Estella’s POV:
The moment the results were announced, the stands erupted in cheers and chatter. Even as healers rushed into the testing area to tend to the collapsed candidates, people kept asking who we were, how we’d managed it, why they’d never heard of any of our bloodlines. Our names passed from mouth to mouth, and I even caught other teams looking at us with a strange mix of envy and suspicion.
That’s what we wanted, what we expected. Yet as the weight of all those gazes pressed on us like a physical force, I couldn’t help but think we’d just drawn an even bigger target on our backs.
By the time Artrus dismissed us, my head was pounding. We were led through the sealed gates into the contestants’ quarters—a massive complex used to house the contestants during the Tournament. The mo
