19. Chapter 19
19
Zara
A t dinner the night before our first group trial—or rather the first meal of the night, which was equivalent to breakfast for these fae—the servants bustled about with vivid unease, their movements hurried and their shared glances long and meaningful. I’d spent the past several days—after our ridiculous training sessions—roaming the halls again. I found doorways that led to other worlds and doorways that led to libraries, washrooms, and an indoor archery range. To my dismay, the doorways to other worlds hadn’t opened for me.
I’d been so tired from switching days for nights that I’d slept through several meals, and no one had woken me. Tonight, however, my empty stomach growled, and I wasn’t about to miss another meal. The roasted almonds and Manchego I’d taken from the pantry earlier hadn’t been enough to satiate my hunger.
In the cavern, the fae buzzed with magical energy, their skin glittering and their eyes glowing. In the cages above the tables, the animals spun in frenzied little circles.
“What’s going on?” I asked Ivy as I settled onto a bench at the otherwise empty table. “And where is everyone?”
Ivy chewed a bite of puff pastry—a delicacy drizzled with honey and positively sparkling with sugar. “Tonight is the new moon. The peak of the Shadow Court’s power. When they especially like to go terrorize the mortal world.”
“Oh.” To think the shadow fae could be worse tonight than previously gave me a nasty twist of unease.
She nodded toward the middle of the cavern. “And you asked where the others were.”
I squinted, looking around for Eudoria, Tomas, Samuel, and Adán. Ivy lifted her eyes, and I followed her gaze to a cage, hanging above one of the fae tables. Samuel sat inside, his long legs scrunched up to his chest.
“No,” I breathed. I caught sight of Eudoria huddled in another cage, her fingers wrapped around the iron bars and her face resting against the back of her hands.
Ivy stared at her pastry with a forlorn expression. “Occasionally, when they get bored, they use us for other types of entertainment. This week was different because two new entertainers showed up, you and the one who didn’t make it, giving the rest of us a break for a few days.” She offered me a small smile. “It’s not always all of us, and there’s never any warning. Sometimes it’s the cages, sometimes it’s the dance floor, sometimes it’s”—she coughed and cleared her throat—“standing on the tables dressed in food while the fae pull it off you.”
I gaped at her. Her cheeks were so red I knew better than to ask about it.
“How long have you been here?” I asked quietly. I had only been here one week, and it felt like a lifetime. The prospect of surviving here for twelve months sounded almost impossible— almost but not quite. One year, and I could return to my father, my life, my house…home, where no one tortured me or humiliated me for fun.
Ivy wore her wavy hair loose tonight rather than a tight bun. “Ninety-six days. The next trial will only be my third. I had to start keeping track of the days by using the kohl they provided. I mark the inside door of my wardrobe. So far, no one has noticed, save the clothes, which always riot a little when I make the marks.”
A wry chuckle escaped my lips. “The clothes here do have very strong opinions.”
As Ivy nodded in agreement, a disheveled figure stumbled in from a side entrance, his open-collared shirt even more wrinkled than usual. I stared at Casimiro as he crossed the vaulted space to an empty table. The fae puzzled me. In the human world, power was a magnet. Those who had it were like carcasses, and the vultures that buzzed around them never ceased trying to take a bite. Humans flaunted their power, lording it over those beneath them. But here, this fae, who apparently held the highest authority in the king’s absence, was a solitary figure. I’d seen him walking the halls mostly alone, save for once with Felipe, and now he chose to sit alone. His sister had eaten with him last night, but she was currently sitting at a different table with two fae women, laughing and smiling beneath Adán as he shook against his cage, his screams silenced by magic. The heir’s sloppy appearance suggested he cared very little for his position of authority, but I couldn’t figure out why. I was still staring at him when Ivy cleared her throat.
I looked quickly away, staring at the gorgeous fruit they always placed on our table, tempting us or mocking us—or both. As much as the fruit here beckoned to me, I’d been warned not to eat a single bite of it, unless I wanted to risk losing my head to what Tomas had called el camino loco , the crazy walk. People who ate the fruit typically woke up hours later without any recollection of what transpired.
My eyes flashed back to Casimiro, who slouched over his book, his goblet pressed against one cheek as if too lazy to sit up and take a sip. The hatred I felt toward him fanned my heartrate to an angry tempo and heat flushed up my neck.
But no matter how much I seethed at the sight of him, the way he’d danced at my party had left an impression I couldn’t shake. No man I’d ever danced with had moved with as much passion as he had, and I loathed the fact that I craved another dance with him. Craved the way his hand had directed me with graceful confidence. The way his fingers had gripped mine with ferocity that never hurt. The intoxicating energy that had flamed off of him, leaving me breathless for more.
The heir glanced up from his book, locking eyes with me across the vast space.
I sucked in a breath and stared down at my mostly empty plate until I was certain his attention had returned to his book.
Ivy studied me, a tightness in the skin around her eyes. “They are handsome, but it’s only a glamour. They are the enemy, Zara.”
I scoffed, unable to meet her gaze. “I know, Ivy. I hate him more than you know.”
A voice boomed out over the cavern, startling me so much I let out a small yelp.
“The heir wishes to speak.”
When I glanced back at Cas, he was still staring at the uplifted book in his hand hovering over his plate. It didn’t look much like he wished to say anything at all, but he set his book down, flipping it over so he wouldn’t lose his page, and stepped onto the stone bench and then the table. When he was in the center of the table, he lifted his arms beside him and turned around to address everyone in the cavern.
“Tonight is a special night. Until the sun rises, all rooms are open to you and all doors will open for you. Nothing is off limits. We have everything here that you could possibly want. After all, we want you to enjoy yourselves.” The way he lingered on the word “enjoy” made my skin crawl. “Whatever your heart desires, you will find it within these halls tonight. And in the morning, we will see you all at the arena for a little entertainment. I’ve crafted the next trial with particular enjoyment.” He completed his full turn and lowered his arms. Then he leaped down from the table and plopped back down at his seat with his book, his face resting on two upraised fingers.
All eyes in the cavern lingered on him as the fae exchanged excited whispers and the servants shifted uncomfortably where they stood awaiting orders. Ivy and I shared a glance, her crinkled brow and worried eyes reflecting the same unease I felt in my bones.
The next trial awaited us at dawn.
This could very well be the last night for some of us. A violent shudder shook my frame as my imagination painted vivid images of my companions sprawled across the sandy arena floor, never to rise again.
I stood and climbed up from the bench.
“Where are you going?” Ivy asked, voice laced with concern. “I know you wander the halls, but tonight is not a good night to wander.”
I pressed my hands against my middle, trying to calm the roiling inside. “Ivy, I can’t stay here. Twelve months is an eternity.”
Ivy glanced at Casimiro again, clearly reading my intentions. “They won’t let you escape.”
My hands twisted a wayward curl. She was probably right, but I had to try. After a moment, I said, “Come with me?”
She shook her head.
I nodded once, smoothed out the wrinkles in my dress, and visualized the hallways that led to the door I wanted to try.
As I walked away, Ivy hissed in a loud whisper, “Don’t do anything foolish.”
My lips quirked. “They’re going to try to kill us in the morning, Ivy. I’m not going to sit back and wait until then.”
She chewed her lower lip as she nodded once. “Be careful.”
I hurried toward the cavern’s exits, where several of the fae and mortal servants had already disappeared. I thought I saw a fae in deep green walk away hand-in-hand with one of the servants. Two female fae dressed in tight blue and purple jester suits danced and spun and turned flips as they vanished down the wide stone steps that led to the lower levels. Their magic crackled off their skin and buzzed in the air, snapping in tiny sparks against the stone walls. Maybe that was why these fae lived entirely encased in stone—so that when their magic threw sparks, they wouldn’t burn down their castle.
I peeled away from the cavern doors, heading toward the stairs leading up, toward the door carved with a familiar sight.