CHAPTER 15
“The women chosen by the Gods are the deadliest warriors of the Realms. They have the strongest connection to the Gods, making them a threat to any man. The stones must be protected by the Deskyiara bloodline and only by a woman Deskyiara.” - Book of Azure
MORE MEN BEGIN TO JOIN us in the dimly-lit dormitory, their footsteps echoing off the cold concrete floors.
Their boots beating against the ground make the hairs on my arms rise higher with each step.
Some begin to climb up on their bunk beds, their feet swaying over the bed frame as they eat an apple without their gaze ripping away from me.
I catch others in the distance, stabbing their cherry-red apple dead in the center as their eyes linger on me.
The crunch of teeth and fruit makes me want to vomit.
I am so doomed.
Each one pauses as they pass me. Every single one of them.
Their eyes lock onto me with a fierce, deadly stare that sends a chill creeping down my spine.
A chill that won't leave me. A silent threat from every single one of them as their eyes linger down my body and their lips tug with disgust. They make me acutely aware of my difference, my vulnerability.
As the Queen said, I die in the games or I die from the men.
I guess she knew they would hate me the second I walked in.
Except for these two who still stand by my side.
However, as more men walk by, some begin to tap at their daggers, warning me that I will die for being a woman.
The first woman to ever be thrown into these damn games. How the hell did I end up in this situation? I should have never touched those stones in the first place.
“Act like you have known me for years.” Theon wraps his arm around me, pulling me in as if I have been his friend for years even though I just beat the shit out of his chest. I roll my eyes, knowing it didn’t even hurt him. So annoying.
“Am I really expected to just stand here and let these men look at me like I'm some kind of prey they're about to devour?” I shudder, my lip rising in disgust as I meet the gaze of a man with midnight-black braided hair tied in a high bun, who is straddling a chair and making a kissing gesture at me.
“Or even worse, maybe some of them have other intentions?”
Kaine lets out a silent laugh, tugging his lips between his teeth. “Stick with us, I won’t let them touch you… in any way.”
“I swear I’m going to be sick,” I mutter out, crossing my arms over my chest.
“So tell me, Serene… what did you do to my mother?” Theon whispers in my ear, almost making sure none of the other men who have joined us hear.
“She caught me trying to go to the archives, due to someone betraying me.” My teeth clench with the thought of Koen. “But I suppose since she sees me as a threat, she threw me in here.”
“Most people are beheaded when they try to reach the archives.” Kaine’s brows furrow into deep, dark lines of concern. His eyes narrow as he adds. “I wonder why you didn’t meet the same fate.”
“Probably to make me suffer,” I mutter with a bitter tone. “The other way is quick and fast, I suppose that’s too dull for her.” I can feel the heat rising to my face, my cheeks burning a bright cherry red at the thought of her eyes fixed on me during these torturous games.
A loud trumpet blares outside the sleeping quarters and men begin to bounce off their beds, tossing their apples and letting them roll across the concrete ground.
Some get squished under their boots. A man strolls past casually, daggers wrapped around his thick thigh and his hair a dark shade of bronze, cascading in waves on the right side, while the left side of his head is shaved, marked with arrows etched into his buzzed scalp.
He bites into his apple with a deliberate slowness, the crisp crunch echoing in the air, before casually tossing the half-eaten fruit onto the ground in front of me.
He brings down his black boot, crushing the fruit.
The apple's juice bursts everywhere, spraying the ground around us.
“This will be you,” he growls before spitting at the ground.
“Cool.” My lips roll between my teeth as I inhale a deep breath through my nose. “I am so screwed.”
“You wasted a damn apple!” Kaine throws his arms up, glaring at the man who walks ahead without a care. “Inconsiderate. I swear.”
“Those of the sea never are.” Theon removes his arm from around me and adjusts his daggers wrapped around his thick bicep. “Disrespectful scums.”
“What did you say?” a deep growl bellows from behind us.
Theon sighs, his lips part before tugging into a tight line. “Dryden.” His tone is laced with sarcasm. “How I have missed you. I was wondering when you’d show your face.”
He sharply turns on his heels, his hands firmly gripping the sides of his hips. Then in one swift motion, without giving me any time to process who Dryden is, he yanks my shoulder back, compelling me to turn with him.
“Have you met my dear friend, Serene?” he asks with a hint of mischief, as if he has something up his sleeve. “First woman ever to compete, seems as if you have some true competition this year.”
My eyes narrow into slits, burning with irritation throughout my body. I cast a sidelong glance at Theon. My nails dig into my palms and my jaw tightens as I glare at him. I know he can clearly see the annoyance raging within me as my brows deepen, but all he does is grin.
Dryden glances my way for a mere second with a disgusted expression. Golden symbols along his shaved scalp beam against the darkness of this dormitory. His hair twists in multiple rows on top before his strands are pulled into a short ponytail, showing the points of his ears.
I pull my dark locks behind my ear, feeling the soft, round curve before my hand falls.
His dark hair blends in with his skin with a five o'clock shadow, but his ocean eyes are vivid, almost taking the air from my lungs.
They are as bright as the moon. Against his broad, massive chest, two rows of necklaces draped in sea-shells and bones rests against his bare skin.
Instead of him dressed in similar suits to the ones we wear, he is shirtless in a cloak of fur and feathers with gold metallic armor that wraps around his wrists.
On his black pants, daggers are hung from his leather belt and his boots stretch upwards to his knees with tiny bones dangling along the sides.
“Why are you speaking of those from the sea, Theon?” Dryden bellows, his voice tinged with a burning desire to destroy Theon right here and now, but he stays calm with his arms crossed against his chest.
“He was saying nothing.” Kaine takes a step forward. “We were just about to head to the pit.”
Dryden grunts. I can hear his breathing from where I stand and instead of walking around us, he walks through us, his shoulders ramming into mine and Theon’s before leaving the dormitory. I grab my shoulder, my body feeling as if a boulder rammed right into me.
“Who the hell is that?” I say through clenched teeth, my eyes drying out as I stare at his massive frame ducking to leave the dormitory.
“Someone you don’t want around,” Kaine calmly says, shaking his head as he scans the empty bunk beds. “Never, and I mean never, engage with him again. Do you understand?”
His eyes meet mine, and the fear is written all over his face.
“You know better than to say something stupid like that outloud.” Kaine shoves Theon. “What the hell were you thinking? Dryden doesn’t follow the rules, he could have slit your throat right here!”
Theon pushes Kaine back. “You really think he would? That would start a war with the Realm of Eekatia and the Realm of Nilak!”
Kaine rubs his fingers over his mouth before letting his hand fall down his neck. “Can’t take any chances. He has been craving a war for many years, and you know it.”
The trumpet sounds off again, piercing my eardrums. I let out a shaky breath as my eyes glance around the room, knowing soon, ninety-nine men will be in here, sleeping here with me.
But I know, I shouldn’t sleep. I must keep my eyes open in order to survive.
I fear they may try and kill me any chance they can get, and night will be the easiest way for them to target me.
“Line up time.” Theon tries to jump on Kaine’s back, but they tumble over before pushing another as they run to the door. Their laughs silence the trumpets. “Let’s go, Serene!”
But go where?
The only place I want to go is home. My heart aches knowing I won’t be able to save Tilly. I have screwed everything up and my death will now be in an unfamiliar place, instead of being around those I love. But I follow, even though I don’t want to. My feet move, but my mind screams not to.
But what other choice do I have?
None.
We push through the metal door, and it leads us to this long tunnel filled with cobwebs and torches that light up the way.
I can hear the echoes of men chatting up ahead, all of the men.
A guard squeezes by us, his silver armor reflecting the fires against the wall, and begins organizing us.
He pulls men to the front of the line and behind us.
I bite my bottom lip as he halts by me and with a grunt, he yanks my arm and drags me up ahead, leaving behind the only two men in here that don’t want me dead.
Shit. I glare all around in a panic, trying to catch my breath as sweat begins to bead across my lip.
Unsure if it's from the fire or the fear of being alone with men who aren’t afraid to kill someone.
Who aren’t afraid to rip a soul from someone's body without hesitation.
My stomach tightens as I hold my breath, wondering who the lucky man is that will get to kill the first woman ever to participate in the games.
It would be funny if I am the Prophecy Queen and whoever kills me is cursed forever. I at least would die knowing once my heart stopped beating, I would take revenge and they would have no idea it's coming.