“All contestants will pack and be at the northern edge of town onthe main road in a half-hour. Remember that once you cross the line out of town, the challenge rules are in play,” Endros said. “And a reminder that you may use all types of magic during this challenge, including elemental summoning, spellwork, and magical objects.”
“Great, it’s going to be a fucking bloodbath,” Teddy whispered.
Stella looked at her parents. Her father was whispering in her mother’s ear, their hands intertwined. Her mother looked haunted. She met Stella’s gaze again and mouthed, “I love you.”
Stella forced herself to focus on what Endros was saying, trying not to worry about what memory he might have demanded from her parents.
“Any family members or friends who attempt to explain anything about the memories they’ve shared will be hit with burning pain until they stop attempting to break the deal they’ve made with me, so you will not get any hints out of them.” He smiled over his shoulder at Cecilia. “Good luck to all our competitors and I can’t wait to see how you all handle yourselves in the field.”
A bell rang, signaling the start of their half-hour to retrieve their horses, and Stella and Teddy bolted from the arena.
Twenty minutes later,Stella was in her family stables, strapping her saddlebag to her horse, Shark. The horse, for his part, would not stop nudging her pocket, looking for the apple slices she’d hidden for him.
“Shark, stop it. We have to get across town in a few minutes,” she said, and he nipped at her vest. “Behave yourself.”
She was nervous about the challenge, especially now that Rett and his friends knew about her bond with Teddy. Especially now that their bond was stronger and more insistent. She could sense his proximity with alarming precision, her gaze constantly drawn to him.
She felt him now, looming just outside.
“Your horse is named Shark?” Teddy called.
“Yes,” Stella said as she led the horse out of the building.
“Why?”
“Because he’s gray, and I named him when I was ten and obsessed with sharks.”
Teddy laughed, and it occurred to Stella how rarely she heard him laugh. He smiled just as infrequently, but it was similarly riveting with his perfect teeth and full lips and the way it lit up his golden eyes.
Shark nudged Stella’s hip.
“Behave, you,” she chided.
“Like horse like rider,” Teddy teased.
“Yes, we both prefer other company.”
Teddy gave her a look that said she’d enjoyed his company just fine the previous night in the temple. At least he wouldn’t say it, knowing she could say the same to him.
He mounted his horse gracefully, and Stella followed suit. They trotted out of the stable grounds and up the trail to town.
Stella nodded to Teddy’s horse. “What’s his name?”
“I suck at poker.”
She frowned. “Odd time to admit that, but I’m surprised. You’re usually so stoic.”
“No. That’s the horse’s name,” Teddy said. “I lost a bet with Alex and she picked the name. It was this or Alexandra the Great. I couldn’t let her have the satisfaction. I just call him Poker.”
“So Alex is good at poker?” Stella asked.
“No, she’s just good at cheating.”
Stella laughed. “You two have always seemed close.”
Teddy nodded as they rode up the main cobbled road through Olney City. “We are, but she’s a pain in the ass. She is talented but far too confident for her skill level and, as you’ve seen firsthand, indiscreet with her dalliances, of which there are many. I wish she had just a tad less love to give.”
“Don’t begrudge a woman her fun,” Stella said.
