Read Online Renegade Rising (The Renegade Series) by J.C. Fiske - Free Book Online

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    “Congratulations to all of you who have made it thus far. I hear whisperings that I might have been wrong on the original thirty count. Let me assure you, I have not led you astray. Even the thirty of you who manage to make it are not guaranteed to learn Elekai’. This is but the first step in a long and rigorous training process. I will, however, receive my thirty and this last test will determine who stays and who leaves.”
    A collective muttering ensued from the crowd of kids as they all looked at each other with surprise and terror. Questions began to fly out as General Ricard raised his voice to speak once again.
    “Silence now. I will explain. This next test will separate the men from the boys and the women from the girls. As you see, the soldiers are laying down white powder to form a large circle enveloping this whole courtyard. Once you step inside this circle, it will become your world. Once inside the circle, you will step out of your role as children and briefly step into the role of a novice Elekai’ Warrior. It will be all of you against one another, fighting for your position in a Battle Royal. You will be handed the same type of wooden sword used in the weapon test. The rules are simple.
    “If you step out of the circle for any reason, any reason at all, then you are eliminated. If you are rendered unconscious in any way, you are also eliminated. Other than that, there are no rules. Anything goes, like a real battle. Honor is among fellow comrades, not against an enemy. As of right now, you are all each other’s enemies. You may choose to make alliances to eliminate your enemies or stand alone. The choice is yours. Life is uncertain. Life is hard. Battle is no different.
    “This is no ordinary exam, boys and girls. Only those with the warrior’s spirit will survive this. I say this every year and every year you each claim you will stay and fight, yet as soon as the swinging starts, many of you will quickly run out of the circle and back to your homes . . . make no mistake . . . the life of a warrior is not intended for everyone.” There was dead silence in the castle grounds as Ricard finished his ominous warning.
    The children gathered in a tight circle and spaced out within the barrier, gripping their weapons. All of them had fearful looks on their faces, except for the Wolf Pack. They looked hungry and all stood together. Gisbo was on the far side of the circle near the castle gates. He was near ten boys and three girls. Their eyes darted back and forth in anticipation as they all contemplated the task at hand. The girls started to move together and whispered something, forming an uneasy alliance for survival.
    Gisbo was shaking, but not from nervousness. In this moment, he had found just what he was looking for. A piece of the old world he so desperately craved. Not even Thomson’s fiendish sneer could match the one plastered on Gisbo’s face. He stared downward at his weapon, then across the circle at Thomson, the source of his trouble. Gisbo felt that for once, he held the solution in his hands.
    Just then, a boy made his way over to Gisbo. The boy was huge and towered a good six inches over Gisbo and was nearly twice his width, but not at all fat. He was solid muscle and had arms like a gorilla, but the rest of him was human looking. He had sandy blonde hair, soft blue eyes. Gisbo recognized him from school and noticed with surprise that the boy was also grinning ear to ear. He also looked as if he just rolled out of a manure pile as he shuffled nervously in his farmer overalls before speaking.
    “Hey, you're that guy who passed that eye test, right? That was, that was awesome,” the boy said. He had a very deep voice as if puberty had struck him about ten years too early. Still, it was friendly. However, Gisbo only half listened, too immersed in his own vengeful thoughts against Thomson and said nothing in return.
    “Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but everyone else around us