Gorgoroth (Haladras #2)

ELEVEN

The Hishram Gauntlet. Of all the Trials she must face, this one frightened the princess more than any other. It made her blood run cold to think of it. But the princess of Gorgoroth could neither entertain nor speak of fear. So, she beat her serving wench to cope, before trying to calm her mind through meditation.

She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, and waited for her mind to reach its heightened subconscious state. It never came. Her thoughts felt shackled by her emotions, unable to escape. She imagined herself already at the Trial, her twenty-four floggers, with their lashing tongues of fire, waiting with stone-faced menace She imagined standing at the brink of the stone chasm, waiting. Waiting for her—

The sound of footfall outside her portal disrupted her vain meditation attempts. She knew it was Master Rizain before she even opened her eyes. Though he could have crept up to her as silently as a candle flame, he intentionally made his presence known. Not wishing to let her eyes give her anxiety away, she kept them closed.

"Stop trying to fool me," he said dispassionately. "I can see the tension in your muscles from here. You haven't been meditating."

The princess opened her eyes and met his cold stare, but said nothing.

"You fear the gauntlet," he said, taking a few steps into her chamber. "You ought to fear it. You will need that fear to stay alive. But you must not permit that fear to take control. Else your fears come true."

The princess nodded slowly.

"There's nothing before you that you have not done in training. You possess every skill you need. Whatever happens today, you must stay imperturbably focused on getting through. Whatever happens, stay focused."

With that, Rizain turned and strode out of her chamber, leaving her to consider her situation.

Stay focused. Easy to say when you don't have the flaming tongues lashing out at you.

Hours later, the princess sat in her carriage as the Trial procession inched its way towards the secret location of the Hishram Gauntlet. This time no drunken crowd would watch her complete the Trial. No mad cries would rend the air with every move she made. Only her mother, the Trial Council, and Rizain du Kava would watch in mute indifference as she faced the Gauntlet alone.

This time there would be no opponent to outwit. The gauntlet does not think, cannot be out maneuvered. The battle, as Rizain had told her, must be fought and won in her mind. Neither force, nor speed, nor anger could defeat it. She must maintain perfect control of her faculties. Absolute control.

The carriage came to a halt. Vaguely, she was aware of the click of the door as it opened and Rizain ushering her out. Beneath her feet, dried earth and rocks crunched faintly. She had paid no attention to where the carriage had taken them. They were far outside the city, but in what direction, she did not know. She lifted her gaze. At her feet, a wide stone staircase stood before her. It led, it seemed, into the heart of a canyon wall.

Slowly, the empress led the company up the stone stairs. With each step she took the, princess allowed herself to slip back to reality. Allowed her adrenaline to flow, her heart to pump freely, preparing her muscles to perform at their optimal capacity.

As her feet brought her nearer to the top of the stairs, nearer to her fate, she studied in her mind everything Rizain had taught her about the Gauntlet. In a few moments she would see the course she would face, constructed in secret specifically for her, for this one test, never to be used again.

The empress reached the summit of the staircase, at which point she slowly began to descend down the other side on a set of stairs which the princess could not see. Soon, the princess reached the same point where her mother had just been and saw what lay in store for her.