Jim Butcher - Furies of Calderon

At the heart of the scene stood a single, ancient tree, barren trunk lifting high, dead branches mostly worn away by time. Though there was nothing to hold to scale, Tavi thought that the spire of ancient, dead wood had to be huge.

"The Wax Forest," Tavi said, quietly. "Wow. They didn't say it was so pretty."

"Danger," Fade said, quietly. "Danger, Tavi. Fade will go."

"No," Tavi said, quickly. "I'm the one who spoke. I'm the one who has to answer the trial." He glanced at Doroga. "Right?"

Doroga looked back at Tavi and then glanced at Fade. "Too heavy," he said.

Tavi tilted his head. "What?"

"Too heavy," Doroga repeated. "His weight will break the surface of the croach. The wax. It will alert the Keepers as soon as he steps on it. Only our whelps or a small female can enter the Valley of Silence and live."

Tavi swallowed again. "Right then," he said. "It's got to be me."

Fade frowned, but fell silent.

The gargant's slow-seeming steps covered ground quickly and carried them down to the edge of the precipice. There, Tavi saw Hashat standing beside a large, pale horse, the wind tossing their white manes off to one side, the lean Marat woman with her long legs somehow a mirror of the big grey beside her. The cool winter light gleamed on the captured eagle brooches on her sword belt.

Over to one side, seated at the edge of the precipice, near a couple of lumps in the snow, was Kitai, still dressed in his rough smock, skinny legs dangling over the edge, feet idly waving. The wind pressed his hair back from the slender, stark lines of his face, and he had his eyes narrowed to slits against the drifting flakes of snow.

Tavi scowled at the other boy, and his face stung for a moment, where he had been cut the previous morning.

Doroga nodded wordlessly to Hashat and clucked to his gargant. The great beast let out a snort and rolled to a stop before lowering itself almost daintily to the ground. Doroga tossed down the saddle strap and used one hand to steady himself with it as he slid down. Tavi followed suit, as did Fade.

"Doroga," said Hashat, coming toward them, frowning. "Are you ready?"

Doroga nodded, once.

Hashat said, "Word is abroad. The wolves were leaving, as I left to bring Kitai here. They attack with the dawn."

Tavi drew in a little breath and looked at Fade. The slave looked worried, though his eyes weren't focused on anything. He just stared out over the Wax Forest.

Doroga grunted. "Then this will decide it. If the Aleran prevails, we avoid the struggle."

"Atsurak will not be happy with you, Doroga."

The big Marat shrugged. "He may not survive the day. If he does, he does. That is yet to come."

Hashat nodded. "Then let us begin."

"Kitai," Doroga rumbled.

The figure at the edge of the precipice did not move.

Doroga scowled. "Whelp!"

Still, he did not move.

Doroga glared at Hashat. The maned Marat turned her face away a little too late to hide her smile. "Your whelp is growing up, Doroga. They always get moody before they bond. You know that."

Doroga rumbled, "You just want Kitai to be part of Horse."

Hashat shrugged her shoulders. "Speed, intelligence. Who wouldn't want that?" She lifted her chin and called, "Kitai. We are ready to begin."

Kitai stood up, idly dusted snow off of his smock, and paced toward them, his expression cool. He stopped not a pace away from Tavi, glaring at the Aleran boy.

Tavi felt a sudden fear, as his cut throbbed again, and then set his jaw stubbornly. He had never allowed a bully to frighten him. He'd been beaten often enough, but he'd never surrendered to fear. He took a step closer to Kitai, eyes narrowed, facing the other boy's opalescent gaze with his own. Their eyes were on a level, and the other boy did not seem to be much bigger than Tavi was. Tavi folded his arms and stared at his opponent.

Kitai seemed uncertain how to react to Tavi's stance and glanced at Hashat.

Doroga growled irritably. "You both know the trial. The first to recover the Blessing of Night and return it to my hand will be the victor." He turned to Tavi. "Aleran. The Blessing is shaped as a mushroom. It has a flat head,

slender stalk, and is the color of night. It is located at the base of the great tree, within its trunk."

"Black mushroom," Tavi said. "Great tree. Fine, got it."

"Kitai, you are familiar with the trial."

The other boy nodded. "Yes, sire."

Doroga turned to him and placed his huge hands on the boy's slender shoulders. He turned Kitai to face him, an effortless flexing of Doroga's shoulders. "Then be careful. Your mother would want you to be careful."

Kitai lifted his chin, though his eyes glittered bright. "My mother," he said, "would have fetched the Blessing and been back by now while you talked, sire."

Doroga's teeth showed, suddenly. "Yes," he agreed. One of his hands squeezed Kitai's shoulders, and he released the boy, to turn to Tavi. "We will lower you down and wait until dawn. Once you begin, there are no rules. The results are all that matter. You can choose not to face the trial now, if you wish, valleyboy."

"And go back to your camp and be eaten?"

Doroga nodded. "Yes. Regrettably."

Tavi let out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, well. I'll take my chances with the Keepers, I think."

"Then we begin." Doroga turned to one of the lumps in the snow and dug into it with his huge hands, uncovering a great coil of rope of a weave Tavi had never seen before. Beside him, Hashat did the same with a second coil of rope.

Tavi saw Kitai step up beside him out of the corner of his eye. The Marat boy watched the two adults uncovering the rope and testing its length. "It is rope from the Gadrim-ha. From the ones you call the Icemen. Made of the hairs of their females. It will not freeze or break."

Tavi nodded. He asked, "You've done this before?"

Kitai nodded. "Twice. It wasn't for a trial, before. But I have gone in twice and returned with the Blessing. I was the only one who returned."

Tavi swallowed.

"Are you afraid, Aleran?"

"Aren't you?"

"Yes," Kitai said. "Afraid to lose. Everything depends on this night, for me."

"I don't understand."

Kitai sniffed "When I return with the Blessing before you, I will have defended my sire's honor in a trial before The One I will be an adult and may choose where I live "

"And you want to live with Hashat," Tavi said

Kitai blinked and looked at Tavi "Yes "

Tavi studied the other boy "Do you, uh are you sweet on her'"

Kitai frowned, pale brows coming together "No But I wish to be a part of her Clan To be free with her Clan Not to plod around with Doroga and his stupid Sabot" He glanced aside, to be sure no one was close, apparently, and confided m a low voice to Tavi, "They smell"

Tavi lifted his brows, but nodded "Yeah I guess they do "

"Aleran," Kitai said "My sire is right about one thing You have courage It will be an honor to face you in a trial But I will defeat you Do not think that this will end in any other way, despite whatever spirits are yours to call "

Tavi felt a scowl harden his features Kitai's eyes narrowed, and he stepped back a half pace, one hand falling to the knife at his belt

"I don't have any," Tavi said "And back at my steadholt, we have a saying about counting your chickens before they've hatched "

"My people eat eggs before they've hatched," Kitai said, and stepped to ward the coiled ropes “I thought you might make it out alive, Aleran, thanks to your spirits But we will only need to use one rope before dawn "

Tavi started to say something quick and heated back, but Fade's hand gripped his shoulder abruptly Tavi turned to face the slave

Fade frowned at him, his scarred face hideous and concerned Then he said, "Be careful, Tavi" And with that, he took the pack that had been slung over his shoulder and dropped it onto Tavi's