“I’m not leaving you behind.” A vow came through in his words. I cupped it and held it close. We were working toward something special between us.
Trying to lighten the mood, I scanned his frame and pushed for a smile. “Lookin’ good, there, Feral.” Unexpected feelings clouded my mind, making my legs weak. “I think we should—”
The floor dropped out from underneath me.
I expected I’d land in a place where I’d need to leap to my feet and run before being eaten or bludgeoned. Another test already? I hadn’t recovered from the last. Instead, I smacked onto a big pillow. Before I could scramble off the silky surface, mechanical arms charged from the ceiling, metal claws extended. They latched onto me and, hauling me to my feet, dragged me off the pillow and onto the hardwood floor surrounding it.
Marching me across a room, then coasted me into a second room filled with steam. Great. A vat. I was going to get cooked. How could I get away?
While I smacked at the claws and kicked out, more mechanical limbs descended from the ceiling and methodically removed my clothing. What kind of challenge was this?
I shrieked and fought, but I couldn’t get free. As if I was a limp doll, the robotic arms lifted me and plunked me into a big, warm pool of water. Another mechanical arm, this one holding soap and a sponge, descended, but I snatched the items from the limb.
“Back off. I’ve got it.” No way would I let a robotic thing wash me. “And thanks.” I think? I wasn’t sure who I was thanking.
After my skin was so clean it squeaked, I leaned back, closed my eyes, and sank down until water sloshed against my chin. I soaked in the warmth and let the rippling water soothe away my aches and pains. A sense of calm filled me, an awakening feeling that suggested life was perfect, that I’d finally found peace.
But I missed my friends.
When I opened my eyes, a stack of fluffy towels had been placed beside the pool. Rising from the water, I grabbed one and wrapped myself up in it. Warm. The heat made my bones tingle. I bundled up my hair with another towel and stood a moment wondering where I should go next.
A door opposite the pool opened and a lightly floral scent drifted out.
“I assume I need to head in that direction,” I whispered as a melody like a light spurt of laughter trilled through the air. Shrugging, I walked in that direction.
Once I’d left the bathing room, the door shut. I was tempted to yank on the handle, because the enclosed space made me feel trapped, but a rustle of fabric greeted me. I crept through the room, my fingers skimming across rows and rows of all sorts of clothing.
I located a bureau full of underwear and selected a set that had been crafted with enough decoration to make me feel… feminine? Growing up basically a tomboy, I’d never felt the need to dress frilly. Jeans and tees and the occasional basic skirt sufficed. Yet here I was presented with the opportunity to dress like a princess. Or a prince if I chose. Or anything in between or outside the norm. Who needed norms, anyway?
After donning the undies, I selected a floor-length skirt and a top that lent me an almost military feel. One could call the outfit a mix of what my mom would’ve sighed with joy and called girly along with something my stepdad would’ve grinned and called cool.
I missed them. Would I ever see them again?
I brushed aside the heavy feeling because I couldn’t do anything about it now. My best chance of seeing them again lay with getting to the Reformatory and then finding my way back home.
What did the Reformatory ask of students before it would release them? There were rumors but no ground solid enough to put both feet on.
A series of tall cabinets held footwear, and I found some awesome boots that made the outfit complete.
As I stood in the middle of the room, admiring myself in the mirror, another door opened in a wall behind me. Turning, I walked through the opening, and the door closed shut and the lock clicked.
Bright lights greeted me, in a completely round room filled with all kinds of hair products and implements. A raised seat had been placed in the middle.
No need to ask or wait for mechanical arms to drag me around. I strode over to the chair and, when I dropped down onto the leather surface, the arms descended from the ceiling. They combed and primped and sprayed my hair, arranging it in an upswept, coiled braid that resembled a crown. After, they wove bits of ribbon and jewels into the strands. When the chair spun and I was presented with my image in a mirror, I could only stare in wide-eyed wonder.
Another door opened and the smell of heaven erupted from the open panel. My belly roared with hunger.
I walked up a gradual slope and, at the top, found myself back in the foyer. No sign of my friends, but the clink of cutlery drew me through an open archway on the left.
An enormous table had been set with a meal fit for kings. Or, in this case, for four very tired and hungry Challenge participants.
“Tria,” Brodin said with a grin. He sat on the opposite side of the table that had been set for at least twenty people, with Akimi and Jacey opposite him, their backs facing me. “Come join us.”
I rounded the table and dropped into the plush chair beside him. Leaning in close, I whispered. “So, because this will be one challenge after another, and for all I know, this is another, how do I know you’re Brodin?” Or that they were Jacey and Akimi, for that matter.
He breathed near my ear, and tingles spread through me. “No one but me knows I buried that girl on the cliffs.”
That eased my concerns. The tension in my shoulders loosened, and I decided to look at this as the respite we all needed, though I’d be careful, just in case.
Brodin lifted a glass filled with amber liquid and dipped it my way. “To you.” He took a long drink and lowered the glass back on the table.
A tall crystal glass appeared in front of me, filled with the same liquid, and I took a tentative sip. It tasted like a mix of mild honey with hints of lime and herbs. I’d never had anything like it before. The thirst I’d carried for what felt like forever slunk away into a corner. Another sip and I no longer remembered being thirsty.
Covered platters appeared in front of us, and the lids lifted and spun up to the ceiling. Everything I could ever imagine wanting to eat seemed available.
“Ah,” Jacey said, tugging a dish closer and then scooping some onto her plate. “I haven’t had this for years. My uncle…” She swallowed and her eyes filled. “My uncle used to make it for me on my birthday.” She pushed the dish my way. “Try it. It’s a mix of wild boar sausage, mushrooms, vegetables, and patira, which is a combination of spices made up of bark from a variety of rare trees found only in the mountains above the fae castle. My uncle used to collect the bark himself and grind it fresh for the dish.”
She leaned back in her chair, staring down at the food. Her lips trembled.
“I’m sorry about what happened to him,” I said, and the others nodded.
“I’m going to do it,” she said, her voice hoarse with pain. “I’ll avenge him.”
“Soon,” I said.
Akimi nodded slowly then lifted a glass. She’d chosen her water, however, not the golden liquid. “Brodin wisely spoke of our bond but in this, I will lift my glass to those lost and those yet to be found.”
We all clinked our glasses and solemnly took a sip of our drink of choice.
Somber, we passed around platters, commenting on the special meaning of each dish for us, even if it was only about it being a favorite—like the pepperoni-pineapple pizza, without sauce, I’d found on a wide platter to my right.
Each time I drank from the amber liquid, more appeared. Our moods lightened. Soon we were laughing freely and joking.
“Who do you think owns this place?” I asked, taking in the gleaming silver scrollwork dancing around the upper wall, plus the arched ceiling painted in a winter landscape. Each individual snowflake falling in the sky sparkled. “And why are we here?”
“It is in the Challenge,” Akimi said. “I a
m convinced of it. We are here to rest and replenish before venturing back out into the cold.”
“Sounds awesome. I’m going to wear at least fifteen layers when we do that,” Jacey said with a laugh. “I froze my butt off getting here.”
“Each of us was brought here by someone who cared about us. They wouldn’t do that if it wasn’t safe, would they?” I said. Although, I’d yet to see anything here to fear outside of the mechanical arms that undressed me. If they’d asked nicely, would I have done it myself? Maybe, and maybe not.
Did it matter?
When I couldn’t stuff another bite of food in, I leaned back in my chair, my long-stemmed glass in hand. “What do we do now?”
Jacey’s fingertip ran around the rim of her glass, creating a low hum that shivered through the room. She stared at the liquid shifting in her glass.
“We take it as it comes, do we not?” Akimi said, standing. “I think that would be the wisest decision. Shall we go to the parlor for a bit?”
“The parlor?” Brodin released a soft laugh that made my skin tingle. “Getting fancy, aren’t we?”
Akimi dipped forward. “Follow me. I strolled about while we waited for Tria to bathe and dress and I have found the perfect place for us to relax after our meal. I noted puzzles there, and I love completing puzzles.”
Bemused, I stood. When I stumbled, Brodin’s arm went around my waist in support. We walked around the table together and out into the foyer, following Akimi. She led us into a room opposite the dining room, a place filled with books and board games, and her well-loved puzzles. It was more a formal library than a parlor.
I sat on a big black, squishy sofa, and Brodin joined me, putting his arm loosely around my shoulders. It felt nice being close to him. Where would we be if he hadn’t seen the scar on the arm of the true murderer? He hadn’t pressed me yet for details about the double who’d murdered his mother, but we hadn’t had time. He’d said we’d talk. Perhaps we’d find time while we were here?
Jacey took the big stuffed chair opposite us and dropped a thick book on her lap. “I haven’t been able to read for eons, which means I’ve been starved at the prison.” Lifting the book, she hugged it. “I can’t wait to dig into this story. It sounds so cool. A princess, a mystery, a unicorn and, best of all, a prince.” She frowned. “I hope it has a happy ending. Should I read the end first to find out?”
Akimi jolted upright. “Never do anything like that! You do not wish to know the end.” Her shoulders quivered and she pressed for a smile. “I am sorry. I misspoke. Since this is a place of rest, you can do whatever you want while you’re here.” She looked around. “I believe we have found paradise. We will never wish to leave.” Crossing to a stack of games, she selected a puzzle and brought it back to the table, where she dumped out the pieces and started working.
“We’ll have to eventually,” Brodin said, his fingers teasing the ends of the hair dangling on my neck. “Though I’m enjoying myself right now more than I have in a long time.” Leaning in close, he whispered by my ear. “How about you?”
Did I have to speak? Hell, could I speak? I wanted to sit here and soak in his presence.
“This place is awesome,” I said, taking a long swallow of my drink. The liquid must contain alcohol because it lulled me. Or being close to Brodin made my bones weaken. I snuggled closer to him, and his fingers drifted across my shoulders.
Akimi leaned forward and placed a piece into the puzzle. She studied the other pieces before inserting another. The puzzle slowly started coming to life. Something looked vaguely familiar about it, but I couldn’t quite remember where I’d seen the image. Perhaps I’d completed the same puzzle in the past with my family. We used to love finding each piece and placing it until the image was completed.
Lilting music floated into the room from somewhere else in the building, calling to me. Setting my drink on the table, I stood and offered Brodin a hand to help him off the sofa.
“Want to dance?” I asked with a silly giggle. When had I ever felt this relaxed? This free?
Taking my hand, he got up, but mostly under his own steam.
“Not sure I’m the best dancer, but I’ll give it a try,” he said, keeping hold of my hand.
Jacey watched us with pure envy shining on her face. So did Akimi, for that matter.
For a moment, sadness overwhelmed me. Here I was venturing—maybe—into what could be the early stages of a relationship with Brodin. We were well-dressed, we’d eaten, we had plenty to drink, a gilded roof over our heads, and every comfort imaginable. And now, he and I had each other, while my friends still waited. Jacey for Rohnan and Akimi for her true one.
But by the time Brodin led me from the room and down the hall toward what appeared to be a candle-lit ballroom, I was able to put my sadness for my friends to the side. Tonight, I didn’t want to do anything but get to know Brodin better. Come morning, we’d probably find ourselves running along a path with a creature chasing us, entrenched in another trial.
Inside the ballroom, he took my hands and, staring down at me, squeezed my fingers.
“Is it okay if we just hold each other and sway?” He winced. “I’m really not a good dancer.”
“Sure,” I said, suddenly feeling shy. While I hadn’t danced often either, I also had rarely dated. My parents moved a lot for new jobs, so I was always spending my time settling into schools and catching up so I wouldn’t fail. And then I’d discovered I had a sister and she’d become my single pursuit.
Now, I had a chance to get to know Brodin. To dance with him. To touch him.
My face heated when he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my waist. They stilled on my lower back. “This okay?” His voice had deepened three octaves.
“Only if this is okay, too,” I said, sliding my hands up his shoulders to cup his neck.
“You…” He shook his head. “Yeah. I like it.”
Sparks flew through my veins.
The music rose in volume, and we swayed together, our bodies lightly touching, our hearts thumping faster than they should after so little movement. He picked up the pace, twirling me around and around until I tipped my head back and laughed.
The music stopped.
We stopped.
He stared down at me, before his head lowered and he kissed me.
Greedy, I tugged him closer and pressed myself against him. Time lost all meaning as my head spun up into the clouds. It was the drink. The dancing. No, it was Brodin.
We pulled apart and smiled at each other.
“More dancing?” he asked.
“Let me…” I nudged my head to the door. I’d find a bathroom—which this gilded place must have—and then be back in seconds.
“I’ll go get our drinks. I’m thirsty.”
Despite drinking all through dinner and in the library, so was I.
I nodded and skipped from the room, locating a bathroom off the dining room. I’d returned to the foyer when I paused.
Unsure why, I drifted to the front door. When I opened it, snow swirled around outside, an ongoing blizzard. It drifted inside the doorway, melting immediately on the floor. Darkness had fallen, and I couldn’t see or hear anything outside I should be worried about.
I wasn’t even sure why I’d felt the need to look.
Shrugging, I turned away and returned to Brodin.
Ten
Tria
I woke in what had become my fluffy bed. As I rolled onto my side and savored the softness of the downy pillows and the mattress beneath me, I realized there were no windows in my bedroom, just smooth walls with portraits of people I didn’t know.
When I’d first arrived here, which… When had that been? No matter. At first, I’d speculated about who the paintings might represent, and I’d stared into their eyes, vaguely creeped out. But lately, I’d stopped caring.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen windows in any of the other rooms inside the golden palace I called home. Did no one ever wish to look outs
ide?
A soft clink and my breakfast tray appeared on the side table. More food, and I wasn’t even hungry. But I’d eat, like I had when each meal was presented in front of me. What else was there to do here?
But no windows… I couldn’t drag my mind away from the notion. It nibbled on my brain like a squirrel with a nut. Relentless, and I couldn’t shove it away.
I did miss the sun. And my family. I’d give just about anything to see Mom, Dad, Fleur, and my grandfather.
Thrusting the covers back, I stretched and sat on the bedside, where I stuffed my feet into my fuzzy pink slippers. My matching, silky robe lay across the end of the bed, and I lifted it and pushed my arms through the satin sleeves, tying it loosely at my waist.
The rich scent of chocolate teased my senses and drew my gaze to the tray. When I removed the silver cover, a plate of croissants waited for me, flaky pastries with chocolate oozing from each end. A dainty cup of steaming amber liquid sat beside the plate. I lifted the cup and inhaled a whiff of the sweet, cloying aroma, then took a sip.
The liquid slid down my throat like warm honey. After draining the cup, I ate a croissant, then another.
Once satisfied, I stood and remained motionless while the mechanical arms tugged off my robe and nightgown. They tossed the items aside and before they hit the floor, they disappeared. The arms carried me to the warm, phosphorescent pool room adjacent to mine and lowered me into the big tub of water. While new arms descended from the ceiling with sponges, soap, and scented shampoo, I stared at a portrait on the wall, noting the bits of missing paint, like unplaced pieces of a puzzle. I vaguely recognized the guy’s face but couldn’t remember where I’d seen him.
After they’d finished washing me, the arms lifted me out of the water and dried me with warm, fluffy towels. They took me to the dressing room and I remained in place while they outfitted me in an ornate, pink silk gown with a heart-shaped bodice. On my feet, they placed matching, pale pink ballet-style slippers.
Wicked Challenge (Darkwater Reformatory Book 2) Page 8
