by Megan Linski
Ethan had halted completely. His fangs were bared as he moaned with obvious agony. “I… can’t move,” he forced out. “I’m frozen.”
I was freezing, too. My body was slowly becoming a statue, from my feet upward. I tried to move my legs, and found them stuck. We were literally becoming blocks of ice!
“Emma,” Ethan gasped, but said nothing more. I squeezed my chilled fingers into his fur and tried to work out a way out of this.
Something about this didn’t feel right. I shouldn’t have been able to manipulate the snow I’d used to create an ice bridge earlier, even with the necklace helping me. I wasn’t an elemental. The weather didn’t obey my command.
Unless the snow wasn’t really snow.
It’s not real, I realized. The snowstorm was an illusion. The whole race was. The targets, the obstacles, even the storm… all it had ever been was a grand illusion. I wouldn’t have been able to make that snow bridge earlier if the snow had been real in the first place.
“It’s not real,” I gasped. Ethan’s eyes widened with realization.
“An illusion,” he whispered. “But a powerful one.”
Indeed. It was strong enough to hold on past the realization that it was fake. I knew what we were experiencing wasn’t really there. It was a spell cast on our minds by sorceresses, but damn if it didn’t still hurt regardless.
“I can’t break this myself. I don’t have enough magical energy,” Ethan argued. “No one does.”
I did. But I couldn’t tell him how. “Ethan, just leave it to me.”
“What are you going to do?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I focused my energy inward on the necklace. I imagined the cold lifting… the storm breaking… warmth returning to the earth again.
It didn’t happen right away. But once again, the dark necklace burned my skin, and I felt its power channel into me. I forced it outward with my palms, and the blizzard was blasted back, displaying a clear path from here to the finish.
I’d destroyed the illusion. Not just for me. For everyone.
“You did it! The illusion broke!” Ethan cried. “I can see the finish!”
A jet black shock of pain ricocheted up my spine as the spell left my body, causing my eyes to roll backward. The insane cold melted away to be replaced by warmth and sunlight. This time, I did pass out, but Ethan was there to catch me. I fell forward onto his back, darkness enveloping me as the sound of his steady paws beat onward toward what I hoped was the end.
“Ethan, is she all right? It’s been awhile.”
“All of you, give her some air. She needs the rest.”
“What she did out there wasn’t natural. I’ve never seen such power in my—”
“Back. Off.”
That was Ethan. He sounded… really protective. And intense. There was a wet washcloth dotting sweat away from my face. My eyes fluttered open. I was back in the tent, lying on the bed. Ethan was hovering over me. He was the one holding the washcloth. His eyebrows were knitted together in concern. I noticed that my armor, as well as Ethan’s, had been removed, and we were only wearing our tourney colors.
Odette, Delmare and Kiara were close by. They’d gathered around the bed and seemed as worried as Ethan was.
“What’s going on?” I hated how faint my voice sounded. My stomach churned, and a pounding headache expanded across my temple. Man, this sucked.
“We won the race,” Ethan said. “But only by a hair. Elijah and Gabby came in second.”
He paused for a moment, then added, “But we wouldn’t have won at all if you hadn’t cast that spell.”
There was a beat of silence, before Kiara spoke. “Emma… how did you do that?” Kiara whispered. “How you broke that illusion… it shouldn’t have been within the power of a high priestess.”
Ethan’s gaze landed on mine inquisitively. I licked my lips and said, “I don’t know. I just… did what I had to, I guess.”
Kiara’s lips pressed together. She knew I wasn’t telling the truth.
“What about the other contestants?” I pressed a hand to my mouth. I felt like I was going to puke.
“Nearly everyone made it to the end, but only a few are going on to the next round. The griffin couple froze to death,” Ethan said.
“How could they have froze to death? The snowstorm wasn’t real,” I said in confusion.
“Powerful illusions can trick the mind into believing that they’re experiencing whatever the eyes see,” Ethan said. “In bitter cold, the organs slowly shut down. That’s what happened to the griffin couple. They convinced themselves the whole thing was real.”
Never mind. I was going to puke. I gagged— Ethan lunged for a bucket. He handed it to me seconds before I tossed up the remnants of my earlier meal.
The room spun again. Ethan was at my side again with a glass of water. I sipped it slowly, trying not to throw up that, too.
Delmare sat on the bed and rubbed my back. “You’re one tough bitch, lady. I would’ve lost by now.”
“Yeah. You’ve made it halfway through!” Odette piped optimistically. “Just two more rounds to go!”
I groaned. I put the bucket on the other side of the bed and lay back. Delmare took the glass of water. Ethan brushed his fingers against my cheek lightly.
“Take some time to recover. We’ve got a few hours before the next round,” Ethan whispered. “You probably need a nap.”
“Fucking probably.” My eyes were already drifting shut. I heard footsteps as Delmare, Kiara and Odette left the tent.
But not Ethan. I felt the mattress dip as he slid next to me. He pulled me against his chest. I counted the beats of his heart as he wrapped his arms around me before I shivered. It felt like that harsh cold from earlier had settled in among my insides, and wouldn’t move. I was grateful for the shifter warmth that Ethan provided. It settled over me like a blanket, and soothed my fears.
“Hey.” He rubbed my arms up and down, creating friction there. Hot damn, if only we didn’t have two more rounds to go and I didn’t feel like shit. I’d be busy trying to get those pants off of him and seeing what he had under there. I mean, the guy was missing a leg, but not the leg that mattered.
“Hey.” I coughed a few times and snuggled into his chest. Never cuddled with a guy before, but this was nice. Wish it wasn’t right after I’d just hacked up breakfast.
“Are you sure you’re okay to continue?” If I heard him right, his voice sounded a little choked up. “I’m… really worried about you. You scared me back there.”
He was being so sweet. I smiled slightly and inhaled his woodsy scent. It sent a thrill from my nostrils right down to my panties. “It was just a tough round. I’ll be fine after a break.”
Ethan didn’t answer. His fingers were lightly stroking my braid. It was putting me to sleep.
“I’ll warn you, I’m a loud snorer.” I yawned.
He chuckled. “Maybe I think that’s cute.”
“You won’t when it keeps you awake.”
“Trust me, Em. I could sleep through the next war. Noise doesn’t bother me.”
I scoffed. “Whatever you say.”
Ethan leaned down. I wasn’t sure what he was doing, until my entire form melted as his lips pressed against my forehead.
He’d kissed me on the head. Oh my gosh. I felt like I was glowing or something. My insides fluttered with joy. It was crazy how such a small gesture could have so much meaning behind it. And I felt every bit of it.
Ethan Nowak actually cared about me. Did I dare to believe he loved me?
Because gods, did I love him. Now more than ever. This Contest was bonding me to him like nothing else could.
I moved my legs to make myself more comfortable. One of them ended up lying over Ethan’s. I felt the cold metal of his prosthetic press against my calf through his clothing.
His entire body stiffened with shock. It was like he wanted to cringe away— like he wasn’t ready for me to acknowledge that it was there.
&
nbsp; “It’s okay,” I breathed. I tangled my legs with his, and Ethan relaxed. His arms drew me tighter to his form. My body ached as my thoughts weaved in and out of dreamland.
The King’s Contest didn’t have accommodations for disabled people. I needed to suck it up. Ethan had problems, too. I wasn’t the only one who had issues to work around. He was getting by just fine.
Ethan’s disability is a bit different. He’s missing a leg. You’re missing an immune system, functioning organs, and just about everything fucking else.
I was exhausted. And we were only two rounds into this thing. If we were going to win, we had two more to go— and the last one would be a literal fight to the death.
I didn’t think I’d make it that far. I was ready to collapse with the end of the second round. My body wasn’t going to let me go through yet another part of this competition. I needed rest. I needed a shower and a bed. I needed to go home and pretend this was all a bad dream.
But I loved Ethan. I was doing this for him. I’d used black magic for him without blinking an eye, and I’d do it again. I didn’t care about the cost. He needed me to hold on and make it through this thing.
So I would. I’d put that crown on his head even if it killed me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ethan
I was terribly concerned about Emma. She didn’t look good.
Forget that. It was an understatement. She didn’t look well. In fact, if I had to put it into words, she looked like the epitome of walking death.
I hated myself for doing this to her. I’d put her in this situation. I wished I’d abandoned the throne and not gone through with the Contest at all.
And yet we were so close. We were halfway through. Our chances of succeeding had increased drastically. There were only a few more couples we had to beat. The crown was literally within our grasp.
We’d fallen asleep together in the tourney tent. She slept for far longer than I did. I wanted to remain in bed forever and listen to the sound of her steady breaths as they rose in and out of her gorgeous body. It was an enchanting rhythm that sounded sweeter than any music in the world.
I hoped that she didn’t care about my leg. Maybe she didn’t care there were parts of me missing. But I was too afraid to ask.
I shook her awake a half an hour before the third round began. She didn’t want to eat, but I begged and pleaded with her until I was able to force some bread and soup down her throat. It was late afternoon at this point, and she needed to keep her strength up.
Emma seemed a little better after the nap. Her eyes shone brighter, and clear. Emma stood tall and fastened the sword hilt around her, which I had taken off after the second round. We got our armor back on just before we were called to go.
Kiara entered the tent. “It’s time.” She glanced at Emma, then sent me a disapproving look that made me uneasy.
She didn’t need to drop hints. Kiara obviously thought that Emma was lying about the second round. Everyone in the audience had been stunned. The officials, too. An illusion like that had never been broken before during the Contest. It had taken several sorceresses to cast, and was exceptionally strong. Emma was a First Year Marked who barely knew her way around a spell. How she’d managed to break that illusion and end the blizzard was beyond me.
Yes, I knew Emma was lying, too. But I didn’t know what about, or why. She had help breaking that illusion. She had to. But for now, I didn’t think it wise to ask. The past was behind us now, and we had to keep moving forward.
Maybe I just didn’t want to know the truth.
Emma put a hand to her forehead and grabbed onto the table to keep herself steady. I immediately rushed to her side, my hands on her hips to keep her upright. “Emma. Steady now.” I hoped she wouldn’t faint again.
She grimaced. “Cast an illusion spell.”
“What?”
“Make me look pretty! I can’t go out looking like this. It’ll make me seem weak,” she said.
She was right. Her face appeared taunt, and dark circles had formed under her eyes. The officials wouldn’t consider her strong enough to go on.
I waved my hand, and violet sparks flashed out of my fingers. The dark circles faded, and color popped into her cheeks as her red hair brightened and skin smoothed. It looked like she’d just walked into a salon and gotten a complete makeover.
She gave a heavy sigh as she glanced at the mirror. “There. Much better.”
I held a vacant expression. Emma might look better, but she didn’t have me fooled. I bet she still felt awful.
“Why do your eyes do that?” she asked. Her gaze narrowed. “Turn purple when you cast?”
“Oh, that? I’m not sure,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “It’s just something that happens.”
“Hmph. Odd.”
Kiara handed a glass bottle to Emma, one that had a sparkling blue substance inside. “Here, drink this. It’s one of my sister’s potions. It’ll give you energy for the task ahead.”
Emma popped the cork and started chugging. The potion was gone in mere seconds. A smile brightened her face. “Thanks, Kiara. I can actually feel it working.”
“Don’t thank me. You need it.” Kiara led the way back to the Field. The doors were closed to the arena this time. Steward Soloman stood outside of it while contestants and sponsors chattered in low voices outside.
An earth-shattering roar silenced the contestants and caused the crowd to cheer. That didn’t sound like it came from a dragon. Several contestants blanched— Steward Soloman proceeded forward.
“For this task, contestants shall enter the Field one by one, with their chosen mates,” he began. “Inside are several monsters, each hand-picked by officials. All mated pairs will have to fight a different monster, one that the officials believe challenge your and your mate’s weaknesses. Slay the creature, and you shall move on to the next task. Surrender, or lose your life… and you shall not proceed beyond this point.”
There were three other mated pairs beside Emma and I. Gabby and Elijah were one of them. The only other people who’d made it this far were a dragon couple and an alicorn. Everyone else had been eliminated.
“Order shall be determined by your placing in the last round,” Soloman finished. “Prince Ethan, Miss Sosna, you’re up first.”
Hell of a lot better than going last. Lord Lucien strode beside us. His expression was pale and grim. I was shocked when he drew both of us into a tight embrace.
“Stay safe out there,” he said gruffly. “You can beat this thing. Use what I taught you.”
When he let us go, I could tell by the look on his face he was worried. That wasn’t a good sign at all. Lucien rarely lost his courage unless there was something to be concerned about.
Emma drew her sword. I drew my own as the gates opened to let us through. They shut behind us with a resonating thud.
The Field was completely empty, save for a cage that had been placed at the opposite end. The cage was made up of thick walls of steel, so we couldn’t see what was inside. The box wavered violently on its place on the ground, as if whatever was inside was trying to break out.
My heart jumped up to my throat. What kind of a monster had the officials picked for us to battle? What creature inside could possibly challenge the weaknesses between Emma and I?
The door to the cage was yanked upward by the magic of sorceresses, and from within the darkness sprang a monster I’d prayed we wouldn’t get.
The monster stood nearly twenty feet tall. It walked on four reptilian legs that ended in sharp claws, grey, matted fur all over its body. Its tail was long and feathered, and around its shoulders was a black mane of fur. The face was goat like, with large nostrils and pointed ears. The creature had four yellow eyes, two on each side of its head, and large antlers that were red with dried blood. There was something oddly humanistic about its features that only added to its bothersome form.
It was a biez— a type of demon. They were commonly referred to as minions of Dro
ga, and originated from the underworld. How had the Circle managed to get their hands on one?
The biez opened its mouth and bellowed, revealing three rows of jagged sharp teeth. It pointed its antlers down and charged at us full-speed.
Emma and I both scattered in different directions. It took the biez seconds to cross the arena. When it missed both of us, the monster rose up on its hind legs and screeched again, crashing down to the earth.
The ground quivered beneath us. I lost my balance and went down, although Emma managed to stay on her feet. The monster turned and faced me. Staring into its vicious eyes was like looking directly into the pit of hell.
Emma gave a wild scream and charged at the biez. She jumped onto its back with her sword raised, and stabbed it near the base of the spine. Her blade connected, and dug in. The biez screeched and kicked her off. She went flying several feet, her sword rolling away from her.
When I saw that the monster had hurt her, white-hot rage flooded my system. I didn’t care that this was a monster I’d never fought and didn’t think I could kill. All I wanted was to destroy it, and teach it to never touch my mate again.
I brought my sword up and hurtled myself at the biez head-on. I aimed for cutting the tendons in its legs, but the monster lashed out with its front claws. I had to jump and duck to avoid getting sliced open as the biez attacked. I felt its hot breath swarm around me as I rolled out of the way of its sharp teeth. My cloak got caught in the monster’s fangs, but it ripped so I could get free. Any closer and the monster would’ve had me in its jaws.
The biez gave out another great scream. I dove out of the way as it spun completely around, so I wouldn’t get crushed by the monster’s giant feet.
I noticed on the other side of the arena a long blood trail, along with the feathery remnants of a limb. Emma stood smiling about the pile of feathers. She’d cut off the monster’s tail.
Now it was pissed. The biez completely forgot about me and charged after Emma. It lowered its antlers and picked up speed, shaking the ground in a thunderous charge.
