“Glad we are all here. So, should we get this over with?” The Senator scanned the crowd, and everyone stepped out from beside the benches and lined up beside Caeus. These must be the contestants, he realized – glancing at them for the first time. They must all be his age; they held the contestant every year for promising prospects, hitting the age of 18. Eleven of them, he saw – both men and women. So twelve contestants, including him? Caeus thought every year they choose thirteen. There were thirteen original gods who’d sealed away the titans, thirteen who’d been strong enough to stand against them. One was chosen for each of the twelve senate members, and one was chosen by the Seer each year.

“Everyone,” Mereum said, sweeping her hands out. “This is Agathon, leader of the pantheon of the spears and also a sitting member of the senate.” The pantheon of the spears were the main army of the Blessed, in charge of protecting all the cities, even the lower ones. Although from what Caeus heard, the bulk of the army protected the Cradle of the Gods, and only a small force was ever kept here in Concordia at any time. Mereum glanced around at all the people assembled in a line by Caeus. She frowned.

“I thought you said everyone was here, senator.”

He smiled back at her, but there was no warmth behind it. “Everyone is here Mereum.”

Mereum glanced at the room around her, at the contestants lined up. “I’ve chosen mine, where is the last one of yours? I’m counting twelve?”

“Thirteen,” the counselor said. “The last contestant the senate chose was you.”

“Me?” Mereum said in shock, her face going white. She brought her hand up to her head, bowing slightly as if under a great pressure. “Never has a seer been asked to partake in the trials, whose idea was this?” Seers, Caeus understood were some of the few non Blessed allowed to live in the Cradle of the Gods, and if rumor was to be believed they were almost revered there, thought to be as close to a living god as one could get, closer to the source and to all magic than any others. To put her life in danger, seemed reckless.

“At least tell me who it was that suggested this.”

“I can’t disclose that,” the senator said, sighing. “You know as well as I that what the senate discusses is for our ears alone, we cannot be seen to give favoritism to anyone in this way, even to you.”

“So you want me out of the way then, is that it?” Mereum almost shouted. “Is the truth too much for you old bats to handle?” The truth, what truth? The senators face darkened.

“This isn’t like you, Mereum. I thought you would be an example to the others in this trial, not act like a spoiled brat everyone always thought you were. Or are you only okay offering up other’s lives for the trial and not your own?” The senator said. Mereum dug her nails into the palm of her hands, her face now going a fiery red.

“Fine. If that is the senate’s decision, I will of course agree.” The senator nodded, his face going back into that serene expression as if he was talking to a petulant child. Caeus found himself hating the man already. Was this what all the Blessed were like? Did he really want to join a whole city of them? He glanced over at the Alnor standing by the door, it wasn’t like he had much choice. Just like Mereum, he was stuck here for better or for worse.

“Now, onto the test.” The senator brought out a small gemstone that glowed with an inner white light. It hurt to look at it directly, like the sun itself was trapped inside.

“What is that?” Caeus asked, knowing it was probably a stupid question in front of all the rest – but needing to ask anyways.

“It will tell us if you are worthy of taking the trial. If you have any latent magical ability at all, the stone will react.”

“What kind of reaction?” Caeus asked.

“The reaction is different for everyone. For some…” The senator held it out to Mereum. She rolled her eyes. “Really senator?”

“I must test you the same as everyone else, there will be no hand holding, in this or any other challenge.” The senator said. Mereum sighed, putting her hand on the stone. The light grew brighter, like the sun outside – flashing bright and brilliant. Caeus closed his eyes, wincing against the light. When he opened them again he blinked back stars. The senator was similarly blinking, his jaw slightly ajar.

“Well, some of us when we touch the stone it lights up. For others, it will look as if something is moving inside of it like a cloud, or lightning even.” The senator held out the stone to the first person in the line, all the way on the other side of Caeus. The moment the stone touched his hand a strange kind of smoke started swirling inside of it. The senator nodded slightly and moved down to the next person in the line. Caeus noticed the senator had on leather gauntlets. Perhaps that protected the stone from activating if it didn’t touch the bare skin.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Caeus watched as the senator gave it to each person down the line, with him at the end. Most of them looked similar to Mereum, wearing regal white, gold, or red robes with that bronzed skin. A few of them looked like they might have come from Concordia, wearing styles more suited to the people he saw just outside. But none of them had as pale of skin as him or wore such gray, weathered clothing.

Most of them when they touched the stone had either the smoke or a slight dim light that filled it, nothing like what had happened when Mereum touched it. The last girl in the line until Caeus who had striking hair so blonde it was almost white, and pale grey eyes reached out to touch the stone. She was almost as tall as Caeus, and she looked strong – along with a couple of the others it looked like they spent their days fighting.

Unlike many of the rest wearing leather pants and tailored shirts, she wore leather and metal armor, form fitted to her body like the Blessed in interlapping rows of gold and white. She had a headband pulling her hair back, with the insignia of a golden eagle with a lightning bolt striking through it in a crisscross like dual swords. Probably some sort of house insignia from one of the ruling houses.

When she touched the stone, lightning crackled within it, crashing as if it wanted to get out. The lightning cracked from within the stone, small lines appearing on the side of it. The senator quickly pulled it back, at first wincing as if some of the tiny lightning had shocked him, but then forcing a smile onto his face. It looked unnatural on his skin, like a vulture trying to smile. The senator nodded at the girl, acknowledging her as he hadn’t the others. The smile disappeared when he saw Caeus, perhaps noticing the state of his clothes and the way he didn’t look like the others for the first time.

“Now, what is this?” The senator asked.

“I’m here to be tested.” Caeus said, with as much courage as he could measure. The senator laughed.

“Mereum, you think this boy has what it takes to pass the trials? You know none of his kind has ever made it through.” Caeus swallowed when he spoke, he knew people from the Erebus weren’t thought to have magic. Something about a curse from when one of the original two famous sisters had won the battle and sealed away the titans, and the resounding clash that followed. Supposedly, they fought with magic that created new mountain rages and rivers, re drawing map lines until one of them finally won, throwing the other down into the dark down below. It was why he hadn’t ever dreamed he could be part of the trial, ever dreamed for more, because he was supposedly descended from the one who’d lost.

“Maybe that’s because none of his kind have ever been given the chance.” Mereum responded.

“This is foolish, Mereum. You know as well as I do that they have less of the gods blood.” That was another prejudice they had, supposedly the gods had once walked among mortals, and had kids with them – including the two powerful sisters. The more powerful bloodline you had, the more likely you were to be Blessed. However, from what he’d heard – those bloodlines were getting more and more diluted as time went on, the last gods having died in the battle against the titans over a thousand years ago. “The more they have, the higher chance they will pass all the trials. There’s a reason we choose people from the historic families they-“

“I have a right to choose my contestant, as you have a right to choose yours. Or are you questioning the seer’s decision?” Mereum interrupted.

“Fine, but if the stone shows he has no latent magical ability…”

“He will pass.” Mereum said, sounding way less worried than Caeus felt. They all stared at him when the senator held out the stone to him and he hesitated. Was this it? Had he come all this way to simply fail at the first test – sent back to the Undercity emptyhanded? His hand reached out, briefly touching the stone. It shattered, the senator jumping back as if he was struck. Hundreds of shards fell to the ground, and the senator’s jaw dropped.

It didn’t look at all like it had with the others, he’d seen no smoke, no light, no lightning even. A couple of the contestants gasped as if something big had just happened. The girl with the eagle headband was eying him curiously. The senators face grew red and splotchy, looking at the shards on the ground in shock.

“Something like this hasn’t ever happened, he didn’t pass the test!” He said finally.

“What do you mean he didn’t pass?” The test only dictates that there is some reaction, it doesn’t dictate what the reaction is.” Mereum sounded smug. Somehow, he didn’t mind that smirk so much when it was in defense of him and not mocking him.

The senator sighed. “We don’t know what this means, but I suppose you are right. He must have some magic, or the stone would not have reacted as it did.”

“Does that mean you acknowledge him as a contestant?” Mereum asked.

“I must,” he said begrudgingly. “I will take my leave.” He said finally. “There are matters I wish to discuss with the senators.” From the way he looked at Caeus, it seemed he was one of the matters he wanted to discuss. He left the room in a hurry, not bothering to pick up the shattered stone. They all turned to Alnor. Mereum glanced at Caeus, and he suddenly found himself hoping very much that she made it through the trial as well. Despite her arrogance, she was willing to go against a senator for him. That was more than anyone in Cerebus, besides his own parents ever did for him.

“Your first task will be to make it to the Cradle of the Gods on your own, as a unit.” Alnor said without preamble. Caeus’ stomach sank. To make it all the way there, a journey of hundreds of miles through gods knew what – without any Blessed? He’d assumed they would help them a bit at least, that they would get protection on the way there, that they would get training before being tested.

Well, we have until tomorrow to get you ready for your first task. How many of you know about the latent powers stones possessed?” Everyone nodded except Caeus. Alnor sighed. “This is going to take a lot longer than normal to get you ready, we better get started.”