Eclipse Trials

"Are you ready for this?" I looked at my love with disdain as his eyes fell to his feet in shame. What the hell kind of question was that? This event was likely to leave me scarred and bloody. I could die. Was I ready? The answer of a resounding no!

The only reason this was even happening was Jerika Dookins had seen us making out three moon cycles ago. Everyone knew that Quentin Lirauge was off limits to everyone but her. The golden boy of Shainen Village, every woman wanted him. And why wouldn’t they? He was the strongest warrior in the village; no other male had been able to best him since we were all children. He was taller than anyone in the village, his bronzed skin and flame-red hair depicting him as a half-breed from the Fieryo clan. Not that his half-breed status was ever held against him. Zykstons and Fieryos were both warrior races. Add to that the fact that he was unbeatable in battle and the girls flocked to him, looking to enhance their gene pools with his superior genetic stock.

“You Liptwese scum,” Sandra, one of the women who would no doubt be challenging me, sneered. “You'll get yours when the sun no longer holds sway. Your father should never have betrayed his people with those weak magic-users. You know he died of shame when you were born, right? And your mother-”

“Are you done?” I said in exasperation. None of this was new to me, but I didn’t want to hear it right now.   

Sandra glared and spat at my feet. I dodged the glob of spit and smirked at her, knowing that she would not be able to physically harm me until the Eclipse Trial began in twenty minutes. If she gave into her baser instincts, she would forfeit her right to challenge me for Quentin’s hand. Goddess above, these people were backwards!

“Oh, don't worry, little Liptwese. We won't kill you outright. The Goddess forbids it during her time of increasing,” Jerika snarled at me as if I was unaware of the fact that I could die of my injuries as so many women did. As a life mage, it was especially painful to allow the people around me to die simply because ‘it’s what the Goddess has decreed’. At the Academy, I studied and memorized as many healing spells as I did offensive and defensive ones. I’d dedicated myself to trying to bring honor to my grandmother, the last of the Livingston line. I didn’t consider myself a part of her line with my tainted blood, which is why I used my mother’s last name. I was lucky that the village elders considered my magic too ‘weak and feeble’ to disallow it in the Trial. What was it that Elder Allara said?

“Without proper Zykston discipline, you are doomed in this Trial. Use what you want, Liptwese. None of your magic tricks will win you Quentin Lirauge’s hand.” They’d even given me an extra month to prepare myself for my inevitable failure. How very nice of them.

I’d used that extra month of grace wisely. I had so many spell scrolls stored on me that I was sure to come out of this trial alive. My power flowed through me, ready to be used to quell my enemies. Just as my opponents had to refrain from murdering me during the solar eclipse that dimmed the sky for thirty-four minutes every other month, I had to be careful not to do lethal damage to them. I had healing spells at my disposal that would repair the damage I did up to and including death.

“I’m sorry you have to go through this, Teinah,” Quentin murmured in my ear. Now that our secret was out, we could hold each other in public. It was nice to have his support. The last year of being so careful, of never showing the simpletons of the village that he was mine…  

“It was bound to happen sooner or later,” I said lightly, nuzzling his massive chest. Quentin had been mine since we were children. The first time we laid eyes on each other we’d been bound. I’d fought that bond most of my life, knowing that it would lead to this. I was subjected to enough torment and broken bones whenever I was forced to this hellhole by my grandmother. She believed that this was where I belonged. She believed that there was no other place I could go. That I had no friends or contacts to call on outside of those she tried to provide for me.

She was wrong.

“Just make sure you’re serious about-”

“I’m serious about you, Teinah Shale,” he whispered fervently. “Serious enough to do anything. Just say the word and I will. Now that I’ve won your love, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it.”

“Oh, Quentin…” I sighed, snuggling against him. “You’ve always had my love. Even all the years I denied you, running from what we were, what we could be… Deep down I knew that I belonged to you. There will never be another man for me.” I swallowed hard at the lump lodged in my throat, shaking my head to clear it. As good as it felt to admit the truth to my soul mate, I needed to inform him of my contingency plan while there was still time. “Quentin. If something goes wrong, I want you to-”

“Nothing is going to go wrong, baby,” my beautiful Fieryo warrior whispered comfortingly. “You’ve planned and planned. You have your grandmother’s eye for strategy. You will not fail, my fearless Liptwese.”

Goddess! The things he said! Only my chosen mate could use the name with which others cursed me and turn it into the sweetest endearment. I actually loved it when he called me his Liptwese. 

“Five minutes, Lipper,” Keva Lang said nastily from behind me. The slur rolled off me after years of hearing it. “Better get in those last-minute touches. When we're done with you-”

“Take your bile and jealousy and go, Keva.” I couldn't help the delighted shiver at his cold tone. It was a tone he never used with me, reserving it for the rest of the female population of the village. Quentin seduced me tenderly whenever he spoke to me. Yet another reason I loved him. Sometimes I secretly wanted to hear that cold tone directed at me, especially when he claimed me. But right now, I needed him to listen to me before it was too late! 

“The moon is about to overtake her stronger cousin. Come, child. Pick your starting place. And may the Goddess have mercy on you.” 

“Because no one else will,” Shanice yelled over the din. Raucous laughter met that statement, the female population of the village all but salivating at the meal I would make.   

Pulling away from my lover, I went to stand before the elders. I was suddenly yanked back into his arms as he savaged my mouth in front of everyone. The kiss was hard and short, and for all that it thrilled me. He broke our oral connection and stared into my dazed eyes. 

“I have the Right of Refusal. But I'd prefer not to exercise it. Come back to me.” 

I was suddenly dizzy with happiness. Men could not participate in the trials, it wasn’t our way. But when the victor presented herself to him, he had the right to publicly reject her. The matter was considered closed after that: no Zykston woman would ever beg or grovel for a man's hand. Quentin had just announced that he would reject anyone who approached him in favor of me. That meant two things. One, I had won my man no matter the outcome of the Trial. And two, my opponents were going to try that much harder to ensure that I died after the Trial so that Quentin would be free to choose one of them. I refused to let that happen. 

I looked up cautiously into the sky. The moon was dangerously close to the sun, I had a minute left at most. It was dangerous to stare directly at the sun during the eclipse. People had received permanent damage to their vision from Mother Moon. More women were gathering, ready for the opportunity to pound me into the ground. The elders were saying the ritualistic words that meant absolutely nothing to me as I was a half-breed and therefore not subject to the same grace as the Goddess gave the Zykston people. I ignored it all, concentrating on getting through the next thirty-four minutes of my life. This Trial was going to be brutal with so many women trying to get a piece of me. The most I’d ever seen competing for a man was five and those Trials were brutal. Right now, every unattached woman in the village had turned out to compete. It was unnerving to say the least. But I'd trained and trained for this, both mentally and physically. I would not lose. 

“I love you,” I told Quentin as he moved away from me. His golden eyes flashed with emotion: I'd never admitted that to him, no matter what he'd done to my body under cover of darkness. Ignoring him now that I had said it out loud for the first time, I pulled the first of my scrolls out of my long shirt sleeve. I had them tied all over my body under my loose running robes. The scrolls were for large Area of Effect spells and other spells that required a lot of energy to use. I also had scrolls to refresh my energy if needed and healing scrolls for myself and one big one for my opponents. I wasn't allowed to wear armor, no one was, but I'd painted armor symbols all over my body with magic-infused ink to protect my organs somewhat. Keva liked kidney punches as a rule.

“Begin!”

I activated the scroll and the entire village was encased in magical silence and darkness. Only I could see right now and I took advantage of that to activate the armor painted on my skin as well as speed-enhancing charms in my shoes. The darkness would buy me ten minutes only; I had a second one but I would be saving that for the last ten minutes of the Trial to recover from any injuries I sustained. The women were in chaos, most converging on my last known position and pummeling whoever they found there. Already a bunch of my opponents were down and unconscious. I watched this spectacle for several minutes, more than I should have because it was so satisfying to see them wrecking each other instead of me for a change. They couldn’t hear each other, so they were just attacking whoever came at them. It was a powerful spell, usually costing the caster dearly in lifeforce. But I’d planned ahead, so it cost me nothing.  

Of the twenty-seven women who’d joined this Trial, only sixteen were left. Wanting it to stay that way, I swiftly cast sleep spells on the ones that were down. Then I sprinted for the edge of town. They would have to find me now, which would severely lower the number of beatings I would have to endure.

When the darkness lifted, I grinned maliciously to hear the lamentation as they saw their handiwork against their comrades. 

“Split up! Find that cowardly Lipper,” Amanda bellowed. Apparently, they'd figured out that they couldn't revive their fallen. The women started yelling to one another as they split up, on the lookout for more “Lipper Witchcraft”.  

In the meantime, I found a rain barrel at the far end of the village to hide behind, planning to wait out my time. Then I jumped up, ready to throw a spell as I saw someone coming towards me out of the corner of my eye. I paused just in time to save myself a forfeit. Old Ms. Aria wasn't part of the challenge. If I'd struck her with a sleep spell, I would have given up my right to Quentin according to the rules of this stupid contest. We stared at each other in shock, then her eyes turned cruel and calculated. Taina and Elena, her granddaughters, were part of the challenge. She opened her mouth and started screaming her head off as I sprinted away from her. So much for avoiding bloodshed.  

My chronometer said I still had fourteen minutes left before the challenge was over. Why hadn't I thought to make an invisibility scroll? Casting the spell with them all converging on my position would drain me. Besides, there was no guarantee that it would work. I was breathing too hard. 

Instead of waiting for them to surround me, I took off toward the North end of the village. It was largely uninhabited, but I might find someplace to hide. 

 “There she is! Get the filthy Lipper!” 

Or not.

 I dodged my pursuers, heading back to the center of the village to use my second Scroll of Darkness. Just as I reached my goal, Jerika and two of her lackeys surrounded me. Susanne and Gretchen grabbed my arms and Queen Possessive herself punched me in the gut with her favorite set of brass knuckles. 

Pain exploded in me but I managed to hold onto my wits. I didn't have to take their bullying anymore! Using the girls holding me as leverage, I kicked Jerika hard in the stomach, wrenching my arms free of the others when they stumbled. Flipping out of the way of a kick as Jolene joined the fight, I slammed another scroll open and into the ground, creating a repulsion field around myself. All eight of the women around me went flying away, hitting walls and fences with satisfying cracks and crunches. I would fix the concussions later. Right now, I needed to end this. I threw up a second Sphere of Darkness and Silence, using the time to hunt and stun my enemies or put them into eight hours of magical sleep. It was surprisingly easy to do with them all clumped together and desperate to find me.  

I used the last three minutes of the eclipse healing myself and everyone else who needed it. The elders would think twice before allowing magic in these matches in the future. But I had no intention of being in Zysan Province long enough to care. I used one of my remaining three scrolls to replenish my magical stores just as the sun came out. I stood up and bowed to the elders respectfully. Now the real fight began. 

“You can't be allowed-” 

“You allowed twenty-seven rabid, vengeful women to challenge a woman who was unable to pass her second year of Zykston training. What did you think was going to happen? That I'd just roll over and die? That I'd allow you to take the one thing that makes living here worth it from me?” I glared at them haughtily. “I don't think so.” 

“The Trials are a time-honored tradition that you and your Liptwese magic have made a mockery of.” 

“No, me and my “Liptwese magic” just proved that pure brawn is not the only way to get by in this world. If Jerika and her cronies had managed to overtake me, you wouldn't be trying to overturn this Trial. But since I happened to win…”

“That's not true,” Elder Sharon protested weakly. The others would not look her in the eye and she soon quieted herself.

“Whatever. Let's get on with the banishment.” 

“Banishment?” Elder Mia asked, blinking at me. 

“Of course,” I growled. “It's the only way to save your delicate sensibilities and maintain your erroneous beliefs that the Liptwese are inferior. I have to leave and take my half-breed boyfriend with me.”  

“No!” Grandmother shouted. “Teinah Livingston is the last of my line. She must be allowed to-”

“Oh, can it, Grandmother! Benjamin Livingston was the last of your line and he's dead. I’m no more a Livingston than I am a Zykston. I'm one of my mother's people. And I happily accept exile rather than continue to live in this backward society where my accomplishments will never be acknowledged, much less celebrated.”

“Please, Elders! She’s obviously distraught after her ordeal. If you will allow me to speak to her privately-” 

“Enough, Shareese. Your granddaughter has reached adulthood and can speak for herself. If she wants to lose what little standing she has gained in the village-”

“I do.” The matriarchs of the village exchanged glances before Elder Allara spoke.

“Very well, child. Consider yourself banished from Shainen Village for the rest of your life. You and your ill-begotten mate. Neither you nor your progeny may return except for your grandmother’s funeral, on pain of death. We will not have our traditions looked down on or mocked for Liptwese amusement. You have one hour to gather your things.”  

Quentin stepped forward with our things already packed. There weren't many of them because this was the plan all along. Holding onto our things and my mate, I whispered a spell and we were suddenly one thousand feet from where we’d been, well outside the Village. We’d chosen the ocean province for our home; it was only a few days walk from here. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our freedom than a few days making love under the stars on our way to our new life.

The Fieryo threw down his bags while I was distracted and picked me up, spinning me in a circle before sliding me down his wonderfully muscled body for a slow, sensual kiss.  

“How does it feel to be free?” he asked knowingly.  I'd graduated early from the Academy with full honors, so Grandmother couldn't compel me anymore.  

“Mmmm. Wonderful,” I hummed against his chest, nuzzling him.