47. Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Zeph
M y nerves threaten to get the better of me. I've never been one to succumb to them, but if there was any day for it, it's today.
It's the day of the final challenge, and if Loris' plan works, it's the day we can start turning the tide away from Himureal. Viola needs the support of the city, not the Frostweaver. And it's up to us to show them who is worthy of their devotion.
It's been hard to maintain a normal attitude with Himureal, making sure he doesn't see any slip in my loyalty, but he's so distracted by continuing to grow his number of worshipers to boost his power he barely notices.
I've always been loyal to Viola. Everything I've done has been to get her back to me. And my methods have been flawed, my motivations suspect, but I can make up for it.
At this point, I just need to be in her life, even if she's chosen to be with Mace.
My magic is getting stronger by the day, bolstering the idea that she has reawoken Summer magic. It feels good to have this power flowing in my veins. Everything feels different now.
My beard is trimmed, my clothes are crisp, and the reflection in the mirror is every bit the Zeph that Himureal expects to see.
Cirrha knocks on my door, here to walk with me to the arena. Once again, someone is keeping her in the dark about the larger plans around her, and the guilt stings, but no one can know I am helping rig the competition for Loris.
"You look sharp!" she says as a greeting. Her curly black hair is tied back with a ribbon, and her yellow jumpsuit contrasts beautifully with her dark skin. I find myself looking at her, really looking at her, for the first time.
She's stunning.
Maybe the fact that I think so proves there is hope for me yet, that I can move on from Viola if I have to.
"You look lovely, Cirrha," I murmur, siding past her to leave my home.
We walk in silence to the arena, which Cirrha mistakes for worry. "Loris will be okay, Zeph," she says, placing a hand on my arm.
"I think so, yeah," I answer. He's going to be okay, regardless, because he knows how to get out of the box. But the question is will I be okay? If Himureal finds out what I am doing, my plan to turn the city against him and have them throw their weight behind Viola, he could kill me.
Scratch that. He will kill me.
The arena is already full when we get there, and the four boxes for the competitors are standing right in the middle of it. A blend of glass and stone, giving texture and places to hide clues, the boxes are the size of a small office. Inside them are various magical puzzles designed to test the ability of each competitor to think on their feet, and they cannot escape without solving them.
Well, unless you're Loris and know how to access the escape hatch.
To add extra stakes, Nereids are standing by to slowly fill the boxes with water, creating a timer that cannot be escaped.
Taegan is waiting for me in the arena's wings, wringing his hands. His blonde hair is streaked with sweat, and his normally bright smile is contorted with fear. "I can't Zeph. I'm losing my mind."
I grip his shoulder tightly, leaning forward to press my forehead to his own. "He knows how to get out. It looks scary now, fuck it'll look scary while it's happening, but he knows what he's doing."
"I don't want him to have to take that risk. It could kill him," the man says quietly.
"If anyone can do this safely, it's him. And who knows? Maybe he'll solve the puzzles quickly, and all of this worrying is for naught, yeah?"
He ruffles his hair, further mussing his appearance into one of a stressed-out partner. "I hope you're right, Zeph. Loris really loves you, and he trusts you." The Helios pulls me into a tight hug, whispering, "You made the right choice, Zeph. She'll see that," before running off to find a place in the stands.
I hear Bracken's booming voice, and I follow it, listening to him give instructions to the four competitors. He turns and notices me, his massive hand clapping me on the shoulder. "There he is! Anything you want to add?"
Loris doesn't make eye contact with me, continuing the ruse that he wants nothing to do with me.
It's so convincing I worry for a second I did something wrong that I can't remember.
Because he was the only one warned of the water today, Loris was able to dress accordingly. He's bare-chested again, the now signature lightning pattern painted in black, like dark veins crawling up his body. Around his neck, he wears a small sun pendant he must have borrowed from Taegan. He's wearing black shorts, closely cropped above his knee and tight on his slim thighs. He's still got his boots on, but I have no doubt he'll shed those before the competition starts.
Kon, the Bayal, is barefoot and also barechested, with loose black pants around his hips and fabric wraps around his hands and arms.
Rhye, the Tempest, is wearing an ethereal light blue jumpsuit with silver chains decorating her neck. Her outfit looks like it will be particularly difficult to manage during this task, and the expression on her face as the challenge is explained to her shows that she is thinking the same thing.
Welle, the Geomancer, has his beard braided and is wearing a practical tunic and pants with a pair of short boots.
The four of them together are said to embody everything Ytopie stands for. They are brave and clever, and all are deserving of a seat on the Patricians.
Too bad that seat has Loris' name scrawled on the surface.
I can't figure out if any of the other three actually wish to gain Himureal's favor, but of course, they wouldn't tell me that as his high priest, would they?
"You all will do brilliantly out there today," I say, looking between them. "If you get in trouble, just bang on the glass four times. You'll be removed from the competition, but you'll still be alive."
I watch the shiver that goes down Welle's spine and am shocked at the outward display of fear. I give the smallest of nods to Loris, which he meets with his own, and I turn heel and head out into the arena.
When I walk into the center the crowd is on their feet, yelling and stomping excitedly. Himureal sits on his throne in the middle of them all, his dangerously beautiful face a picture of calm. His hair is braided in a single plait down his back today, and he wears a white robe with swirls of shimmering black twisting along the bottom and snowflakes sewn around the neckline and down the sleeves. He locks me with those icy blue eyes and raises an eyebrow, silently asking if I'm ready to go. I give him a tight nod.
He stands, arms spread, and looks around the crowd. I see air magic swirling around him, amplifying his voice.
"Ytopie! Words cannot say how thrilled I am for the final phase of our competition!" The more attention Himureal gets, the more comfortable he is in front of a crowd. The more the city misses that underneath the surface is a creature with nefarious intentions, yearning to come out. He does a good job disguising it, and you could almost think he's just a stern man, but I know better.
I saw him when he was first brought into this world. Rage like that doesn't just disappear.
You just get better at hiding it.
It's hard to miss why he was worshipped in the past, though. He's beautiful, and every part of him screams strength. The people who have already begun to sit court with him, declare him their God, don't see what I see, though. They miss the glares, the barely contained frustration, the thinly veiled threats.
It's insidious.
I can already see the creature within him sinking its claws into our people and warping them to fit his needs.
Once Loris and I can work from within, sit beside each other on the board of Patricians, and slowly dismantle his plans, we can slip Viola into the city to take Himureal's place.
She'll see that she can be what the city needs. With her standing beside the other Gods, we have no need for Himureal.
I can only hope that this will be enough. Enough for Ytopie.
Enough for her to forgive me.
"Today, we will crown our Winter Champion!" the Frostweaver bellows to the crowd, which is so large it has got to be the entire population of the city. "They will have the honor of being my favored and will serve as a Patrician as well." The crowd is whooping and shouting their excitement. "I want to take the time now to commend all of the citizens who have helped make this what it is! Most of all, my high priest Zeph, the head of the Patricians, who has worked tirelessly to put on an entertaining event for you!"
I nod towards the crowd as they celebrate me. Every time he announces me as his high priest, it further cements to the city that I am in his pocket and that I support him. He gives me a knowing look as if he knows exactly what he's doing when he makes proclamations like that – claiming me. Locking me into supporting him.
Collaring me.
Himureal lowers himself to his seat, and the air magic moves to surround me for my portion of the opening ceremony. "Today's final challenge is one of cleverness and speed!" I explain to the crowd how the puzzles and boxes work, and when I reveal that they will slowly fill with water, the crowd rewards me with a worried gasp.
"The first one out will be the Winter Champion! All others will be extracted after that to minimize the risk of harm." The competitors file into the arena now, all of them with faces of grim determination. They move in front of their boxes, each filled with different items, like an eclectic grandmother's home, and turn their eyes to me.
With a gesture of my arm, a member of my crew approaches each competitor and opens the box, closing and sealing the contestants in with a row of locks after they enter. Nereids line up on the side of the arena, one for each competitor, readying themselves for the start of the event .
My heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest. This event is the start of getting Ytopie behind Viola as a God, not Himureal. This is how we support her the best we can until she arrives.
Because she will arrive.
She will come to Ytopie, and I can apologize.
I can apologize to Mace.
I've lost who I was for a bit, but I feel like I'm finding myself again. That hole in my chest is slowly filling, and I no longer get woken up by the pain anymore. I'm moving in the right direction.
"Let the challenge begin!"
With my words, blue specks of water magic swirl through the air, buzzing softly and conjuring small clouds over each box to slowly pour water within them. Each of the competitors seeks out a puzzle and begins to pour over it, digging through bookshelves, looking under tables, and mumbling intentions to themselves for small bursts of magic. As the water levels rise, magic will be difficult, so they all seem to be taking advantage of it while they can.
Rhye is the first to solve a puzzle, and when she does, Bracken's magic removes one of the metal locks on the outside of her door. The other three follow shortly after, each of them losing a lock. The water levels are steadily rising, though, with all of them now up to their shins and still nine more puzzles to go.
It continues like this for a while, each competitor holding their own and solving their puzzles, but Loris lags behind. As the water levels reach hip level, Rhye has solved six, Kon and Welle have each solved five, and Loris has only solved four.
I can see on his face the desperation he's feeling, the worry that this won't work the way we have planned for it to. Rhye is more clever than we gave her credit for.
The water moves to chest level, making solving puzzles more difficult as they have to dive underwater to search for clues and items. The locks are being removed slower now; the rate at which things are getting solved is heavily reduced compared to when the levels were low.
I catch Loris throwing me fearful glances, his cocky facade breaking with worry. I count the locks on everyone's boxes. Rhye and Kon with eight removed, Welle with six gone, and Loris with five solved. At this rate, he's not going to even be close to getting out first. My hand moves to my face, and I scratch my left jaw, my signal to Loris that it's time to break out.
He shakes his head, wanting more time before attempting the dangerous escape. His head swivels to the crowd and lands on Taegan, who is repeatedly mouthing 'no'. Loris places his hand on the glass, like he's trying to grab for Taegan, then turns to face me and scratches down his jaw with a determined look on his face.
He dives and swims down below the water, banging on things as if he is looking for a clue to reveal itself. He starts throwing items from his box out of the way, trashing it as if the clues will expose themselves if only he can turn everything upside down.
Kon has two locks left.
Loris' long legs kick him above the water, where he gasps and inhales a deep breath before diving back in. He's heading in the direction of the hatch now, stopping to pry at the side of the bookcase and press against the walls, testing for weakness.
Just before Kon starts the last puzzle, Loris removes the stones that are covering the hatch, and I watch as golden flecks surround it. A crackle of electricity fills his box, blinding in its intensity. The water in his box gets displaced, flying up the sides and sloshing out of the top. The crowd stops its jeering and its excitement and is silent, looking to see what is to come of the Lightning magic striking within the water.
It's the longest thirty seconds of my life.
The flashing of the bolts stops, and standing outside the box is Loris. The lightning painted on his chest has washed away and been replaced with red, swollen welts that look like bolts themselves. They stretch from his neck all the way down his fingers, a physical reminder of the pain he must have endured to break out of the box.
Of his dedication to our cause.
He sways a bit on his feet, coughing up water to clear his lungs. He looks exhausted and like his body is too heavy, but he struts with confidence to the center of the arena. I wonder if I am the only person who notices the nervous shaking of his hands.
The crowd goes wild at the sight of him.
The other boxes are drained and the competitors removed, but arguments are rushing out as fast as the water .
"He didn't solve the puzzles!" Kon yells, running towards Loris with a clear desire to attack the Bliksem.
Cirrha steps forward, hand out, to halt Kon in his tracks. "We just said the first one out of their box would be the winner." Her voice carries on her magic, and the crowd quiets down as they listen.
We turn towards Himureal, who watches everything with a large grin. "Clever! This task was to test how capable and resourceful the competitor could be, and wouldn't you all say Loris showed extreme cleverness?"
A few claps turn into more until the entire arena applauds Loris, forgetting the silence Cirrha brought with her words. Taegan is front and center, his face lit up with pride.
I step forward. "What a showing that was! Kon, Rhye, and Welle were admirable competitors and so entertaining, don't you agree, Ytopie?"
The three losers bow their heads toward the crowd and then are ushered off the arena floor by Bracken. Kon is protesting, but one glance from Himureal has him rolling his lips and silencing his protests.
Himureal smiles down at Loris. I walk to him, standing just a few feet away from him. I want to grab his hand, pull him into a hug, and congratulate him, but I know I can't.
"Loris, you have shown great skill throughout this competition, and I am thrilled to have you as my Winter Champion!" Himureal stands, arms wide, making a production of this announcement while Loris inclines his head respectfully .
I turn towards Loris and gesture towards Himureal. "It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to be Himureal's high priest, and I know you will one day say the same about being his Champion. Do you have anything you'd like to say to him or Ytopie?"
Cirrha sends magic to Loris, and he nods curtly toward her in thanks.
"I didn't imagine myself competing for something like this," he begins, eyes scanning the crowd. Eventually, they land on Taegan, and he smiles. "But I want to leave a legacy. The legacy of being the Winter Champion and a Patrician is one to be proud of!" The crowd is eating up his words, Loris' natural charisma winning every one of them over to his side.
My heart swells at my friend. He's grown so much, but still, he has stuck to his ideals, and I could not be more proud of him. Serving alongside him as a Patrician will be incredible. I know he is teeming with ideas on how to overthrow Himureal and replace him with Viola.
"And how fortunate for me that there is not one but two Gods of Winter!" The silence that falls over the crowd is suffocating, and I find myself holding my breath. Himureal is leaning forward in his chair, knuckles white as he tries to figure out Loris' next move.
I look at him, eyes wide and pleading.
What is he doing?
This wasn't part of the plan.
It's not time to tell the city that Viola is a God. They haven't had the chance to get to know her as we do. To see Himureal for what he really is. They'll never accept this.
But Loris continues.
"Viola Mistflow, during her time in the Race, received a portion of Himureal's powers, and as such is also a God of Winter. One I will be proud to follow." I can see Himureal's thoughts flashing across his face, reflecting the confusion that is no doubt on my own.
What Loris has said up until now sounds like he's going to support Himureal and Viola ruling together. But that's not where he stops.
I wish that he would stop.
This is going to derail our whole plan. There is no way Himureal will let him join the Patricians now, and we will be back to square one.
"We do not have to follow Himureal! There is a better option, one that will unite Ytopie and the Lowlands." I watch as Loris locks eyes with a watery-eyed Taegan, who's got his hands over his mouth and is shaking his head. It appears even Loris' partner was surprised by this outburst as well.
He gives me a quick look that holds so much more weight than I can begin to understand and then turns back to Taegen, eyes trained on his lover as he finishes his speech. "We deserve a better future than the one Himureal is going to give us. Throw your belief and worship behind Viola Mistflow alongside me."
"Enough!" roars Himureal.
All heads jerk to him in time to see a large shard of ice flying through the air, impaling Loris in the chest. His body crumbles, blood pooling beneath him.
My eyes black out, and the only sound I hear is Taegan's screams.