“We left them alive,” I say, knowing it was stupid.
“We made a choice,” Rev says.
“Did we?” I watch him as he watches Brielle and Drake swim away. We’ll have to fight them again in the next trial. Was mercy worth it now? Or does he mean that he has decided my fate?
“Are you okay?” Rev asks as he approaches our dwarfish friend, still sprawled out in the sand. Rev reaches out an arm to help him up. “What happened?”
Tyadin accepts Rev’s helping hand and pulls himself up to his feet. “Once I was separated from you two, they made me an offer.” He wipes the white sand from his clothes. “They wanted numbers back on their side and I knew I was dead if I didn’t accept. They bicker like an old married couple. It was so annoying. If I hadn’t already planned to betray them the first chance I got, that would have pushed me over the edge.”
Rev chuckles.
Tyadin nods. “They’re idiots if they thought I’d be loyal to them.”
“So, what’s this task?” I ask.
He nods toward the fire. “Stare into it for a minute. It’ll show you something horrific, but you can’t look away. It gives you instructions for the final day of the challenge, but it’s nothing we didn’t already expect.”
I nod and look into the blazing fire. For several seconds, all I see are dancing red flames. Then they shift and change. Shadows emerge, growing sharper until the image is as clear as a TV screen. Brielle is standing before me, a black bird in her hands. My stomach drops, ice fills my limbs. “No,” I whisper. It’s not real, it’s not real. It’s not real, I chant as Brielle twists Raven’s head from her body.
I cover my mouth with my hand but keep watching. Finally, the image shifts to the Flicker Court and focuses on the thorn gates. “There are no more clues. Find your way back,” the flames hiss, and then the images fade. I rip my gaze from the illusion and fall to my knees, stomach clenching wildly.
She’s okay, I tell myself.
I’ll make sure she’s okay.
“What did you see?” Rev asks.
I open my mouth but glance at Tyadin. How much can I really trust either of them? “Brielle killing a friend of mine. Someone you don’t know.”
“It wasn’t real,” Tyadin says.
“I know,” I whisper. But it doesn’t stop me from worrying.
Rev
We spend our last night of the challenge on the flame island. After our fight with Drake and Brielle, we know they won’t be back tonight, so it’s as safe a place as we could find.
Brielle’s reaction has gotten under my skin. The words I used to get to her.
I know it was all part of the plan—they were going to try to kill us. We did what we had to do to survive. But still, the look on her face, the explosion of fire. And the feeling of warmth that filled my chest at the thought of kissing Caelynn.
Have I mentioned how messed up these trials have been?
And that’s not considering the task image meant to torture us even more.
My vision didn’t affect me the way Caelynn’s had, but even so, the image of black magic wrapping itself around my throat until my skin turns blue keeps playing in my mind.
I was watching my own death. A death very likely caused by someone from the Shadow Court. Caelynn’s court.
No one said the images from the fire would be real. They’re just something we fear will happen. Something that will unnerve us.
And this certainly unnerved me.
I don’t sleep much this last night of the most challenging trial to date. Between nightmares and my wandering mind, I find myself barely able to close my eyes at all. Though part of me is relieved that this challenge is almost over, part of me is afraid to return home.
How can I face my father again?
My mother?
Should I confront them about the truth I uncovered?
How do I face the public, who will undoubtedly know I aligned with Caelynn, my brother’s murderer?
This, here on the sand beside a blazing fire and two people I’d have never expected to call friends even just days ago, is so much simpler.
Caelynn still terrifies me. Confuses me. Allures me.
But this is preferable to what I’ll face back in the Flicker Court.
The three of us plan our journey for tomorrow before we head to bed. We’ll make our way back through the scourge wake, into the shadow lands, through the portal in the Whisperwood, and then through the second portal into the flicker lands. Through the desert and back to the thorn gates.
The distance is long, but the way should be easy enough.
Caelynn
I spend much of the night tossing and turning in the soft sand—a much better bed than we’ve had in days. I must have fallen into a tentative sleep at one point because I rouse at the sound of someone walking through the sand.
“There’s someone here to see you,” Tyadin whispers through the darkness. I sit up immediately, panic already filling my limbs.
Tyadin nods toward the tree line where the fluttering of wings and soft chatter of a bird chirping can be heard. I clench my jaw, angry with Raven for putting herself at risk again. Tyadin lies back onto the sand, Rev’s eyes are open, but he doesn’t stir.
I sigh and march toward the wild brush.
The moment I see her, I flick my hand breaking the illusion. I must have put more force into it than I intended because she stumbles, her back slamming into a tree. “Ow. What the hell, Cae?”
“What the hell, to you too,” I say, crossing my arms. “I told you to stay away. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
Raven pouts. “I thought you’d be happy to see me. I haven’t talked to you in days.”
I take in a long breath.
“Unless... you just don’t want me around?”
The image of Brielle snapping her neck sends a shiver down my spine. “Not if it means your death. The others saw you today.” My voice is sharp, unrelenting. She winces.
“I was warning you...” Her voice is high-pitched.
“It was stupid. Rash. Rev knows now. He knows you mean something to me. And even though I think... I don’t think he’ll hurt you to get to me, I still don’t like it. Any of it. If he knows, the others might too. I don’t want you here involved in my messes.”
She steps closer, biting her lip. “But I want to be involved in your messes,” she says sweetly. “All of it. All of you.”
I wince. I love that about her. I love that we’re broken together.
“Y-you,” she says, “You won’t stop me from helping you. You can’t push me away anymore.” She grabs my upper arms tightly, eyes so full of adoration and fear. “I love you, Caelynn.”
My stomach drops. Shit. I always knew she had strong feelings for me, and in some ways I feel the same. In others...
I shake my head. I don’t know what to do. What to say. Do I tell her I don’t have those same feelings? Is that even true? Does it even matter? The farther away from me she is, the safer she’ll be. I press my hand to my stomach. Pain and fear and confusion swirling inside like a damn hurricane.
Raven’s bottom lip trembles when I don’t respond. “You don’t feel the same, do you?”
My eyes widen. “I—I don’t know—” I don’t know how I feel. I don’t know how I should feel. I don’t know what’s best for her.
“You want this life more than you want me,” she says, dropping her hands to her sides. “That’s why you wouldn’t leave with me. And you have feelings for him, don’t you?”
My mouth falls open.
“I see a lot as a bird, you know? I see the way you look at him. The way he looks at you.”
“Raven,” I whisper. “I’m not leaving you. I just don’t want you hurt.”
“Tell me the truth,” she whispers, tears in her eyes.
“The truth?” I pull in a long breath and close my eyes. “I care about you. But I should’ve never brought you here.”
Raven gasps.
It’s
true, though. I do love her in some ways. I need her. But I need her safe and protected more than anything else, and I’m terrified of what will happen next. I’m so scared of Brielle figuring out the truth and taking her from me.
The sound of her neck cracking, just one quick pop, rings through my mind. I can’t get it out of my head. That’s Raven’s fate if she stays tied to me.
Maybe that means I should pull her closer, protect her. But all I’ve ever known how to do is push people away. I’ve only ever played the part of the villain.
So, that’s the part I’ll play now.
“Stay away from me, Raven.”
I wave my magic over her, the glistening tears over her cheeks disappear as she takes her bird form and flies off into the sky, screeching out a cry of agony.
I don’t stop hearing her cries for hours.
Rev
We wake with the sun and set out on our trek immediately. It’s the last day of this challenge, and we’re all eager to finish strong. And avoid contact with Drake and Brielle, if possible.
I never ask Caelynn about her conversation last night, but I do watch her closely. Probably closer than I should. Her shoulders are slumped, her eyes cast to the ground more often than not.
The bird doesn’t appear to be anywhere nearby.
Soon, I notice Tyadin watching me as I watch her.
“What?” I spit.
He just shakes his head and continues rowing.
As soon as we’re across the lake, we begin a sprint through the scourge and don’t stop until we reach the shadow lands. By the time we reach the caves, my mind is clear of thoughts of Caelynn and her strange bird friend. My attention is on the competition. I need to stay focused.
We take a short break for water, but still no one talks. Then move through the forest, circling around the long way so we don’t have to pass the Black Gates a second time. No one wants to relive their death more than once.
The sprites cling to us like old friends the moment we hit the Whisperwood. They urge us on and assure us no one is following. Caelynn stops as we reach the stone archway out of the Whisperwood. She closes her eyes, and tilts her head back as sprites cover her whole body.
Tyadin shakes his head, but we let her have her moment, her goodbye, and we walk through the portal together. It’s only a few miles to the hidden bridge portal. This is the one we most hope Drake and Brielle remain unaware of, so we’re careful no one is around, watching, as we pass through. Then, we sprint again. We’re close now, only an hour or so at our current pace. The heat presses down on us as we pass into the open desert.
The thorn gates rise in the distance and my heart hammers in my chest. We’re almost there. We almost made it. The gates grow larger and larger, and so do the sounds of the crowd cheering.
Just before the gates, a black orb comes into focus. Caelynn swears.
“What?” Ty says through heaving breaths.
We slow to a walk. Brielle and Drake are still nowhere to be seen. Maybe they were too injured to make it the long journey? Maybe they missed the last portal?
It doesn’t really matter, not right now. Because right now, we’ve realized our trial is not finished. We have one more task to complete before we can pass the thorn gates. The stands of the arena are filled to the brim, and the crowd screams as they see us approaching.
“We have another task to complete,” I say.
“And it’s that stupid orb again.” Caelynn wrinkles her nose.
“What do you think they’re going to make us do this time?” Ty asks.
I shrug. “Only one way to find out.”
Caelynn
My skin is clammy, my stomach uneasy, as we pass into the arena. Today’s journey was tiring but uneventful. Of course they’d want to screw with us one more time before it’s over. One time while the crowd can watch our pain.
Wonderful.
We approach the orb slowly, ignoring the cheers and screams and boos—for me, obviously.
“Welcome champions!” a cheery pixie says, darting around the arena as her voice amplifies over the roaring crowd. “You’ve nearly completed your third trial. But you have one task left.”
“Of course we do,” I mumble. I am exhausted, both physically and emotionally. I am so ready to collapse and sleep for a week straight.
“Your final task will be to enter the orb for a second time. This time, your task will all be the same. You must prove your ability to sacrifice anything for the greater good. You must be willing to kill in order to save.”
My lip curls. Kill? Who must we kill? I know the orb shows us very real illusions, somehow getting inside our minds and projecting something as we have seen it.
“The person you will face inside the orb may or may not be someone you currently know. It may be a complete stranger. Only you will be able to see their identity. Your last task of this trial is to kill your fated mate.”
Rev
My whole world falls away as the pixie’s words register.
We are going to be shown who our mate is. And then we have to kill them.
My vision is blurry as panic fills me. No.
No, I don’t want to know.
“You okay?” I hear Tyadin whispers to Caelynn, I glance at her pale face and my stomach sinks again.
“Nope,” Caelynn says in a near squeak. My heart hammers in my chest, and I turn my eyes toward the black orb. This is going to be the worst of anything within these trials, that’s the truth that settles over me.
I want it over with.
If only I had known.
I have to face it, I realize. That’s what this entire challenge wanted to tell me. I must face the truths I’ve been missing. I’ve faced several, but there is one more left.
The worst one of all.
A truth I think I might already know, lies before me. A task that I’ve already completed, yet must do again. I suck in a long breath and step forward.
I hear Caelynn slide to the ground as she watches me walk forward, but I don’t dare turn. I don’t dare to chance I’d see the look in her eyes now.
I step through the rippling dark magic of the orb.
MY TEETH CHATTER AS I feel the magic swirl around me and clink into place, but I keep my eyes pressed closed.
Coward, I reprimand myself.
And yet, I still don’t open them. I have to face this. I have to do it.
And I have to do it in front of everyone. My only saving grace is that they won’t see what I see. They won’t know who my mate is.
My stomach twists again, and I force my eyes open.
My eyelids flicker as I focus on her excruciatingly beautiful face. Her expression is sweet, adoring. She wears a soft blue, silk dress that hugs all of her curves. Her silver hair is pinned perfectly, eyes shining brightly.
God, she’s beautiful.
This isn’t the girl I know. She’s lighter. Innocent. Happy.
She’s what she would have been. What we could have been, if she had chosen differently. If she hadn’t been tricked into a bargain long ago.
The Caelynn in front of me doesn’t speak. I close my eyes and consider the truth before me. What does it even mean to be someone’s mate? We treat the distinction as sacred. But we don’t know much about what it means. Somehow, magic or fate has decided we are a good match, and the signs begin to show themselves.
Instincts draw us together, which explains my insane attraction to her and weird desires to protect her, even while wanting to kill her.
Most believe it means, together, you will have a powerful and important child. Brielle, for all she mourns, I know the child she’d have had with Rheagan is what she mourns most.
But what could have been. The future that was taken away.
I grip the dagger in my hand and walk toward the future I hadn’t known was taken from me until this moment.
Caelynn
I stare at my hands in my lap, unable to watch Rev as he’s faced with the truth. A truth I suspect he already knew.
“You never told me what happened to you after we were separated,” Tyadin says, squatting next to me. Is he trying to distract me? Or is he seeking information? Does he suspect too?
Whatever, I’ll take the distraction, whether that’s his intention or not.
“I was shot by Brielle. Rev was able to get me away and lead us into the caves first. He healed me, and we answered the riddle before Drake and Brielle came. We hid in the caves and found a place to sleep there.”
“I was with them for the riddle. You didn’t see me at all?”
I shake my head. “We were... distracted. The shadow sprites hid our sound, and we didn’t hear much ourselves.”
He pauses, considering. “Rev’s kiss comment?” His voice remains casual, like it’s a joke. But I know it’s not.
My eyes widen. I’d forgotten about that. “A lie. We were just baiting Brielle.”
“I saw your reaction when he said it.”
I bite my lip. Out of the corner of my eye I see Rev step forward, toward the black silhouette inside the orb. “There will never be anything between us.”
Tyadin pulls in a long breath and turns to watch Rev as he shoves a blade through my heart.
“I’LL GO NEXT,” I SAY. Knowing what Rev has done helps me pull my armor back on. I might lose my nerve if I don’t take advantage of the numbness flowing through me now.
I stand.
“You’re stronger than anyone gives you credit for, Cae.” Tyadin says.
I blink.
“And I don’t mean your magic.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. Then I approach the shimmering magic and step through.
I nearly sob when I see him there waiting for me. I could almost imagine it’s really him. He was just here. I can pretend he waited for me to enter and this is the real Rev, looking at me like I’m the only thing in the world that matters to him.
My heart cracks a little more when a dagger appears in my hands.
Trial of Thorns (Wicked Fae Book 1) Page 23
