When Kiva had first learned about his duplicity, she hadn’t wanted to see him, nor hear his explanations. But that initial fury had faded, and now she did want to confront him, desperate to hear what he had to say. The problem was, with her Trial today—and her imminent death or release—she didn’t know if she would ever face him again.

“Kiva Meridan.”

The Butcher brought Kiva to a halt, and she looked up to see that they were near what she guessed was the entrance to the punishment block, the small space crowded with a handful of guards, one of whom was the Warden. It was he who had spoken, staring mildly at Kiva as if he weren’t responsible for the premature deaths of so many prisoners.

Including her father.

Hatred burned within Kiva, but she knew better than to act upon it. It was more important that she save her strength and try to survive this Trial. She would make sure Rooke saw justice, one day. But for that to happen, she had to remain alive.

Glancing past him around the room, Kiva wasn’t sure if she should feel relieved that everyone seemed relatively at ease. One of the things she’d worried about in the last eight days was whether the prisoners had escalated their violence, fearing that a full-blown riot had occurred. If it had, it was over now. And the poisoner—the Warden—was clearly still alive. Naari, too, for Kiva could see her in the corner, her body lined with tension, unlike the other guards. The sight of her nearly brought tears to Kiva’s eyes, a friendly face after being alone for so long.

“Today you will undertake your final Ordeal, the Trial by Earth,” Rooke said, wrinkling his nose as he took in her filth. She’d washed as well as she could in her cell’s dirty water, but she hadn’t worn fresh clothes since before the quarry. Part of her took pleasure in making him uncomfortable, the other part longed for a bath and a clean tunic.

Holding his gaze, Kiva waited for him to ask if she had any last words, but for the first time, he did not. She wondered if he feared her mentioning the poison, or if he was simply sick of playing by the rules and ready to be done with the Trial by Ordeal altogether.

“Owing to the nature of this task, there will be no audience today,” Rooke continued.