The room Ser Stratford brought Alara to only a few weeks before opened to an overcast sky beyond the doors. Alara offered a small prayer to the Highlord at the sight of dark clouds, pleading with him to not allow the waterstones to begin falling until the testing was done with. Sand crunched beneath her boots as she stepped in and stood disturbed in many places and stained with blood. Torin followed Alara into the fighting pit. The door closed behind him. Aside from the two doors at opposite ends of the circle, there were four heavy gates that opened into the pit. Around the edges, short metal stumps stuck up from the dirt, hollow to allow someone to slide dummies into to have standing up. A square surface of cleared stone remained the only spot bare of sand off into the room, the spot whe
