The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 293

Liora’s POV

I stared up at the obstacle course towering above me. The wooden structure looked like it had been built without safety regulations. Tall walls, narrow beams, and worst of all, those massive swinging battering rams that could easily knock me off and send me plummeting to the ground below.

I was supposed to accomplish that?

Without a wolf, no less?

My legs were already shaking from the beginning ordeal, not to mention the strenuous first test. My arms felt like jelly. And now Alder expected me to climb up there and navigate through all of that without breaking my neck.

He had definitely stacked the odds against me, just to humiliate me or worse.

“Your time starts now, Miss Belrose!” Alder called out, grinning. The buzzer went off.

Well, it seemed I didn’t have a choice. I’d already come this far.

Gritting my teeth, I ran toward the first wall and jumped, grabbing onto the wooden ledge. My fingers slipped on the wet wood, but I held on, pulling myself up with all the strength I had left.

My muscles screamed in protest, but I ignored them and hauled myself over the top.

Okay. First part done.

The next part was a series of platforms I had to jump across. They were spaced far apart, too far for someone without enhanced abilities. But I didn’t let myself think about that. I just jumped.

I made it to the first platform, landing on one foot, then used my momentum to leap toward the second. On the third jump, my foot slipped on the wet wood and I went down hard, slamming my knee into the edge. Pain shot up my leg, but I scrambled to my feet and kept going.

The balancing beam was next. It was narrow, no more than six inches wide, and positioned at least twenty feet off the ground. Below it was nothing but mud and rocks.

I stepped onto the beam carefully, holding my arms out for balance. The wood was slick from the earlier snow, and my shoes had no grip. I made it about halfway across before my foot slipped.

I shut my eyes, thinking.

Back at the palace, Marucs used to make me train on beams just like this one. Except he always made me hold a sword while I did it.

“It’s about your whole body,” he would say. “The sword is an extension of you. Use it.”

Opening my eyes, I glanced around and spotted a fallen branch nearby. It was long and sturdy, about the length of a training sword. I grabbed it and ran back to the wall.

Alder looked confused. “What are you doing with that stick?”

I didn’t answer. I just climbed.

This time, I moved faster. The muscle memory was kicking in. I’d done this drill hundreds of times as a kid, even if it had been ages since the last time, and even if my wolf wasn’t here to help me. My body remembered regardless.