9. Chapter 9
9
Zara
I swallowed, lifting my chin. Talia had been brave when she faced the fae. So I would be too.
“May the stars watch over you,” Malik said, urging me forward. The ironwork clicked, and the massive doors swung inward.
A cavern larger than any ballroom yawned before us. The floor slanted gently toward a massive underground lake that stretched out so far into the darkness that I couldn’t see the other side. Round tables of smooth, black stone dotted the sloping cavern floor and stopped at the edge of the lake. Above each table hung enormous, wrought iron chandeliers dotted with glowing lights that looked nothing like any lights I’d ever seen. But as I stared at the nearest chandelier, I noticed something moving within the orb-shaped iron bars. They weren’t just chandeliers. They were cages .
All manner of creatures huddled or paced within their metal confines, many I didn’t recognize. In one cage a sphinx was sleeping, one dark paw dangling through the bars. In another, large antlers kept the animal inside from being able to move at all. In yet another cage, a flurry of bats darted around, never squeezing through the bars. I jumped as a wolverine snapped its jaws.
I pulled my eyes from the chandeliers and looked instead at the seated fae. The tables had been hewn out of the rock floor itself, and space had been carved around each one to make a bench. Fae lounged at each table, some engaged in heated arguments, others in passionate embraces. A few of the immortals lay flat on their backs, reaching across with lazy arms to grab a piece of fruit from the heaps of food stacked on their plates.
At a glance, the wealth in this room mocked the richest in Leor. Jewels hung over foreheads and dripped from the men’s ears as well as the women’s. These fae were adorned with dresses and tunics and suits of the highest quality, all made from a fine, drapey material rather than the stiff fabrics of our upper class. But the most surprising detail of all was the strangeness of their features.
A fae at the nearest table had antlers that glittered in the light diffusing from glowing cages above. Another male—by the look of his suit—had the same blue skin of the lizards back home. At one table, a massive jackrabbit sat eating a wad of lettuce between a pair of women in fine silks. A great dog the size of a bear lay on the floor between two tables, its red eyes tracking my movements. I jerked with fright at the sight.
A few chuckles greeted my burning ears, and fury rose up from my toes. These immortals thought I was a toy. I straightened my shoulders and attempted to walk with all the grace my father had always expected of me.
“As is customary, you will perform alone tonight,” Malik explained as he led me down the sloping floor. His voice had lost its sympathetic tone and was now curt and businesslike. “Every new arrival is evaluated and given a task suited to your abilities.”
“Evaluated? Right here?”
“Oh, no. You were evaluated earlier. The master of the mortal games has already created your first trial.” He inclined his head down the walkway. “You must walk the rest of the way alone.”
Casimiro had said he was in charge of the games, as he called them. Death games—what a morbid paradox.
I glanced at the lake, then back at Malik. For a breath, I didn’t move.
Then Malik made a subtle shooing motion, and I stumbled down the sloping path, my shoes slapping the stones and finally drawing the eyes of those seated at the lavish tables. My eyes raked over the crowd, desperate for someone to stand up and tell me this was all a dream, a joke, an immaculate play—anything but reality.
Strange animal noises filled the vaulted space, and I glanced around, nervous that my first trial would involve dragons or some other mythical creature. Though, I supposed, mythical wasn’t the right word anymore. My eyes snagged on a single figure dressed in white, standing on a table in the center of the cavern, near the edge of the lake. He was staring directly at me.
The heir’s dark hair and rich skin tone stood out against his loose white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck. He wore a gray suit jacket, also unbuttoned, and his shiny black crown sat on his head. He was the kind of man who could wear soil-stained farmer’s attire and still be impossibly handsome, which just made me loathe him more.
He lifted both arms at his sides and the room fell silent. I ground my teeth and fisted my hands.
“Shadow Court, meet your newest entertainer,” he announced, his deep voice filling the cavern. “I’m especially looking forward to watching her performance.” He lowered one hand, leaving the other still angled toward the lake.
The water’s reflection was utterly smooth and perfectly black. A square platform sat atop the water like a dock, though there were no ships. My heart hammered angrily in my chest. I was no great swimmer.
My stomach dropped as my eyes flicked back to the wooden platform. A single glowing orb hovered directly over it. That was no dock—it was a dance floor.
I swallowed as I spotted a pair of castanets resting at the base of a small staircase leading to the platform.
As I walked slowly toward the platform, Casimiro’s voice echoed around the cave. “Entertain us, se?orita Valencia. Show us that passion you showed me.”
My head whipped back around in time to see him wink. I snatched the castanets as a chorus of laughter rose from the crowd. Casimiro had dropped to sit on the edge of his table, feet swinging as he picked up a cluster of grapes from the centerpiece.
The cave was cold, but sweat broke out across my chest and back as I climbed the few steps to the platform. My stomach rumbled, and I ignored it, relieved that all I had to do was dance. I’d brought the heir to his feet with a dance once. I could do it again.
Get a grip, and get this done , I told myself as I stepped onto the platform, convincing myself this was no different than any other performance.
While I walked to the center of the dance floor, I was careful to keep my weight on the soles of my feet, saving the clack of my heels for when the dance began. I slipped the castanets onto my fingers and envisioned the dances I knew best. I couldn’t repeat the dance I’d performed just an hour ago at my party, since the heir had already seen that one. I needed something new, something riskier. I’d picked my most tasteful routine for my party, given that I’d thought my betrothed would be offended by the kind of flamenco I liked best. The corner of my mouth flicked into a grin as I settled on the dance I would perform for these creatures. If it was passion they wanted, I’d give them that.
“Dance well,” a quiet, accented voice spoke from nearby.
A man in a white tunic identical to Malik’s wove between the tables, a guitar slung over his shoulder.
“Any tips?” I hissed, taking my stance for the start of the dance.
The man shrugged, strumming a single chord. To my horror, the stairs to the platform evaporated, trapping me on the dance floor. A few notes of laughter floated across the cavern.
Don’t panic .
This was only another performance.
The servant strummed once more, a fast chord, snapping my mind into sharp focus. I clapped my castanets together and fixed my arms in their starting position a heartbeat before the music launched me into the dance.
I threw myself into the beginning steps of a familiar dance as every fae turned their face toward me. They had blank, almost bored eyes. Don’t look at them . I glanced instead at the glowing orbs above their heads. And soon, the music and the sound of my feet drew me deeper into the dance. I stomped harder, the echoes rising as the sounds drifted across the water and bounced against the cavern’s walls and ceiling, growing until a deafening, thunderous clamor blocked every fear from my mind.
As I moved outward from the center of the dance floor, the platform beneath me tilted under my weight. I tipped sideways and lost my balance entirely, crashing onto my hip. The floor tilted higher, and I began to slide toward the edge, where large ripples peeled away from the spiny back of a massive creature lurking just beneath the inky surface.
Laughter erupted from the crowd. I scrambled onto my knees as the floor again teetered beneath me. Panicked, I clawed my way toward the center, digging my fingernails into the varnished wood like a cat. The dance floor tilted in the other direction, causing me to crash onto my chest and push the dance floor into an even greater angle. This dance floor was going to toss me into the lake.
No . I would not fall.
The laughter of the fae nearly drowned out the lone guitar still strumming through the song. I couldn’t let them beat me that easily.
My face slid toward the water even as my hands pressed against the wood, desperate for purchase. I wished desperately for a blade to jam into the wood and hold me steady. I’d be in the water in seconds if I couldn’t think of something. I spun onto my back and rolled. The floor slowed and tipped the other way. In the brief moment it rocked from left to right, I pressed backward on my hands and knees, then threw myself onto my rear until the dance floor tilted back the other way.
As the heavy floor wobbled on its fulcrum, I leaned forward. When it tipped forward again, I leaned back, edging a little to the right so I was directly in the center. When the floor stopped wobbling, my heart was pounding so hard I barely registered that the song was still playing. A few cheers rang out, as well as a few boos.
“Keep dancing!” a woman shouted from somewhere in the crowd.
Carefully, I moved my feet underneath me and shifted onto my ankles. The fae were shouting at me now, calling for me to fall, to die. Others were screaming at me with lifted fists to dance, mortal!
Blood seething, I stood slowly, arms out for balance. The dance floor wobbled, but it didn’t tilt. Many in the crowd launched into hysterical laughter, but the sound only fueled my rage. These creatures wanted to see me die. That crafty brat of a prince had put me up here to watch me dance to death. But I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Slowly, I lifted my hands above my head once more, clacking my fingers to the rhythm of the music.
The laughter died down.
It was quickly replaced by boos and the sound of fists hitting tables. I lifted one foot quickly and stomped my heel down. The loud echo reverberated around the cavern. Again, I stomped. This time I was ready for the small way the dance floor trembled. This trial was not over yet.
I placed all of my weight on one leg, adjusting my stance so that the floor barely moved. Then I kicked my leg out and spun, my ruffled dress following behind in an arc.
When I stomped again, the entire place rose to their feet. Some shouted obscenities, while others cheered drunkenly for me. I kept the dance at the center of the dance floor, restricting my movements to stay alive.
The dance was nearing its conclusion. I could feel the ending of the song approaching. Just get through it.
Stomp. Catch my balance. Click my castas. Spin, stomp, click, wobble. This was it. This was when I would normally advance toward the nearest person in the crowd. Several of the creatures had their arms crossed and were staring at me with gloomy, disappointed expressions. They had wanted to watch me fall.
Well, I’d give them something unexpected.
The thought of falling into the water terrified me, but judging by the increasing severity of the jeers hurled at me, these creatures were not pleased. Staying safe in the center wasn’t what they wanted. With a deep breath and a quick halfway-reassuring calculation, I prepared for the final steps of the dance, stepping outward again, and then again. The dance floor immediately tilted. I only had a few more steps before I would fall.
Then I charged directly toward the edge, which clunked down into the dark waters, sending out a wave that splashed against the retaining wall only a step away. With a scream of determination, I jumped from the sloped surface toward the wall. But I hadn’t accounted for how my body would be sinking toward the lake when I pushed off. My chest slammed into the wall, and I clung with aching arms, my feet dangling in the cold water for a second before I hefted myself to the top of the wall. The guitar player strummed his final chord, and I dove forward onto my knees, arcing my head back until it touched the ground, my hair lost in the wet ruffles of my dress.
I was breathing hard, and my knees screamed in pain, but I swept my arm above my head, fingers curled as I clacked the final note of the dance. For a count of five, I held the final position, as I’d been trained. Then I pulled my body upright and rose to my feet. The entire cavern full of fae stared at me, many with open mouths.
Someone began a slow applause, and soon half the cavern was cheering for me. The other half stared in bemused silence. My eyes raked over the crowd and snagged on a single face. The prince stood a short distance away, his dark brow knitted together in a fierce scowl.