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tested,” I reminded him wearily.  “Not them.”
    “True,” he agreed. “But we have the most to lose.  That makes us hungrier.”
    “True,” I answered with a smile.  Brennan was such an optimist. He saw the good in every situation.  Sometimes, it was refreshing. Sometimes, it was annoying.  Tonight, it was comforting.
    Movement caught my eye and I looked up to find Branwyn entering the circle with a young woman.  Kenna had a thick brown braid hanging down her back and was dressed in a white nightdress.  The look on her face was set and mulish.  I could see that Branwyn had explained the situation.
    “We’re up,” I said to Brennan.  He released me, his warm arms sliding from my shoulders.  I instantly missed his warmth, but turned my attention to the two women approaching us.
    “Kenna?” I asked, keeping my voice as even as I could.  She had not personally affronted me.  The Olympians were the ones who had paper-thin skin when it came to these things.  Not me.  But here I was, doling out an “appropriate” punishment.  And what in the world would an appropriate punishment for a ridiculous offense be?
    They stopped directly in front of me and I watched the girl.  She wasn’t sorry for what she’d said. I could see that.
    “Do you admit that you boasted of your magic, that you said yours was better than even that of the gods?”
    Kenna stuck out her chin, her voice ringing through the night as her gaze met mine unflinchingly.
    “Yes.”
    “You have no remorse?” I raised an eyebrow.
    “No, princess.  I would feel sorry for it if I had lied.  But I did not.  It is the truth.”
    “While I personally admire your spirit, most of the gods would not.  It is never wise to threaten them in any way,” I told her. “And to make sure your punishment fits the crime, we must first decide if your magic is in fact as good as you say.  My mother is currently occupied and unable to be here. But you can match your magic against mine.”
    Kenna’s gaze flew to my face, startled.  It was clear she hadn’t expected to be tested and truly, it was a spur of the moment decision.  It suddenly seemed the appropriate move to make.  I wasn’t really sure what difference the outcome would make.  And there was no way that a mortal would have stronger magic that me.  It just wasn’t possible.
    “Yes, princess,” she bowed her head slightly, still unafraid.  I felt the slightest stirrings of resentment in my belly.  This mortal truly believed she was better than I was?  Besides having the blood of gods coursing through my veins, I had been alive for a thousand years.
    “Careful, Emmie,” Brennan cautioned, reading my thoughts.  “You’re sounding a little like them.”  He was right and I quickly tried to shake such thoughts from my head.  The last thing I wanted to do was become like the Olympians. They were arrogant and shallow, for the most part.  I didn’t want that for myself.
    “Come with me,” I told Kenna.  I turned and I felt her following closely on my heels.  I leaped onto the stone of the altar and stood squarely in the middle, my bare feet cooled by the stone.  Kenna walked quietly to my side. 
    “What would you like for me to do?” she asked.  She was no longer arrogant or brash, she was simply matter-of-fact. 
    “Do you realize that your magic comes from my mother herself?” I asked her.  “As a mortal, all you can do is channel the magic of the gods. You do not have such magic of your own.  And do you believe that my mother would allow more magic to flow through you than me in this situation?”
    For the first time, Kenna looked unsure of herself.  “I doubt it, princess,” she finally answered.  “When I made those boasts, I was not thinking that I would ever be facing you in a challenge.  Certainly in this situation, the outcome will be different.”
    “Certainly,” I answered, smiling slightly at the girl.  A little of her arrogance had seeped