Chapter 13
I wake up with my head pounding, a punishment from the Fae wine.
The stars outside my window have vanished, replaced by streaks of white clouds and blue sky.
A sign that today, we start again.
That a new trial awaits.
A note sits neatly on my nightstand. I unfold it.
Rest another day.
Don’t worry about work.
— K
Is this kindness? Or guilt about Tessa?
Or another way of luring me to his bed?
Maybe all of the above.
Nothing happened last night, just a whole lot of flirting and drinking. The wine kept pouring itself as we talked absolute nonsense, silly topics that meant fuck all.
I laughed, I cried, then I got angry, and then I wanted to climb Kieran like a tree.
Me and the oh-I’m-so-cranky-I-brood-for-a-living King.
One minute, I hate him.
And the next, I want to drag him into bed and bite those dangerous, arrogant lips until he begs.
Kieran is going to be the death of me.
If not, Declan will kill me himself once I revive him.
“To lift your moods, today we’ll start our mini-game,” Aurora announces at breakfast.
If you really wanted to lift my mood, Aurora, all you’d have to do is not show your face for one bloody day.
Laia is also with her today. They’re both wearing fur and long coats. The autumn breeze grows colder by the day. I wonder if, by the end of it all, we’d be in the dead of winter.
Who knows how time works around here.
“What mini-game?” Leon asks.
The man speaks today.
“I’m glad you asked.” Aurora beams, the kind of smile that says our curiosity just made her morning. “Around the Court, we have hidden eclipsed coins—hundreds of them. The one who finds most of them will be given a small advantage in the next trial.”
I suddenly feel alive.
Lucas shifts beside me. “What kind of advantage?”
“Well, you’ll have to win to find out.”
Of course, secrecy is Aurora’s specialty.
“You have one week.”
“But before we officially begin”—Laia steps forward, all smiling—“we would like to offer the winner of the first trial their prize.”
That gets everyone’s attention. I cross my legs. Who even won the first trial? I was so out of it I could barely keep my head up.
“Now, there’s various prizes to choose from,” Laia says, dragging out the suspense. “Money. Fancy dinner. Pick a Fae to sleep with. Even borrow magic for a day.”
Gods.
The Fae are very on brand, aren’t they?
Greed. Lust. Power.
That about sums up the entire Court.
“Any Fae?” Jordan’s only eye flares with amusement. He turns to Aurora. “Even you?”
Aurora scoffs. “Keep dreaming, Jordan. You’re not the winner.”
“Finishing first only secured you some points, but thirty percent of the vote came from us,” Laia continues, grinning as she lets us in on the secret. “One of you performed particularly well … very entertaining.”
Every member of this Court is twisted beyond saving.
I imagine they’ve got criteria and proper guidelines for this popular vote, handed out like flyers on sports day. Meanwhile, we’re being chased to our deaths and mind-fucked in the middle of the woods.
“Cassandra.” My name spills from Aurora’s mouth like a surprise no one saw coming, not even me.
I straighten my spine. “Not only were you the quickest to realise your brother was a shifter, but you also managed to kill both of them—even while injured, I might add. The audience couldn’t quite believe what happened. ”
Oh, Gods.
I wonder if it physically pains her to say all this.
I wince—internally, at least.
“The prize is yours.”
I don’t know how I feel about this.
My survival earns me a reward, whilst my friend was left dead in the dirt.
I can feel the tension thickening between the other contestants—so heavy it barely fits in this massive hall. As if having Kieran on my side hasn’t already made me an enemy of half the Court.
“Which prize would you like?” Laia asks. “Or would you like some time to think about it?”
“Come on, you’re a fool if you don’t pick having magic for a day.” Daisy offers her unwanted opinions, as usual.
“What about money?” Oliver chimes in. “How much are we talking?”
“Enough to buy diamonds.”
Oliver swallows.
That’s useless.
I’m fed. I’ve got no need for jewellery, or any luxurious crap. Plus, I’m probably going to die before I get a chance to spend it all.
“I—I’m not sure,” I murmur.
“At least you don’t need a Fae to sleep with.” Jordan whistles, his only remaining eye begging to be taken again.
I exhale.
This again.
Aurora’s jaw tics. Her voice drops. “That’s a serious accusation—one that could cost you another part of your body if the Court finds you guilty.”
“Maybe I’ll get magic for a day just to shut you the fuck up.” I hum.
Aurora’s head snap towards me. “Using magic on the other contestants is off limits.”
Ugh.
What’s the point of having power if I can’t be petty about it?
I click my tongue. “In that case, I’ll think about it.”
Aurora nods, her pretty face showing no emotion, but it’s fairly obvious being nice to me takes great deal of effort. “You have until the day before the trial, or you will automatically forfeit the prize.”
Right, can’t use magic in the trial—got it.
“Now, I will give you each an eclipsed coin each, so you know what to look for,” Laia adds, starting to hand them out.
It’s bronze and has a half-moon engraved on it, small enough that it could be hidden anywhere.
“Have fun, my lovelies.”
With that, Aurora sweeps out of the room. I spin the coin in my hand as Laia stalks closer and stops in front of me and Lucas.
“I wanted to say I’m sorry.” She glances at the empty chair that used to be Tessa’s. I swallow another hard lump in my throat. “I help in the kitchen sometimes and got to talk to her. Tessa was a lovely person.”
It was such a short time, but Tessa touched so many lives.
The kind of person I could never be.
I nod. “Thank you.”
Laia hesitates, then lowers her voice. “You know, I don’t always agree with everything we do. If there’s any support you both need, just let me know.”
I know it’s part of her job to ensure we have everything. Still, she didn’t have to offer a damn thing.
“Also, you two should be careful. After the first trial is when contestants usually turn on each other,” she adds. “Especially you, Cassandra. Kieran can’t protect you forever.”
“He hasn’t been protecting me.”
If anything, Kieran has left me to fend for myself.
“It doesn’t matter.” Laia sighs, voice barely a whisper. “Who do you think they’ll turn on first, if not the strongest candidate?”
“She’s right, Cassandra.” Lucas agrees. “I told you—you should’ve stayed away from him.”
“Or you people should stop telling me what the hell I’m supposed to do,” I snap, rising to my feet and shoving my chair back a little too hard.
I storm out, not looking back.
Gods.
Can’t a girl catch a break for a day?
My head still pounds—now more from rage than the wine—as I wander beyond the Court and into the market. I have been back here a couple of times with Tessa, and sometimes Lucas. The first place we went, after making handsome money from our side jobs, was the bakery.
I still remember the taste of their pastries on my tongue. It’s exactly how I imagined heaven would taste like.
Today, I buy one of Tessa’s favourites—a chocolate-filled butter bun.
And I eat it for her.
Then, I cross the street to the blacksmith. The shop owner is draped in silk, just as elegant as the first time I saw her. But this time, she’s not alone.
Atticus stands in front of the counter.
Their conversation dies the moment I step inside.
“Look who it is,” he greets, then turns back to the shop owner. “You should know, Florence. Cassandra slayed two shapeshifters with your daggers.”
Is there anything people don’t know about me?
“Really?” Florence looks surprised. “Happy to hear my craft landed with someone who’s worthy.”
Yeah, well.
Tessa also had one of your daggers. Look how it turned out for her.
“Anyway, I should go.” Atticus straightens, sliding a small box towards Florence. She covers it quickly with a gloved hand.
I tilt my head.
Huh.
Atticus is a High Commander—he probably has the license to buy prohibited weapons. I wonder what else they’ve got hidden behind the cabinet, apart from the iron daggers.
“You know, we could use you in the army, judging by the first trial,” Atticus says, turning back to me with one hand on the door handle. “Maybe show up to training sometime. Gideon and I would be happy to work with you.”
I just don’t know if I can be bothered. Training with Lucas is good enough for me.
But I say, “I’ll think about it.”
If even he and Gideon start favouring me, and people notice, Jordan will probably wait outside my room all night just to take me out the second he sees me.
“How can I help?” Florence asks as I step closer.
I glance around and say at last, “Got anything that’s not blades?”
Anything small. Easy to carry. I will even consider poison—classic, most effective, delightfully feminine.
“Well, that depends on your budget.”
I grin, not hesitating for a second. “Put it on Kieran’s tab.”