39. Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Grace
Grace’s nerves only intensified at the start of the third and final round. Eli disappeared within seconds, Ali was missing, and Nik had run off to find her. Her mother was too sick to get out of bed. Half of her entourage was missing, and it was impossible to ignore their absence.
She knew it would take a while before any of the suitors made it back—hopefully Eli with the winning flag in his hand. Until then, she needed to find a way to keep herself distracted.
“How are things with Sam?” she asked her brother quietly.
His eyes quickly flicked toward Sam on the other side of the platform before returning to her. His throat bobbed as he swallowed.
“Oh, don’t be shy, Theo. It’s obvious there’s something between the two of you.”
“I’m not shy. I’m just not sure Sam is ready for people to know…about us.”
Grace grinned. “But there is an ‘us?’”
Theo nodded silently.
“Good. I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you,” he said, rolling his eyes.
She peered out to where the ground began to slope and trees lined the edge of the clearing. A part of her knew that watching so intently wouldn’t speed things up, but another part of her found it impossible to look away. If only she could see what was happening in the mysterious woods.
Theo’s hand landed on her thigh, startling her. “Are you worried about him?”
She thought for a moment before responding, “I wish I could say I wasn’t. He’s smart and strong. There is no one better equipped for this Rite than Eli. But—”
“But what if something goes wrong?”
“Exactly. Anything could happen. It’s agonizing waiting here with no hint of how things are going, just hoping that he’s the first one to return.”
Theo squeezed her thigh just above her knee, grounding her and stealing her from her sabotaging thoughts. “It’s going to be okay.”
“How do you know?”
He chuckled. “You’re not supposed to ask that. Just trust me.”
Her smile mirrored his. “All right then.”
To the left of the platform, Grace watched Soren approach, a grim expression on his face. Their eyes met as he moved closer, and he looked nervous.
“Soren,” she greeted him.
“Hello, Grace.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I had to stop by the medical chamber to pick up something for my dad. It’s why I was late getting here.”
Grace waved a hand. He was young and inexperienced, and still very adamant about proving his worth as a guard. He needed to relax a little. “Don’t worry about that.”
“That’s not it. While I was there, I ran into Nik. Ali was passed out in his arms. I’m not sure what happened, but it didn’t look good.” When he saw Grace’s eyes widen, he added, “She’ll live. Meg seemed pretty sure of it. But I thought you’d want to know.”
Grace sucked in a sharp breath and moved to stand, but Theo wrapped his hand around her arm.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I need to go see what happened. If there was another attack, I need to speak with Nik and make sure Ali is okay.”
His serious expression made her hesitate. “You can’t. Not yet, at least. People will get suspicious if you leave the Rite.”
She frowned and looked out at the crowd. Most of them were chatting with their friends or finding ways to entertain themselves while they waited. Few, if any, were even looking her way. But would that change if she stood and left? Would it be that bad if they did notice?
“I can go,” Soren said. “I can go back and see if there’s been any update.”
He looked distressed, like he just wanted to do a good job and impress Grace in whatever way possible and understood that informing her that one of her best friends was currently unconscious in the medical chamber wasn’t the best way to do so.
“That would be great. Thank you, Soren.”
He was about to leave when Grace stopped him.
“Soren?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
She spoke quietly, so no one aside from Theo and Soren could hear. “I have reason to believe that Eamon has something to do with this attack. He hasn’t shown up to the Rite even though he’s on the oversight committee. And when Nik left, he was concerned that Ali might’ve been searching for him.”
“You think Eamon hurt her?”
It wouldn’t be the first time, but Soren didn’t know that. He hadn’t been privy to most matters behind the scenes since he was only filling in for Nik. Grace hoped he was as trustworthy as she thought him to be.
“This is obviously sensitive information, Soren. Please find out what you can, but don’t—”
“Don’t speak a word of it. Got it.”
“Thank you.”
With a polite nod, Soren turned and headed back toward the mountain’s entrance.
Grace’s fingers tapped anxiously in her lap. Between Eli and Ali, her nerves had never been tested so severely. Her skin felt like it was too tight, her bones too rigid. Time moved slower than it ever had before, and she was seconds from pacing back and forth on the raised platform.
Voices grew louder throughout the crowd and Grace raised her head to find Roman limping out of the woods. She jumped to her feet, as did her brother and father.
When Roman passed the last tree, he took a tumble and fell to the ground. A collective gasp came from the crowd and two men sprinted forward to pick him up. Together they helped carry Roman until he was standing in front of Grace, a pained expression on his face.
Grace swallowed hard. She hated to admit that despite his obvious injuries, her primary concern was deciphering whether he held that red flag that signified he’d won the Rite. Her eyes raked over his body and studied his hands, open as they wrapped around his helpers’ shoulders.
She breathed easier, knowing he hadn’t brought the flag back with him.
“Roman.” Her father said his name with a hint of curiosity.
When Roman’s eyes met Grace’s, there seemed to be an apology there. What was happening in those woods?
“I’m sorry, Grace. I injured my ankle in a rogue trap. I couldn’t finish.” He hung his head in shame.
Blood seeped through his pant leg, staining his jeans a deep crimson. Grace was impressed he’d even managed to get back to the starting point without help. “It’s okay, Roman. You did your best.”
His expression turned slightly less grim, although still disappointed.
Grace looked back and forth between the two men holding him up. “Can you take him to see the medic? Have that leg taken care of?”
They nodded and helped Roman hobble away.
“Are all Rites this exciting?” Amaya asked, beaming brightly until Heather elbowed her in the side.
“I have no idea,” Grace muttered under her breath.
Once the crowd quieted down, Grace found herself in the same position as before—plagued by nerves and uncontrollable thoughts. Her mind wandered to Eli in the woods. Had he found the flag yet? What if he had also fallen injured with no one to help him?
Then her mind redirected to Ali. Had Meg revived her yet? Nik had to be going out of his mind. He had a tough exterior, but his soft spot for Ali was obvious to everyone who knew him. Hopefully by the time the Rite was over, all would be well back inside the mountain.
Grace’s nerves settled into her stomach and she felt moments away from expelling her lunch all down the front of her dress.
It must’ve shown in her face too, because Theo kept giving her sideways glances, and Heather repeatedly pushed a flask of water into her hands, saying she looked pale and unwell.
She tried to sip the water, but it just made her stomach feel as though there was a storm trapped inside, sloshing back and forth and making her even more queasy.
An undiscernible amount of time passed. She had no clue whether it had been an hour or twelve. The sun was partially hidden behind clouds, further complicating her perception of time.
No one else had emerged since Roman, and she wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. Perhaps it meant they were still searching for the flag, or maybe Roman wasn’t the only one to have fallen in his quest to win her heart.
Just when she didn’t think she could take any more waiting, a shadow moved in the distance, lurking between the trees. As the figure drew closer, Grace squinted to try to make out who it was that was returning.
The man walked confidently, slow enough that he didn’t seem to be worried about anyone chasing him. His build looked like Eli’s, but Grace was so nervous, she didn’t want to believe it was him until he was standing right before her.
Finally, he moved into the light, a small red piece of fabric in his hands, and Grace didn’t have it in her to remain calm.
She leaped to her feet and neither her brother nor her father had time to stop her before she raced across the clearing and flung her arms around Eli, kissing his cheek and running her fingers through his hair.
It didn’t take long for the crowd to realize Eli held the flag. Cheers erupted all around them, but it was nothing compared to the way her heart burst with excitement. For them, the Rite was mostly entertainment, but for her, the Rite was her future.
And Eli had just secured his place in it.
Eli had won.
“You did it,” she said against his ear. He squeezed her tightly, and she felt right at home in his arms. It dawned on her that this marked the end, but also the beginning.
The end of an archaic tournament but the start of her life with Eli.
The end of fear and doubt and the beginning of her legacy.
It felt as though her life had just pivoted, a clear line drawn between before and now.
Before was dull and dreary. Now was bright and bursting with color.
Her lips found his, and they exchanged a series of quick, soft kisses before breaking apart. She pulled back enough to look him in the eyes and, although they were full of love and adoration, she also sensed that something else was on his mind.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head and observed the crowd, most of them still on their feet and roaring loudly. “We should find somewhere private to speak.”
It would be impossible to sneak away now. Not when the entire town was waiting for some type of speech, a declaration of the winner and the announcement that the Rite had officially ended.
Eli’s eyes narrowed, and Grace followed his gaze, looking over her shoulder. The Rite’s oversight committee was headed in their direction, led by her father. One member of the committee was noticeably missing.
“Where’s Eamon?” Eli asked.
“He’s…” Grace paused. Who knew where he was? Soren hadn’t returned yet with an update, so she could only guess. But then another absence caught her attention. “Where’s Trevor? And Jae?”
“Jae hasn’t returned?” Eli asked.
Grace shook her head, wishing the committee would give them a few more minutes alone. But they were almost within earshot now.
Eli lowered his voice. “Jae will be fine. He was knocked out near the flag’s point. Trevor, however…”
Her father cut in with a clap on Eli’s back. “Well done, Eli. I didn’t doubt you for a second.”
Grace smiled. Even if her mother hadn’t been supportive, her father only seemed to want what she wanted. For that, she would be eternally grateful.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I thought I told you to call me Ben.”
Eli let out a nervous laugh, still holding on to some piece of information that Grace was dying to hear.
Her father stepped to the side, allowing Diane and Fox space to join the conversation.
“Congratulations, Eli,” Diane said, offering her hand to shake Eli’s. “You’ve competed well and have proven your worthiness of Grace’s hand in marriage.”
“I’ll second that,” Fox added. “Well done, Eli.”
Before Grace knew it, they were being pulled back to the platform, and the crowd was being silenced as her father prepared to make a speech.
Eli stood next to her, and she couldn’t help but smile, feeling like she’d gotten everything she’d ever wanted. Nothing could bring her down from this high. Beside her, Eli broke into a smile. Whatever had happened with Trevor…it wasn’t enough to spoil this moment.
Their moment.
Her father’s voice was booming next to her as he waved a hand in their direction. “Everyone, please help me congratulate Grace, the next Lady of Berland and her consort, Eli!”
Ali had everyone’s undivided attention as she recanted her confrontation with Eamon.
“So Eamon is…”
“Dead,” Ali said, nodding. “I’m sure of it.”
Grace nodded and pondered for a moment. “We’ll need to send someone to clean out his hideout. I can’t believe he was growing helberries inside the mountain. If it’s as bad as you described it, Ali, the casualties could’ve been endless. You saved many lives today.”
Ali and Nik shared a smile, and Grace turned toward Eli. “And Trevor?”
“Also dead,” Eli confessed. Attention turned to him as he told the story of what happened in the woods.
“Okay. Okay,” Grace said, breathing deeply. It was a lot to process. Eamon and Trevor, the two men who’d spent so much time working to take her and her mother down, were now gone. It didn’t feel real.
“What will we do now?” Nik asked. “How do we explain this?” He squeezed Ali’s shoulder, concern etched between his brows.
“Ali and Eli both acted in self-defense. There isn’t anything to explain. It’s done. It’s over.”
“And Eamon’s followers will accept that explanation?” Eli asked.
“They won’t have a choice. None of the others have a claim to the title. Without a leader, their rebellion will fall apart.”
“For now,” Nik said.
“For now,” Grace agreed. “And if or when another narcissist comes along and tries to take what is mine, we will deal with them. But today I will not let them take my joy. Today we celebrate—family, friends, community, and prosperity. We celebrate us.”
Eli linked his hand with Grace’s. “I like the sound of that.” He paused for a moment, looking at each person in the room. “Us.”