Chapter 39: The Second Trial, Part II
I watched as Medea’s cockiness earlier grew into restlessness.
Augustus stood in front of her, facing us. His sword, one that was passed down to multiple generations of Hunts, glistened under the sun.
His grip tightened as Kieran simply looked at him, waiting for Castiel’s signal.
And my heart… couldn’t stop screaming in my chest.
The second trial’s highlight. While the rules were simple, they did not make something clear.
The Vassals are allowed to fight to the death. In fact, it was encouraged. After all, a Queen candidate without her sword was deemed unfit to rule.
Mother… please, at least, help me.
I don’t care if I destroy Medea during the trials. It was my main goal, anyway. To expose the Lockes and their crimes, and to conquer my throne.
But Augustus…
Mother made it clear. He was under a spell.
And he even had a Divine Link with me.
It would’ve been easier if he had just betrayed me. If he truly was a despicable man. But why did he have to be under a spell? Why did he have to be someone…
Why did he need to occupy a huge part in my heart, hurt me over and over, then confuse me if I should forgive him or not?
No, Hestia. Focus on Kieran. You have to win this!
The bell rang louder this time. Kieran let Trigger, his wolf, take over his body, his silvery-white fur almost shimmering under the sun as he met Onyx, Augustus’s wolf, and its fangs.
I closed my eyes, feeling Kieran’s call to me. Trigger howled as his sharp, silver claws snatched Onyx by the face, leaving a deep gash on the wolf’s face.
Medea visibly clutched her face, a red, long mark forming from her forehead across her cheek. She gritted her teeth as she raised her hand.
The Link between her and Augustus shone brighter. Still dim and weak, but brighter than before.
My step faltered when Onyx’s whines mixed with Trigger’s growls. The Divine Link between me and Kieran dimmed a bit. Before Onyx could bite Trigger, I pulled him away through the link.
Their wolves met once again, this time both after each other’s necks. I winced as Onyx’s fangs sank into Trigger’s neck, the pain coursing through the Link.
“Don’t worry, my Queen. I’m fine,” I heard Kieran say in my mind. “Do what you need to do.”
I took a deep breath, pouring a massive amount of magic through the Link. Trigger’s wounds closed almost instantly, the blood immediately stopping from dripping.
Trigger felt the burst of energy through his veins. His claws turned red, now dripping with blood.
A White Wolf’s blood is poison to others due to the traces of impure silver it carries, which is why their blood is often considered dirty.
Unlike the type of silver that stronger Lycans could wear, which has been melted and processed almost a hundred times to remove impurities, there were still some types of silver that could cause damage to them.
On top of that list was a White Wolf’s blood. And if I didn’t possess any Divine powers, I would have died long ago while with Kieran.
While Onyx and Augustus were among the strongest Black Wolves in the Kingdom, the amount of impure silver Kieran carried in his blood was almost twice the normal amount.
It was one of the reasons why he became the protector and Chief of one of the largest Rogue settlements outside the Capital. His blood was literal poison.
“Kieran, you might kill him!” I warned him through the Link. He didn’t answer. Instead, Trigger snarled, before lunging at Augustus once more.
“Good. Then I’ll have less competition.”
The deep wound created by Trigger’s claw against Onyx’s side fizzled. Mix of fur and flesh melted, and blood trickled onto the dusty floor of the arena.
And while Medea suffered most of the pain from Augustus and his wolf’s injury, this time, I felt it.
A bit the inner side of my cheek hard, trying to mask the pain blooming on my side. Onyx distanced himself from Trigger, before Augustus took over his body once again.
His left side was smeared with blood, trickling down his body. Augustus spat on the floor before pulling out his sword.
Kieran followed suit, his ruby eyes blazing. The Link between us grew heavier, and it felt harder for me to control him, despite the Link burning brighter.
I didn’t need to guess why he was acting like that. After all, it was evident on Kieran’s face that he didn’t intend to let Augustus live.
Sparks flew as his axe came in contact with Augustus’s sword, the sound of metal against metal grinding against my ears.
The veins in Kieran’s arms grew prominent as he tried to meet Augustus’s force. When they moved far from each other, Augustus spat on the floor once more.
My eyes narrowed as I saw that his spit burned the part of the floor it landed on. It was momentary, but…
“Watch out!” I screamed in my mind as I pulled Kieran away from Augustus through the Link before he could spit on Kieran’s face. Medea smirked at me.
I should’ve remembered that Medea never played fair.
Augustus staggered on his feet as he tried to steady his grip on his sword. Medea must have forced him to eat a wolfsbane leaf or small amounts of lupine to make a part of his body poisonous.
Just like before, she never had any regard for other people’s safety… as long as she could reach her goal.
I drew deep breaths as my chest felt heavier, the pain Augustus was experiencing starting to take effect on me. He was poisoned.
Before I could even warn Kieran about it, he had already slammed a disoriented Augustus on the dusty arena floor, his axe raised high, ready to strike him dead.