It’s working on you as well, whispered a warning voice in his head. You’d better be careful, Rarev, or you’ll wind up saying things you can’t take back!
“If they do propose to put us into the crystal chambers, I’ll be with you,” he promised Emilia. “And I won’t let anything happen to you—I swore my life to protect you, remember, my l’eeja?”
Then it was his turn to frown and wish he could bite his tongue. Why had he called her that? L’eeja meant “lioness” in the mother tongue of the Monstrum. It was something one of his kind would call a cherished mate—or a female he planned to Claim as a mate—and Rarev was very clear on the fact that he could never actually Claim Emilia as a bride—no matter how much he might long to.
Emilia frowned.
“L’eeja? Whatever does that mean?”
Rarev would certainly have had to answer her because of the truth berry in his system, but he was saved by the Director of Mining clearing his throat importantly.
“Now then,” he said, nodding at them all. “It is time for the Trial of Truth. In order to accomplish this, each pair of contestants will go into one of the Trial vessels and be seated on the chairs which shall be provided.”
As he spoke, several Rigellen attendants were hurrying around, carrying the elaborately carved crystal chairs to the large, crystal chambers. As they reached the chambers or “Trial Vessels” as the Director had called them, each dome rose smoothly upward until there was room for the attendants to slip under and place the chairs in the center of the rounded area.
“Ah, I see we’re all ready now,” the Mining Director remarked, as the last chair was placed. “Each couple please choose a Trial Vessel and be seated. For this trial you will be able to both see and hear the other Vessels and also the Judges who will be evaluating your responses to our questions. We will go to each Vessel separately and at the end of the Trial, one or more couples will be eliminated.”
Rarev heard Emilia take a deep breath. Looking up at him, she murmured,
“Here we go. I certainly hope we don’t have to reveal anything too embarrassing.”
Rarev raised an eyebrow at her.
“Like what?” he enquired.
Her lovely blue eyes widened in panic and he realized he had just asked her to reveal whatever embarrassed her the most and that, because of the truth berry, she was going to have to comply. It was a most unkind trick to pull on a female he truly esteemed.
“Never mind—forget I asked that,” he said quickly.
Emilia took a deep, shaky breath.
“Thank you,” she said, looking relieved. “It’s these bloody truth berries, I really would have had to tell you everything, from the time the back of my skirt got caught on a nail and everyone in my third form class saw my knickers to the horrible things the tabloids printed about me after my husband, Nigel left me.” Then she clapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes going even wider. “Damn—I didn’t mean to say any of that! It was just exactly what I wanted to avoid saying!”
Rarev shook his head sympathetically.
“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think any less of you for telling me those things,” he assured Emilia. “I have things in my past I would rather not reveal as well—but who knows what I may say before this first Trial is over?”
“Who knows indeed,” Emilia muttered. Her cheeks were pink and she still looked embarrassed.
“We’ll never find out unless we try,” Rarev pointed not. “Come…” He held out a hand to her. “All the other contestants have found a Trial Vessel, I think we’d better enter the last one so the Trial can get started.”
Biting her lip, she took his hand and Rarev led her to the large crystal dome, which was still raised far enough off the ground that the two of them could enter it—though Rarev had to duck his head and crouch a bit.
Once they were inside and seated on the crystal chairs—which were facing each other—the thick crystal domes slowly lowered to the ground with an audible thump.
They were alone inside the Trial Vessel and the first Trial was about to begin. Rarev prayed to the Goddess they would pass it and not be one of the pairs of contestants who were to be eliminated.
The fate of the Earth hung on how well they performed and yet, he didn’t even know what they were supposed to do.
18
Em looked nervously around the round crystal dome. It wasn’t small enough to make her feel truly claustrophobic, but she didn’t like the fact that there weren’t any doors and that someone else was controlling whether they could get out or not. She also didn’t love the idea that they might have to tell the truth about whatever it was the panel of Rigellen judges were going to ask about.