"We're going back to the beginning for the last test."
Voice of Lord Thorne made peaceful meeting place sound. Cold, with a touch of dawn in the east. The last twenty contestants faced him. They had the roughest lives and survived best. I felt a careful nothingness as I stood alongside them. Ten steps separated me from Caelan, whose face showed controlled anticipation. On my right was Lyra. Her face was blank as she stared forward. Torin and Marek were outraged and in the front.
He added, "The first test was a survival test in the wild." Can you endure a crucible? The last exam will reveal." But first, you must earn your combat spot.
He pointed west to the mountains, which stood out like dark teeth against the brightening sky. Your run is coming. A 50-mile high-pass run. Groups prohibit
