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I was able to lift the three-hundred-pound barrel. In my mind’s eye, I could see myself bending my knees, awkwardly wrapping my arms around the wide container and lifting it. It had been incredible and oddly satisfying.
I’d thought about it all morning, struggling to focus as Knight Ferko officially introduced me to her Quadrant and informed them I would be conducting their morning training.
They knew me, and I knew them, of course, so it was just a formality.
Yessenia was still the First Pawn since I had pardoned her. She avoided my gaze, seeming embarrassed. Dominik, a bearded man of about thirty, was the Second Pawn. Aurica, a wide-eyed girl with blond hair, was the Third Pawn, and Sorinna, the agile woman who had fought in the first challenge I ever witnessed, was the Fourth Pawn.
Their training, as I knew well, started with running in the woods behind the palace. They went without being told but were surprised when I joined them. I was curious about how my stamina had changed. Besides, I’d grown to enjoy the clarity of mind that running through the woods gave me. I kept up with Yessenia, the fastest of them, without breaking a sweat.
After training, we ate breakfast. I devoured two plates of egg, ten strips of bacon, and four well-buttered rolls. The food seemed to smell and taste better than normal. I also drank five glasses of water and felt much calmer afterward. Finally, the buzzing in my chest had quieted down somewhat.
When I finally took time to breathe, I realized the oddness of sitting at Knight Ferko’s table. Across the way, Vinna watched me over her mug as she drank. I attempted a smile, which felt stiff and forced. She gave me a curt nod. Nothing else.
As we filed out of the dining hall, I followed her to the stable. The day was clear and chilly. It felt great.
I had thirty minutes before I needed to meet Ferko back at the palace, and I wanted to at least talk to her. In a moment of weakness, I had confided in Vinna. She knew my goal, and I needed to know if I could count her as an ally—at least one who would simply keep my secret.
“Hello, Vinna,” I said as I entered the stable, my nose filling with an overpowering scent of manure. She was in front of her horse’s stall, rubbing the black gelding’s nose.
She glanced my way. “Congratulations, Rook Flagfall,” she said stiffly.
“You don’t need to call me that,” I said.
“Yes, I do.”
She opened the door to the stall, grabbed her horse’s reins, and led him outside. I followed. Others from her Quadrant filed in as we exited and gave us sidelong glances.
“I hope that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends anymore,” I said in a jovial tone.
She said nothing.
I glanced down and happened to notice the new insignia on her jacket, a Pawn with two bars underneath it. “Oh, you’re Second Pawn.”
There was a flash of discontent on her face that told me she didn’t think this was a good thing. She’d gone up in rank because I’d become a Rook. That meant that Petru was First Pawn now, and Breen was Third.
“Who will be Fourth Pawn?” I asked, realizing the spot was left empty.
“Two new Challengers are scheduled to fight this afternoon,” she said.
“Oh.”
“Yeh’ve caused a real stir,” Vinna said in a joking tone, though I felt she meant it in a negative way.
“I’m sorry, Vinna,” I said. “I know you want to remain a Pawn.”
She blinked in surprise, then narrowed her eyes as if trying to decide if my apology was honest.
As she tied her horse to the fence, I took a step closer and spoke in a whisper. “I know your inclination is not to trust me. I’m a Rook, now. I understand. You may feel I would brand you as a traitor for not embracing every aspect of this... system, but I wouldn’t do that. I haven’t changed.” It sounded like a lie, even to my ears. I had changed plenty. My body, at least. Still, I went on because no matter how hard it turned out to be, I was bent on remaining true to myself. “I’m the same Bianca, with the same goals.”
“Yes, Rook Flagfall,” Vinna said, stepping back. “Now, I must tend to my horse. Excuse me.” She untied the gelding and started leading it to the water trough while I stood there like an idiot.
Anger flared in my chest. Hot and cold and swirling.
I snatched her wrist. “Who do you think you are?” I demanded.
Vinna’s eyes went wide and filled with fear as she took in my face. “No one, Rook Flagfall.” She bowed and stared at the floor. “I’m no one.”
I let go of her and slowly stepped back, trying to push down the storm that raged in my chest.
“I’m sorry,” I said, then turned on my heel and walked away, fully aware that I was not the same Bianca Flagfall I claimed to be.