Chapter 22
POV: Tamara Davis
After announcing the top ten candidates, Arlan who was also the King’s second in command asked them to go to the study room of the palace. They were accompanied by a man named Dillion whom she recognized as the man in the prison cell who had bailed for Kage and who was with Shimuel.
Tamara moved her gaze towards the entire room. She was currently sitting on one of the dark red single-sitter cabriole couches. Well, every one of them sat on each of the single couch. They were waiting for the Were Elder Council for whatever reason they had at that very moment that they were also announced as the top ten chosen candidates.
Dillion was eyeing them from the corner standing beside the closed huge wooden door. Although Tamara was fond of reading, she couldn’t appreciate the sanctuary of books placed in an asymmetrical bookshelf to every corner of the room. Her mind was floating and didn’t even mind the sharp looks from Leah, who was sitting to her right side three couches away from her.
They were embraced with a deafening silence. No one wanted to break the tense as well as the concentration of each of the candidates.
Their gaze moved towards the door when it banged wide open. There was King Hades, who first entered the room and moved gracefully towards her designated armchair a black one with its intricate golden linings. They all rose and bowed their head. Then, his second in command entered, and the six Were Elders’ Council Members.
Tamara’s heartbeat quickened so did her hyperventilating senses. Her nose was filled with that addicting scent once again. She clenched her hands tightly as she tried to control her toes from curling up with too much excitement.
“Please be seated.” She could hear Arlan ordering, and they stood straight and sat down to their designated seat.
She held a low breathy sigh and looked directly at the King who was also intensely looking at her. She held her breath and blinked her eyes a few times trying to fight the unbelievable feeling while glancing at the King. She wanted to tear her gaze towards him, but she couldn’t as if her eyes had her own mind.
Arlan cleared his throat, dragging her back to reality, and breaking her penetrating stare towards the King, who was still looking at her based on her peripheral view.
Eyes on the prized, Tamara she told herself.
She should concentrate on the competition and not eye flirting with the King.
Her cheeks burned at that mere thought and unconsciously bit her lower lip.
“So, on behalf of the King, I would like to congratulate you all on being in the top ten of this competition for the next Regina, but the challenge still continues.”
She could hear yippees or thrilled lowly reactions from every candidate in the room while Tamara remained silent and clenched her both fists tighter making her knuckles turn into pale white.
She pressed her lips together keeping her wolf at bay for she wasn’t nervous or anxious anymore. Something inside her burned and her determination fueled up as she was near the King.
“Now, we will immediately proceed with the mechanics for the real competition, which will begin now. There were three rounds, and the first round will start today. To the first round, the ten candidates will be down to six. To the second round, from six candidates into three. Lastly, from the three candidates down into one the winner, who is the one that will be crowned as the next Regina.” Arlan explained, wearing his stoic expression.
Tamara let out a soft low sigh silently praying that she could surpass the three rounds.
For her parents.
For justice.
And for…
Her eyes darted to the King, who narrowed his eyes into thin slits and placed his elbow to the armrest of the couch, then put his chin to his balled fist, boredom now laced with his dark expression.
“So, we will now proceed to the first round, right here, right now.” Arlan declared, making their eyes widened and shocked and their mouths agape.
Right here… right now?
Oh, my goodness!
Tamara couldn’t hide her surprised expression well, everyone was. Even the Were Elder Council Members creased their forehead with confusion and shock.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to let them prepare first before the first round begins?” The man whom she recognized as Elder Courdamus spoke.
Thanks to Shahara for giving her the portrait paintings of the Were Elders Council Members she was able to distinguish them.
“Preparation would be futile, for we are not disclosing any clue to every round of this competition not even to the Were Elders’ Council.” Arlan reasoned out as he narrowed his eyes that darted towards the elder wolf.
“We wouldn’t allow that. Why couldn’t you disclose it to us? Isn’t it right to inform us of the details of every challenge? Where is Prince Raven, anyway? Isn’t he the one who was leading this entire competition?” Elder Nord, who had this black pencil-thin mustache that its end curls upwards.
Some of the elders agreed, but some just shook their heads disappointment and embarrassment were visibly written on their faces.
“Prince Raven needed to attend to some important matters.” Arlan abruptly answered.
“Very well, then, we would like to file a petition, first before this competition continues…” Elder Courdamus hardly stated, but a deep dark voice interrupted everyone.
“Do you want to continue this competition now or I would stop this all at once and I’ll present my chosen mate instead.”
That voice filled with immense power and authority, resonated throughout the entire room making everyone feel a shiver down to their every spine. Tamara, on the other hand, felt a tickling sensation towards her stomach making her inner wolf satisfied with massive exhilaration.
“A petition?” King Hades laughed without humor as he added to those words with an unfathomable hostility in his tone making even the elder wolves tremble in so much fear.
An ear-piercing silence and intense reactions filled the air. No one dared to speak.
Tamara, on the contrary, moistened her dried lips with her tongue as she intently listened to the King’s voice she was more excited hearing it even though it resonated with menace and aggression.
“I am the sole authority on whether to approve it or not. Haven’t you forgotten that I am just giving this competition to you out of fairness and justice? For, I believe, the light that deserves the endless luminescence would surely be radiating in the end.” The King’s lips curled upwards an intimidating, and dangerous smirk escaped in his face.
“So, any objections? Or would you make this competition as difficult as possible?” A mischievous but perilous smirk never falters from his lips.
The King boredly said as he raised his brow and intently looked at the Were Elder Council Members particularly those who had shown opposition to the declaration of the mechanics.
They were engulfed in tension and rough silence.
King Hades motioned his hand ordering Arlan to continue with the competition.
Arlan cleared his throat before speaking.
“Very well, then. If you don’t have any objections, now. We would proceed with the first round.”
Arlan opened a golden envelope and pulled a folded paper inside it.
“This is the challenge for the first round from Prince Raven. It’s all about the test of wittiness. A soon-to-be Queen should be cunning yet genuinely shrewd and fair. Now, to examine whether you fitted to that part, we will give you a very special task. You will be given a same poetry, then write your own interpretation out of it. You will be given an hour to create your own understanding and you will be judged by the Were Elder Council Members, His Majesty the King, and the prince. We assure fairness here, so, after you write your answers, someone will write it similarly to what you have written. So, no one could recognize your own handwriting.” Arlan seriously explained.
Tamara bit her quivering lips as her hands turned cold.
She was now terrified, for she hadn’t studied the history of the werewolves in a profound way. Hopefully, it was not about it or else, she’s doomed.
Two servants pushed a moving huge chart with a cloth covered in it. An enormous hourglass was placed beside the chart. Some gave them a table with old paper, an ink, and a quill a feather with a hollow calamus that had a sharpened point. It wasn’t new for her to use the quill in writing, for Shahara taught her how to use it, but she wasn’t a pro, either.
Tamara let out a deep sigh just by staring at those things in front of her.
“For the poetry which will determine whether you passed the challenge of the first round…”
Arlan stated then went near the board where the chart was attached hanging and unveiled the huge cloth that covers it.
Tamara held her breath with mixed emotions of fear and excitement.
“Your one-hour challenge will start now.” Arlan seriously declared, and the huge hourglass they had brought was flipping to its other side which meant the one-hour first round had already started.
Tamara focused all her attention on reading the poetry written on the huge chart in front of them.
~ The last slice of an apple she had, ~
~ Falls to the depth of the final three drops of cold water. ~
~ For the warm knitted entity the first one detached, the two that follow permitted; ~
~ Were only almost halfway to the word she wanted to convey. ~
~ For once again, she wanted a tea that was pronounced with clarity; ~
~ Well-made with warmth and earnestly. ~
~ To be shared with her most loved better half, ~
~ Until beyond… what could it be? ~
~ That she wanted to say, reciprocating love in reality? ~
~ Thy complete word in every significant possession found ~
~ In every possible line. ~
~ In just one, two, three… just five. ~
~ Love is beyond what… what did you guess it would possibly be? ~
Tamara’s forehead creased.
She wasn’t a fan of any tricky yet remarkable literature like this, but she could at least have a chance to win in this kind of mind game rather than the Werewolf History that she hasn’t read everything.
Well, at least every one of them was totally engrossed with the challenge given too much with fairness, huh.
Minutes passed and Tamara hadn’t written anything on that piece of paper.
One by one, the candidates stood up and had already submitted their papers.
Frustration slowly lingers inside her making her inner wolf restless.
She massaged her temples gently composing herself as the last candidate beside her stood up. That leaves her, the only one who was still in her seat no words written on her paper.
“Last ten minutes…” Arlan loudly announced she saw a glimpse of worry crossed in his eyes and immediately vanished.
Her eyes were glued towards the King, who was looking at her like he was mocking her.
Something inside her ticked as she pressed her lips together.
Tamara, you could do it! Prove yourself to them! Prove yourself in front of the King! She thought with resolve.
She shook her head slightly as her gaze darted towards the chart once again trying to read it line by line.
Suddenly, it occurs to her.
She had already heard this notable poetry before.
***Flashback…
“Mom, I don’t really understand this poem that you’ve given me…”
Tamara on her seventh-grade self pouted in deep annoyance as she frustratedly scratched the side of her neck. She couldn’t uncover the word that her mother asked her to find based on the poem that she gave her.
Her mother put down the scarf that she was knitting and removed her eyeglasses.
“Sweetheart, come here,” she gently asked her while tapping the empty space beside her, to which she immediately obliged.
“What part haven’t you understood?” she asked in her warm voice.
“Everything!” She exclaimed and pouted again.
Ameia chuckled at her reaction.
“Come on, Tamara. I know you could do it. It requires one’s own clever mind to reveal the hidden word. You should know how to do this.” Ameia softly explained to her.
“But love is generally a huge topic Mom. I couldn’t just put it in my way… it could be love is forever… love is a mystery… love conquers all… even love is close to hate… everything could be possible.” Tamara reasoned out.
Her mother let out a slight smile as she shook her head.
“But not to this lady who had a different view of loving. Look at how she conveyed the words, Tamara. Every line had its own way of showing the clues. It took a little patience and time to unveil the secret word.” Her mother lightly told her as she explained each of the lines as well as the techniques that would unfold the secret message.
***End of Flashback…
“Last three minutes! You needed to write an answer now, Miss Tamara.” Arlan gently told her.
Her eyes blurred with unshed tears never minding the mockery painted on the faces of other people inside the room as she started writing the words that unveil the poetry given.
She let out a slight and grateful smile as she read by her mind the words she had written on that piece of paper.
‘Love is beyond ETERNITY.’