Chapter 7 #2
I glare at him, defiant, even as my confidence falters.
I’m not truly sure I can contain this horrible magic.
I turn inward, focusing on my body, on the strange sensation of being invaded.
Beneath the raw, churning power of decay, I sense something else, a compartment within my magic, a fragile bubble sealed away.
There’s something inside it, something beautiful that would be sweet if I could taste it.
It pulses faintly, untouched by the ruin surrounding me, as if anchoring me to myself. I don’t know what it is, only that it keeps me grounded when everything else threatens to pull me apart.
Movement in the balcony over my head draws my gaze. I look up—archers. Dozens of them, lining the top floor, arrows gleaming as they take aim. One wrong move, one wrong breath, and I’m gone.
My fingers tighten around the ring on my finger. The stranger—my Godbeast—had told me what to do to control my magic. Coil and settle. Control and contain.
Even so, I sway a little, and a large, solid arm catches me, steadying me harshly. “Do not make yourself look more pathetic than you already are,” my Godbeast growls into my ear. “Stand tall. You’ve embarrassed yourself enough.”
His tone is so cold, so cruel, it grates me.
I have been cursed, strangled, battered and bruised.
My body, transformed into a weapon of decay that’s left the fallen bodies of my fellow courtiers in a ring around us…
and this man, this creature, dares to tell me to stand tall? Something inside me snaps.
I shove his massive arm away, my body still trembling, the coiled thing inside me writhing like a living beast. “Don’t touch me.”
I realize too late that my bare hand has brushed against him. The one bearing the ring he gave me. But his skin remains untouched, unblemished.
My Godbeast bows to someone behind me, mocking in a way that feels more like an insult than a display of respect or obedience.
I turn around and follow his gaze, stomach twisting as I discover Ryker.
The weight of it all crushes me, and my legs finally give out. Unable to hold myself upright any longer, I fall to my knees.
When I lift my eyes to him, he’s looking down at me, perfectly still, his expression unreadable.
This man I’ve known since he was barely old enough to mount a horse.
The same boy who cried for weeks when his kitten was mauled by one of the kitchen mutts.
Ryker is as familiar to me as my own reflection, but he stands before me as a stranger.
Then, finally, “Rise, Lady Raylane,” he says. His voice is calm, firm.
Lady. He still calls me that. Still acknowledges me. For better or worse, I still hold status in his court.
Slowly I rise, every bone in my body protesting.
“Is there a way to undo it?” Ryker asks the Sibyls who still surround us. “How can we proceed, when…” he gestures haplessly at the carnage around us, “Champions are prohibited from using their magic to harm people outside the Challenges?”
“Intentional harm,” the Sibyls say, their unsettling voices surrounding me. “Besides, the Trial has not officially begun, so there is no ground for disqualification.”
“What if I order it?” Ryker demands, his voice sharp. “I am the King. I am the law in this realm.”
“Raylane Troubelle no longer belongs to this realm,” the Sibyls reply. I don’t dare lift my head, don’t dare let Ryker see my face. “But the choice is hers. She can denounce her Goddess and the Godbound thread and forfeit the Trial at any time.”
“She will not,” Kaelzar declares, his voice flat with conviction.
“I liked it better when they growled instead of talking,” Mael says, lurking behind his brother.
“Calista was given only moments to choose whether she would take part in the Trial of the Bound,” Kaelzar says, his voice a low, almost bestial growl, “She had to act quickly, so here I am, talking instead of growling. But Trouble here,” I hear a smile in his voice, “has sent a tremor through the Elysium and disturbed many careful plans, my own first and foremost. She must face the consequences of her choice.”
“She’s a lady of the court, barely older than a girl and clearly not in her right mind,” Ryker booms. “She is not prepared. To allow her to compete would be an insult.”
Shame scorches my cheeks and the dismissal of his tone. When he speaks again, his voice is measured but strained.
“Because of the unique circumstances, I offer Lady Raylane an alternative,” Ryker announces.
“A small estate in the southern province, isolated and secured, where she may live out her days in safety. She may choose a household of women to attend her.” Another beat of silence.
Then, softer, he adds, “Undisturbed.” His gaze flickers with pleading before he buries it. “Will you accept?”
My heart leaps. Safety for me, for Peonica, for a few others. A turquoise ocean, breathtaking sunsets, a final gift from Ryker. The only one he can give me now.
For a moment, I let myself imagine it. A quiet life. A life where no one curses my name. A life where I am forgotten, but safe.
Then, the guards stiffen as Ryker leans closer to me. His voice drops to a whisper, and for the first time, it isn’t the king speaking. It’s just Ryker.
“I will try to forgive you, Raylane.” A pause. A sharp exhale. “But I can’t see you every day in my court.” His voice wavers. “This… saves us both.”
The pain in his voice floods me with hot, heavy, guilt. Ryker, who has given so much to those around him in the name of duty. Who claimed one small bit of happiness for himself in our love, only to watch me toss it away.
I should say yes. I should give him this one last gift.
“Make your decision,” the Sibyls intone, “Champion.”
It would be a quiet life of peace and solitude. I would help others, form a sanctuary for those touched by this horrible curse. But then what? I would grow old and frail, and more women would fall in the name of prejudice and judgment.
“I refuse your offer, kind as it is,” I say, straightening as Ryker watches, his blue eyes soft with disappointment. “I am called to answer to a different destiny.”
As disbelief ripples through the people around us, the Sphere above the Sibyls’ heads flares and dissolves into thin air. Before I can make any sense of it, the world shifts beneath me… and vanishes completely.