Chapter 175: Beyond Understanding

Standing on the wide veranda that encompassed the obsidian clock tower, Jane tried not to shiver. She couldn’t see the point in having the duels outside —well, apart from making the Champions even more uncomfortable. She glanced longingly at the glass windows that lined the wall of the castle, and then at the frost-covered garden. Her hands were already numb. Tucking them into her fur-lined pockets, she approached Benjamin, who was standing near the edge of the giant chalk circle that had been drawn on the flagstones.

“It’s freezing out here,” she said. The collar and sleeves of her black jacket

were lined with rabbit fur, but it wasn’t enough. “Why didn’t you tell me it was outside?”

Benjamin shook his head, looking at Grave, and at Renault—the mercenary from Skull’s Bay, who, to her satisfaction, also seemed fairly miserable in the cold. “We didn’t know; the king decided just now,” Benjamin said. “At least it should be over quickly.” He smiled slightly, though she didn’t return it.