CHAPTER THREE #3
We were allies now, after all. If he, Theia, or Brannon weren’t prepared, it could mean the death of us all.
My hands crept to my thighs, blanketed with layers of skirts. Thighs that didn’t have blades strapped to them. “Let me return to my rooms. I must retrieve my weapons.”
“The doors to this room are locked under the king’s magic. You will be given weapons when the time is appropriate.” Diana grabbed hold of me before I could bolt. Her grip was nothing like Kodhan’s. Her nails bit into my skin, hard enough to leave marks.
“How can you be sure?” Desperation clawed at me. “I need my weapons, now.” They were my greatest means to survival.
“Keep your wits about you, girl. And don’t say I never did you any favors,” she hissed, and left me standing there, dumbstruck, looking like a disoriented fool. She disappeared into the crowd, aiming for the court members she’d originally been speaking to.
I needed to find one of the others before my legs gave out from underneath me.
“If I may have everyone’s attention,” Maverick called suddenly from the dais. Not a single member of court stood by his side.
Panic wrapped heavy chains around my throat as the crowd slowed their frenzy. Soft murmurs of confusion drifted through the air as I shoved past people once more, hurrying to make it out of the center of the room before everything went straight to the pits of the Underworld.
An arm looped around mine before I made it by the wall nearest to the exit. “There you are,” a feminine voice lilted. Copper hair shone in my periphery.
“Theia.” The tightness in my shoulders eased for a moment. But instinctually flared right back up at our close contact.
From the Forest of Oblivion to the Phantom Rivers, whispers drifted across all corners of Aedreath like the wind, carrying with them rumors of contagion. Baseless rumors. Though my curse was many things, it was far from contagious.
That didn’t stop people from believing what they wanted to. From fearing the slighted hand of an angry god.
Rarely did someone deign to touch me, save for Gideon, Diana, or Maverick. Even then, Diana’s hand was nothing short of cruel.
Anything else was foreign. And highly uncomfortable.
“The king, he’s going to—”
“I know what he’s going to say. Jareth told us. It’s why I came looking for you.”
Low murmurs buzzed throughout the room. And the music ceased entirely.
Thank the stars.
“Where are Brannon and Kodhan?”
“Assessing the state of the other competitors. The most intoxicated ones will be easier to handle if need be.” Handle. A much softer word for kill.
Maverick’s words rang out over our heads. “I have decided to make one more change.”
“Here we go,” Theia whispered. Her arm tightened around mine, just a fraction.
The thickening tension in the air filled my lungs like cotton, stifling to the point where it became painful.
“Such turmoil upon your faces. But I can assure you that will change. Surprises are meant to incite joy, after all.” Maverick was the only one smiling. But the answering silence did not deter him. “It’s quite simple. The Starlight Trials are to commence immediately.”
Immediately. Not in three hours.
From outside, horns pealed a long, warning tenor, their vibrations unfurling along the floor beneath our feet. Flashing lights and multicolored ribbons rained down from the sky, the latter pelting every window like rain.
People charged at the doors. Screamed when they realized that they were locked. If Maverick was giving further instructions, no one was listening.
Theia and I pressed closer to the wall, narrowly avoiding being trampled by passersby trying to leave through the second set of doors to our left. But as their shouts grew in volume, my blood slowed.
I found myself tightening my own grip on Theia, despite who she was. What she was to me.
The tremble in my knees returned tenfold. Threatening to take me down with it.
A competitor collapsed before us in a heap of skirts and jewels. Those around her shouted in alarm but made no move to help her.
Another soft thud. This time from the other side of the room.
“Shit,” I gasped.
“Come and find me as soon as you wake up.” Theia’s order was laced with unyielding steel. “Understood?” It held no room for compromise.
I nodded. It wasn’t as if I had any other choice.
She pulled me closer to her, almost feverishly. “Promise me, Eloise.”
“What does a promise change? The rules of the trials are set in stone. We can’t compete without at least one ally. I must find you regardless.”
I tried pulling away, but her hold on me was firm. Her eyes were wide, expectant.
“Fine. I promise.” The words left a sour taste in my mouth.
Promises were nothing but an invisible bind that haunted its bearer until it was satisfied. Oftentimes ready to kill if it wasn’t.
She spoke again, but it was as if I’d been shoved deep underwater. Her voice sounded muffled, too far away. Dark blotches swam across my vision.
My legs refused to move. Then refused to remain upright. The ground rose to greet me faster than I could comprehend.
Prickling numbness wrapped me in its embrace.
Saving me from the impact of my collapse.