Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Nina
The circus tent loomed before us, its tattered fabric rippling in the warm breeze.
Its colours had long since faded, washed-out reds and purples streaked with something darker that looked like dried blood.
The entrance was a dark, wide opening, lined with colourful bulbs that flickered frantically.
I felt like I was walking straight into the monster’s den, and I couldn’t help but yearn for the comforts of my bedchamber in Temptation.
Dominik led the way, stepping forward with an ease I envied. I wondered if confidence or the same recklessness got him into trouble. Either way, I followed, the heavy flap of the tent brushing against my shoulder as we entered.
Inside, golden light bathed the space, casting long shadows across rows of velvet-draped booths and a single, massive circular stage.
The air smelled of candle wax and something sickly sweet, and as my boots hit the ground, I realised – it wasn’t solid.
It shifted beneath my weight like compact sand, but no imprint remained when I lifted my foot.
The others were already there. Felix, Selene, Amabel, and Ronan.
Amabel arched a brow, arms crossed. “Oh, it’s about time you two joined.”
“Had to make an entrance,” Dominik said, brushing dust from his jacket.
Ronan squared his shoulders. “How about we get on with it?”
A hair-raising voice cackled from the shadows, and my blood went cold. From the high table on a raised platform overlooking us all, a figure emerged. He was draped in a green velvet tailcoat, and layers of gold jewellery, a gothic vision of mischief and menace.
The Demon of Chaos.
He looked . . . wrong. His form flickered at the edges like reality wasn’t sure what he was. His human-like eyes were brown, matching his thick hair that coiled down to his chest.
“Alexei,” Dominik said, gesturing to the demon. “Chaos incarnate. Meet Nina.”
The demon grinned. His features morphed – angular one moment, soft the next. However, his eyes remained constant, sparkling with amusement.
“Nina,” Alexei repeated, drawing my name out like a song. “What a pleasure it is to meet the Champion of Temptation. Tell me, are you enjoying yourself?”
“Immensely,” I said flatly. “There’s nothing like running for my life to keep things interesting.”
“Indeed,” he drawled. “The Cycle hasn’t been this lively in decades. You do realise you’re causing quite the stir?”
“I guess demons don’t like it when they don’t get their own way.”
He grinned. “Madalena sent missives to us all, you know. She thinks you’re cheating The Cycle. Is that true?”
“Would you believe me if I said no?”
“Yes, I would,” he said. “Madalena is quite mad. We all know there is no mortal soul that can wield the infernal fires. She’s stupid to think you have any power at all.”
I stared icily at the demon. “I never said I was powerless.”
Alexei cackled. “Well, Madalena is quite mad. Would you be willing to tell us about the voices that speak to you?”
I froze. How did he know about the whispers of Hell . . . I’d told Dominik about them when we had first entered Corruption, but. . .
My head snapped towards Dominik, who looked away, unwilling to meet my stare.
Mother’s breath. My friend has become an absolute snake.
“Forgive my Champion,” Alexei said, with the widest grin I’d ever seen. “I forced him to tell me everything he knows about all the Champions. So, those voices . . . care to tell us what they’ve told you?”
The other Champions glanced at me, curiosity sparkling in their eyes, and also confusion.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
“Hmm.” His fingers drummed against the table. “I do hope you’re a good liar.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because that’s what we’re playing. A game of Truth and Lies.
And I love a good performance.” Alexei snapped his fingers, and the tent transformed.
The golden lights dimmed, and a round table, polished and smooth as glass, appeared in the centre of the stage.
Six chairs. Six Champions. One by one, we were pulled towards it and forced to sit like puppets on strings.
Alexei remained at his high table, looking down at us.
He leaned forward, propping his chin on his hand.
“The rules are simple. Each of you will have a turn. I’ll ask two questions.
You must tell me one lie and one truth. And if I can see the lie for what it is, then . . .” His smile stretched. “You lose.”
Selene sat to my left, muttering under her breath.
“What happens if we lose?” Amabel said, crossing her arms.
“Let’s just say you don’t want to do that. So, try your hardest, Champions. But remember, I am a demon who has lived centuries,” Alexei mused. “And I have my ways of seeing what lies beneath.”
“We can just lie a second time,” Felix whispered on my right, loud enough for both Selene and me to hear. “If he gets the answer right, and he picks your lie, don’t let him know it.”
I nodded. It was a good idea. All these demons lied to get their own way. Why couldn’t we?
A bell rang, signalling the start of the game.
And suddenly, my body froze.
I couldn’t move my arms or legs. I couldn’t swivel my head to look at Selene. All I could do was blink and breathe.
Dominik sat opposite, staring at me as though he had something to say. But he was frozen, back straight, hands resting flat on the table.
Next to him, Amabel sat frozen, too, her eyes darting around in silent panic. Ronan sat at Dominik’s left side, blinking slowly, looking unimpressed and bored in his frozen state.
It seemed all of us were trapped in stillness except for Selene, who let out a gasp.
“What did you do to them?” she shouted.
Alexei waved a lazy hand. “The other Champions will wait their turn. You, sweet Selene, will begin.”
Alexei’s eyes swept over her face, arms and chest in an invasive scan that made my stomach knot.
Then, with a clap, he asked, “What do you fear most? Would you let yourself be known, truly known, by anyone at this table?”
Selene hesitated, just a second too long. “Control.” Then, she cleared her throat and said, “Yes, I would.”
Alexei’s gaze bore into her, unblinking.
“Your lie,” he said, “is the first one.”
He pulled a wooden box from beneath the table and dropped it before him. One side was green, the other was red. An arrow sat in the centre, and without warning, it moved, ticking to the left until it pointed at green.
“Looks like I got that right,” he purred.
Shit. He had some sort of lie detector. Felix’s plan wouldn’t work. We’d have to play Alexei’s game and follow the rules.
The floor beneath Selene cracked open, and bars of flaming gold shot upward. The cage formed fast, boxing her in. Metal groaned, and I could see it shrinking from the corner of my eye, enclosing her in a tiny space. The flames licked towards her, close enough to burn.
“Your truth is written all over you, sweet Selene. Love terrifies you, and I’d wager Dimitri’s peeled that secret out of you by now.”
My chest clenched. Had Selene ever been loved? Had someone once held her heart and broken it beyond repair?
When Amabel unfroze, I knew it was her turn next. She muttered to herself and flattened her hair with her palms as though calming the chaos that was toying with her.
The table groaned and began to rotate, turning anticlockwise until my back faced Alexei and Amabel was lined up beneath his gaze. I wondered if she realised what the box was – a lie detector – and that there was no worming her way out of this one.
“Your turn, Amabel,” Alexei sang. “And don’t skimp on the specifics. Tell me, what is your greatest regret? And is there anything or anyone you love more than yourself?”
Amabel’s chin lifted. Her eyes flicked around the room but never landed on a single person.
“Showing mercy to someone in my village who didn’t deserve it,” she said.
She wouldn’t meet our eyes. That was a tell.
“No, there’s no one I love more than myself.
” I’d have rolled my eyes if I were able to.
Beneath the table, Amabel’s heel tapped faintly, a barely audible tic.
Another tell that gave her away. But she wouldn’t give two lies.
That would be absurd. But I wondered if there was another reason for her nerves.
Alexei grinned.
“Naughty girl,” he said. “You tried to outplay me. You didn’t lie, did you? They are both truths.”
The arrow swung green. And then the cage came. Amabel tried to protest, but Alexei flicked his fingers towards her, and she was a silent, frozen statue once more.
“I'm wondering if your fellow Champions have figured out how the cleverest among them hides behind a facade of doe-eyed idiocy. It’s quite manipulative, Amabel. But I see what’s underneath. The girl yearning to survive in a world far more special and wicked than you’ll ever be.”
A shiver crawled up my arm, and I couldn’t shake it off in my frozen state. I had to feel it under my skin, like an itch, and I only wanted to scratch it away.
Were Amabel’s cruel ways just an act? Was there more to her than met the eye?
And Alexei had seen it. Like a lie detector, he measured us and looked for any clues that gave us away.
The table moved clockwise, and Dominik was centred in Alexei’s sights.
I could see the tension in his shoulders.
The same I’d seen in Torment. The same as when I’d asked about the wrong path he’d led me down just an hour before this stupid game.
It didn’t feel like the Dominik I knew back home.
This was a Dominik I didn’t trust. He had never been selfish or cruel.
Hell had transformed him into something I no longer recognised.
“Dom-i-nik,” Alexei purred, drawing out each syllable. “My hope, my havoc, my Champion. When did you first realise you weren’t the hero? And when the time comes, will you betray the woman you love for what your heart desires?”