A Test Of Pride Page

The silver trophy stood between Kaelen and Elias, not just as a prize, but as a mirror reflecting two very different kinds of hunger.

Elias stepped up first. He didn’t check the wind vanes; he didn't need to. He was the Great Elias. He released a shot that looked perfect, but a sudden downdraft caught the fletching, pulling the arrow an inch from the gold. The crowd gasped. It was a winning shot for anyone else, but for Elias, the sight of his arrow in the red ring was a puncture to his soul. A Test of Pride

"Shoot, boy," Elias hissed, his face flushed with the rare sting of imperfection. "Or are you waiting for the wind to apologize for your lack of talent?" The silver trophy stood between Kaelen and Elias,

Kaelen left the silver behind. He had entered the trial to save his name, but he left having saved himself from the pride that had nearly swallowed him whole. He was the Great Elias