Chapter 8 #2
But the years had passed.
And I hadn't foreseen the hungry look in her eyes.
Only one could be crowned champion.
Only one could serve at the Wraith King's right hand.
In the mirror, I reach for her hand, knowing another of the candidates is right on my heels, his knife gripped between his teeth. Together we'd fought our way up the mountain, half-blinded by ice and snow, and facing an entire squad of bastards intending to tear us down.
Soraya squats above me on the ledge, our hands clasping as she tries to haul me up. Two of my ribs were broken defending her from an unforeseen attack, and the cold has wrought its damage on me. I need every ounce of help I can get.
"Hurry!" I cry, as Torrin reaches for my boot.
We know three candidates have already made it.
Only two more will get a chance.
Torrin grabs at my ankle, and his additional weight almost hauls Soraya over the edge. I scream as torn muscles burn. Soraya's thigh muscles flex and strain, and she grinds her teeth together as I dangle precariously.
There's another pair of candidates to our left, scaling the cliff face determinedly. They're almost neck and neck with us.
"Kick him off!" she screams.
"Don't let me go!"
But she's glancing across, judging the distance. Knowing they're going to beat her to the top, if she's not careful.
And I relive every moment of it, as I watch.
"I'm sorry," she whispers, meeting my eyes. "I don't want to die."
"We could fight together. We could flee. We promised we'd always have each other's backs!"
But she lets me go.
The mirror's hold on me shatters, and the second I tear my eyes from its surface, I Sift away.
None too soon.
The guards burst in, seemingly alerted somehow to my presence.
But I don't linger around to see if they're disappointed to find the room empty.
* * *
"Nothing?" Soraya demands, as I reappear at her side.
Seeing the moment of her betrayal has shaken me all over again, but I realized something too.
I missed her. I missed the little girl who shared my bed on bad nights, where we'd whisper our hopes and dreams and she'd tell me about the mother she could barely remember.
I miss the training partner who sparred with me every day, and laughed with me about some of the other boys in the camp.
And I missed the girl who'd splash me in the face in the hot baths, when I teased her about a certain boy in particular.
That doesn't mean I trust her.
"It wasn't there. But now I know where it is."
"Where?" Her eyes light up.
I merely smile. "Maybe its time for Lady Merisel to seduce a prince?"
She rolls her eyes. "Has he got it with him, or are you merely trying to get him naked?"
"Both?"
And a hint of a smile crosses her mouth, before she slaps me across the back of the head. "Mind on the job, Zemira. We're running out of time."
* * *
There's an uproar in the palace, and I swiftly change into my gown again, trying to hide my late night sojourn.
Soraya gives me a look. "What's going on?"
"I'll find out."
"If you don't come back, should I check the prince's bed?" she calls, as I slip from the room.
Scurrying through the halls, I'm drawn to the sounds of sobbing, and find most of the prince-hunting party near the library.
Prince Keir is there, trying to send them all away.
But it's too late.
We've all seen what he's looking at. What he's trying to hide from view.
The smooth marble walls are no longer unblemished.
For a second it takes me a moment to realize what I'm looking at: the drape of a skirt spilling from within the marble; a blood-red ruby shattered on the floor; and a pair of hands sticking out of the stone, as if trying to claw for help.
I stare at those hands, at the body clearly entombed in the marble.
"So ends Narcissa's hunt," Calliope murmurs at my side.
I startle.
"Narcissa?"
"Don't you recognize the rings on her fingers?" Calliope drawls. Her gaze slides to where Ismena is only just making an appearance.
"What's going on?" The Princess of Storms demands. "What's all this noise?" She finally sees the hands and her mouth drops open. "What happened?"
"It seems one by one, princesses are going missing," Calliope tells her coldly. "Or dying. Where were you tonight?"
"In my bedchambers," Ismena replies, arching one cool brow. "Dinner disagreed with me."
"Can anyone confirm your whereabouts?" Calliope demands.
"Why? Are you asking me if anyone was with me?" Ismena glances at the prince as if she's got something to hide. "Of course not. I was alone. The only one who saw me was my maid."
"And we all know where her loyalties lie."
"If you're calling me a liar, then say it," Ismena hisses, balling her fists at her sides.
"That's enough," snarls the prince.
Both females step apart, though Ismena's hot glare promises retaliation for this.
"Return to your chambers, all of you," Prince Keir says. "I shall have guards posted at your doors. If you are seen outside your chambers it shall be assumed you know more about this state of affairs than it seems."
His gaze slides over me, as if he wants to speak to me, but does not dare.
I try not to look at the golden claw hanging from his throat.
There shall be no seduction tonight.
I shoot what is left of Narcissa one last look, as I slink back to my rooms with the rest of the girls.
I can't help thinking about what I saw in the mirror tonight. Despite her initial "shock" Ismena has recovered well, and is muttering horrible things about Calliope that everybody can hear.
"Better watch your back," I murmur, as Calliope pauses by her door. "Ismena doesn't seem too fond of you right now."
"Is she ever fond of anyone?" Calliope muses, watching the other princesses go.
"I thought... I thought she was friendly with Narcissa." The choice of victim confuses me.
"Narcissa won a picnic with the prince tomorrow," Calliope replies.
It startles me. "She did?"
"I forget, you weren't there tonight when we were swimming in the pools in the rose garden." Calliope gives me a steady look, and I hope she's not thinking I had anything to do with this.
"There's only so much nastiness I can handle."
Calliope takes a breath. Then pauses. "You know.... You're not like the others."
"I hope you mean that as a compliment."
She smiles. "I do. I didn't think I'd like anyone here, but you remind me of myself. I've been so alone for so long now, that I didn't think I missed having a friend." She steps forward and impulsively hugs me. "Be careful. The other girls think you're the competition."
And I don't want to end up like poor Narcissa or Altrea.
"I will be," I promise, as she steps back. "If Ismena plans to come after me, then she'd better bring her best knives." I flash a smile. "I'm no easy target."