Electus (Regnum Series Book 1) by K.M. Link Read Free Book Online Page A

toast, from Tia’s hand. “There was an incident,” he responds, before taking a bite.
    “Like what? Oh! Quick draw?” she inquires in a sympathetic tone.
    “No!” he exclaims. “We didn’t even make it that far. My shirt was the only thing that ‘got off’. We were making out, and when she touched the back of my hair, I...” he trails off, staring out into space, as though he is recalling a bad moment.
    “You?” Tia prompts.
    “Forget it, we need to eat.” He grabs his plate and sits on the couch. Tia follows him. I guess we do need to hurry, she thinks, dropping the subject.

    The lobby is packed with the other candidates, all dressed in the same attire. Tia feels more comfortable this way, allowing herself to blend into her surroundings. She traipse around, as the other candidates converse amongst themselves. No one seems to say anything to her. Maybe they will forget about my mishap on stage, yesterday.
    Then, a young Regnumian boy points Tia out to his friend and pretends to barf. She rolls her eyes and turns away as they laugh at her. Lucas walks over next to Tia and stands in silence. Tia wonders if he is going to speak, momentarily, wishing he wouldn’t.
    “Hello,” Tia finally greets Lucas, attempting pleasantries.
    “Oh, hi,” he replies, pushing up his glasses.
    “How are you?”
    “Okay,” he leans in to whisper, “could you not speak to me in front of all these people. I don’t want to be embarrassed. You know, talking to the girl who vomits on stage.”
    Tia sighs and leans against the fountain. She is starting to feel the weight of the upcoming event. From the videos they demonstrated in school, of the previous Electuses, it appears these fights can be rather deadly if not handled properly. It is as though a beast arises, during the Brawns category.
    She knows, physically, she is in shape, and a few times her and Quade practiced blocking. She still senses fear of the unknown. Who will my opponent be? Will I freak out like last night? Tia runs through a fight scene, in her mind, where she is beaten to a pulp due to her stage fright.
    On the wall above the door, the clock reads nine thirteen. She wonders what is taking so long to start. The only physical skill being tested right now is her ability to stay awake. Scanning the room, she catches Quade chatting with Kira.
    Something about her rubs Tia the wrong way. Maybe her hair is too long. Yeah, that’s it. Who keeps their hair that long, anyway? Tia attempts to find faults in Kira. Then, she realizes, there isn’t anything wrong with her. She is just a single girl flirting with a single guy. I don’t know why it would be so bad for him to date her. Not like I’m going to make a move on him.
    Finally, an instructor, dressed in the same attire as the candidates, arrives with a clipboard. She has a similar build to Tia’s. Only she is much older with short, brown hair. The woman counts in her head, pointing at each candidate with her finger. Checking her list one more time, she notices Tia by the fountain and gestures, with her finger, to step closer to the rest of the crowd.
    “Alright, everyone! Welcome to stage two of the Electus. You are all here which is fantastic, compared to previous years. My name is Claire, I’m your referee for the Brawns category. Now, each one of you will be paired up with someone in the same weight class as you, to fight. It wouldn’t be fair of us to stick the smallest candidate with the largest. I think most of you would agree on that.” Everyone nods.
    “I want all of you to line up, in the order you were yesterday, on the platform, so I don’t have to guess anyone’s names. Then, I will make my rounds to inform you on who your opponent is for this phase.”
    Each candidate shuffles around to form their rows from yesterday. Half of them are still groggy from partying the night before. Tia stands between Quade and Lucas, suddenly feeling dwarfed next to them. Claire walks around to each candidate,