"Do you think… you will… be ready… for the Trial?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Right now, the Trial's the last thing on my mind — I'm not even sure I'm going to get through the training! Vanez is working me hard. I suppose he has to, but I feel exhausted. I could slide under the table and sleep for a week."

"I have been… listening to… vampires talk," Harkat said. "Many are… betting on you."

"Oh?" I sat up, taking an interest. "What odds are they giving me?"

"They do not… have actual… odds. They bet… clothes and… pieces of… jewelry. Most vampires… are betting… against you. Kurda and Gavner… and Arra… are accepting… most of the… bets. They… believe in you."

"That's good to hear." I smiled. "What about Mr. Crepsley?"

Harkat shook his head. "He said… he does not… bet. Especially not… on children."

"That's the sort of thing the dry old buzzard would say," I huffed, trying not to sound disappointed.

"But I… heard him talking… to Seba Nile," Harkat added. "He said… that if you… failed, he would… eat his cape."

I laughed, delighted.

"What are you two talking about?" Mr. Crepsley asked.

"Nothing," I said, grinning up at him.

When we'd finished eating, Vanez and I headed back to the maze, where we practiced with heavier rocks and in the water. The next few hours were some of the most arduous of my life, and by the time he called it a night and sent me to my cell to rest, I was so tired that I collapsed halfway there and had to be carted back to my hammock by a couple of sympathetic guards.

CHAPTER FOUR

I WAS SO STIFF when I woke that I thought I wouldn't be able to make it to the maze, let alone find my way out of it! But after a couple of minutes of walking around, I worked off the stiffness and felt as fit as ever. I realized Vanez had pushed me exactly the right amount and made a note not to doubt his tactics in the future.