by Everly Frost
I spin to Elise. She’s wide-eyed, waiting closer to the door. Her lips part but I shake my head. Whatever she wants to say will have to wait. Baelen is also tight-lipped as he leaves the War Room with me.
Halfway down the corridor, right before I reach the safety of my Storm Command, he murmurs, “Be careful. Don’t trust them.”
I spin to him, keeping my voice low, not much above a whisper. “Wait, Baelen, please.”
He stops in the middle of the corridor, but his expression is hooded, tense. I need him to hear what I have to say, but I’m not sure if he will. Maybe he’ll hear the words, but he won’t really hear me. There’s a thick invisible wall between us and it gets wider with every passing second. Maybe he thinks he’s making this easier for me by pushing me away, but he isn’t. As fast as he’s building a barrier between us, the more clarity I have about the choice I need to make.
The Elven Command might try to delay the inevitable, but neither one of us will lose against the gargoyle tomorrow. And when that happens, we will fight each other. I have Sahara’s potions—my last source of hope. But if they don’t work, if I can’t pull it off in a way that convinces the Elven Command that I’ve won, then either Baelen or I will die. And the truth is… I made my decision a long time ago about which one of us I would protect.
I meet his guarded eyes, knowing that if I don’t speak now, I’ll regret it. He believes that I would rather kill him than yield and I need him to know that’s not true. I need him to know that will never be true.
My throat constricts and I can barely get sound out. “Seven years ago, I made a choice.”
He doesn’t react and I’m not sure if he heard me, but I have to keep going. “I wouldn’t let you die then. I won’t let you die now. When I have to choose between you or me, I’ll choose you.”
A frown mars his forehead and confusion swirls in his eyes, but it only takes a beat for him to process what I said. I know that he really heard me when he sucks in a sharp breath. He flinches and it’s like I punched him in the heart.
I can’t tell him about the curse, I can’t tell him why, but I just told him that it’s my life or his.
“Marbella… please tell me what’s going on. You have to let me help you.”
“I can’t.” I shrug through the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I’m tired of keeping them in. I’ve been keeping all my emotions bottled up for days now, trying to stay calm, trying to stay focused, trying to believe that we’ll both live. But it’s too much and the weight of it all is dragging me beneath the surface.
I’m suddenly swimming in tears and trying to blink them away. Baelen takes a step toward me, clearly without thinking, because his arms flex upward as if on instinct and he reaches out to gather me into his arms.
Before he can get anywhere near me, the blunted end of a spear lands on his chest, halting him.
“Remember where you are.” The quiet hiss comes from Reisha, now my fiercest protector. She shoots a warning glance at the far end of the corridor just as the Elven Command appears there, exiting the War Room.
At the same time, Elise circles me, wedging herself between me and Baelen, ushering me away. “Quickly, Princess. We need to leave. Now. Commander Rath, I suggest you do the same.”
38. Baelen Rath
The War Room’s walls are like a coffin around me. The Elven Commanders stand at the head of the room—my gravediggers. They’ve wanted me dead from the moment I came back. Now they’re telling us they want us to fight gargoyles in a dream as a way to avoid my death. Everyone in this room knows that the last thing they want is to keep me alive.
“I don’t like it.” I step back toward Marbella, standing close enough to her that I can inhale the scent of her hair. Lavender. Just like her old cloak. I allow myself to be distracted for a moment, to indulge one last time in being near her. Then I close off the last tiny spark of life inside me and focus on my only remaining goal: keeping her alive.
In the last two days I’ve done everything I needed to do: relocated the gargoyle to safety, wrote my will, and said goodbye to Marbella’s family. When I die, my lands will go to Marbella as they should. As they would if my promise to her all those years ago had come true.
Now, my only purpose is to be the warrior I was trained to be, the protector I vowed to be. “Princess, you’ll be too exposed.”
Elwyn’s cheeks grow red. “You might not like it, but our decision is made. You are dismissed.”
I remain behind Marbella as she turns to leave, making myself a barrier between her and the Elven Command. Elise waits for her at the door. She starts to speak but Marbella gives her a quick shake of her head. I remain quiet, quickly catching up to Marbella to walk beside her.
I can’t leave her without warning her, hoping she’ll hear me when I murmur, “Be careful. Don’t trust them.”
I expect her to nod and continue on her way, but she spins to me, her voice barely louder than a whisper. “Wait, Baelen, please.”
She could ask me to do anything and I would. I just… can’t allow myself to feel anything when I do it.
I stop in the middle of the corridor with her, my heartbeat calm and in control while her hair floats around her shoulders and her eyes beg me… for something… I don’t know what. She’s only an arm’s length away but there may as well be a chasm between us.
She knows I won’t lose against the gargoyle. She won’t, either. This dream fight only delays the inevitable.
She meets my eyes, her own full of fire, as if she’s feeling for both of us now. She swallows hard, forcing sound out of her throat. “Seven years ago, I made a choice.”
Lightning blasts in my memory, tearing through my hearing, but it’s the desperate push of her hands, both palms against my chest, and her scream of fear that I remember most. It was the final look in her eyes that told me she wouldn’t let me die. That she would dare death to claim her if it meant saving me.
“I wouldn’t let you die then,” she says. “I won’t let you die now. When I have to choose between you or me, I’ll choose you.”
I frown, her words reaching me from far away.
When I have to choose… I’ll choose you.
She saved my life seven years go. Now she’s telling me she will again.
I suck in a breath. My heart kicks, a punching beat that slams my chest. Feeling rushes into my numb hands and feet, my cold arms and legs, my frozen heart. But… if she’s telling me she’ll choose my life over hers…
I won’t let that happen.
Damn this space between us. I need to hold her. I need her to talk to me. Something’s wrong and I have no idea what it is or how to fix it.
“Marbella… please tell me what’s going on. You have to let me help you.”
“I can’t.” She takes a breath and it hitches. She swallows, blinking rapidly. Tears fill her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as she fights them. I’m stricken to see her cry. It breaks my heart all over again.
I’m moving before I know it, my arms rising to gather her into my chest.
I step right into the blunted end of a spear.
Reisha’s urgent hiss brings me back to myself. She casts a warning glance in the direction of the Elven Command as they emerge from the War Room. “Remember where you are!”
Elise immediately steps between Marbella and me, forcing me farther away from her.
“Quickly, Princess. We need to leave. Now.” She speaks rapidly, giving me a pointed stare. “Commander Rath, I suggest you do the same.”
I have no choice but to take the nearest exit, but as I leave the corridor behind, I inhale a breath of fresh air.
Losing Marbella from my heart was like being half alive.
My mission hasn’t changed. My goal is to protect her at all costs. But now I’ll do it with a whole heart.
39. Marbella Mercy
I have no choice but to hurry down the corridor, glancing back to see Baelen take a side exit. I gasp for breath as we emerge from the building into
fresh air. Elise immediately drops us into a sound bubble.
“That was dangerous,” she says.
“I know, I’m sorry. But he would have stopped before he touched me—”
“No, I don’t mean Commander Rath. I mean the Elven Command.”
I eye her with alarm. “What is it, Elise?”
She speaks in a rush. “I felt it, Princess. I couldn’t see it before, but I’m certain now. One of those males is using sorcery.”
My heart skips a beat. “Which one?”
“I thought it would be Teilo Splendor, since he studied spellcasting, but it’s not him. In fact, he’s the only one who isn’t tainted and I’m not sure if that’s because he’s chosen not to be part of it or because he really doesn’t know, but surely he has to suspect—”
“Elise! Who is it?”
“Gideon Glory.” She shudders, her whole body quaking, causing her to miss a step. Her breathing has increased and her hands are shaking. “The darkness around him was more terrible than anything I’ve ever seen. Now that he’s killed Mai and set the curse, the shadow around his body is… I can’t even…”
“And the others? You said they’re tainted? Is he controlling them?”
“There weren’t any binding spells around them. They aren’t wielding sorcery but they’re willing participants.”
I sway, trying not to lose my footing. “They murdered Mai. They want my power.”
“Which means they still think they can get it somehow.”
“How, Elise? If Baelen dies, then I win and they can’t touch me. If I yield and Baelen wins, then he’ll get my power, not them.”
“They must have a way they think they can get it.” Her concerned eyes meet mine. “I’m worried, Princess. Something isn’t right about this next trial. I’m worried they’ve concocted this plan so they have the chance to attack you.”
I exhale, dread and fear mixing in my stomach. “I’m going to need every one of my ladies in that arena tomorrow morning. Please, can you get a message to Jordan and Sahara? I’ll need them there too.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll wear my armor. And gloves. Please find out if there’s any Elyria web left and I’ll sew the gloves onto the armor. I’ll sew myself into a freaking facemask if I have to. I’m not going to make it easy for them.”
Elise is thoughtful beside me. She stops shaking as we consider my defense, seeming to find courage in knowing we have a plan. “I will spellcast a shield around you. If any of them try to get near you, I’ll cloak their bodies so they won’t be able to make contact.”
I don’t ask her if spellcasting can defeat the dark sorcery Gideon Glory is wielding. I suspect that it can’t but saying so won’t help. All we can do is try.
40. Marbella Mercy
The roar inside the arena the next morning hits me as soon as I enter it. The Elven Command is expecting me to take my place inside the side room and appear at their beck and call, but I don’t plan on doing anything they want today.
My ladies stand proud and strong in four rows of five, marching behind me. Unlike the first battle I fought in this arena, the onlookers part to let us in, heeding Elise’s cry. It doesn’t hurt that she spellcasts her voice to project loudly over the top of them. Every one of my twenty ladies is present and armed with daggers, swords, bows and arrows, their body armor and headpieces gleaming, and the skin around their eyes painted red for war.
The entire lower level of the arena is empty except for the dais at the other end where the Elven Command already waits—always standing higher than us. In contrast, the upper levels are packed with elves. I’m not sure what everyone expects to see—Baelen and I will be sitting in chairs, unmoving the whole time.
Speaking of which, the chairs are two lonely pieces of furniture, both wooden and a basic shape and size. They face each other, positioned closer than I’d expected, maybe only ten feet apart. Otherwise, there’s a wide, empty space all around them lit brightly from skylights in the ceiling above.
Elise leans toward me. She has to lift her voice above the din. “The dais isn’t shielded, but the upper levels are.”
That means there’s no barrier between me and the Elven Command.
Reisha steps up on my other side so that she and Elise flank me as we enter the arena. “Commander Rath is a few minutes behind us.”
I hold my wooden headpiece in my gloved hands. My ladies made me a veil out of canvas threads to cover my face. It’s not unbreakable like the Elyria web, but once I tie it to the neckline of my armor it will pose a challenge for anyone who wants to get past it. “Okay, let’s go.”
As I approach the chairs, Elwyn Elder steps forward, indicating the chair to my left. I consider taking the one to the right, just to annoy him, but the chair will be connected to the Heartstone Chest, so I have to sit in the correct one. The chest itself rests on the dais. It’s closed. It will only open if one of us loses our fight.
I take my place beside my chair, but don’t sit down yet, as my Storm Command fans out around me, leaving a gap so I have a clear view of Baelen’s seat. The watching crowd finally quiets, an expectant hush falling over them.
Baelen appears at the entrance and I’m relieved to see he isn’t alone. Far from it actually. Jasper leads a small band of soldiers, a handful of males that Baelen must trust with his life. The only one missing is Macsen—he sent me word this morning that he was returning to Rath land at Baelen’s request. What he didn’t say was loud and clear: he needs to make sure that Baelen’s home, and all the elves who live there including our parents, remain safe.
Sebastian, Jordan, and Sahara arrive last. When they’re close enough, Jordan breaks off to join my group, while Sebastian joins Baelen’s, and Sahara takes up neutral territory between the two of us. Elise steps away then to examine the chairs and the chest. I know I should pay attention to what she’s doing, but it’s hard to focus on anything other than Baelen.
Like me, he’s wearing full body armor, but to my surprise, it’s not military issue like the armor he wore in the last battle. This armor has no chinks, no weaknesses. This armor belongs to the House of Rath.
Every inch of him is covered in finely sculpted metal plates overlapping and linking together to protect his torso, legs, arms, and neck, the metallic curves decorated in red and black markings, making him appear even larger and more formidable than he already is. At the same time, joints in the armor allow him to move with speed and grace as he takes up position in front of his chair, facing me.
A shiver speeds down my spine as he focuses on me across the distance with surprising intensity, not guarded any more. I jolt as I realize that the barrier he’d been building between us is gone and now there’s… damn… where did that look in his eyes come from? He inhales and it’s like his body sucks me forward, calling to me across the distance while a slow smile spreads across his face. I can almost hear his voice inside my mind. Come here, Marbella.
I have to clamp down on my legs before they obey.
Just in time, Jasper cuts into my line of sight, dropping to a knee before he gets too close. He lands halfway between Baelen and me, too far away for me to hear anything he might want to say. I crane forward, concerned, but Elise heads straight for him, speaking to him for a moment before he heads back to Baelen’s group.
She crosses the distance. “Sorry about that, Princess, but I needed a way to let Commander Rath know what I’m about to tell you: that there’s a thread of pure deep magic between the Heartstone Chest and each chair. The thread connected to his chair belongs to his heartstone and the one connected to your chair belongs to your heartstone. So far everything is untainted and correct.”
She shuffles. “Also, Jasper wanted me to give you a message.”
I bite my lip, glancing across the distance to Jasper and Baelen as they stand silently waiting. “Yes?”
“He said that he doesn’t know what’s going on, but he understands now that you don’t have a choice.”
“Th
ank you, Elise.” I close my eyes for a brief moment, unwilling to reveal how much that means to me. Jasper and I had kept each other alive on Scepter Peak. He’d proven he was truly loyal to Baelen and he’d proven to me that he was completely trustworthy: a rare combination. But when he’d heard me say I wouldn’t yield, he’d looked at me as if I was a monster. Now, he is willing to trust me again.
A single drummer beats a rhythm at the side of the dais. There are no spellcasters present with the Elven Command. Gideon Glory must believe that he doesn’t need them. In the bright morning light, his skin shimmers a faint golden color, even more luminescent than usual.
He steps forward and raises his hands for attention, his robes sliding down his arms, revealing the faint golden tattoos that members of his House like to wear. On the inner skin of each arm is a single wing, each now framing his face.
“Our people! Welcome to the penultimate battle to determine the fate of the champions. Each champion will submit to a simulation in which they will fight a gargoyle.” He pauses as the crowd ignites once more, giving them time to settle down. “We will know the outcome when the Heartstone Chest opens to reject the stone of the champion who loses his… or her… fight.”
He stops playing to the crowd for a moment, giving me and Baelen his attention. “Once you sit, the simulation will begin.” His gaze lingers on me for a moment and I brace for any attempt to touch me with sorcery.
“Please,” he says with a smile, gesturing to each chair in a fluid motion. “Be seated.”
I turn away from him, giving him no more of my attention. Reisha leans in to me with Jordan and Elise close behind her. “We vow to you, Princess,” Reisha says, “We will protect you. And we haven’t forgotten our promise. We will protect Commander Rath as well.”
“Thank you, my beautiful friends.”