We broke for lunch, and I was so famished that I ate more than twice as much as Finn and Bryan. We didn’t have any water, of course—fae clearly thought water was beneath them. But we didn’t have wine, either. We had a honey flavored, non-alcoholic fruit juice called nectar that tasted similar to the wine I’d shared with Devyn. After all, I still had training to do, and I couldn’t be tipsy while doing it.
The nectar must have refueled me, because by the time we finished lunch, I was ready to continue training.
Now that I was back at full strength, my lightning was back to being out of control. I tried to rein it in, but the electric jolts I sent out with my hands had a life of their own.
“This won’t do,” Finn said after I’d destroyed nearly every piece of furniture in the courtyard. It looked like multiple bombs had gone off. The only object that survived the force of my magic was the massive diamond ball. “If this is what happens when you touch things, I don’t want to think about what will happen once you let out bolts at full blast.”
“Isn’t this a good thing?” I wiped at the soot on my cheeks. “Don’t I want to be able to protect myself?”
“You can’t protect yourself if you can’t control yourself,” he said. “There will be times during the Games when you’ll be asked to maim—not to kill. If you accidentally kill during those competitions, you’ll be expelled from the Games.” His eyes darkened with warning when he said the final part. “And only one chosen champion—the winner—is allowed to walk out of the Games alive.”
“So by ‘expelled,’ you mean ‘killed,’” I guessed.
“Yes.” He nodded. “The overseer of the Games—Juno—decides on the punishments for rule breaking. She’s Jupiter’s queen. And who knows how Juno will react to the fact that her husband gifted his powers to a beautiful blond half-blood. She’s the jealous type. Especially toward young women who catch her husband’s eye.”
“It wasn’t like that with Jupiter.” The intimidating god who’d bestowed these powers upon me had looked at me like a pawn in his game—nothing more. “He barely even spoke to me.”
“It won’t matter,” Bryan piped in. “Juno will assume you seduced her husband and are carrying on an illicit affair with him. She’ll be eager to get rid of you.”
“But she’s a god.” Frustration coursed through my veins, giving more power to the lightning raging inside of me. “Doesn’t she see everything? Shouldn’t she know the truth?”
“The gods are more powerful than any other beings in the universe, but they’re just as infallible as anyone else,” Bryan said. “They’re not omniscient.”
“No,” I said. “That’s just my father.”
Venom laced my tone as I spoke of him, and silence descended amongst the three of us.
“You’ll learn how to control your magic,” Finn said, changing the subject away from Prince Devyn. “Because if you accidentally show the other players the full force of your magic, they’re going to see you as a threat. It’ll make you an early target—more than you already are, since you’re the first player ever chosen by Jupiter.”
“So not only does Juno hate me, but the other players will be gunning for me off the bat, too,” I muttered. “Great.”
My chance of survival was looking worse by the minute.
“It’s not as awful as it sounds,” Finn said, although if he was trying to be reassuring, it wasn’t working. “I’m the best trainer in the Otherworld for a reason. But perhaps it’s best to give your magic a rest for a bit. In the meantime, how good are you at using a sword?”
“I can hold my own.” I smiled, thinking about the combat classes I’d taken on Avalon. I wasn’t the best in the class, but I was far from the worst.
“Glad to hear it.” Finn looked to Bryan, who flitted out of the courtyard, returning quickly with two bronze swords.
Bryan handed one to Finn, and the other to me. It felt strange in my hand—lighter than the steel swords we used on Avalon. But that made sense, since the fae were allergic to iron. Steel swords had no use to them.
Finn held his sword at the ready, circling me in challenge. He was playful, yet menacing as the warrior within him broke through the surface. “Come on, Princess,” he said, flashing me a predatory smile. “It’s time to show me what you’ve got.”
28
Selena
The good news was that according to Finn, I was talented enough with weapons to possibly stay alive for a decent portion of the Faerie Games.
The bad news was that after the second day of training, I still couldn’t control my lightning enough to stop the courtyard from looking like a war zone.
“Let’s try something different,” Finn said, looking around at the destruction surrounding us. “We know you can harness lightning in your body and incinerate objects with a touch. But I’ve yet to see you produce any visible bolts to strike from afar.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say that would be even more destructive than what I’m doing now?”
“This courtyard is magically enforced,” he said, which I already knew, since it was all as good as new when we’d come back to train this morning. “And we’re not getting anywhere by doing the same thing over and over. So let’s try switching it up.”
“This is going to be good.” Bryan shimmied from where he was relaxing on a lounge chair in the sun, sipping a glass of honeyed wine.
“All right.” I turned back to Finn, determined to do a good job at whatever challenge was next. “What do you want me to do?”
“See the big diamond?” He glanced at the basketball sized diamond gleaming on top of one of the few remaining pedestals.
I nodded, since it was impossible to miss.
“I want you to gather as much lightning as possible and shoot it toward the diamond to incinerate it. From right where you’re standing now.”
I eyed the diamond, which was about fifteen feet away. It had withstood my jolts when I’d touched it. But if Finn was right and an actual bolt was more powerful than my touch, I should be able to blow it to smithereens if I put enough power behind my magic.
“Okay.” I stood steady on my feet, staring down at the diamond as I gathered the buzzing, crackling magic within me. “Here goes nothing.”
I held my hands up and aimed my lightning straight at the diamond.
Nothing happened.
The magic crackled on my palms, lighting them up with magic, but that was it. No matter how hard I tried pushing my magic outward, the bolt I was imagining in my mind refused to form.
“Hm.” Finn crossed his arms, pressing his lips together. “Interesting.”
“Why?” I lowered my arms back down to my sides, the lightning within them fizzling out. “Was that supposed to happen?”
“I have no idea what was supposed to happen,” he said. “You’re the first half-blood ever gifted with Jupiter’s powers. Your training is a learning process for all of us.”
“Great.” I brushed my palms off on my stupidly gaudy dress as if I could wipe away my failure. “That’s just great.”
“That wasn’t what I expected to happen, but that’s why we’re doing these tests,” he said. “So we can learn what to expect before the Games begin. If you can’t create lightning bolts, we need to train you to control your electric touch. Bryan, go fetch the rats.”
“Rats?” I backed away in disgust. “For what?”
“It’s time to see what happens when you use your magic on living creatures.”
“No.” I shook my head and crossed my arms over my chest. “No way. You saw what I did to a freaking grape. I’m not testing my magic on innocent animals.”
The two faeries looked at each other in concern.
“I understand your hesitation,” Finn said, kinder than ever before. “Trust me, I don’t like this any more than you do. I know you don’t know much about our kind, but fae love and appreciate all nature—animals included. But sometimes we have to do hard things for the greater good. We’ve yet t
o discover what your magic will do to a living creature. And while no creature should suffer without reason, there is a reason why we’re doing this. Because it’s better to accidentally kill a rat while you’re training than to accidentally kill one of your fellow players when you’re not supposed to.”
There was so much wrong with what he’d just said that I could barely process what shocked me most.
No, that was a lie.
Because what shocked me most was that I’d eventually be expected to kill the other players in the Faerie Games. If I didn’t, they’d kill me first.
And if I accidentally killed one of them in a competition that wasn’t to the death… well, Finn had already told me what would happen to me then. Juno would punish me by killing me.
That certainly wasn’t an option.
“What’s on your mind, Princess?” Bryan asked, placing his wine glass down on the little table next to his lounge chair.
I turned to him, unable to hide the defeat I felt throughout my body. “I don’t want to kill anyone.” My voice wavered with tears that threatened to come out at any second. But I swallowed them down, because if I started crying now, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop. “I just want to go home.”
He said nothing. Instead, he stood up, walked over to me, and wrapped me in a hug. And call me crazy, but it was like he was sending emotionally soothing magic from his body into mine. Not in a weird way, but in a familiar way. Like he was letting me know he was there for me when my parents couldn’t be.
I needed that hug more than I cared to admit.
“I know this is a lot.” Bryan pulled away and looked at me more seriously than ever. “But Finn and I are on your side. We’re going to do everything we can to help you get through this alive, so you can get back home to Avalon. And if you play the Faerie Games strategically, you can get to the end with killing as minimally as possible.”
“Really?” I said. “How?”
“Every week, there’s a competition to determine the Emperor—or Empress—of the Villa,” Finn said. “This competition isn’t to the death. The Emperor of the Villa then chooses the three players he or she wants to battle in the Coliseum at the end of the week. Those three players fight in the arena until the first one is dead.”
“So I need to make sure not to be chosen for those fights,” I said.
“Exactly.” Bryan nodded, smiling at me. “You catch on quick.”
I smiled back at him, since it was true—I’d always been a fast learner. And the longer I could avoid being chosen to battle in the arena, the more time my family would have to come to the Otherworld and bring me home.
“You’ll need to make strong alliances with the other players, so they won’t choose you for the arena battles if they’re Emperor of the Villa,” Bryan said. “To make strong alliances, you need to prove you’re a solid asset to the team… while not being so powerful that your alliance members get scared and want to get rid of you. It’s a delicate balance, and you won’t be able to manage it if you don’t improve your control over your power. That’s why Finn and I are training you now. To teach you everything we can to help you stay alive. But you need to work with us and trust that we have your best interests at heart. Can you do that?”
I looked between both of them, thinking about what he’d asked of me. I technically had no reason to trust any of the fae, since I was a prisoner in their world. But after the time I’d spent with Finn and Bryan, my gut instinct told me to trust them.
And while Prince Devyn was cold and distant, he was still my biological father. I didn’t think he wanted me dead. He wouldn’t have chosen Bryan and Finn as my trainers if they weren’t the best choices to help keep me alive.
But I needed to help myself, too. Which meant doing as Bryan and Finn asked… even if they were asking me to do something hard.
“Yes,” I finally said, standing stronger as I met both of their eyes. “I can do that.”
“Great.” Finn sighed with relief. “Bryan, go get those rats. We have training to do.”
29
Selena
Testing my magic on rats was the incentive I needed to get my electric touch under control.
By the end of the next day, I could control the level of my “voltage,” as Bryan had decided to call it. I could use it to shock and disable, without killing.
Which was good, because I didn’t want any innocent rats—or people—dying under my watch.
“Excellent job.” Bryan clapped from his lounge chair. “Now, I think you’re ready to start testing on something bigger.” He removed his sequined shirt, folded it neatly, and placed it on the chair. “This is one of my favorite shirts,” he said, running his hands over it to flatten it out. “I won’t risk it being singed.”
“No.” Finn crossed his arms and stared Bryan down. “She’s not testing her magic on you. I’m her trainer. She’s testing it on me.”
“But I’m the nicer of the two of us.” Bryan looked over his shoulder and shot Finn a megawatt grin. “And by this point in training, she probably wants to hurt me less than she wants to hurt you.”
“I’m not testing my magic on either of you,” I said before they could continue this conversation further. “What if I accidentally kill you?”
“You won’t,” Bryan said. “You showed excellent control with the rats. And we full fae are made of strong stuff. We’re harder to kill than that diamond over there. So since you still can’t destroy the diamond, you definitely won’t destroy us.” He pranced toward me, ready to go. He was leaner than Finn, but still muscled.
His physique wasn’t the first thing I noticed, though.
The first thing I noticed was the heart-shaped birthmark on the left side of his stomach.
Not because it was unique, which is was. But because Finn had an identical one on the same place on his stomach.
“The two of you have identical birthmarks.” I looked between them to make sure I was correct. I was. “How’s that possible?”
“These are more than just birthmarks.” Bryan reached forward and lovingly touched the mark on Finn’s stomach. “They’re soulmate marks.”
“Most fae are marked on the day we’re born,” Finn said. “That mark matches the one on our soulmate. It helps us find each other.”
“Not like we needed help finding each other,” Bryan chimed in. “From the moment I saw Finn, I knew he was the one.”
From the adoring way he looked at his soulmate—and from the similar way Finn looked at him—I didn’t doubt it.
My fingers went to the clover shaped birthmark on my right hipbone. As they did, my thoughts went to Julian, and the stunned way he’d looked at me the moment we’d first seen each other. Like he’d been waiting to meet me for all his life.
But I needed to stop thinking about him. He’d only kissed me to get me close enough to the fountain so he could drag me through the portal. He’d brought me to the Otherworld in exchange for one bag of money.
I didn’t like him, let alone want to be soulmates with him.
At least, I didn’t want to want to be soulmates with him.
If only he weren’t so gorgeous, and if only that kiss hadn’t felt so perfect. That would make it a lot easier to control my unwelcome feelings toward him.
“Do only full fae have soulmate marks?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. “Or can half-bloods have them, too?”
“It’s mainly only full fae,” Finn said. “A handful of half-bloods have had soulmates, but it’s rare. There hasn’t been a half-blood soulmate couple for over ninety years. And since half-bloods have similar lifespans to humans, they’ve already passed on to the Underworld.”
“Oh.” I deflated, sad even though I should have been relieved. “Okay.”
“Why?” Bryan raised his eyebrows and rubbed his hands together, ready for gossip. “Is there someone special waiting for you back on Avalon?”
“Definitely not.” I laughed, since I’d never had a boyfriend in my life. “Ther
e aren’t any faeries on Avalon, or any half-bloods, either. Well, at least not other than me.”
“Hm.” Bryan lowered his hands, although he didn’t look convinced. “Then perhaps there’s someone special you’ve met since coming to the Otherworld?”
I looked away from him, not wanting him to see the truth of his words reflected in my eyes. He was far too intuitive. And while that normally wasn’t a bad thing, right now I didn’t like it at all.
“So, how about that training?” I said, desperate to change the subject before he could pry any farther. “If faeries are as indestructible as you say, it’s time we found out exactly what my powers can do. Don’t you think?”
“Now we’re talking.” Finn grinned. “But Bryan—and these are words I never thought I’d say—put your shirt back on. Because Selena’s not going to test her magic on you. She’s going to test it on me.”
30
Selena
The next morning, Bryan woke me before dawn to get me ready for the parade.
All chosen champions paraded down the street before entering Vesta’s Villa. Once we entered the Villa, the Games would officially begin.
I pushed myself up from my bed, groggy after three days of such intense training. “Where’s Finn?” I asked, since I’d expected both my trainers to be there.
“He’s exhausted after all those electric shocks you gave him yesterday,” Bryan said with a thin smile—a mix between pride about how I’d gained an acceptable level of control over my powers, and worry for his soulmate. “He’ll see you out once you’re ready. But this is your grand entrance, so getting you ready will be no short process. I figured it best not to wake him until it’s time to see you off.”
I gazed in the mirror, barely recognizing my reflection.
I wore an intricate light blue gown, with gold streaks running down the bottom half. The material shimmered, as if woven by magic. The top half was a mixture of light blue, gold, and cut-out sections that revealed far more of my skin than I was used to.
The Faerie Games Page 9
