Chapter 16

"Competitors, take your seats. The Trial of Wisdom begins now."

The voice of the head judge echoed through the great hall. Fifty desks had been arranged in neat rows, each one holding a sealed envelope, ink, quills, and a stack of blank paper.

Aria sat in the third row, her hands steady even though her stomach was not. Two weeks of preparation. Hours of Darius drilling scenarios into her head. Orion's encouragement playing on a loop in her mind.

She could do this.

The head judge—a gray-haired woman named Elder Maren—paced the front of the room. "Inside each envelope, you will find a political scenario. A crisis affecting two or more packs. You have three hours to write your proposal for resolution. Your solution will be judged on fairness, practicality, and understanding of pack law."

"Begin."

Fifty envelopes ripped open at once.

Aria pulled out her scenario. Her eyes scanned the page.

A territorial dispute between the Silvercrest and Ashwood packs. A river that served as their border has shifted course due to flooding, moving two miles into Ashwood territory. Silvercrest claims the river is still the border. Ashwood claims the river has created new boundaries. Both packs rely on the river for fishing and trade. Tensions are rising. Resolve this without war.

Aria almost smiled. This was exactly the type of problem she'd solved a dozen times for her father's pack. Real problems with real stakes, not theoretical games.

She picked up her quill and started writing.

The words came fast. She outlined a joint resource council—representatives from both packs who would share access to the river's resources regardless of where it flowed. She proposed a surveyor team to establish new boundaries based on geographic reality while compensating Ashwood for lost land through trade agreements. She included provisions for future flooding, dispute resolution processes, and a timeline for implementation.

It was thorough. It was practical. And it was done in under two hours.

She set down her quill and reviewed her work. Every paragraph was tight. Every point backed by pack law citations that Darius had made her memorize. She felt good about it. Really good.

She sealed her proposal and placed it on the desk.

Then she noticed Vivian.

Three rows up and to the left, Vivian was writing frantically. But every few seconds, her eyes darted—not to her own work, but to Aria. Watching. Calculating.

Something cold slid down Aria's spine.

When the bell rang, the competitors filed out for a break while the judges collected the proposals. Lunch was served in the dining hall, but Aria barely ate. The good feeling from her work was starting to curdle.

"You okay?" Luna asked.

"Fine. Just anxious about the results."

"You crushed it. I could see you writing. You were done before anyone else."

"Yeah." Aria pushed food around her plate. "I just have this feeling."

"What kind of feeling?"

Before she could answer, Elder Maren's voice rang out.

"Competitors, return to the hall for the reading of proposals."

They filed back in. The judges had arranged the proposals in ranked order. One by one, they would be read aloud and scored.

The first few were decent. Some were good. A woman from the Northern Ridge Pack proposed a solution so complex it took ten minutes just to read, and the judges looked bored by the end.

Then: "Competitor Blackwood. Please stand."

Aria stood. Her heart was in her throat.

Elder Maren opened the sealed envelope. Unfolded the papers inside. Began to read.

And the words that came out were not Aria's.

"The Silvercrest Pack should simply take the land because they are stronger, and the Ashwood Pack should accept their loss and move their borders..."

Aria's blood turned to ice.

That wasn't her proposal. Those weren't her words. The solution being read was crude, ignorant, and borderline offensive—suggesting that might makes right and weaker packs should submit.

"Stop," Aria said. "That's not what I wrote."

Elder Maren looked up. "This bears your seal, competitor."

"I don't care. Those aren't my words. Someone switched my proposal."

Murmurs rippled through the hall. Vivian's face was a mask of innocent concern.

"These are serious accusations," Elder Maren said. "Do you have proof?"

"I—no. But I can tell you exactly what I wrote. Word for word. A joint resource council with shared access rights, a surveyor team, trade compensations—"

"Anyone could fabricate a better answer after hearing the questions read aloud," Vivian called out from her seat. "This is embarrassing."

"Shut your mouth, Vivian," Luna snapped.

The hall erupted. Competitors shouting. Judges banging gavels. Elder Maren calling for order.

Through the chaos, Aria looked at the kings. They sat on the raised platform, watching. Orion's fists were clenched. Darius's face was stone. Neither could intervene without showing bias.

But someone else could.

"If I may."

Blake's voice cut through the noise. He stood near the side entrance, a folder under his arm.

Elder Maren turned. "Royal Gamma Morrison. This is an examination, not a council meeting."

"I understand. But I have information relevant to the integrity of this trial." He walked forward and opened the folder. "During the break, I observed competitor Vivian Knox in the vicinity of the sealed proposals. The proposals were left in the judges' chamber, which should have been locked. It wasn't."

The room went dead silent.

Blake continued, his voice calm and steady. "The castle has watch crystals—enchanted stones that record movement in key areas. I requested the recordings from the judges' chamber during the break period."

He pulled out a crystal, no bigger than his fist, and held it up. It glowed faintly.

"This shows competitor Knox entering the chamber, opening two sealed envelopes—her own and competitor Blackwood's—and switching the contents."

Vivian shot to her feet. "That's a lie!"

"The crystal doesn't lie," Blake said. "Would you like me to play it?"

Vivian's face went white. Then red. Then white again.

Elder Maren's expression was thunderous. "Competitor Knox. You are accused of tampering with examination materials. This is grounds for immediate disqualification."

The room exploded again. Vivian was screaming that it was a setup. Other competitors were shouting their opinions. Luna was grabbing Aria's arm, saying "I told you, I told you."

And through all of it, Aria kept her eyes on one thing.

Knox.

Royal Beta Knox stood at the back of the hall, half hidden behind a pillar. His face was calm. Too calm. But when Vivian started screaming, something shifted. A tightness in his jaw. A flash of anger in his eyes.

Not at Blake. Not at the judges.

At Vivian.

The trial was suspended. Vivian was escorted out by guards. Elder Maren announced that the results would be delayed pending investigation.

Aria stood in the chaos, her heart still pounding. Then she felt a hand on her elbow. Blake, steering her toward a side corridor.

"You okay?" he asked.

"You saved me."

"I do what I can." His expression was serious. "But Aria, this wasn't just cheating. Vivian didn't do this alone. Switching proposals requires knowing which desk is yours, which envelope, and having access to the chamber. She had help."

"Knox."

"Almost certainly." Blake lowered his voice. "And after what happened, he's going to be furious. Not at us. At Vivian. She was supposed to do this quietly, and she got caught."

They rounded a corner and Blake stopped. Checked both directions.

"I need you to listen carefully. Stay in public areas tonight. Stay with Luna or Cade. Don't be alone."

"You think they'd come after me?"

"I think Knox just had his plan blown up in front of the entire court. Desperate people do desperate things."

He squeezed her arm once and walked away.

Aria stood in the empty corridor. Her hands were shaking, but not from fear.

From anger.

She was tired of being a target. Tired of people trying to tear her down. Tired of playing defense.

It was time to start watching them back.

She turned toward the hall where the competitors were still milling around. But before she got there, she heard something that stopped her cold.

Knox's voice, low and vicious, hissing from behind a half-closed door.

"You fool. You almost exposed us."

And Vivian's reply, small and shaking: "I'm sorry, Father. I just wanted to—"

"You wanted to play games, and now they're watching. All of them. Do you understand what that means?"

Silence. Then Knox again, quieter.

"The girl is more important than this competition. More important than you becoming queen. And if you've put our plans at risk because of your petty jealousy—"

"I haven't. I'll fix it."

"You'd better. Because the people I answer to won't accept failure. And neither will I."

Footsteps. Moving toward the door.

Aria pressed herself flat against the wall and held her breath. Knox walked past her, close enough to touch, and didn't see her.

When he was gone, she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

The people I answer to.

Knox wasn't working alone. He was taking orders. From someone—or something—that wanted Aria badly enough to put a spy in the royal court.

The gray-cloaked strangers Cade had seen. Morgana's followers. The old coven.

They were already here.