14. Lira
14
LIRA
W orse than not knowing where he was taking me was Eldrin’s cold hand clutching me, his fingers digging into my wrist. His skin was frigid, reflecting the essence of his soul.
My heartbeat quickened, and my stomach tightened, urging me to get the fuck away from him.
I dug my heels into the ground, though the smooth soles had me slipping along after him. He opened the door, and I noticed four additional guards standing in front of Torcall and Finola.
When the two guards turned toward us, they grabbed the hilts of their swords, readying to protect me.
Some of the tension ebbed from my body as I realized that they intended to obey Tavish about no one taking me anywhere.
“Where do you think you’re going with her?” Finnian asked loudly.
“I don’t answer to you.” Eldrin’s nose wrinkled.
Finola moved to block us from leaving the room.
For the last several days, I’d wanted to get the hell out of that room, and now, I’d do anything to remain in it. The irony clamped down on my shoulders.
“You may not have to answer to him, but you have to answer to us.” Finola lifted her chin and glared. “She’s under our protection.”
Eldrin stopped, dragging me beside him in the doorway so that my body was crammed between him and the frame. My side ached, and when I attempted to take a step back, he yanked me against him even harder.
My skin crawled, but I clenched my teeth, not wanting to make him feel more powerful. He already had an inflated ego.
“This has been done at the request of King Tavish.” His jaw worked, and I could feel a faint shake in his hand. “So, move aside before these four guards make you.”
Torcall removed his sword. “King Tavish said that if the sunscorched is needed anywhere, he will personally tell us.”
“And King Tavish informed me that Caelan and I are to handle the gauntlet, did he not?” Eldrin’s fingers dug in deeper, though it didn’t seem intentional.
In fact, I was certain he held a lot of rage, more than I’d realized.
“But that’s not until tomorrow.” Finola pursed her lips.
“That’s what King Tavish said last night, but this morning, Caelan and I decided that to ease the tension among our people, the games should begin today.”
I flinched, and Eldrin’s smirk blossomed into a malicious smile.
Right now, that was the least of my concerns. Finnian and I had only begun defensive strategies, and I needed more time. Time Eldrin was determined not to give me.
“Caelan is notifying the people now that they’re finished with their daily chores.” Eldrin rolled back his shoulders. “And the prisoners are being prepped as we speak, which should include the Seelie princess.”
The four guards he’d brought with him wrinkled their noses at the reminder of my supposed heritage.
Torcall and Finola glanced at each other while Finnian closed the distance between us, coming to stand at my back. The three of them remained silent, though I could see the strain on the guards’ faces. They weren’t sure what to do because Eldrin wasn’t lying.
Another sound captured my attention—beating wings rushing toward us.
A yank in my chest grew stronger the closer the person came, and I had no doubt who it was.
Tavish.
“What is the meaning of this?” Tavish’s voice boomed seconds before he appeared from a cloak of darkness. “The games start tomorrow.” Lines of strain were etched into his face, and his hands clenched at his sides when he took in the way Eldrin was holding on to me.
Eldrin tsk ed and shook his head. “You know the people have been upset since last night. A few disagreements broke out between the fishermen today. It would have turned into a dire situation if we hadn’t added more guards to keep an eye on our people. We need the games to start today so the people can see you’re serious about punishments. This is to prevent more chaos, so why do you want to wait until tomorrow?”
The question hung heavy like a blanket. The insinuation was clear because everyone had seen that I’d gotten injured last night. Eldrin knew that Tavish would either be forced to admit he was giving me time to heal or allow him to take me .
Tavish’s jaw ticced, the only indication that Eldrin had hit the mark.
I knew he’d relent. If he didn’t, his people would learn that he’d held off the gauntlet despite two of his closest subjects wanting it to begin tonight. According to him, both his and my safety would be at risk if that happened.
“As long as you’re confident that the trial will be challenging enough for our people, I won’t stand in your way.” Tavish folded his wings behind his back. “So I’ll ask you—are you certain our people won’t be disappointed?”
Eldrin chuckled darkly. “Oh, My King. I guarantee that everyone will be satisfied and entertained. I’ve been planning one of these for years in case something like this ever happened.”
Somehow, I swallowed past the sizable lump in my throat. He sounded ecstatic.
Dark, stormy eyes met mine, and I swore I saw in them the regret that Tavish felt.
“Fine.” Tavish crossed his arms. “Torcall and Finola, allow them to pass. But Eldrin, let me make it clear; if you and Caelan fail to make the games entertaining enough for the masses, you will be to blame.”
“I shall bear the full burden if that’s the case.” He bowed ever so slightly then walked between Torcall and Finola, making sure his shoulders hit them while he dragged me along.
“Of course, you’d drag her to the games,” Finnian scoffed.
Eldrin halted, and I ran into his wings. Even though his physique was nothing like Tavish’s, his wings were strong, and the edges dug into my chest, right where I’d gotten injured the night before. The wound burned as if the scab had reopened slightly .
“Are you upset with how I’m treating the Seelie princess?” Eldrin turned and stepped to the side.
For once, I appreciated my height because he had to step around me to see Finnian and not have my face in his.
“I’m just noting that you’re acting strong and overbearing with her when you’ve never acted remotely the same to other prisoners. You’re grandstanding, like you’re trying to make her believe you have larger testicles than you actually have.” Finnian rocked back on his feet and shrugged.
“The other prisoners are Unseelie, and though they rose against Tavish, they deserve to be here,” Eldrin rasped, twisting my arm so that a deep ache shot through it—like it could very well break. “Aside from the king’s and queen’s deaths and the Seelie forcing us from our lands onto this barren island, she is the reason that several of our people have died. It concerns me that both you and Tavish are struggling with her being mistreated.”
“The situation is unique.” Tavish lifted his hands, his wings folded tightly into his back. “You cannot compare her to the other prisoners.” Even his words were short and harsh like he was furious.
“You have her staying in your room.” Eldrin arched a brow in challenge.
I hated that I’d frozen and wasn’t saying a word. I wouldn’t go out like a coward, especially not around Eldrin. “He made it clear that my job was to keep him happy while I remained in there,” I spat, regurgitating the words he’d said on my first night there. I’d been worried about what he’d meant, but he’d never pushed himself on me.
A guard snickered. “Did she follow through?”
Tavish blinked at me, surprised I’d spoken up to help him, but he recovered quickly, leveling a gaze on the silver- haired guard. “You have no idea.” He smirked and winked at me. “She stayed for a reason.”
“And here we thought he was getting soft on her.” The pewter-haired guard chuckled. “That makes a whole lot more sense.”
My stomach roiled at the innuendo and that these guards didn’t have an issue with a man potentially forcing himself on a woman. I understood they viewed me as the enemy, but no one … no one … should ever be treated like that. No wonder Tavish had moved me to his room.
Tavish scowled. He didn’t seem to like the jovial tone either.
“Since this is settled, we should hurry. The other prisoners will be ready, and the people are entering the coliseum.” Eldrin tightened his grasp then turned and flew toward the cells.
My feet tangled underneath me, but I caught myself and remained upright to follow him. He hovered off the ground just enough to pull my arm slightly from my shoulder, and I had to run to keep up with him. Was he purposely trying to injure me and tire me out before the games began?
Mouth drying, I realized I didn’t know much about what would happen. I understood it was prisoner against prisoner, but beyond that, I had no idea how the gauntlet worked. Between the drama of last night and training with Finnian, I hadn’t thought to ask. Now, it was too late.
My side ached, but I couldn’t slow down as Eldrin flew faster. My chest heaved, and my legs struggled to keep up. How the hell was I supposed to survive against Unseelie prisoners who had access to their magic and wings?
We passed the holding cell I’d stayed in the one night and headed deeper into the prison. The stench of feces and piss filled my nose, and I wanted to gag. Between the exertion, stench, and pain in my side, vomit inched up my throat.
I swallowed it down and ignored the way it lumped in my stomach. I would be enough of a target without throwing up in front of everyone.
The cells came into view. Each had a mattress that looked in better condition than the one I’d had in the holding cell, but that was the only thing that seemed nicer. Rodents ran across the floor, and some sort of odd, furry creature stuck its head from under one of the covers.
Ten feet ahead waited a group of people. Several wore standard guard armor while the rest wore tattered tunics and leather pants, their wings chained so they couldn’t fly.
“Everyone is here!” Eldrin called out, slowing down and shoving me in front of him.
My chest heaved, and sweat dripped down from my brow as everyone focused on me. As if they wouldn’t have figured out who I was on their own, but Eldrin offered me to them like they were dogs and I was their bone.
A familiar growl sounded from the front, and a few of the prisoners moved out of the way as dark fur headed my way.
Nightbane.
A woman with hair the color of dusk tilted her head at me. Her face, like the others here, was streaked with dirt, and her frame was very thin. “Ah, at least a Seelie has to live in our disgusting world for a time. Seems right, especially before she dies.”
“If anyone gets to kill her, it’s me ,” a man with pale-blue hair who was close to Finnian’s size boomed. “She’s the reason we all wound up here … why we thought we had no choice but to rebel against King Tavish. We need to rough he r up first and get her dirty. She shouldn’t die resembling a princess. Let’s return her looking like one of us.”
The rest of the people cheered in agreement.
If I’d thought the guards held animosity toward me, it was nothing compared to the people I would be fighting against.
I lifted my chin high, refusing to cower. Maybe that was a mistake, but I suspected whichever way I reacted wouldn’t change my fate. I had to survive against hardened prisoners who’d lived rough while I stood here in clean leathers and a shirt, courtesy of the king.
“Is everyone ready?” Eldrin asked.
The guard closest to the door on the left opened it a crack and shut it. “Yes. The stadium is full, and King Tavish and Finnian just took their seats in the front row with Caelan.”
Eldrin chuckled. “Perfect.” Eldrin flew overhead to the front. When he reached the door, he hovered and turned toward us. “The rules are simple. Because we don’t want the spectacle to end quickly, we are keeping your wings and magic bound by your chains. You are not allowed to strike another prisoner until you have claimed a weapon.” He stared at everyone in the group as if to make sure we all understood. “Enter the arena only enough so that you all fit inside. No one should move beyond the entry point until we blow the horn. You’ll have one hour to survive.”
An hour.
That wasn’t as bad as I’d expected, but the length of time didn’t matter. Every single one of them would work together to kill me.
Eldrin landed and opened the door. “Let them enter.” As he walked out, the guards used the hilts of their swords and their wings to move the prisoners along. From what I could tell, I’d be up against fifty competitors.
Fifty people who wanted me dead more than anything else in their world.
The odds weren’t stacked in my favor.
The group in front of me thinned, and strong arms shoved me forward. I fell, landing on my hands and knees as my body jerked from the impact. Pain exploded through me, and before I could stand back up, someone kicked me in the side.
Nightbane snarled and raced toward me.
“Get up, Seelie trash.” A guard with dark, silver hair chuckled. “Though I do like you at this angle.”
Not wanting him to get any additional ideas, I rolled to the side, ignoring the liquid on the stones. I feared I knew what it was.
As I pushed the awful thought aside, Nightbane rushed past me and leaped.
The guard yelped. “Get off me, mutt.”
I quickly got to my feet, smelling worse than ever before. I needed Nightbane to calm down. I didn’t want him harmed again because of me.
Nightbane lunged, taking the guard down on his back.
I rushed over and touched the wolf’s back, whispering, “I’m okay.” A faint, warm pulse came from inside me and filtered right through my hand toward the dog.
Nightbane whined, but he followed my hand as I moved him away from the guard.
“Get the cù-sìth off me!” the guard exclaimed.
Another guard moved to retrieve him, but Nightbane snarled and bared his teeth again.
I needed to step away before he got in more trouble. “ Listen to them. I’ll be fine,” I assured him then hurried out the door.
A loud, thunderous boo echoed like a storm rolling in, and I looked up. When they’d mentioned the Unseelie would be watching the gauntlet, I’d imagined a handful of people showing up. Nothing had prepared me for the massive space hidden behind the castle. Rows upon rows of spectators were there, from young children to adults.
It was an actual gladiator-style arena, the prisoners and me standing in the dirt at the bottom. The jagged mountaintop jutted behind us above the stands. Everywhere I looked, there were more and more people. Worse, Tavish was in the front row, sitting right in front of me.
Our eyes locked, and my chest squeezed uncomfortably. Darkness edged around him, and his expression twisted into what could either be anger or remorse. He faintly mouthed the words, “Stay alive,” telling me everything.
Tears burned my eyes, and I took a shaky breath and tore my gaze away to look at the arena before I could fall apart.
Darkness cloaked everything except the small area where the prisoners stood. We couldn’t strategize before the game began. No doubt, another thing Eldrin had planned.
Eldrin flew upward, his expression brighter than I’d ever seen it. “After twelve years, we’re having our second gauntlet due to the Seelie princess attempting to escape and attacking our people, including our king .” He spun slowly, ensuring each person got to see his face. “For this heinous crime, the gauntlet is the only acceptable restitution, per our king and the Unseelie people. That said, we’ve decided on an actual prize.”
“Prize?” the man with pale-blue hair asked. “In the last gauntlet, you had to kill a certain number of people to live. Is it not the same this time?”
A knot formed in my chest. Whatever this was, it couldn’t be good.
“No.” Eldrin’s shadows curled around him. “In this gauntlet, whoever entertains us the most wins. The number of kills doesn’t matter so much as who you kill and how each kill is performed. The more shocking, the more drawn out, the more gruesome, and the prisoner will have their sentence reduced, meaning some of you could be free by the end of the three games … if you survive.”
My heart skipped a beat. They wanted the deaths to be vicious, and I could feel each prisoner’s gaze land on me.
My gaze went straight to Tavish, whose face had blanched.
The crowd went wild and began chanting, “Kill the sunscorched,” over and over.
In other words, the person who killed me and survived would win.
Eldrin had added an even bigger target on my back as if I didn’t have a neon sign as it was.
“For those who don’t know, the prisoners’ wings are chained so they can’t fly, and the chain suppresses their magic. This first stage of the gauntlet is about punishing them and making them survive like mere mortals. Now, it’s time. Set the clock for an hour,” Eldrin called and turned with a sneer on his face. Then he lifted his hand, and a horn blew a mere few feet away.
Just like that, the darkness faded, revealing hell.