Chapter Thirty One

Aerilyn

The sun felt different to Aerilyn that morning.

Part of her wondered if it was the last time she’d see the sunrise.

The last so-called game was going to be the most deadly, that much was given.

She wasn’t sure what would happen the moment she stepped out of her bedroom.

Her eyes ran over Everett’s sleeping figure, a brown lock of hair falling over his face.

He looked different in his sleep, the stress no longer present in his features.

She reached out, brushing the hair out of his face as she watched his eyes flutter open.

A smile consumed his face and she knew she was mirroring a similar one.

“I truly could get used to waking up to a sight like this,”

his voice was groggy with sleep.

It was one of the sexiest things she’d ever heard.

“After today, we can make this a permanent way to wake up,”

she kissed the tip of his nose, nuzzling her face into his.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his body.

The safety he gave her was unexplainable.

She let out a heavy breath before pulling away slightly to look up at him.

“We need to get ready for the trial,”

she mumbled, watching the pain contour his features as he realized too what they had to face.

They were both quiet as they forced themselves out of bed and into proper clothing for whatever was to come.

Aerilyn chose clothing that would be easy to maneuver in but also provided her some protection.

Everett had a similar outfit on, keeping every inch of his skin covered with fabric.

She wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but she knew she was going to fight for him.

If they both survived this, they could find a life together.

They could find happiness.

For once in her life, she wouldn’t be alone.

It didn’t take much time for the guards to come knocking, their pounding fists only evoking more fear from Aerilyn.

The two held hands as they followed the guards without protest.

Nobody spoke.

There was nothing to say at that moment.

It was possibly their last moments alive and that thought was alarming.

They were led down the curving hallways in a direction that Aerilyn had never been before.

The surroundings were even more foreign than usual as they were led deep within the castle and underground.

She didn’t say anything until the guards each grabbed one of their arms, separating the two.

“Find me.

If you can, find me as quickly as possible,”

Everett’s tone was different, he sounded truly afraid.

She only nodded before letting the guard lead them in opposite directions.

The hall became colder and more damp as they continued to walk.

It wasn’t long before they came to a door.

The guard opened it and shoved her through without a single word.

She stumbled into the new world, her knees hitting the ground.

She swore at the shock of pain that shot through her kneecaps.

Aerilyn forced herself to her feet and the panic automatically set in.

Aerilyn tried to take in her surroundings as she did a full circle around herself.

The space was dark, only lit by fire that lined the walls of the area she stood in.

The walls were made of brick, stacked high enough that it towered over her like the walls of Orissia.

The door behind her clicked shut as she glanced at it.

The ceiling above her was made up of a rocky terrain, telling her that they must be underground.

At the top of the wall was a small platform that contained a large group of people, all watching her.

She realized that she was standing in a makeshift arena.

Below her feet was thick dirt, one thing that was comforting to her.

The area before her was filled with large boulders and trees.

It gave a lot of terrain to the large area.

For us to hide, she realized.

All of the trees were specifically planted, most likely grown there by a Floral. This entire arena had been built to serve a purpose. A purpose that she was fearful to find out about.

Her palms felt wet with sweat as her nerves began to consume her.

She wiped her hands off on her slacks, trying to piece herself together.

She had to find Everett.

She continued to scan the arena around her, hearing distant voices.

She followed the source of the sound to the gathered group above the wall.

There were hundreds of people standing around watching what was about to unfold.

The thought of them finding this entertaining made her feel sick.

“ Welcome to your final trial, ”

a voice whispered into her mind and she automatically recognized it as the Neuro who she'd had two unfortunate encounters with.

“This trial is going to be the hardest.

You’ve been placed in an arena with only one weapon on you.

Your companions are scattered throughout the area you see before you.

You will all fight until one of you is dead.

You won’t be let out of the arena until only three of you are still breathing, ”

his voice continued to echo through her mind.

She tried to process what this meant.

One of her friends had to die.

The world at Aerilyn’s feet began to shift as she considered any options that could get them out of this.

The walls around them were too steep to possibly climb so that was out of the question.

There were too many people watching them to try to form any sort of escape plan.

They’d be dead in seconds if they tried to disobey Azazel’s orders.

They’d learned that when Bastian’s heart stopped beating.

This wasn’t a game anymore.

This trial would end in a death that none of them could ever come back from.

She tried to search the crowd of faces for the bastard himself.

In a group of people, he always seemed to stand out.

His white hair was a spotlight in the crowd that stood watching them closely.

She couldn’t make out any of their expressions, but she could see Azazel’s entire body turned to her.

He seemed to notice her eyes on him as he gave her a nod.

An alarm sounded causing her to quickly cover her ears to muffle the sound.

She swore under her breath as she began to move along the edge of the arena.

She knew that running straight for the center would be the worst idea.

It would leave her completely exposed and running into danger.

She wasn’t sure if any of her friends would attack her.

She couldn’t let her guard down no matter what.

Aerilyn walked against the wall of the arena, her hand resting on her dagger as she kept all of her senses alert.

She was only looking for one thing.

Everett.

An image of finding him dead, bleeding out somewhere made her want to break.

She refused to let herself fail this time.

She wouldn’t lose him.

Aerilyn debated what she would do if she ran into Blaise or Brinley.

Would she attack or run? She didn’t know which would be a better option. Azazel wasn’t bluffing when he made these rules.

None of them would make it out alive if they didn’t complete the trial. She didn’t want to be selfish, but she also didn’t want to give up her own life.

Aerilyn heard a crack of a branch breaking and every muscle in her body went still.

She whipped her head around to search for a place to hide, finding a boulder that would be large enough to conceal her.

She dove behind it, drawing her dagger and holding it close to her chest.

She curled her body into a ball, trying to make herself as small as she could.

She heard the footsteps continue, only growing louder as they seemed to grow closer.

She prayed to anyone out there to make them walk in the other direction.

She wasn’t ready to face anyone yet.

She was still too overwhelmed to make any type of decision.

The thought ran through her mind that the source of the footsteps could be Everett.

She didn’t know where he'd been placed in the arena, but he couldn’t be far.

Azazel must’ve placed them all strategically.

The king didn’t seem to want her dead and she only could hope that he didn’t keep her far from Everett. Everett was the only person she knew wouldn’t harm her.

She wanted to trust Blaise and Brinley, but she couldn’t find it in herself to do so. When people are faced with death, they always seem to make the worst choices.

Aerilyn finally uncurled her body, glancing around the edge of the boulder.

She moved her knife into a stance that would be easy to attack.

She narrowed her eyes as she scanned the clearing for a glimpse of anyone.

She saw a quick flash of red hair and forced herself back behind the boulder.

The sight of Brinley made her heart race and nausea roll over her.

She so badly wanted to run to her friend and make a promise not to harm each other, but Brinley could be unpredictable.

She didn’t know the woman enough to trust her with her life.

Instead, Aerilyn stayed hidden and waited for the footsteps to fade away.

She knew she had to play the game strategically.

There were too many eyes watching, and Azazel wouldn’t provide her any help this time.

If someone attacked her, it would be out of his control.

She couldn’t rely on him to get her out of this one.

She also only had her dagger on her.

She didn’t know what sort of weapons each of her companions had on them.

If Brinley had her bow and arrow, that would be the most dangerous thing.

Part of her also questioned what would happen if they all refused.

Of course, Azazel would kill them all, but maybe if all four of them worked together they could fight against him.

The king couldn’t possibly let them sit in there forever.

She almost wanted to test him.

To see how far she could push him before he snapped.

There was a familiar screech that echoed through the arena, pulling Aerilyn’s attention to where it had come from.

There were hounds here.

They were releasing the hounds on them again.

That was how he was going to get them to start fighting.

Azazel was trying to make the entire thing a show for the people of Korth who hated them so deeply.

She gripped her dagger tighter and ran away from the direction that she heard the monster's screams.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she picked up speed, avoiding running into anything or tripping over the roots of trees scattered on the forest floor.

The hound’s dying eyes crossed her mind as she continued to run.

She wanted to hope that all of the hounds would act that same way, but she knew better than to have hope.

She had been lucky with that one.

It had been smaller than usual and she couldn’t help but wonder if it had been a baby.

She had no idea if hounds had even evolved the same way as humans.

She couldn’t allow herself to get close to another one of the creatures.

The risk wasn’t worth it.

Aerilyn went still as she saw the sight before her.

Everett was on the ground with a hound pinning him down.

He had his sword out towards the snapping jaws, keeping a small distance between the sharp teeth and his face.

She didn’t have time to think.

She let out a scream to distract the hound before she threw her weight into it, tackling the large beast to the ground.

She stabbed her dagger into its side, feeling the blood seeping into her hands.

She quickly retracted the dagger before slamming it into the hound repeatedly.

She let out ragged cries as she continued to stab the creature until she felt its movements die out.

She was gasping for air by the time she was finished, falling back onto her ass on the dirt.

She heard soft grunts coming from behind her and it brought her back to reality.

Everett was trying to push himself to his feet but struggled.

He was holding his shoulder as blood pooled on his shirt and ran down his arm. She gasped as she moved closer to him, trying to find the source of the wound.

“What happened, Everett?”

Her wide eyes ran all over his body, looking for any other source of damage besides his shoulder.

“I’m okay, darling,”

he whispered, but there was weakness in his tone.

His face was pale as if he had lost more blood than what she was seeing then.

She was about to protest when he finally fell back to the ground, his head hitting the ground as he groaned in pain.

“Let me see it,”

she snapped as she used her bloody dagger to cut open his top, exposing the source of all the blood.

She felt her heart crack in her chest at the sight of the mauled wound on his body.

His skin was ripped to shreds, the claw marks even deeper than she could possibly see.

There was a never-ending spray of blood, the wound so deep that she could see exposed bone.

It was too close to his heart.

The wound only inches away from the vital organ.

She’d never seen such an extensive injury before.

“Fuck Ev,”

she bit her lower lip as she ripped a bit of her top off, trying to apply some pressure against the wound.

He screamed, his body trying to curl away from the pain she was causing.

She had never expected to hear such horrid sounds coming from him.

She never wanted to see his pain, not like this.

Aerilyn had seen many wounds before, but the one before her was so extensive she was unsure of how to stop the bleeding.

She tried to think of what she’d seen the healers do to close up a wound.

The reality of it all seemed to hit her hard when she considered her options.

“Aerilyn, stop.

I’m okay,”

he lied, his face going pale from the mixture of blood loss and pain.

She bit her lower lip trying to hide her emotions so that she didn’t concern him too much.

“Don’t lie to me.

I need to get you help.

You just need to hold on until one of the others dies and then we can get out of here,”

she rushed out, keeping one hand pressed to his shoulder.

She lifted her other hand to his cheek, stroking her bloodied fingertips along his face.

“Just let me go.

If I die, you all can live.

It will all be over,”

he gave her a weak smile that made her body go numb.

She refused to lose him.

Not now.

Not like this.

“That’s not going to happen, Everett.

I need you.

Your kingdom needs you.

You have to survive this,”

Aerilyn shook his head, slapping his cheek when his eyes began to flutter.

She felt the tears wet her cheeks as she pulled his head into her lap.

She knew there was nothing else she could do unless Azazel ended the trial.

She knew the cruel king wouldn’t do such a thing.

Not when there was an entire audience watching for a blood bath.

She felt like she was back in the room when she found her mother’s dead, bleeding body.

The sight of the blood coating her front side was enough to break her.

The tears finally hit, a sob escaping her as she held onto Everett.

“Please don’t die.

I need you.

You’re the only person I have,”

She pressed her forehead to his, trying to keep him conscious.

“I need you,”

she repeated, fisting her hand into his hair.

“You’re the most special girl to ever exist, darling,”

he smiled at her, blood soaking his teeth.

She continued to cry as Everett continued to bleed.

She’d never been so willing to give up her own life for someone else.

She would trade positions with Everett without any second thoughts.

The heir of Orissia’s life was much more important than her own.

She wouldn’t be able to save an entire kingdom.

He could.

He was the only hope that Orissia had.

“I love you.”

Aerilyn froze at the words that fell from his lips.

She hadn’t heard those three words since she was a child.

She didn't have anyone left on the earth that loved her.

Not until that moment.

She’d never felt so full before.

“I love you, Everett.

So that means you can’t die.

Please, I’m begging you,”

she kissed his mouth repeatedly.

His lips barely moved with hers as his breaths became more shallow.

She let out a scream in anguish as she threw her body over his, hugging him close.

His chest was hardly moving anymore.

His heart was a dull thump in his chest.

Aerilyn had never felt so powerless in all her life.

She was losing the one thing that she continued to fight for.

Without Everett, she was afraid of losing herself.

She’d never see life the same again.

She hadn’t let anyone close to her since she’d lost her parents in fear of losing them.

Everett had been the only exception to that rule.

She’d let him in and now she was horrifically losing him.

The world seemed to go dark as Everett continued to slip away.

She looked up to the top of the walls where she knew Azazel was in the audience watching the scene unfold before him.

He was a heartless monster and she vowed to end him if she lost Everett.

Her emotions began to turn into anger as her hatred for the king pulsed through her soul.

Her hands shook as she held Everett close, not wanting to let him go.

She began to see red.

Red hot anger.

All she could think about was ripping Azazel’s heart from his chest and crushing it within her palm.

She could make him pay for what he had done.

White hot light erupted from her body, flashing in the air around her.

Panic took the place of the anger as she tried to pull it back.

The last time the light had flared from her, she’d killed two men.

She felt murderous, but she also knew Everett was close to her.

She refused to harm him.

She pulled herself away from Everett and wrapped her arms around her torso in hopes of containing the light.

Her hands continued to glow with light but no longer blinded her.

She looked up to Azazel, finding his face in the crowd.

He was standing, his attention fully locked on her.

She wanted to beg him to get her out of the situation.

She was losing control.

“Aerilyn?”

His voice croaked, making her chest ache.

Everett was sitting up, color had returned to his face.

The light suddenly disappeared as she moved back towards him, taking in his entire frame.

He was sitting there like he wasn’t on the verge of death.

“How the hell did you do that?”

The confusion was written across his expression.

He pulled back his shirt, exposing his shoulder that had been mauled moments prior.

The skin was bloody but there was no longer a wound there.

Her eyes went wide as she ran her fingers along his warm skin.

“I don’t know.

I didn’t do this,”

she shook her head, trying to make sense of it all.

“The light.

It made me feel warm everywhere and I could feel it soaking into my skin.

You did this, darling.

You saved me,”

he wrapped his arms around her, grasping her body close to his.

She began to cry from the feeling of his tight grasp, her body shaking.

She hadn’t hurt him.

She had saved him.

She wasn’t going to lose him.

“We need to find somewhere to hide.

We can’t be sitting out here exposed.

Do you think you can walk?”

She bit her lower lip, trying to double-check that he no longer had any injuries.

He nodded and let go of her to attempt to stand.

She quickly got to her feet and offered him both hands to help him.

When he got to his feet he let out a heavy breath, his hands grasping tighter onto hers.

She steadied the man as he tried to regain his grounding before he was finally able to stand without assistance.

With the injuries, Aerilyn knew that Everett was going to slow them both down.

She wished her healing had been strong enough to rid him of any pain, but she wasn’t trained enough to understand how it all worked.

She refused to leave his side, knowing how vulnerable he was in this state.

She kept her arm around him as she headed for the trees, needing some sort of cover.

Her dagger was glued in her other hand as she scanned their surroundings.

Her breaths came hard and fast, her panic beginning to take over.

The idea of avoiding killing any of her friends seemed impossible at that moment.

If they didn’t fight, the king would continue to send in hounds.

She wasn’t sure how he had gotten them, but she also had no idea how many he had.

As they stumbled through the forest, Aerilyn attempted to find a place that would be easy for them to hide.

If they could wait it out for a bit, maybe the other two would be able to kill off some of the hounds.

She doubted that Blaise and Brinley would kill each other though.

They seemed to have grown much closer over time and she didn’t think they’d turn on each other.

She was about to set Everett down against the tree when she saw the blood.

There was so much blood.

It was splattered across the tree and pooled in a trial.

It was red blood.

The blood belonged to Blaise or Brinley.

Aerilyn swore as she began to follow the trail.

The blood was constant as if the flow was heavy.

She couldn’t imagine what sort of injury had to occur for the amount of blood she saw.

When she finally rounded the tree, she saw them.

She saw the bright red hair surrounded by the pools of blood.

Brinley.