The Faerie Games (Dark World: The Faerie Games Book 1)

by Michelle Madow

  20

  Selena

  The Stone of Destiny was a tall, vertical stone about twenty feet high that sat at the top of a nearby hill. Faeries and their half-blood nominees lined up around it, starting near the top and spiraling down the hill. There must have been nearly a hundred pairs of us in all.

  All the half-bloods looked either my age or slightly older, so I assumed there was an age cutoff for nominations. And most of them wore rings similar to Julian’s.

  “What do those rings mean?” I asked Devyn, glancing at the ring on the finger of the girl in front of me.

  “They’re promise rings,” he said. “Given to a half-blood from a faerie prince or princess, as an agreement to nominate them for the Games.”

  Each faerie stood next to their half-blood, so it was clear who they were nominating. They might as well have given us collars and leashes like pets.

  It didn’t take long for me to spot him in the line.

  Julian.

  He wore a blue tunic and breeches that matched his eyes. He stood next to a stunning faerie with shimmery pink wings and golden hair that fell to her waist. She smiled up at him, reaching up to push his dark blond hair off his forehead.

  The gesture was so intimate. And from the way she was gazing up at him, it was clear to anyone who wasn’t blind that there was something going on between them.

  Betrayal twisted in my heart, so intensely that it physically hurt.

  Right then, Julian turned his head, his ice blue eyes meeting mine. We stood there, frozen like that for what felt like ages, but in reality, was only a few seconds. All I could focus on was him.

  “It hurts to want what you can’t have,” Devyn said, bringing me out of my Julian-induced haze. “Doesn’t it?”

  The pink-winged faerie intertwined her hand with Julian’s, and I looked away, not wanting to see the two of them together.

  Anger crackled through me again. Not only had Julian played me for a fool back in LA, but he’d been involved with a beautiful faerie princess the entire time. I felt like an even bigger idiot than before.

  “I’m surprised that faeries are permitted to date half-bloods,” I said instead, not wanting to acknowledge his statement about wanting what I couldn’t have.

  “Princess Ciera does appear to be enamored with Julian.” Devyn watched the two of them, amused. “We have no rules against such things here. If the two of them want to have their fun together, no one’s stopping them. But it would get no farther than fun. A faerie cannot become betrothed to a half-blood. Which, I suspect, is why Princess Ciera is nominating Julian for the Faerie Games.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “If Julian is chosen to play in the Games, and if he wins, he’ll become immortal and will be granted the privileges of a full-blood fae,” he said. “Including the permission to wed any fae he’d like. With her consent, of course. Which it seems Princess Ciera will be more than happy to give.”

  So that was why Julian was here. For love.

  For a reason I couldn’t explain, knowing that made me feel sicker than before.

  “If she really loved him, she wouldn’t risk his life like that,” I muttered, stealing another glance at them and quickly turning away.

  “People do crazy things to be with the ones they love,” he said.

  Before I could ask him if he was referring to anything in particular, a burst of light exploded from the sky with a loud boom. For a second, it was like there were two suns. But then one of the suns got closer, and I realized it wasn’t a sun at all.

  It was a man on a golden chariot led by eight winged horses. He was bigger than any man I’d seen before. He must have been ten feet tall. An inhuman glow—like an aura—surrounded him, the chariot, and the horses.

  He wasn’t a man at all.

  He was a god.

  As he got closer, everyone started clapping and cheering. I simply gawked at the glowing god above us. It was impossible not to.

  He circled a few times overhead, his sparkling light shining down upon us and trailing in his wake. He held a staff with a giant pinecone on top. Tiny golden orbs—each one about the size of a fist—flew out of the pinecone and followed in his wake, dispersing around the area. They situated themselves in various places, surrounding us on all angles.

  Devyn moved closer to me. “They’re projection orbs,” he said, only for me to hear. “Similar to the cameras on Earth. They record the Games so everyone in the citadel can watch and enjoy the competition as it plays out in real time.”

  One of the orbs hummed behind me. I turned around and glared at it. It inched closer, and I immediately turned away. I did not want that thing in my face.

  The god did a few more circular loops, dispersing more orbs from the pinecone staff. Finally, he pulled on the reins of the winged horses and led them down to the ground.

  The chariot landed right in front of the Stone of Destiny and he stepped off of it, letting his eyes linger on the still-cheering crowd. He was as confident as ever in his gold toga, a headpiece of vines and grapes interwoven in his long dark hair. And there was a mischievous glint in his eyes, like he was ready for a party.

  Staff in one hand, he raised his other hand in the air, and everyone went quiet. “I am Bacchus, god of wine and celebration,” he announced, his voice booming through the hills. He snapped his fingers, and a huge goblet of wine suitable for someone his size appeared in his hand. He raised it in a toast with so much force that some of the wine splashed on the ground by his feet. “And as always, I’ll be your host for the annual Faerie Games!”

  His enthusiasm was infectious, and the crowd erupted into claps and cheers again. As they cheered, he raised the goblet to his lips and chugged the wine in seconds. He upended the goblet—proving he’d finished it all—and the cheering grew louder.

  I’d never been to a fraternity party before, but this was what I imagined one might be like.

  The goblet disappeared with another snap of his fingers. He slammed his staff down onto the ground, and everyone grew silent once again. He let his eyes roam along the line of us, studying us.

  Prince Devyn and I were last, thanks to our late arrival. If we’d been any later, we would have missed the start of the ceremony.

  I had a sneaking suspicion that was on purpose. Which was annoying, because I hated being last. When I needed to do something, I liked to get it done as quickly as possible. Otherwise I just stood around getting more and more anxious.

  When Bacchus’s eyes met mine, I stood strong, like most all the other half-bloods did before me. I didn’t know much about the Faerie Games. But I knew that now was not the time to look weak.

  Luckily, the god didn’t look at me for long.

  He quickly returned to face the center of the line. “A promising looking group of half-bloods,” he said appreciatively. “The faerie princes and princesses have chosen well.”

  Many of them stood taller at the compliment, their colorful wings sparkling brighter as they beamed at the god.

  “But only up to eleven of you will be chosen to play in the Games,” he continued. “It all depends on who my fellow gods decide is worthy to receive the gift of their powers. So let’s not stand around waiting any longer.” Bacchus raised his staff again and sparklers shot out from the pinecone, exploding into fireworks in the sky. “It’s time for the nomination ceremony to begin!”

  21

  Selena

  Starting with the first in line, each faerie prince or princess led his or her nominated half-blood to the Stone of Destiny. The faerie announced the half-blood’s name, and the half-blood stepped onto the tiles of rock surrounding the bottom of the Stone, facing the crowd.

  Three half-bloods had approached the Stone so far.

  Nothing interesting had happened.

  “Maximus Murphy,” Bacchus said the name of the red headed half-blood currently standing in front of the Stone of Destiny. “You have not been chosen by a god for this year’s Faerie Games. Please s
tep down and proceed to the viewing stand with your faerie patron.”

  Maximus stepped down and walked to the bleachers with the bristling faerie prince who had nominated him. There, they joined the two other half-bloods who hadn’t been chosen, along with their faerie patrons. Disappointment was clear on most of their faces, although I could have sworn that Maximus let out a small sigh of relief.

  I didn’t blame him. As far as I was concerned, not being chosen was a good thing.

  I prayed that at the end of the ceremony I’d be standing on the bleachers with everyone else that hadn’t been chosen.

  Next, a beautiful faerie princess with gold wings that matched her hair led her half-blood to the Stone. She squared her shoulders and faced Bacchus. “I present my nominee, Felix Burns,” she said proudly.

  Felix stepped up to the Stone with the swagger of someone who always got what he wanted in life. When he turned to face us, it was clear why.

  With his high cheekbones and strong jawline, he was James Dean’s doppelganger. His naturally highlighted hair was tousled in a way that looked both casual and purposeful. He was almost too perfect looking. Although from the way every female on the hill gazed up at him—faeries and half-bloods alike—they clearly disagreed. A few of the men appeared enamored with him, too.

  “Gods of Olympus,” Bacchus said, his voice echoing near and far. “Do any of you choose Felix Burns as your champion for this year’s Faerie Games?”

  After the last three anticlimactic nominations, I didn’t expect anything to happen.

  But this time, the stone hummed and glowed pink. The glow extended outward into a giant sphere, consuming Felix within it until he was no longer visible.

  My breath caught in my chest, and I stood on my tiptoes to get a better view. The sphere swirled and sparkled, like a crystal ball. It continued doing that for about thirty seconds more. Then the Stone sucked the glow back inside of it, revealing Felix standing in the same place as before.

  But now, Felix had wings. Bright, sparkly, pinks wings identical to those of the faeries. Behind him, the Stone glowed with the pink symbol of a heart.

  The faerie princess who had nominated him clutched her hands to her chest and stared up at him with pride.

  “Felix Burns,” Bacchus said his name with newfound respect. “You have been chosen by Venus, the goddess of love! Congratulations on this great honor. Come take your place behind me, where we’ll welcome the rest of the chosen champions for this year’s Faerie Games.”

  Felix stepped down from the Stone, and the faerie princess who had nominated him pulled him into a tight embrace. She whispered something in his ear before heading over to the bleachers, where she took a spot in the previously empty front row.

  Felix marched to stand behind Bacchus, an arrogant smirk on his face as he looked at the rest of us in line. He was so cocky that he already looked like he expected to win, and the rest of the players weren’t even chosen yet.

  I didn’t like him already.

  Nothing happened during the next few nominations. The half-bloods and their faerie patrons all joined the others who weren’t chosen on the bleachers.

  Each time I stepped forward in line, my stomach twisted with knots.

  The next chosen half-blood was a girl with long black hair named Octavia. But instead of pink, the Stone glowed ocean blue for her. When the sphere around her disappeared, she had ocean blue wings. The symbol of a trident blazed blue in the Stone.

  “Chosen by Neptune, the god of the sea!” Bacchus announced, and Octavia stepped down from the Stone to take her place behind the god.

  She stood next to Felix, and as she checked him out, the two of them shared a knowing look. I could practically hear the unspoken challenge between them.

  Game on.

  A few more half-bloods were chosen by gods, although most were sent to the bleachers. We were about at the halfway point of the ceremony. And with every step I took closer to the Stone of Destiny, my body trembled more and more with nerves.

  Finally, it was Julian’s turn.

  Princess Ciera led him up to the Stone. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before turning to Bacchus. “I present my nominee,” she said, meeting Bacchus’s gaze straight on. “Julian Kane.”

  Julian took his spot in front of the Stone of Destiny. As he did, his eyes met mine and stayed there. It was like he was studying me, memorizing me.

  I stilled, trapped in his ice-blue gaze. It was just like when I’d first seen him at the bottom of Torrence’s driveway. I didn’t think I could have looked away even if I’d wanted to.

  “Gods of Olympus,” Bacchus said, although his voice sounded muffled as I focused on Julian. “Do any of you choose Julian Kane as your champion for this year’s Faerie Games?”

  The Stone hummed, a steel gray glow forming around it and embracing Julian within its sphere. As with the others before him, the glowing orb sparkled and swirled as it worked its magic.

  Once the magic was sucked back into the Stone, Julian stood proudly, his new steel gray wings sparkling behind him. The symbol of two intercrossed swords shined from the Stone.

  His eyes were still locked on mine, as mine were on his. Sure, Felix was the most traditionally handsome of everyone on the hill—faeries included. But something about Julian called to me. Like his soul was igniting mine. Like it was somehow connected to mine.

  But I shook the thought away. The feelings I had were for the person I thought he was when we went on our date in LA. Not for who he really was—a conniving half-blood who’d kidnapped me to the Otherworld for money.

  Julian was playing in the Games for Princess Ciera. So they could be together forever.

  So why was he looking at me and not at her?

  “Chosen by Mars, the god of war!” Bacchus’s voice yanked me out of my thoughts.

  Julian simply nodded, like he’d expected this. As he stepped down to join the other chosen champions, Princess Ciera pulled him close and gave him one final kiss on the cheek.

  I averted my eyes, since seeing them together sent daggers through my heart. It was like every piece of my soul was screaming at me that Julian was mine and that Princess Ciera shouldn’t be touching him.

  Which was ridiculous and pathetic.

  I needed to get over this stupid crush. Because logically, I hated him. He’d played me and used me. Whatever feelings I was having for him needed to go away.

  If only I could force my heart to agree with my brain.

  22

  Selena

  The ceremony continued, and more half-bloods were chosen by gods. Now, ten of them stood behind Bacchus, their wings sparkling behind them. No two half-bloods had the same color wings. Their wing colors all represented the god that had chosen them.

  Bacchus got more and more excited each time a half-blood was chosen. Apparently, having ten half-bloods selected was extremely rare—and exciting for the faeries and gods.

  The more half-bloods chosen, the more there were to watch being slaughtered.

  “I don’t know why we’re bothering to continue,” the girl in front of me said. They were the first words she’d spoken to me the entire time we’d been standing there, and she sounded annoyed and bitter. “None of us will be chosen.”

  “Bacchus said up to eleven of us could be chosen.” I definitely remembered that detail. I’d been counting, hoping all eleven would be chosen before it was my turn at the Stone of Destiny.

  “Technically, yes,” she said. “But Jupiter’s never chosen a champion in the history of the Games. No half-blood has ever been worthy to the king of the gods.”

  The faerie princess who was nominating her reached for her wrist and glared at her. “Shush,” she said, her dark green eyes blazing with irritation. “You’re already a disappointment for not being chosen. Don’t make more of a spectacle of yourself now.”

  The girl pressed her lips together and turned around, not looking back at me again.

  Did she actual
ly want to be chosen? I wouldn’t have believed it, except that all of the chosen half-bloods looked proud to be standing behind Bacchus.

  They were either all confident that they’d win, or desperate to get out of whatever living situations they had to deal with. Given the dark circles under the eyes of most half-bloods on the bleachers, my bet was on the latter.

  The ceremony continued, and everyone ahead of me took their turns at the Stone of Destiny. None of them were chosen.

  Prince Devyn and I were the only ones left. All eyes were on me, and I wanted to sink into the ground and disappear.

  Devyn gave me a pointed look and walked toward Bacchus.

  Like the half-bloods before me, I followed his lead, making sure to remain slightly behind him.

  Relax, I told myself, trying to breathe steadily and calm down. The Faerie Games have been happening for over fifteen hundred years. If Jupiter’s never chosen a champion, that isn’t going to change now.

  Still, I wouldn’t feel better until I was standing on the bleachers with all the other rejects.

  Devyn gave Bacchus a small smile. “I present my nominee,” he said. “My daughter, Selena Pearce.”

  Chatter erupted from the bleachers, and I had a feeling why. None of the other faeries had announced any personal connection to their nominee.

  Devyn had either gone off script, or no other faerie prince or princess would nominate their own flesh and blood. Or maybe they were simply shocked that Devyn had a daughter, since I hadn’t set foot in the Otherworld since yesterday.

  A golden orb buzzed around me, like it was trying to zoom in on my face. I fought every instinct to swat it away, although I couldn’t help myself from giving it an annoyed, angry glare.

  Bacchus pounded his staff against the ground so forcefully that the vibration rolled across the hill, sending everyone back into silence.

  The god stared at me, waiting for me to approach the Stone of Destiny.