Library

Chapter 13

E mber's stomach fluttered with nerves as she followed Lily through the castle. The mere suggestion of spending an intimate evening alone with Cole had been enough to make her palms damp. Even though he had explained that his and Lissa's affair was a mere casual liaison, she still felt as though she were encroaching on the other woman's domain. Ember had always had a hard and fast rule to support the sisterhood, but … did a water sprite count?

The layout of the castle was confusing. It was hopeless trying to figure out where she was. The hallways all looked the same, although in this part of the castle, other fae hurried about on their business.

She tagged after Lily, gazing at those strange lumps protruding from her back with a deep sense of sorrow. It must have been terrible to be abused so. Bruno had left bruises, but the thought of him amputating a part of her made her feel sick to her stomach.

She noticed that the fae they passed not only averted their eyes from her but also from Lily, as though Lily's disgrace might be contagious, and she noticed too, that Lily walked with her back straight as if to show that she didn't care what she thought. Her pace was careful and regular, without any sign of the little skips that betrayed her want to fly and join the others swishing over their heads.

Eventually they passed under an archway and drew to a stop in front of two immense doors flanked by guards, who bowed and ushered them in.

Ember, who had been expecting to be shown into a small sitting room with a table for two, hovered in the doorway, taken aback at the sight of a large glittering hall with twisted golden trees lining the walls. A vast table marched down the centre, enough for a hundred seats. All the seats were taken, and every person there was staring at her.

She gave a quick terrified glance at Lily, who merely made a point of raising her chin. Be brave, her look said.

Ember took the hint, and, taking a deep breath, walked forward. Lily followed behind and made her way to the edge of the room, where other fae servants were standing, ready to serve.

"Ember!" A voice came, as soft and intimate as if the two of them were alone together, and Cole appeared in front of her, smiling. "You look enchanting. The necklace suits you."

"Thank you. I love it."

He smiled at that and kissed the back of her hand, before leading her to a seat halfway down the table. She settled in her place and took in her surroundings, the white table linen trimmed in gold, gold candle holders, gold-rimmed wine glasses, golden tulips in crystal vases. The entire effect was ridiculously opulent, almost garish, and it dazzled her.

"This is my team," Cole said, settling into a seat next to her, not at the head of the table, as Ember had thought he might. He indicated with a golden fork as he spoke, "Broude is the head of the Flying Eagles."

Broude was a tall, muscular fae with what Ember was beginning to think of as ‘the fae look'; high cheekbones, full lips, pointed ears and an unearthly glowing lustre to the skin. He sat on a stool instead of a high-backed chair, to best accommodate magnificent wings shot with sunset colours of pink, gold and orange.

He nodded at Ember unsmiling, and she nodded back. Cole pointed to another teammate, standing at the table a few seats down, for he was a centaur and had no use for chairs at all. "Swirl."

Swirl looked up as he heard his name and gave Ember an assessing once over before turning back to his conversation. The smile fell from Ember's face at the snub. But then, she thought, maybe all centaurs were like that, aloof and proud, with little use for humans.

"And of course, you know Lissa," Cole finished.

The beautiful water sprite was sitting opposite. She gave Ember a bright smile and Ember smiled tentatively back, wondering if that was the end of their initial mutual animosity. After all, if Cole was telling the truth and Lissa had just been a fling, then Lissa had no real reason to dislike Ember. Besides, Ember was human, and probably the least important one in the room. Definitely the least interesting, she thought, eyeing Broude's wings with a certain covetous air. They were the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. Again, she wondered what Lily's wings had looked like and again felt a deep pain for the girl.

"Ashe's team is down there." Cole gestured toward several others at the far end who were sending unfriendly looks down the table toward him. "I won't introduce you. They're all savages, really."

Ashe was among them, dressed in the dark military style uniform she'd seen him in earlier, but he didn't take any notice of her; his team was his sole focus. In contrast to the opulence of the room, and of the brightly dressed fae around him, he appeared sombre, grave, the dark shadow to their sunshine.

Ember leaned toward Cole and murmured, "And who is that at the end?"

She had seen him as soon as she'd entered the room, and after one glance, she'd looked away, not wanting to attract his attention. If Ashe was daunting, this … creature … was positively frightening. He was an older man, cowled and hooded in dark red robes. But it was his eyes that alarmed Ember the most. They looked much older than he was, with crepey lids and red pupils peering out from clouded irises. They were eyes that had seen too much pain and had enjoyed every moment. Behind him stood several other fae, also dressed in dark red, silent and foreboding.

Cole lowered his voice too, and an expression came over his face, one she'd never seen on Cole before, one of almost fearful respect. "That's the Adjudicator and his jury. Do yourself a favour, would you, Ember? Stay out of his way."

If even Cole was fearful of this fae, then now Ember was terrified. She scraped her chair back a little so that the pretty female fae next to her blocked the Adjudicator's view and was careful not to turn in his direction at all, although she could feel his gaze occasionally pass over her, like an icy breeze through a broken window.

Silent servants poured wine and served tiny tasting meals in little bowls. Soft music played through the air. Every so often, a couple would leave the table and dance together, careless of anyone watching as they kissed and caressed, sending a hot flush to Ember's cheeks. One of the male fae had unfastened his partner's silky blouse and was stroking her bare breasts, making her sigh with a cat-like satisfaction. When the song finished, they returned to the table, she casually buttoning her top as if nothing untoward had happened, him with a dangerous glint in his eye that promised something untoward was definitely going to happen after dinner.

Cole noticed Ember watching, and she jumped as he slid a hand on her knee under the table. "Are you enjoying your meal?"

"Y-yes," she replied, with a catch to her breath, as his hand found the side split in her dress and touched her bare skin. A delicious shiver worked through her as his hand slowly drifted up her leg and around to the tender inner thigh. He smiled at her, his darkening gaze focused on her lips, and gave a little growl of satisfaction, as if he knew exactly how much she liked his touch. His fingers trailed higher, and she couldn't help opening her legs a little, welcoming him, and wondering what she would do if he unbuttoned her shirt like the other fae had done earlier, caressed her breasts in front of everyone, leaned over to kiss her nipples…

"You'd better be careful, Your Highness," came a familiar smooth voice, interrupting Ember's fevered train of thought, killing it dead. "You wouldn't want to break your little toy."

Ember's hackles rose at that and she fixed Lissa with a hard look. "I'm tougher than I look."

Cole gave a delighted chuckle, and he squeezed her knee in approval before his hand slid away altogether, leaving Ember feeling strangely cold.

Lissa held up her wineglass in a mock toast and said, "I hear rumours Dansa has been making overtures to the scyllas. What are the rules on bribery?"

Cole shrugged. "None. Dansa may promise what he wishes. It's the follow-through he may find difficult, if he's dead."

He and Lissa turned to look up the table toward Ashe's team, and one of them, a lithe fae with a greenish hue, turned and smiled, showing off pointed teeth.

"Ugh," said Lissa. "He's so obvious."

What was obvious to her was much less so to Ember, and she sat quietly as the talk turned to tactics and strategy. To her surprise, the centaur, Swirl, after his initial aloof dismissal of her, turned out to be rather nice, and explained a few of the rules of the tournament to her.

"Some of it is like a type of relay, run on time. The losing team of each game has their time count against them in the next. It becomes harder and harder for the losing team to catch up, which gives a clear winner, you see?"

"Some of it is like a relay? What's the other part?"

"A fight to the death," said Swirl.

Ember gave him an assessing glance to check if he was joking, but his face was serious. "And if there are three games - air, water and earth, then I'm guessing you're …"

She was about to say earth, but Swirl nodded gravely. "Air. Yes, I am as light as a feather, with a brain to match." He cast a sideways look at Broude, who had been too busy tearing apart the meat on his plate to pay much attention.

"Huh?" Broude said, when he finally noticed Swirl smirking at him, making those nearby burst into delighted laughter.

As if their levity had alerted the Adjudicator, he rose to his feet. The music stilled and everyone in the room went quiet. Servants backed away from the table and arranged themselves along the wall, their foreheads pressed to the wooden panels as though they weren't even worthy of looking at him. Belatedly, Ember replaced her fork on her plate and the chime of metal resonated in the silence.

The Adjudicator's voice was a scratchy whisper, a desert wind through bones bleached white, and yet Ember didn't have to strain to hear him. His voice was everywhere, resonating through the hall.

"The tournament is a reminder of the tragedy that can befall any of the kingdoms when the balance of power becomes corrupt and ungovernable. Let the fate of the Shields serve as a warning. The penance of containment shall forever be the legacy of the Swords. The games shall decide."

His voice trailed away. There wasn't a sound to be heard, as if everyone at the table was holding their breath, and then he announced, "Lives are sacrosanct until the tournament - here and on Earth."

He gave Ashe and Cole a hard look. Ashe looked blandly back, as if he were completely unaware of the Adjudicator's meaning, while Cole looked as though he was suppressing a smile.

"The tournament will commence in two months."

As if released by the wave of a magic hand, everyone broke into spontaneous chatter. The Adjudicator swept out of the room, followed by the seven jurors without even a farewell; his part in the dinner was done. The servants resumed serving. Some left their seats to converse with friends, others moved to the floor to dance. And then the doors opened and more fae poured in, light and giddy, and ready for fun. Cole moved off into the crowd to dance, surrounded by a group of laughing fae, while Ashe strode off in the opposite direction with his centaur teammate, engrossed in conversation.

The wine flowed freely with toast upon toast offered and drank, and the music became louder, wilder. Circles of flying fae whirled overhead in some complicated dance, and those in the corners kissed passionately, their bodies entwined. And through it all, Ember sat alone at the table, a gnawing in her gut. Two months? And then another… however many days for the tournament to run, and then the conclusion of it all. Although Cole had said she could return at any time, she fretted at the delay. Her hair would be longer when she got back, she thought irrelevantly. She'd only just got it cut.

Suddenly fed up, she caught Lily's eye and rose to her feet, ready to head back to her room to sleep, when a firm hand gripped her wrist, biting into her flesh.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.