Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Jacinth
The ball last night had been tiring, but I knew we only had two days to prepare for the talent competition. Despite the fact that no one would be eliminated quite yet, I knew each challenge would be counted when determining who would win.
These challenges were not abstract. They were pointed.
Az—the High King, I corrected myself mentally—and his council had created them specifically.
They were all more than challenges. They were concocted to bring parts of us to the surface.
Alfrikr said Az—the High King! Ugh—wanted someone authentic.
These challenges would expose different parts of who we were at our core.
He was trying to crack us all open, so he could see who the best wife and queen would be, for him and the realm.
That meant each trial would be a chance to prove myself to him.
To show him parts of myself that were real.
I laughed at the very thought of any genuine part of me being anywhere close to good enough to be queen, but it was the only strategy I thought might work.
Carnelian said he’d ensure I won, but having now met Azurill, and seeing how untrusting he was of Carnelian, I couldn’t count on that.
Not when my vengeance depended upon this. Not when Ula’s life depended upon it.
First, I had to stop thinking of him as Az. I grimaced at the thought, knowing it would be too easy to begin separating the charming king from the ruthless murderer in my mind. I needed to remember who he truly was.
Today, I was determined to get to work. Faiza joined me, bringing me down hallways in all sorts of colors that reflected the different gems of all the courts, and finally into one that made my breath catch in my throat.
This hall was partly exposed, with rounded ceilings stretching high and curving upwards, and circular open sections where the daylight streamed through in pools of light.
The pearlescent walls were trimmed with gold, and vibrant pink flowers stretched up the walls and grew across the ceiling, ringing each opening within it.
The floor was marble, with white, pink, and a bit of black swirling around it. Gold lined the marble, leading visitors down the path. The hallway was long, but there were doors on each side, with gold-lined pink marble steps leading up to each one.
Tears came to my eyes so quickly that I had to shut them before Faiza caught a glimpse. It just looked so much like a piece of Pearl Court—of home—that I was thrown into the past for a moment. My heart ached more than it had in years.
But I pulled myself together and opened my eyes to Faiza’s concerned look, worry filling her turquoise orbs as her hand landed on my arm.
“Jacinth, are you okay?” she asked, her eyebrows creasing.
“I’m fine,” I told her, forcing a smile. “It’s just so beautiful, it’s nearly overwhelming!”
Faiza’s face cleared, her shoulders dropping as she relaxed. “It is, isn’t it? Az’s family updated the palace many times. Each time, they added more to represent the other courts. This is for Pearl Court.”
She eyed me for a moment, “You know, with your coloring, you almost look like you belong here.”
My eyes widened, but her impish smile broke out after a moment, making me force a laugh. I pushed her shoulder, like we were two friends joking around.
“Well, lucky me.” I joked, “Now I’m here.”
“Yes, you are,” she chuckled, waving a hand toward the door to the left. “Here it is.”
I looked at her to double-check she wasn’t kidding, but she looked serious despite the faint smile still tilting her lips upwards.
I stepped up the stairs, following Alfrikr as he opened the double doors covered in pink flowers too close to the same shade as my own hair. I truly hoped no one thought twice about that coincidence.
As the doors opened fully, the room inside was revealed. Mirrors surrounded the space, with plenty of light coming in through the round opening in the ceiling, just like the hall outside. It filled the room with a sunny, floral scent, making it feel more like home than anywhere had felt in years.
I stepped in, heading for the back, where a music player sat on a small but ornate golden table.
My steps bounced as I crossed the floor, the excitement running wildly through my veins.
I set the music to play, ignoring Faiza watching curiously from the corner.
It was only fair to let her watch after she’d set this up for me and even procured the music.
I let myself get lost in said music now.
When I was a child, I was enthralled by the pixie carnivals that would come and entertain us with marvelous feats.
While I’d always enjoyed the acrobats and lion tamers, it was the dancers who truly stole my focus.
The way their bodies moved was mesmerizing, and I’d wanted to be just like them.
My parents had easily agreed to more dance lessons, since I’d needed to learn the proper dances as a lady anyway. But whenever I was good and performed a proper dance perfectly, I was able to practice the less courtly routines as well.
These days, I only ever danced through halls as I stole into and out of places.
Being able to dance at the ball wasn’t even the same as this.
The dances were dramatic and acrobatic, with all sorts of flourishes I’d only ever seen the pixies bring to life.
I’d lived for these dances as a child, and returning to them once more left me nearly overwhelmed.
I let my feet carry me across the floor, twisting and twirling in movements my muscles remembered like an echo through time. Just like my heart, they ached, but they remembered.
I spent hours practicing, getting the hang of the turns and twirls again, making sure my hands and feet were in the correct places, refamiliarizing myself with every flip and split, and starting over every time I made a minor mistake.
But I couldn’t have cared less, it was time well spent as far as I was concerned.
I didn’t even notice when Faiza eventually left.
Here, I could close my eyes and escape into the dance.
The music washed over me like the ocean lapping the black sands of Jet Beach, bringing me up and down as the emotion rose and fell.
The violin wailed and softened as if it felt the joy and pain consuming me, while the movements of the routine brought me into another world.
A tragic one, perhaps, but I was used to that.
The magic of it all consumed me, until before I realized it, the glow of sunset was taking over the sky above me, washing the room from pink to orange.
It was enough to pull me out of the whirlwind. Panting and exhausted, my muscles screamed for rest, yet I felt wholly satisfied. Only that orange glow creeping along the pink left me frowning, thinking of the state of Pearl Court.
I didn’t want to think about that, however. It was no longer my business, so I quickly left the room, finding poor Alfrikr slumped on the ground outside.
“Were you out here the whole time?” I asked, blinking in surprise.
“Of course I was,” he grunted, standing back up. “I’m your guard. The last thing we want is one of the other competitors trying to off you while you’re distracted.”
My head reared back in shock. “Has that happened before?” His expression was grimly serious, adding more discomfort on top of my aching limbs.
“Not for a very long time,” he answered reluctantly, the words seeming to be dragged from his lips. “Now, let’s go. You’ll be late for dinner.”
“How long is a long time?” I pressed him as we began the walk back.
He groaned, shaking his head, “I shouldn’t have even mentioned that.”
“Well, too bad. You did.” I smirked at him, and Alfrikr rolled his eyes, his head tipping side to side like he was debating with himself. Until finally, he released a sigh of resignation, watching my eager expression.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” He asked, trying to look gruff and angry, but his twitching lips gave him away.
“Nope.” I popped the ‘p’, making it very clear that, no, I would never just let something go.
His exaggerated sigh was certainly impressive, though.
“It was several competitions ago,” He began as we walked the halls back to my room. His armor clanged softly with every step as my dance slippers whispered over the marble floors.
“The competition can get dangerous, that’s not a secret.
But it used to be much more perilous than it is now.
The ladies were brutal and bloodthirsty in their quest for power.
” Alfrikr shook his head solemnly, his purple braids swaying with the movement.
“Az’s great-grandfather’s competition was particularly bad, and one of the competitors decided to take out her competition. ”
I gasped, my hand flying to cover my mouth. I knew the prior competitions had been more treacherous, but I had no idea threats of that magnitude were at risk.
“For all her effort,” he smirked slightly, “High King Alberich chose someone else. But the memory is not forgotten.” He eyed me pointedly, and my eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
“What does that mean?” I asked warily.
“The competitor who killed the other ladies was from Ruby Court,” he revealed, looking surprised at my ignorance. “It’s well known that those from Ruby will do whatever it takes to get the throne.”
“But I don’t—” I cut myself off before I could say anything incriminating. My eyes shot to Alfrikr, whose head was tilted to the side as he inspected me too closely. Panic clawed up my throat.
“But I don’t have any intention of hurting anyone,” I finished lamely, the lie tasting like poison on my tongue. I couldn’t very well tell him that the other ladies were safe from me because I only wished to hurt one specific person.
Not when he’d strike me down where I stood if he realized who my target was.