The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert novel Chapter 9

9. Bost For Last

Savvy looked at him in shock, and his grasp on her became tighter. Elene cleared her throat again, bringing them both out of their daze.

“Kai!” She hissed. “We need to go. Now! Everyone is watching.”

“Right,” he conceded, finally letting her go. Savannah straightened her dress, and the realisation of how they might look dawned on her, also considering most people present were aware that he was their king. Not to mention that she was about to become unmasked as

well.

“Excuse me,” Kai took her hand and bowed to kiss it, however, she snatched it back before his lips could touch it. A soft growl left his chest, and she wondered what he was thinking. His level of deception was really beyond anything she could comprehend, and all that she wanted at this moment was to slap him. Then slap him again. And more, if it were possible.

But, of course, she couldn’t. Too many eyes, too many witnesses. At least he helped her finalise a decision she had been pondering.

There was no way she was leaving humiliated. She would make him and his mean sister regret the day they decided to do this to her. She would win the stupid Luna Trials and get those wishes from her “groom-to-be”. Then she would get her alliance and reject him, making it impossible to hold it against her, her brother, or her kingdom in any way.

“You are excused, Your Majesty.” She filled her words with as much venom as she could muster and turned on her heels to walk toward what looked like a queue of women.

“Please, over here.” A girl in a black dress and a mask gestured for her to stand toward the back. Savannah recognised Elene’s assistant. “I am sorry, you have the last turn …”

“That’s fine.” Savvy cut her off with the sweetest smile she contained in her arsenal. “In the West, we save the best for last.”

She was fuming, and even Athena was unsettled inside her.

“Are you okay?” Kyle mind-linked her. She knew he had seen everything and was probably wondering what was going on. They had known each other since they were kids, and he could sense when she was troubled.

“Peachy,” she replied sarcastically. “I am going all in. You and Zara need to find out everything you can about every single contender. So, keep your eyes open now that they will be revealed.”

“Fine,” he said quietly and closed the link, knowing it was better not to contradict her when she was in such a state.

“Together again,” a girl next to her remarked as she smiled brightly. Savannah looked at her in an effort to recognise her. “It’s Astrid,” the girl whispered. “I’m placed in the room next to yours.”

“Oh, right!” Savvy chuckled. “You are another lucky contender.” “At least I am in good company,” Astrid replied, giggling, but then, the sound of a loud bell

interrupted them. They watched as Elene froze like a statue of some ancient queen at the top of a staircase leading to a throne which was now taken because King Kai was sitting in it and staring at her with his piercing blue eyes.

Savannah pretended not to notice and stood behind Astrid, hidden from his gaze.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” For once, Elene’s voice sounded truly sweet, as if she loved the people gathered before her, not the contenders, of course, but the northerners present in the hall. “It’s time to begin! The Luna Trials are about to start, and you are present during an historical event which will lead to the appointment of the new Luna of The North!”

They all cheered loudly, and Savvy could decipher one phrase voiced all around her, by Fenrir‘s will. She almost forgot that the northerners often preferred the wolf warrior god to the Moon Goddess, who was worshipped more in the West. Of course, she was respected everywhere, but it was considered that Fenrir was the patron of these lands.

The photographers and cameramen stood between Elene and the contenders, filming everything from different angles.

“Our first contender!” The princess made a gesture, and a familiar brunette in a red dress came up to the bottom of the stairs and curtsied as if this were the Middle Ages.

Savvy rolled her eyes. For some reason, she remembered how that woman was touching Kai moments before she snatched him away and that memory was particularly unpleasant. Nevertheless, she quickly brushed it to the farthest corner of her mind, where Athena then obliterated it. This was war, with no strings attached.

“It’s time to reveal who we all are,” Elene commanded, as she turned to her brother, who was sitting on a throne behind her. A throne! Savvy scoffed. She had never seen Gideon sit on a throne. They didn’t even have one.

Well, technically, they did, but it was in a museum, and no one in their right mind would be sitting on that old thing anyway. She liked the north less and less

Kai slowly removed his mask. For the first time today, she noticed that his beard was now a barely well-trimmed stubble. It was something she had missed during their dance because she was mad at him. She hated to admit it, but he looked even better than he did before.

His eyes grazed quickly over hers, still, once again, she pretended to look at someone else in the crowd. Elene followed his example by removing her mask, and so did all the northerners in the room, finishing off the motion with a round of applause.

Show-offs.

“The Luna of the North can’t be an ordinary woman.” Elene was working the cameras with her dazzling smile, giving them the show of their lives. “She must be beautiful and have perfect lineage. While all our contenders have these, there are other qualities we value more. The first of them is wit.”

The word echoed through the room, and Savvy tensed. She had a photographic memory and remembered everything she had ever learned. Nonetheless, what if the education system in the north was different from the west, and they would start quizzing her about something she didn’t know in the first place? This could be a potential disaster.

“Contender One,” Elene raised her chin with a facial expression full of self-importance. “I want you to solve a riddle. Each contender will have one.”

Savvy couldn’t hold back a snort and a few girls in front of her turned to see who could be so disrespectful. Astrid quickly stood in front of her, covering Savannah and giving her a moment to gather herself. She gave Savannah a wink and continued watching the show.

This girl was starting to grow on Savvy.

In the meantime, Elene continued, “Name a thing that is lighter than what it is made of and more of it is hidden than is seen.”

Savvy furrowed her eyebrows. What was this? Year 1 of primary school?

“An iceberg!” the brunette beamed, and Savannah had to use all her inner strength not to make any more sounds.

“Excellent!” Elene praised her. There was no denying that this girl was Elene’s favourite by the way she looked at her, as if she already won and this was all just a formality. Consequently, all the other contenders received an utterly degrading glare which could only be translated as – bow in the presence of the gods, Sheep.

The princess gestured for the contender to go up the stairs and stand at her side.

“Penelope Summerstern, daughter of the North!” Elene announced although it was apparent that everyone here knew who the woman was. “Our first contender for the title of The Luna of The North!”

When everyone was done with their applause, another woman stepped forward, wearing a navy dress with rhinestones that sparkled as if she was wearing the night sky. Savvy sniffed discreetly and recognised that person as Brigit, the white werebear.

The funniest thing, judging by the face that Elene was now making, was that it didn’t appear to be Brigit’s turn. Some other girl in golden attire had tried to step forward too, but Brigit growled

at her, and the poor soul quickly gave up.

“Some things never change,” Kyle told Savvy via the mind-link. She smirked at her friend. Brigit was … something. She was one of the least wanted contenders here but decided to fix that as soon as possible. With force.

This was going to be fun!

Regardless, there wasn’t much that Elene could do about it, so she sighed with annoyance and said, “Only one colour, but not one size. Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in the sun, but not in rain. Doing no harm and feeling no pain. What is it?”

If looks could kill, the she-bear would be done.