Along the edge of the trench were evenly spaced piles of smooth and rounded rocks as well as ten wire baskets with straps attached to them.
Master Akerman gestured toward the baskets. “On,” he said bluntly.
Allyra picked up a basket and found that the straps were like backpack straps. She slung it over her shoulders and adjusted the straps so that the awkwardly shaped basket hung, mostly comfortably, on her back.
Once everyone had their baskets strapped on, Master Akerman spoke again. “Given Miss Warden’s injury, I thought swimming would be a good exercise this morning.” He glanced at Jason’s bare chest. “And turns out you’re suitably dressed for it,” he said sarcastically.
“Now allow me to explain. It’s quite simple—jump in and tread water. Then, we wait and see just how long you survive. The only other stipulation is that each pair faces each other.”
Allyra heard a snicker to her right, and she followed Master Akerman’s eyes to the sound. His eyes hardened as they landed on Owen Fan, an American Chinese, who was part of the Fourths from the Elemental College. She’d found out yesterday that he was the older brother of Lin, who’d competed in her Elemental Trials. While his sister hadn’t gotten far in the Trials, Owen had managed to win his. In many ways, Owen was like his sister, or his sister like him—they were both rich, good-looking, and ridiculously entitled.
“So, you think this is going to be simple, Mr. Fan?” Master Akerman drawled.
Owen Fan shrugged dismissively and nodded. Next to him, both François and Xolani also looked bored by the idea of the day’s task.
“Well, perhaps you’re right,” Master Akerman agreed, his voice dangerously silky. “You’re all strong and Gifted, so treading water for five hours should be well within your capabilities. But, I should just mention—I reserve the right to drop rocks into your baskets whenever I feel like it. If your head drops under water, then you’re out. Simple. Now, let’s see which of you is really the strongest.”
Some of the others jumped in exuberantly, but Allyra lowered herself in carefully, and even then, the icy-cold water brought a small gasp to her lips. The water felt like it was no more than a couple of degrees above freezing, and judging by the shock on most people’s faces, they’d all begun to realize just how tough it was going to be to stay in this water for five hours, never mind the rocks.
“What do we get if we survive the longest?” someone called out, their voice already shaky from the cold water.
Master Akerman rolled his eyes. “My grudging respect?” he replied sarcastically. “Why does a prize have to be necessary for you to do anything? Let me warn you now, if you don’t convince me that you’re giving this exercise one hundred percent, then I’m fully prepared to chuck you back in and hold you under myself just to see how long you can hold your breath for.”
* * *
The minutes ticked by, and the icy coldness started to sink through her flesh and penetrate her bones. Every couple of minutes she’d rub her fingers, alternating between each hand, trying to stave off the threatening numbness. She kept up a strong kicking motion, putting in more effort than was strictly necessary in order to keep warmth in her legs and feet. More than most, she was equipped for this task—she thanked Alex silently for the hours he’d made her spend treading icy, turquoise-colored water deep in a sink hole in the Between.
Master Akerman walked up and down the edge of the trench, dropping in rocks periodically with sadistic randomness.
After the first hour, Master Akerman had dropped five rocks into her basket, and it was taking significantly more effort to keep afloat. Awful as it was being weighed down by a basket of rocks in freezing cold water, it was having to look at Jason and his arrogant smirk for a whole hour that really grated on her nerves. Especially since Jason’s arrogance was well founded in this case, as Master Akerman had only dropped a single rock in his basket.
She heard Master Akerman’s footsteps draw closer again and braced herself for another rock, careful not to let the sudden increase in weight pull her under. As another rock splashed into the water and into her basket, she gritted her teeth and kicked harder. Jason’s smirk widened.
“This isn’t fair!” Owen Fan called out. “I have at least twice as many rock—”
Master Akerman cut off his complaint. “When did I ever say this was going to be fair?”
“I thought you wanted—”
Again, Owen was cut off as Master Akerman dropped another large rock into his basket.
“I don’t like whiners, Mr. Fan. I’m the teacher and you’re simply here to learn. Next person to open their mouth to question my methods gets an armful of rocks.”
“But—” Owen refused to give up his questioning, and Master Akerman was as good as his word, dumping an armful of rocks into Owen’s basket, which instantly pulled his head under water. As Owen reemerged, spluttering, Master Akerman shot him a pitying look.
“First one to drop out, Mr. Fan, what a shame.”
Owen scowled and made to get out of the water. Master Akerman used his foot to push him back into the trench. “No. Did I say you could get out?” Master Akerman asked. “You’re staying in there until time’s up.”
* * *
Another couple of hours and Allyra had to admit that she was really struggling. She guessed there were about fifteen rocks in her basket, but she couldn’t be
