Ari and the shadow knight

The Trial

The Trial

Cassian's dagger rested inside my boot, pressing against my ankle.

I had spent what was left of the night practicing. I bent down again and again, wrapped my fingers around the worn leather grip, and pulled the blade free without making a sound. It felt nothing like the gutting knife I had carried in the Lower Ward. This one was lighter, better balanced, and made to kill with one quick thrust instead of a desperate s***h.

The lock clicked at dawn.

Cassian stepped into the room alone. There were no servants behind him and no silk dress draped over his arm. He wore his heavy brigandine, the steel rivets catching the last glow from the dying fire. A dark wool cloak rested in one hand.

"Put this on," he said as he tossed it onto the bed. "The Great Hall is cold, and the Council is already waiting."

I picked up the cloak without arguing and pulled it over my linen shirt. The hood settled over my head as I adjusted the hidden sheath inside my boot.

"What exactly is this trial?" I asked. "You said they'll look for a reason to execute me. How?"

"The Blood Law."

Cassian turned toward the open doorway.

"To claim the throne, every heir must prove their blood before the High Council. A sketch and a scar aren't enough. You must pass the Test of the Chalice."

I frowned.

"The chalice? Like the one from last night?"

"No."

His voice dropped as we stepped into the empty corridor.

"The Royal Chalice is older than the kingdom itself. It carries the blood of the First King. If a pretender drinks from it, the old magic recognizes the lie. The blood becomes poison and burns them from the inside."

Cold sweat prickled across my skin.

"And if the blood is real?"

"You live."

His answer came without hesitation.

"But Varn has spent the last three months preparing for today. He can't stop the ritual, so he'll interfere with everything around it. He'll try to make you stumble before you even reach the chalice. If you hesitate or lose control, the Council can declare you unfit."

He looked straight at me.

"Once that happens, Varn has the right to send you to the sanitarium at Black Spires. You'll never leave."

My throat tightened.

He held my gaze for another moment.

"Don't let them see a frightened girl from the Lower Ward."

His voice stayed calm.

"Let them see a queen who survived it."

I nodded once.

"Let's go."

We walked through the palace without speaking. The corridors were empty. The servants had vanished, leaving only the sound of Cassian's armored boots and my quieter footsteps echoing through the stone halls.

The deeper we went, the colder the palace became. Damp stone replaced polished marble, and the air smelled of dust, old wood.

At last we reached the Great Hall.

Two enormous bronze doors stood before us, carved with raptors frozen in silent screams. Royal Guards lined both sides of the entrance with crossed halberds gleaming beneath the torchlight.

Duke Varn waited between them.

His black velvet robes looked untouched by the damp morning. His silver hair was perfectly combed, and his smile appeared the moment his eyes settled on my plain trousers and dark cloak.

"Lady Arianna," he said smoothly. "I was beginning to wonder if the weather had persuaded you to remain in your chambers. Today is important. The future of the kingdom rests on your shoulders."

"I am here, Duke Varn."

My voice is steady.

"Let's begin."

For the smallest moment, his smile slipped.

Then it returned.

"Of course."

His eyes shifted to Cassian.

"The Council has been waiting."

He lifted one hand inviting me inside.

The guards seized the heavy iron rings fixed to the bronze doors and pulled.

The doors groaned open.

The Great Hall stretched before me like the inside of a cathedral. Stone arches disappeared into darkness overhead while rows of nobles sat beneath flickering torches wrapped in heavy furs and embroidered silks.

A long stone aisle cut through the center of the hall.

At the far end stood a raised platform.

Three empty chairs waited there.

The seats of the three dead heirs, beside them stood a fourth chair.

Its cushion was clean.

I walked down the aisle without looking away. My boots echoed softly against the stone while dozens of eyes followed every step I took.

They noticed the mud still trapped in the leather.

They noticed the plain clothes beneath my cloak.

They noticed the healing rope burns around my wrists and whispers started almost immediately.

"The laundry maid's daughter..."

"She smells like the docks..."

"A street rat wearing crown.."

I kept walking.

The stone altar stood ahead of me.

Resting on top of it was a heavy golden chalice covered with rough rubies that looked like dried drops of blood.

Duke Varn climbed the steps and stopped beside it. He reached into his sleeve and produced a slender silver dagger.

"Lords of the Realm," he called, his voice filling the hall. "Today we test the blood of the last claimant. If she carries the true bloodline, the First King will receive her. If she does not, the earth will claim what does not belong."

He turned toward me.

"Step forward, Arianna of Lowen."

I drew one slow breath.

My fingers brushed the hidden dagger inside my boot.

I climbed the first step.

"Hold."

The voice echoed across the chamber.

Lord Captain Malec rose from his seat, broad-shouldered and wrapped in heavy iron armor.

"Before the girl drinks," he said, "she should be searched. The Lower Ward breeds poisoners and witches. I won't have hidden charms brought before the First King's blood."

Murmurs spread through the hall.

The dagger.

If they searched me, they would find Cassian's blade.

Bringing a hidden weapon into the Great Hall was treason.

Varn wouldn't need another excuse.

I glanced toward Cassian.

Only his hand had shifted closer to the sword at his side, Even he couldn't stop fifty guards.

Varn looked down at me.

His smile returned.

"A reasonable request, Lord Malec."

He nodded toward the guards.

"Search the lady."

They stepped toward me.

I had one heartbeat to choose.

If they searched me, I would be dead.

So I stopped acting like prey.

I tore the cloak from my shoulders and threw it into the first guard's face.

Before the second guard reached me, my hand dropped to my boot.

I pulled out the dagger but I didn't point it at anyone.

Instead, I turned it in my hand and slammed the heavy iron pommel against the stone altar.

The c***k echoed through the Great Hall and the lords gasped while several shot to their feet.

Steel rang through the chamber as guards drew their swords.

"You want to search me for charms?" I shouted.

I held the dagger by the blade and offered the hilt toward Duke Varn without taking my eyes off him.

"Here is my charm."

"It belongs to the Captain of the Bloodguard."

"If you think a piece of steel can deceive the blood of kings, then your ancient magic is as hollow as your promises."

I laid the dagger beside the golden chalice.

"I am ready."

My chest rose with every breath, but I refused to look away.

I lifted my chin.

"Pour the wine.”