THERE were only three days left.

It was like Asmeen was going around with a constant pit of anxiety and nervousness in her stomach. Only three days. She, and Wylla, had basically stopped functioning outside of training, leaving Elyn to keep their spirits up.

But today, it seemed like the leaders had noticed. The task wasn't any less gruelling than usual, but it was certainly more fun.

They'd arranged a sort of treasure hunt all over town, where the first clue pointed to a certain location, and once they figured it out and arrived there, they had to do a certain task—a quick potion, or some push-ups, or runes—and then get the next clue, and move on. The quicker you finished everything and arrived back at the field, the better.

The clues were...hard. Some of them were even written in runes, which caused an extra headache. But it was fun, traipsing through the town instead of being stuck in the field for once, especially since Asmeen hadn't been allowed to leave the house all this time.

She and Aven argued about the clues, of course—as was to be expected—but they managed to think of the right places in the end. They even took a detour in the bakery Elyn worked in. It was nice. The owner recognized her, somehow, and even gave her a free muffin. Did Elyn talk about her at work?

They weren't one of the first teams to reach a field. When they started arguing, they had to check both of the places in mind, so that wasted plenty of time. But they weren't last.

Asmeen even spotted Aira, who was handing out one of the clues. Luckily, the Flower Child didn't mention anything about her offer, and neither did Aven. Asmeen might not have been able to handle it if they had.

There was a lot of walking, though. At least it wasn't sunny—it was quite cold, so the walking kept them warm, but Asmeen's ankles were aching by the time they took their break in the afternoon. There was no designated time for eating, so they just ate whenever they were hungry.

By the time they reached the field, it was late evening and Asmeen was thoroughly exhausted from all the running and walking. It was still a bit earlier than their usual ending time, though.

Pairs that had reached the field were supposed to report to Dara and Osoric and show them all the clues that they'd collected, to make sure they'd actually finished the course. Asmeen and Aven had to wait for two other pairs, who'd finished right before them, to get to the leaders.

Asmeen was even more nervous seeing them. In only about two more days, she'd either be a part of Dara's group, or she wouldn't. This was probably the first time she'd really had a conversation with Dara that she could remember. Or Osoric, of course.

A glance at Aven showed her that he was feeling the nerves too. He kept staring at Osoric's face, seemingly thinking her was subtle. He wasn't. He was as awed by Osoric as she was by Dara.

When it was finally their turn, they walked up. This was the first time Asmeen had seen Dara so close, under than the night of the exploding cauldron, when she'd been caught up by somewhat more important matters.

Dara was even more striking up close—perhaps not the most beautiful person Asmeen had seen, but something about her sharp cheekbones and narrowed eyes made her seem alert and wise. Or maybe it was just the way she carried herself, her aura. She really felt like a leader.

Osoric did too, and Aven was certainly more focused on him. Asmeen hoped, privately, that she didn't look as starstruck as he did. Personally, she knew that that was false.

"Asmeen," Dara greeted her.

Asmeen's eyes widened. Dara Segast knew her name. Did Dara know all the trainees' names? Probably. How had she memorized so many names?

"And Aven," Osoric said. Aven looked as stunned as she felt. "How was it today?" He asked sincerely, seeming less like an unreachable leader, and more a real person in the moment.

Asmeen exchanged a glance with Aven, seeing that he didn't particularly want to talk. She didn't want to take the initiative either, to be honest.

Aven looked very much like he wanted to give her a dirty look, but since the leaders were right there, he schooled his face into the politest expression Asmeen had ever seen him make and replied, "Challenging. But we made it."

"That's good," Dara said, looking like she was truly interested. "Let's see your clues, then."

Asmeen and Aven handed them the scraps of parchment all the Flower Children and Children of the Night scattered around town had handed to them. The leaders' went through all of them in order, their faces unreadable.

Finally Dara looked up, a small smile appearing on her face. She looked like a normal woman. Osoric was smiling, too. Asmeen almost couldn't believe her own eyes.

"Good job," Osoric said, smiling at her and Aven. Aven was doing a better job of hiding the fact that he was about to keel over from the praise now. "Everything is correct."

Asmeen let out a small breath. She'd known they were correct, of course, but a part of her couldn't help but be paranoid over whether over not they were missing a clue here or there. She and Aven had discussed the last clue for too long, she knew, not entirely sure whether or not the place described was the field. They were both too scared to go in, but eventually they'd realized that they had no other choice.

"Tell us, how are you feeling?" Dara asked, seeming concerned. "Now that training is about to end?" She looked right at Asmeen.

So, of course, Asmeen had no choice but to respond. "Nervous," she admitted.

"That's to be expected, of course," Osoric said, smiling gently. "But do you feel confident? Do you think you've prepared enough?"

Asmeen glanced at Aven again. She could tell that he didn't know how to answer that question either. Was it a trap? Would they seem overconfident if they said yes, or underconfident if they said no? Surely the leaders wouldn't want to take someone with too much confidence in themselves—or, conversely, no confidence at all.

"Honestly," Osoric added with a knowing look. They must have had this experience with all of the trainees.

"We'll find out when the day comes, I suppose," Aven said finally, before the silence got too awkward. "I hope I've done enough."

Asmeen nodded beside him. That was a good answer.

"Well," Dara said, "We believe both of you will do very well. Don't be too disappointed if you are not chosen, though. What is meant to be will be."

Asmeen had heard those words over and over, too many times within the past few weeks. Everyone seemed concerned with making sure she didn't feel bad if she wasn't chosen. But if it was meant to be...Asmeen still wasn't sure how she'd handle it, having to go into her father's business instead.

Still, she nodded at Dara. "We understand. Thank you."

"Thank you," Aven repeated quickly, making a sort of bow. Asmeen copied it. They quickly exited, letting the next pair talk to the leaders. Asmeen didn't really notice she was walking with him as they exited the field until Aven told her, "Goodnight."

She nodded. "Goodnight." She watched him go and then turned in the direction of her own house. She didn't want to go home alone. Were the twins done? She'd seen them around town, but the leaders had put them all on their honor to not get help from other pairs, so of course Asmeen hadn't really talked to them.

She reached the door and took in a breath. She didn't want to face Azol or her father alone. Still, nothing she could do. She knocked on the door softly.

It opened. Asmeen let out a breath, seeing that it was only Elyn, already changed into a nightgown.

She stepped in, asking, "Is Wylla here yet?"

Elyn began to shake her head, but then her eyes moved behind Asmeen, and she pointed her head in that direction.

Asmeen turned to see Wylla hurrying up, gesturing at them to keep the door open and wait for her. She grinned as Wylla finally reached, panting.

"Did you just come?" Wylla asked as she came in, shutting the door behind herself.

Asmeen nodded. "But Elyn was here before me. When did you come?" She asked.

Elyn shrugged. "Not too long ago. Let's go up."

They ignored her vague answer and traipsed upstairs. Asmeen was more than happy to change and collapse onto the bed, and wait for her sisters to join her.

"I'm glad they organized this today," she said. "Dara and Osoric. It was fun."

"It was a good idea," Elyn agreed. "Everyone's more motivated, I think. More energized, even though today was tiring."

"Right," Wylla said. "I feel like I can make it through the next two days now."

Asmeen laughed. "So do I."

"Let's try to sleep," Elyn suggested. "It's important."

Asmeen rolled her eyes, grinning at the obvious statement. But she still wished them goodnight and shifted into a comfortable position, letting the tiredness take over her.

See you next chapter!