The Trials

Chapter Two

We weren't allowed to say goodbye to anyone before they swept us into a van and drove us away to Erick's mansion. This was apparently not to be cruel, but Erick stated this way to save the families from more heartache. The likelihood that any of us would make it back alive was more than slim. No one had ever beaten the trials before. One woman from another town came close but died of starvation before reaching her last trial.

I would spend two days in the mansion, being prepared for my trials to begin. Erick would advertise us all on television, but we weren't allowed to speak. We would only get a picture on a screen, and our picture would be removed when we died.

While on the road, I stayed to myself, listening to the women weep everywhere around me. I laid my head back and closed my eyes, pretending to sleep, but I couldn't even if I tried. The sickness in my stomach wouldn't allow me to sleep right now. I hadn't eaten in two days, deciding to give my mom the majority of the meals we were given because I knew that if I was selected, they would fill me up right before I got ready to step out onto the battlefield.

Soon, the van was pulling into the mansion, and it was an incredible sight. I would hate to admit out loud how mesmerizing it was, but in my head, it was a safe thought. Erick had guards everywhere protecting it, as I assumed he would. Many women had tried to flee before the trials started, which resulted in their immediate deaths. Either we serve our families proudly and die with honor in battle, or we would bring them shame if we tried to run. Either way, it ended in death.

We were escorted for the van into the foyer of the mansion, where we all stared at the sheer beauty of this place. It was a damn shame that it had to be rotted by the presence of Erick himself.

Speaking of the devil, he walked down the stairs, joining us all in the foyer. "Congratulations for being hand selected to fight in this war. If won, you will be a part of history! Now, I know what you are all thinking. Victory has never happened, but as the years go on, I feel like we are closer to finding the woman who will end this all for all of us. Among one of you, there is someone brave, courageous, and unexpected who will fight and win. I just feel it this year! Once our enemies have been defeated, we can all live in peace once again. Just think, if you win, the trials end, and no more deaths will ever happen again."

After his speech, he walked off, leaving his teams to divide up and take one woman to give them a makeover worthy of stepping into battle. Erick made it very clear that we all had to look as beautiful as possible while preparing for war. My style team had me dress in all black as it brought out the contrast of my light brown hair. Luckily, I didn't need much makeup because, according to them, I had an already beautifully sculpted face.

Once we were dressed up, we were brought downstairs to dine with Erick at a feast he had prepared for all newcomers. As always, I sat in silence, making sure to notice every little detail about every woman accompanying me. On the battlefield, some of these women would be essential in helping me as I would be for them. We had to choose allies carefully because one wrong ally and we all ended up dead before making it close to the enemy's nest.

One by one, we were all asked to go around in circles to talk about family, friends, and anything that we would miss from home that could be used as our inspiration. When it came to my turn, I remained silent. They wouldn't get anything from me. I wanted to make sure Erick knew how much I loathed him for putting all women through this, not just myself. He was a selfish bastard who only cared about himself. Pretending that he was doing this for the benefit of everyone else was just a show. Most of us knew that, but no one would ever dare to say that to his face, not only out of fear for themselves but for their families.

"Riven, I think it's very inconsiderate to everyone here who has volunteered information for you not to do the same," Erick spoke with a slight rise in his voice. "Like it or not, you are here now and will remain here until your death or victory. No one likes it, but this helps everyone cope with what comes next."

I placed my knife down on the table harder than I wanted to. He was already getting to me when I knew I shouldn't let him. "I have nothing to share. Nothing at home has any meaning to me enough for me to share. The only thing that I care about is survival. Is that enough shared information now?"

Erick used his napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth and then rose from his seat. "Ms. Ellery, a word in my private chambers."

That wasn't a request but a demand. I got up from my seat and followed him down a long narrow hallway, reaching the last door on the right. Once inside, his men from the outside locked us in alone, with no one as a witness to what he would do next.

"Riven, you are a smart young woman. It's natural to put up this defense you have, but I'm not your enemy. You have misjudged me. Killing innocent women is not what I would have hoped for, but women have been the only ones to get close enough to the real enemy. They are its weakness, and I know that we are close. If you wish not to share with the other women in their pain while here, I understand, but you will never disrespect me in front of everyone ever again, or you won't make it to the trials. Believe it or not, Riven, I'm betting on you to win this war for us. You are strong, much stronger than most of the women out there. I've been watching you for many years now, noticing things that most around me did not, including my men."

Great. So, it would have never mattered if I didn't open my mouth today at the selection because I would be standing here regardless.

"Your father spoke highly of you when the trials first began. He told me that he would win the war for you so that no one else had to die. I wished he would have been right. Unfortunately, we didn't know the extent of our enemies' abilities at that time. We lost everyone within the first twenty-four hours. If you remember correctly, I was also out on the battlefield, but you still somehow despise me. Why? You can be honest here, Riven. Nothing leaves this room."

Well, isn't that a relief? I thought sarcastically. "Did you ever think that spending more time understanding the enemy would have been the correct play? Instead, you angered the enemy by starting a war upon them. How else did you expect them to retaliate? I despise you because you would rather sacrifice lives than figure out a valuable solution. What order would you have with the people if you didn't have the trials?" I knew that speaking to Erick in this manner would land me in more trouble than good, but he said to speak freely, and that's what I intended to do.

For several seconds, he stared at me, somewhat impressed. Maybe he was impressed that I called him out on something no one else had the guts to, or perhaps he felt I was in over my head with my statement. He can think what he wants because he isn't the one that has to go through the trials.

"Because I like you, I'm going to give you some insider information that I hope will help you. No one is told what the trials consist of or how to defeat them because that is your ticket into enemy territory. If I were to give you all the answers, they would kill you on sight, but you are smart, and something tells me that you will figure it out. The first trial is the snake pit. Use this to help yourself along with your allies. I'm not a bad man, Riven. I've had to make the tough choices, the ones that no one else wanted to make for the better of everyone else. You don't have to agree with that, but it's the truth. Thank you for speaking with me, but I'd like to be left alone for the remainder of the evening."

That was that. The two men guarding the door walked right in and escorted me out as if they somehow knew Erick was getting annoyed with me already. Well, at least one good thing came out of this private meeting. I now know the first trial, though I'm not sure what good it does me. I could know all the trials and still die the minute I stepped out onto the battlefield. Luckily for me, I know how to survive.

Everyone was settled in their rooms for the evening, and tomorrow would bring on some battle training that we would all have to be active for. Erick wanted to see the skill level each of us brought, hoping that he could spot who may survive or win this war. I know that he said he was betting on me, but I know that he was telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. There were other women here from towns that had prepared their women for battle for years. My town didn't because we didn't have the resources to, but looking back now, I wish we would have. It would have saved me a lot of embarrassment come tomorrow. I lay in my bed staring up at the ceiling, trying to think of ways to help myself once I get on the battlefield. Looks would only take you so far. Considering how long this battle has raged on, the enemy is looking for someone strong and fierce but also beautiful. Sometimes at night, I used to imagine why our enemy wanted someone so specific, but I couldn't dwell on it for long. It was no use.

There were four women in each room in the mansion, but none of the women in my room dared to make small talk about the big day tomorrow. We had limited time to prepare, and everyone was taking it seriously except me. While I valued my life, I also wanted to prove to the world that Erick and his minions didn't own me. I may be a pawn in their game for now, but we would see who was laughing on the other side. Even if I met my end, I wouldn't let Erick take that away from me. If it came down to getting sliced up by something or taking my own life, I would take my life so that Erick couldn't have it. Maybe that would be the one thing that everyone needed to finally fight back against him once and for all.

In the early morning, I was one of the first awake. I'm a light sleeper, so the snoring of some of the women in my room kept me up most of the night. I knew how important sleep was, but I couldn't find myself nodding off as I had hoped.

"Psst." I heard come from behind me. "Psst!" I flipped around to find a girl hanging upside down from the bed above mine. "I thought you were awake. Glad to see I'm not the only one who has trouble sleeping on the first night. Some of these women slept like rocks as if they were snuggled in their own beds."

Instantly, I liked her, though I was apprehensive. It wasn't uncommon for women to befriend one another during the trials only to later sacrifice them to further themselves. "Tell me about it. The snoring kept me up all night."

She moved around quickly until she was sitting on my bed with me with her legs crossed over the other. "What did Erick Barrett want with you all alone? Was he upset by your choice of words at dinner?"

There was no point in lying to her. The more people I had on my side, the better, right now. "Believe it or not, he said that he thinks I can find a way to win the war and put a stop to all this mayhem. Honestly, I think he is trying to tell me what he thinks I want to hear to get on my good side in case I do happen to win. Let's be honest. No one ever wins the trials."

The girl gave me a slight smirk right before wrapping her arms around me. I jumped back a little, appalled by her bluntness. "Sorry. I'm a bit of a hugger. My name is Karoline. And just so you know, Lord Erick Barrett isn't the only one betting on you. I overheard some of his men placing bets on you after dinner last night. I get it. Look at you. You are stunning, far more than the majority of us here. However, I believe they know something we do not. Otherwise, they wouldn't be betting on looks alone." Karoline must have seen me scrunch my brows together because she quickly added, "I'm not saying it's a bad thing at all. In fact, I was hoping we could be a team once we get on the ground. I may not look like much, but I know how to climb well, which could be used for scouting. My town is full mostly of trees, so I taught myself how to climb quickly at a young age. Useless, I know, but it helped in my darkest times."

I knew that I should be wanting to make friends for the sake of the trials, so I plastered on the best smile that I could muster, though it was easy when talking with her. "No, tree climbing is a great skill to have, one that could be used on the battlefield, I'm sure. I think that we would make a great team. I don't have a wide variety of skill sets, but I'm quick on my feet. It may come in handy," I said while giving a slight shrug of my shoulder.

She smiled and offered one more hug right before our door opened. "Breakfast is ready, everyone," an older woman spoke loudly, making sure to wake those still sleeping. "You have ten minutes to be downstairs. You will have breakfast alone this morning, then train immediately after, so dress accordingly."

And just like that, I was reminded that this wasn't about making friends at all. This was about to become a bloodbath where most of us, if not all of us, didn't make it out alive.