Chapter Seven
The tang of blood hit the back of Elara’s throat as they descended. She turned over everything that the librarian had let slip. Fighting dens. And only the winner received the prize: the snakestone that they so desperately needed.
‘I’ll fight,’ Elara said, her voice echoing in the tunnel. There was a faint drip, and Elara looked up, recoiling in horror at the drop of red liquid that fell on to the tunnel floor.
Leo laughed. ‘Over my dead body.’
‘My powers; I can—’
‘The general is right.’
Merissa swore filthily as Eli appeared next to her from a flash of starlight—which was gone in the blink of an eye. Elara would have laughed in amusement at curse words coming from such a demure mouth if the stakes before them hadn’t been so high.
‘Eli. Always arriving at the eleventh hour.’
‘Well, it is my plan you’re all following,’ he drawled, placing a cigarette into his mouth and lighting it from one of the torches in the sconces that lined the tunnel.
‘You could have shared it before we arrived for our imminent death.’
Eli jerked his head, and they followed him to a small, shadowed alcove. He blew out a breath of honeyed tobacco before speaking. ‘The woman in there, hosting the event—Madame Miramere herself—created the snakestone. She’s one of the most powerful makers in the kingdom.’
‘And just what in all that is holy is a snakestone?’ Elara demanded. ‘You’ve sent us here without whispering a word of what it does.’
‘The snakestone can see through glamours and tricks within dreams. Better yet, it can show you what you most desire to find. Dreamwalkers throughout the ages have staked their lives on such an object. It is a seeking stone. One you will desperately need in Ariete’s dreams.’
It made sense now—why the object was so important. She’d have to spend days in the King of Stars’ dreams without it, trying to find the tether.
‘And your plan was to have one of us fight for it? A little rudimentary, isn’t it? You’re a god of the mind. Can’t you just puppet her and have her give it to us?’ Leo asked.
‘If I do, it will alert everyone in Celestia that I am helping you. So no, I can’t,’ Eli responded sardonically.
‘Then what’s your plan?’ Merissa said. For someone so meek, she seemed not to mind confronting Eli. Perhaps knowing he was allied with her mother made her less fearful of the god.
‘Dear Leonardo is going to enter the pits as a contestant, which is plan A. At best, you will win the snakestone fair and square. At worst, you will provide a distraction for plan B. Which falls upon you, demi-Star.’ His grin was nothing short of wolfish as he turned his attention to Merissa.
‘You, Merissa, will join me in the box, where you will charm Madame Miramere, encourage a favourable outcome of the match and swipe the snakestone from her in the process should Leonardo fail. And you, sweet Moon’—Eli’s gaze flicked to her only for a moment, and again, it struck Elara as strange, as though he was avoiding her eye—‘are going to do nothing but sit pretty and keep yourself alive.’
‘Do you know me at all?’ she spluttered.
‘Yes,’ Eli replied, ‘which is why I’m warning you. You’re needed in the Dreamlands. If you sacrifice yourself, as you so enjoy doing, who will wake Lorenzo? So play your part.’
Elara fought against her pride and indignation, looking to Leo. ‘Leo, are you sure about this? I don’t want you to get hurt; we can think of something—’
Leo snorted, shaking his head as he slung an arm around her. ‘Do you forget where I come from, El?’
‘It’s beneath you. You’re the king’s general and guard.’
‘And you’re the Queen of Asteria and Helios. So if it’s beneath me, then it’s in the Deadlands for you. Now, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a fistfight, but my childhood was made up of them.’
‘Fond memories?’ Eli snarked.
Leo smirked and rolled his shoulders, cracking his knuckles before turning back to Elara. He grabbed her by the shoulders, peering earnestly into her eyes. ‘I’ve never lost a battle. I will not be beaten.’
The steadiness of his gaze restored her faith in him, in his unwavering strength.
She nodded, and he stood tall again. They came out of the alcove, and Eli put a hand on Merissa’s back, driving her forwards.
Leo tensed up beside Elara, and she could see it then—a flash of fury across his face as he watched the god touch Merissa.
Merissa looked back once, jade-green eyes steady.
She nodded at them both reassuringly before they stepped out of the tunnel’s mouth into pandemonium.
The sound was raucous. Streams of people crushed together, all peering down into a pit.
Betting stalls lined the sides of the room, coins flashing in piles along with ballots.
Food and drink carts were dotted around haphazardly, the smell of beer, sweat and piss prevalent in the air.
Merissa disappeared into the crowd with Eli, towards the box overlooking the fighting pits.
Elara turned back towards Leo.
‘You don’t need to worry about her with Eli,’ she reassured him.
Leo shook his head. ‘I have no right to worry at all,’ he said quietly. ‘She isn’t mine.’ Before she could reply, they were both swallowed by the sea of people and then spat out near the fences that guarded them from tumbling into the pits.
Leo suddenly stood straight, to attention, and whirled to where Eli now sat, reclining like the god he was as fans began to scream in adoration. Merissa sat primly next to him.
‘How does he fucking do that?’ Leo hissed.
‘Do what?’
‘He just spoke into my mind.’
Elara laughed. ‘Unnerving, isn’t it?’
Leo nodded uneasily. ‘He told me to go down to the pits’ entrance as they announce the next contestants.’
Elara squeezed his arm. ‘Speak to Mer after this. Because I think…Well, I think she’d love to be yours.’
Something perked up in Leo’s face, and he leaned into Elara to whisper, ‘Are you ready to meet the street urchin from Apollo’s Row?’