ELLA'

eggs, bacon and a mug of fresh animal blood. It doesn't seem to be improving her

na will be facing another test today and I can see the anxiety in he

in this palace or for their future queen. My fellow servants mentioned the same thing. Which means I'll have nowhere to g

my case with my mistress, I'll

door just as Catrina f

ps anxiously. "Hurry, let her in." Sh

we all bow our heads slightly in respect

ning?" Sh

a smile. "Good

ager to prove that you are the vessel to the vampire kings, right?"

e vessel. I promise to pass the

ere just nervous since it was your first test. I spoke up for you in the council and got you this one more chance." Her voice

If she fails this test it will completely ruin her chances of b

Unlike yesterday, there's no carriage waiting for us in the courty

farthest one. This building is smaller than the others, and there are no servants around

one bolted shut and eerily quiet. There is scent of dampness an

Catrina asks as she

ll face your next test," she replies. "You must

re room, shaking the walls. Everyone except Lady Calypso a

e beast with scales instead of fur and a mouth full of canines. It's enormous, at least eight times the size of a m

ferocious. But with just your scents, you can tame it. If you

teps inside that cage, sh

ffens, unab

so commands. "You have one cha

k the cage and the man step

and I feel panic rise within me. If she ends up getting mauled to death which is what is what li

her arm. "Don't do it,"

d not leave your scent on her. The beast mustn't detect any oth

h a loud click, and Catrina faces forwa

ning, Catrina steps forward. Her desperation to impre

Catrina unwisely inches closer to the beast even as it growls f

its chains, muscles rippling beneath its scale

you ugly beast!"

lly loosen. It surges forward. Catrina lets out a piercing scream, s

s, but Catrina shakes with terr

usly, but Lady Calypso ignores him, focused on

it seems like it will attack

screams, instinctively recoili

I shout in frustration. And the

ts massive head in our direction and i

a massive scaled dog at Catrina's feet. Everyone starts whisp

atrina scream