No, I realized, following Aerenia’s gaze to the five large orbs. Each one was displaying an image of a disoriented group of competitors, looking around as they tried to get their bearings. They all appeared to be in dark, underground caverns, each group in a separate location. On the map of the maze in the floor, five points of light appeared, equidistant from each other around the periphery of the circle.
I looked back to the orbs and saw the lips of one of the competitors move, and a second later his voice echoed in the hall, weirdly distorted. “There be no point in waiting,” he said with a mischievous smile. He joined arms with his two companions, and then, without warning, vanished. The orb blackened for a moment, then cleared, displaying an image of the three fae stepping away from one another. They were in a large round chamber, much better lit than their original location. I looked down at the map in the floor; there was now a single glowing point in the center of the maze. I turned my gaze to Aerenia, expecting her to be angry. She frowned, leaning forward as if in anticipation.
“Stupid,” the cat muttered, her tail lashing. “Very, very stupid, wild fae.”
I looked back at the orb corresponding to the group. They were walking around the chamber, looking puzzled. A low hiss sounded, and the three fae jumped, drawing weapons. Then—something huge and dark came into view. It moved too fast to make out clearly, throwing itself at the competitors. A shrill scream echoed through the hall, and suddenly, a mist of gold-tinged liquid sprayed against the surface of the orb, and through it, I saw a dark, scaly tail disappearing into one of the shadowy tunnels leading to the chamber. There was a low crunching noise. My stomach heaved, and I was suddenly grateful I hadn’t eaten recently.
There was a long silence. Aerenia shook her head, a cruel smile playing across her lips. “The first blood has been spilt,” she said. “And so, it begins.”
A cheer broke out among the fae. Feeling sick, I looked at the orb that showed Dietrich’s group. Mitchell had conjured up a floating point of light, and the team moved forward into the darkness of the maze.
Chapter Sixteen
I paced the perimeter of my room, thinking. I was supposed to be sleeping right now—likely the cat would come to wake me up precisely eight hours after she’d dropped me off here—but I was too agitated after watching three fae get messily devoured. In my pocket, I could feel the combined weight of the darkcloak and the promised tool to communicate with Tisean and company—I had found it nestled beneath the mattress, along with a note of instruction that had crumbled to ash the second I’d finished reading it. After over an hour of pacing and agonizing, however, I still hadn’t decided what I was going to do.
Saorla was quite right that Tisean was the only competitor guaranteed to release me if he won. I thought that Dietrich might have similar plans, but I wasn’t certain, and if I was wrong… that was all I needed, to be pinned under his thumb for however long I managed to survive here. He and Aerenia really were perfect for each other, I reflected sourly. And if Mitchell had made Dietrich promise to release me, wouldn’t Thomas have been more definite about helping me? He’d said, ‘we might still be able to help you,’ which wasn’t exactly filling me with confidence. And his other comment—about how he shouldn’t have tried to send me away with the shuck—still made me sick with anger every time I thought on it. Earlier I had admired his loyalty and trust in Mitchell, even been a little envious of it. Now… now it just seemed like it was going to get me killed.
No, I couldn’t rely on Dietrich’s team. I couldn’t rely on anyone but myself here. I pulled the blue gemstone from my pocket. It was about the size of a golf ball, though more angular. Getting involved in any of this more than I already was seemed like a terrible idea. But it was better than passively waiting for an outcome that might or might not involve me being trapped in the Unseelie Court for the rest of my short, pain-filled life. I took a bracing breath, then passed my hand over the gemstone.
Abruptly, the interior of the gem clouded over. I frowned, then jumped as Saorla’s face appeared in one of the facets.
“You’ve decided, then,” she said, barely audible. I nodded, though the look of satisfaction on her face grated against my pride. Once again, fae were using me for their own ends. I exhaled slowly. It wouldn’t do me any good to get angry—I needed these people.
“A lot of fae seem to be able to sense magic use,” I said. “Will anyone be able to tell that I’m carrying this?” I tapped the side of the gem.
Saorla shook her head. “It is shielded against that.”
“Really?” I asked, dubious. “Because Conall sensed the bargain between me and Tisean. He pointed it out to Aerenia, beneath the tithe bindings.”
Saorla’s eyes widened. “They know?”
I shook my head. “I convinced them it was something else, leftovers from when you helped me with the cold.”
Saorla looked relieved, and perhaps faintly impressed, despite herself. “They are not easy to fool. Well done, mortal. You should not have to worry about anyone sensing the magic of either object that I gave you, however, unless they are specifically looking for it. I was extremely careful in that regard. Nonetheless, keep your distance from Conall. If he noticed such a faint binding, he is more skilled than I believed.”
“No problem,” I said with a shiver. “Okay. You probably already know this, but don’t try any magical shortcuts to the center. Aerenia is one step ahead of that kind of thing.”
“We anticipated as much,” Saorla said, looking annoyed. “If that is all…”
“It isn’t,” I told her. “I know this isn’t much use to you right now, but once you get to the center… you’re not done. She’s got something big and mean lying in wait there.”
She frowned. “Perhaps you could be more specific?”
I detected a hint of deepening annoyance in her voice. Too bad. I shrugged, though I wasn’t sure she could see the motion. “Not really. It’s big, scaly, moves very fast, and ate three fae without much fuss.” I paused. I hadn’t seen an entry in the Bestiary, but… “Do you people have dragons around here? Because that’s kind of what it looked like.”
Saorla stared. “It ate—Which three?” she demanded, sounding strained.
“The cat called them wild fae.”
“Very well.” It was difficult to tell, but I thought she looked a little pale. “Is that all, mor—Samantha?”
Nice of her to decide I deserved a name. “One more thing,” I said. “If I do this… help you like this… your group can’t hurt Thomas.” I was angry with him—incredibly angry, in fact—but I didn’t want him dead. As for the others, I thought bitterly, they could fend for themselves. “Deal?”
Saorla paused. “I cannot speak for my companions at present,” she said. “But I will see what can be arranged.” With that, the surface of the gem cleared. I took a slow breath and pocketed it again. I shook my head slowly. If Aerenia caught me helping the team that everyone seemed to think she was least likely to want to win, I’d end up wishing I was dead. That was probably why I’d gotten Saorla instead of Tisean. Presumably the little orb-camera was oriented primarily on him, which would make it impossible for him to slip out of view to speak with me.
Even with the decision to help Tisean’s team made, I was still agitated, and I continued my pacing around the room. I should try to rest, I knew, but I was wound very tight, and I desperately wanted to know what was happening in the competition. I thought back to Saorla’s note.
This will grow hot if we need to communicate with you. Pay attention to detail; even minor things may be of great importance. I have placed a confounding glamour on your door, so that your captors will believe it is locked and you may come and go as you please. Use extreme caution.
She’d thought of everything, it seemed. I glanced toward the door, then swallowed. Was I really considering this? Creeping through the Unseelie Court to the main hall, which I already knew was full of creatures that would love to dismember me, and spying on behalf of the U
nseelie’s natural enemies? Was I completely insane? I felt the darkcloak’s thin fabric in my pocket. It couldn’t hurt to try…
I withdrew it from my pocket and shook it out. It was difficult to look straight at it—my gaze kept sliding away, no matter how many times I tried to force it back. I swung the cloak over my shoulders, flipping the hood up, then glanced back at the mirror. A little thrill ran through me. Where I should have seen myself, there was only a patch of air that was infinitesimally darker than it should have been. I glanced down and paced in a quick circle to ensure my feet were covered—they were. Well, if I was going to take up reckless endangerment of my own life, I had better get started before I lost my nerve. I walked over to the door, the fearful part of me hoping that Saorla had made a mistake, and that I wouldn’t be able to open it. I laid a hand on the handle, then pushed down sharply. I felt it grind against the locking mechanism. If it was an illusion, I thought, it was an exceptionally good one. I pulled once more. Then—the door swung open.
My heart immediately started pounding in my ears as I walked down the hall. It was completely empty, which made each step and swish of the cloak sound like a cavalry charge, complete with cannon fire, to my straining ears. I crept along at a painfully slow rate, sure that with each step that Sir Conall or someone even worse was going to round the next corner at any second. Once, a small hobgoblin with glowing eyes did bound around a corner, and I barely pressed my hand over my mouth in time to stifle a yelp of surprise, but he darted past me without even a glance. Once I got my breathing under control, I continued on. Finally, after many twists and turns, I arrived at the main hall. I opened the side door as narrowly as I could slide through, then entered.
The crowd had thinned only slightly, despite the fact that it was very late now. Apparently these were the fae who didn’t need sleep. Holding the darkcloak snug around me, I looked warily at the dais. Aerenia was on her throne, though Conall was absent. That was something, anyway. I approached the map of the labyrinth etched into the floor, being careful not to brush any of the fae spectators. The four remaining points of light were moving at different speeds, and I glanced up at the floating orbs. Forgetting my intent, I focused on Dietrich’s group. My heart sank, looking at them. They’d obviously encountered something nasty in the time I’d been gone. Isana had both bone knives drawn, and one dripped with viscous black blood. Thomas had a deep gash across one arm. They were walking at a fast pace in absolute silence, faces drawn tight with grim determination. I took a look at their surroundings. Narrow corridors, the walls and floor decorated with tile patterns. The same pattern over and over again, actually. How were they supposed to keep their bearings with surroundings like that? I looked at Thomas again, feeling a quick surge of guilt. I shook my head angrily. I’d made my choice.
Still, I watched him for a few more seconds, hoping he wasn’t hurt worse than what I could see. I growled at myself internally, then picked my way over to Tisean’s orb, making sure each footfall was silent. Strangely, Tisean and his company seemed to be slogging their way through a stretching swamp, though they were still obviously underground. Eerie greenish lights bobbed a few inches above the peat, probably illuminating false paths. Every time the group started to veer off course, though, the wulver would bark out quick instructions, keeping them on track. I was impressed despite myself—Aerenia had even managed to create biomes down there, or at least very good impressions of them. As I watched, Saorla shouted something in alarm, and Tisean whirled. A blade of fire appeared in his hands, and he slashed at something near his feet. There was a screech, and something small and red dashed off through the reeds. Saorla whipped an arrow from her quiver and fired it, killing the little creature instantly.
“There will be more,” she said.
“Then we should hurry,” said the other Sidhe knight, whose name I still didn’t know. They picked up their pace, sometimes sinking nearly to their waists in the marshy terrain. I bit my lip, then moved on to the other two orbs. The group with the troll-type thing was taking a rest at a fork in the path; they were all breathing heavily, as if they’d been running. One of them was speaking in what sounded like Russian, which initially surprised me, until I remembered that there had been a section in the Bestiary on Slavic fae—I just hadn’t read any of it. The leader of the group kept indicating the right hand path, while the troll shook its ponderous head. I moved on to the last group. They were in a flat out run on a path through a dark and twisted forest, and I caught a glimpse of something—no, a swarm of somethings—close on their heels, screeching and snapping at the heels of the competitor nearest the back. I looked away, not wanting to see any more death, and sure enough, after a long moment I heard a ragged scream. Several of the Unseelie cheered, and I flinched.
I turned my attention back to the map. One of the points of light was very still. That would be the Slavic contingent, on the topmost quarter of the map. They’d veered far right, and it looked like it would take them some time to correct their course. One was moving very fast—the runners, who’d just lost a member. That left Tisean and Dietrich, who were both moving steadily. Both of them were going in approximately the right direction, and by comparing the turns they were making against what I could see in the orbs, I realized that Dietrich’s group was marginally closer to the center. I groaned internally, looking back at Dietrich’s orb. They had increased their pace. I realized that I was wringing my hands, and I forced myself to stop.
I’d learned all I was going to right now, it seemed. I shouldn’t risk being out here for longer than necessary. Having the cat show up to an empty room was a sure way to guarantee awkward questions.
Chapter Seventeen
“What is wrong with you today?”
“Huh?” I snapped back to awareness, realizing that I had smeared the notes I just written across the parchment. The cat looked at it, then made a sneezing noise of distaste.
“You’re even worse than yesterday,” she said. “Which shouldn’t be possible.”
“Didn’t sleep well,” I muttered. It was true. Even not taking into account my illicit wanderings, my sleep had been light and fitful, interrupted by sudden awakenings every time my subconscious tossed out another suggestion on awful things that could be happening that very second in the competition. On top of that, hunger was starting to take its toll. My hands were starting to shake any time I wasn’t actively concentrating on holding them steady, and I felt a little lightheaded. I closed my eyes for a moment until the sensation receded. “Do you think we could go watch the competition for while?” I asked. I needed to know what was happening, both for my own peace of mind and so I could give Tisean’s group helpful hints if necessary.
“Why would you want to? You almost fainted last night just at the sight of a little blood.” I glared at her. It had been more than a little blood. “Oh,” the cat said. Her whiskers twitched in amusement. “This isn’t about the competition. It’s about the boy, isn’t it?”
“No,” I said, but even I could hear the defensiveness in my voice. I cleared my throat. “I just have a personal stake in the outcome. You know, since whoever wins partially owns me.” I flicked the chain.
The cat chuckled. “True, though I think you’ll find it makes little difference for someone of your particular status.” And by that she meant no status at all, I assumed. I turned back to my transcription. It was blotted beyond repair, so I selected another sheet of scrap parchment. My stomach growled loudly, which I forced myself to ignore. Suddenly, in a fit of pique, I decided what piece I was going to transcribe. A lot of rock ballads and pop songs actually translate quite beautifully to cello, and I had a few memorized. If the cat wanted new music from the mortal world, that was exactly what she was going to get.
“Why does Aerenia even do this?” I asked after a moment of scrawling. “This competition… she could just decide which fae kingdom she wanted to form an alliance with, couldn’t she?” It seemed like it would be far more convenient. And then no one would have to
go through the trouble of kidnapping a mortal to use as an entry fee, I thought bitterly.
The cat chuckled. “You still think that’s what this is about? An alliance is only a side benefit of this competition. Aerenia never does anything with only one purpose.” I looked at her sideways. My hands started trembling from hunger again, and I consciously stilled them before I continued to write. The cat narrowed her eyes. “You need to eat, don’t you?”
“I’m not hungry,” I lied. “So why does she do things like this?”
The cat looked at me for a long moment. I hoped she wasn’t about to press the food issue. “It’s a way of strengthening herself while weakening the other fae courts,” she said at last. “Everyone views her as a threat, as you can imagine, and some might be inclined to form alliances against her… except for contests like this. The benefits of an alliance with the Unseelie Court are immense, and the announcement that one is being offered… other fledgling alliances between lesser courts tend to fracture very quickly.” She chuckled. “Further, the kingdoms send their best warriors. Many of them never return, which further lessens their kingdom’s influence.”
I shook my head. “And the other fae kingdoms haven’t caught on to what she’s doing? Why don’t they just refuse to participate?”
The cat laughed. “That would require total cooperation among them, which is never going to happen,” she said. “If even one kingdom broke faith and participated, they would secure the alliance easily… and the others can’t allow that sort of shift in the balance of power. So, yes, they dance to Aerenia’s tune, even knowing that that is precisely what they are doing.”
I thought about this for a moment, then plinked a couple of notes on the harpsichord to be sure I had the melody right before continuing to write. Unfortunately, the shift in position triggered my lightheadedness, and I had to hold very still for a second, eyes closed, before going back to my work. The cat paused. “You are holding on to some hope of leaving the Court, aren’t you?” she said flatly.
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