I don’t dwell on it.

‘That’s exactly what I’m saying. Can you do it or not?’

‘You know that if I do that, there’s a chance that Etta won’t see them as worthy of the gifting. They should really do it on their own.’

‘Are they going to do it on their own?’ I snap. ‘Or are they going to get killed?’

His silence is all the answer I need.

‘Just do it, Kyor. I’m not losing them too.’

He turns back. Silver crackles of lightning appear between his fingers and a cloud darkens over the shore. A split second later, the light shoots from his hands, bounces off the cloud, and crashes downwards, striking the ground between Benny and Odetta. It’s a testament to Benny’s powers that he was able to leap away before it struck, but Odetta wasn’t so lucky. She sprawls backward, giving Benny and Jonas a chance to grab the boat. By the time Odetta has gathered herself enough to start hurling flames at them, the boys are already on the water.