A Test Of Pride Instant

In that moment, Kaelen realized that if he won, he would be doing exactly what Elias had done: tying his entire worth to a piece of metal and the roar of a crowd.

Kaelen ignored him. He saw a hawk dip in the distance—a sign of a rising thermal. He drew back, his muscles screaming. But as he aimed, he noticed Elias’s hand trembling. The champion wasn't looking at the target; he was looking at the crowd, terrified of their judgment. A Test of Pride

Elias walked over, his face a mask of cold fury. "You got lucky." In that moment, Kaelen realized that if he

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. He drew back, his muscles screaming

The final round was "The Gale’s Breath," a shot across a canyon where the winds shifted like a restless beast.

"I didn't win because I'm better than you, Elias," Kaelen said quietly, turning to walk away without the prize. "I won because I was willing to lose. You’re still at the line, even though the match is over."