Ilya was standing next to Layt, trying his best to make himself disappear, or at least, unnoticeable. Weylin was listening to Layt’s demeaning words, not even a sign of discomfort on his face.

  Strange, she noted. Wasn’t he angry at being called weak? Wasn’t he his world’s demon lord?

  “Even if you’re physically weak, you still have a chance. You need to use your intellect. Oh, no, wait. Humans are dumb creatures. I forgot.” He sighed mournfully. “Is there no way around—”

  “Why are you here?” Talia cut him off.

  Layt turned to her and huffed. “I’m here to protect my investment.”

  “Your investment? Are you trying to scare him away?”

  “I’ll let you know that I bet on your candidate this once, just this once. So it’s in our interests if he succeeds.”

  Talia narrowed her eyes at him. Her bet on Weylin? Well, that was a first. She could still remember his smug expression as her last candidate failed even to reach the start of the trials.

  “Why?”

  “I’m a businessman.” He shrugged.

  So he thought Weylin had a chance. His words surely didn’t convey his thoughts.

  She stared at him, unbelieving. Even if, she thought he would oppose her just to spite her.

  Layt fidgeted under her stare. “What? I’m here to give him advice.”

  She snorted. Right. And what a good advice he was giving.

  “I’ve been on the winning side on the last trials. I would like to see you do better!”

  They stared at each other. She saw Layt flinch slightly, his eyes darting to her hand as her fingers twitched, ready to summon her weapon.

  She wouldn’t let his disrespect go unpunished, not in her own domain.

  “Now, now. You’re not here to start a fight with Mister Layt, are you?” Aseel’s voice cut through the silence.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Right. She almost forgot. She came to talk with Weylin, not get sidetracked by Layt’s infuriating words. She turned to the silent man, who was watching both Idirians with undisguised interest.

  “You have to be careful. The tasks given to you could be different than the overall quest. The real requirements to fulfill the quest won’t be revealed to you, and sadly, as I have relinquished my rights over the trials for this round, I won’t be able to help you.”

  “You’ve relinquished your rights? To whom?”

  Talia hesitated for a moment. “Lamin.”

  “What? Are you insane? That maniac will oversee the event?!”

  Talia nodded.

  “Who is this Lamin?” Weylin asked with brows furrowed.

  Talia glanced at him, then away, and Layt—Layt was still rumbling about Talia’s horrible disaster. So it fell to Aseel to answer the confused soul.

  “The most feared woman in all of Idir, except for my dear master, of course.”

  Talia shot him a glare. She glanced at Weylin, and her heart eased at the smile directed toward her. Good. She didn't want him to fear her.

  Talia opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden ringing sound shattered the air.

  “So soon?”

  Talia frowned. The trials shouldn’t have started till next week at least.

  “I told you! Nothing ever good comes out of involving Lamin in the trials! I’m going to lose everything!” Layt lamented.

  Talia turned to Weylin, who, strangely enough, seemed the calmest of them all. He had a serene, almost satisfied expression. He looked back at her and took out the small flower she had gifted him.

  “Can I ask you for a favor?”

  Talia nodded. “Of course.”

  He held it out to her. “Can you keep this with you during the trials? It would be a shame were I to lose such a beautiful gift.”

  She watched him for a while before taking the offered flower. “I’ll keep it with me.” She nodded, returning his smile.

  “Intriguing,” Aseel said next to her, eyebrow raised.

  Talia had to stop herself from smacking him. Talk about bad timing!

  Layt was still lamenting his bad luck when the shimmering light enveloped Weylin. Talia took hold of his hand. He looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

  “Keep an eye out for a small dragon,” she said in a hushed whisper.

  That was all she could do for him. Was she breaking her own rules? Maybe. But she would loath to let him fail. She wasn’t going to fail. Not this time.

  He disappeared, leaving shimmering light in his wake. Talia turned to the others. “We need to go.”

  They nodded. She glimpsed Ilya, trying to sneak away. She grabbed his arm, a wide smile pulling at her lips. “Not so fast. I’ll be needing you.”

  Small envelopes materialized in front of her and Layt—their invites. Lamin sure wasn’t wasting any time. She touched the letter, and it exploded into small fragments before disintegrating, indicating she had accepted her invitation. Layt did the same, complaints still flowing out his mouth.

  After hundreds of years of silence, the trials had returned. And this time, she had no control over them.

  Or so they thought.