6. Chapter 6

The Crimson Kingdom had always been off-limits to me when I snuck out of Exile. I had never allowed myself to be too close to the castle for fear of being recognized. My past was a mystery to me, and maybe no one else knew who I was either. My name was the only thing I knew about myself. That made this whole trial ordeal even riskier for me.

Eyes glanced at me as I made my way up the red-stone roadways of the city nestled just below the castle. Fae watched me, but only for brief moments before turning away. I was wearing my green cloak over my head on the off chance I was recognized.

Anxiety filled my chest.

Not because of the tournament or possibly failing, but because I didn't know if I was walking into a trap. Would I even make it there? Surely, they would make a spectacle of my death if they knew my secret. With every step that took me closer to the castle, I imagined traps waiting to catch me in my secrets.

I wasn't sure what would be waiting for me once I got to the castle, but hopefully, I would at least make it to the tournament before being killed. My feet froze as uncertainty gripped me.

The Wisp swirled around me as if to encourage me. She had been waiting by the boundary as soon as I crossed like she knew I would be coming through. The Wisp had never given me bad guidance, so I continued. My footsteps were heavy with exhaustion from walking all night and most of the day to reach the castle.

The town that surrounded the castle was beautiful. Dark, crimson-colored flowers grew everywhere. The buildings all had stunning stained windows that complimented the dark exteriors. More than all of that, though, were the fae dancing and smiling in the street. Laughter floated through the wind and the smell of delicious food attacked my senses. Laughter echoed through the streets like mocking taunts, making guilt nearly cripple me. The twins and Sybil were living in complete squalor, while these fae were living completely different lives.

How can these fae be so happy under the rule of a monster like the Crimson King? To them, he was the hero, and I was their villain. My thoughts ran through a million scenarios that may occur once in the castle for the draft. I knew as long as I kept my elite magic mark hidden, I should be fine, but I was worried about my ability to control it during the trials. If anyone saw my darkness, they would know what I was.

My heart beat with equal parts worry and anticipation.

The castle caught my eye when I gazed up to watch the fae in the streets. It was black as night with giant red flags around it. It held a certain sense of power when you admired it. It, too, had oversized windows with colorful stained glass. I wanted to despise it, curse at it, but I still appreciated the beauty of it. All those nights in the forbidden wood didn't do it justice. It was so beautiful, even more so up close where all the small details could be seen. The black of the stones contrasted so beautifully with the dark, crimson-colored flowers that vined their way up the sides. To the left of the main entrance was a vast garden with tall shrubs, thousands of flowers, and fountains of the same black stone.

As I got closer to the gate, it was apparent that I was late to the affair. A crowd of men just outside the castle doors in the courtyard was my focus as I approached. My survival instincts kicked in as I readied myself to go inside. Confidence would get me far. Losing wasn't an option. The others would likely just wish to be rich or for land. I was playing for lives. When I walked closer, they turned to stare at me. My eyes were hidden by my hood, but I glanced around to size up my competition. All men from what I saw.

"Hey, little dove, you're in the wrong place." One of them shouted at me with an odd accent. I ignored him as I walked up to the king's guardsmen. Instinctively I wanted to grab my weapon at the sight of them. There were at least a dozen of them adorned in their signature red suits. They all stared at me, not saying a word until they parted for a man in all black.

I had never seen a black Crimson guardsman uniform, but it held the same golden Crimson Kingdom crest over his heart. A perfect target for my arrows, I thought instinctually. His energy definitely gave the fact that he was in charge. His confidence made me want to shrink away from him, but I would not show weakness here.

"You're late," he spoke sharply.

"There is no time stamped on the invitation," I argued. My eyes drift past his chest and up to a face I wasn't expecting.

His dark hair was tousled, and short stubble lined his strong jaw. His mouth was pressed into a thin unamused line. It was his eyes that had me sucking in a deep breath, though. Instinctively, I took a step backward. They appeared green at first sight, but when he turned slightly into the sun, they were a deep rich gold. He was absolutely terrifying and beautiful. My eyes glanced over his tattooed hands, and I stood frozen.

This was not happening.

It couldn"t be the man from my dreams. A chill ran down my spine, and I took another step away from him. His golden eyes narrowed on me and my deliberate movements.

His eyes filled with irritation, and I froze. I didn't breathe, fearful he would know it was me from that small sound. Would he know I was an elite magic holder? I had never used magic in my dreams, so at least that was a secret. Would I be punished for it here when he recognized who I was? My mind raced with what I should do. He said he didn't remember when he woke up from his dreams. That had to be the truth, or I was in trouble. I briefly wondered if this was just another dream.

"You're the last to arrive," he huffed as he took my invitation. His fingers brushed against mine, and I realized it was definitely not a dream. His eyes narrowed on me for a long moment before leaning down so only I would hear. Shit, did he know who I was? A heavy unsettling feeling settled deep in my stomach.

"This is the one chance I'm giving you to turn around and go home."

I scoffed and he stood up with a hint of a smirk on his handsome face.

"And miss the chance of winning? I'll stay."

His eyes gleamed with amusement as he whispered something to a guard on his right. The guard scurried away before the man in black gazed at me again.

"Well, you are not the first woman to compete, but maybe you'll be the first one to make the top ten."

He breezed past me towards the crowd of men who waited, and the scent of forest and rain attacked my senses once again. I took my spot with the men in the courtyard. Their eyes seared into me, but I gave them no satisfaction of looking back at them. The man in black"s eyes flickered around at everyone before his eyes lingered on me for a long moment.

"Hood off," he demanded. My hands trembled as I slipped the hood off my head. His golden eyes lingered on me longer than necessary. Recognition wasn"t anywhere on his features, and relief filled me. I smoothed my dark braid over my shoulder before meeting his eyes again. He held my stare as one of the other guardsmen spoke to him.

"It will be a shame to beat a pretty thing like you" someone spoke from behind me. I turned and saw a fae taller than the rest of us. He was muscular in a way that indicated that he was probably used to doing hard labor. His light hair was in a long braid down his back and his face was riddled with scars.

"It will be an honor to beat you," I remarked. Several men laughed at the exchange, but the big gruff male behind me glared. My eyes found the guardsman in all black when his voice boomed over anyone else talking.

"The king is not available, so I will be the one to welcome you all to the seventh year of the trials. There are fifty of you, but in a short time, only ten of you will be left standing. Once the top ten have been announced, you will work as a team to retrieve a particular item. If the item is returned to the Crimson Kingdom, all who survive will be granted a wish of their choosing. You may not ask for the crown, harm the royal family, or make yourself royalty. Otherwise, you may ask whatever you like." His eyes glanced around all of us. I wondered what the king was hoping to retrieve. What was important enough that they had done this seven times?

"There are rules to the tournament and anyone who goes rogue will be killed and dishonored. First rule: if you hold magic, you are not allowed to use it during the games unless given permission beforehand."

The men didn't seem to like that rule, and a disgruntled mutter spread like wildfire in the crowd. The rule suited me just fine.

"You can use it after the games if it will help you recover. Second: no killing each other between trials. The king will announce the trial the day you are to participate. You will all sleep at the castle and be fed. You may form alliances with each other as you see fit, but there will be no tolerance for cheating. Any questions?"

"How many trials are within the game?" someone yelled from the back.

"It usually takes no more than four for the top ten to be announced. These trials will weed out the weak and identify those with a certain set of skills needed to pull off the last task. Many great warriors have come through this competition, but none have returned from the final task." His dark golden eyes stared directly at me. "If you've noticed, there are no Cerithian men here. If you are working for them and we find out, I will personally rip your heart from your chest."

"Why not just send all of us on the task? Wouldn't it be better odds?" I asked. I wanted to ask about Cerithia but didn't want to draw too much attention to myself.

The guardsman watched me for a long moment before responding. "A large group will attract unwanted attention. A small group will be able to infiltrate what we need much more efficiently. We've tried sending a large group before and it was a disaster."

No one else asked questions.

"My men and I will be standing guard to make sure rules are followed. If you have an issue, you will find me or one of my men. Now let"s get you all to your sleeping quarters and fed. Tomorrow will be the first trial."

We all shuffled in behind the guards. If I was mesmerized by the outside of the castle, I was taken aback by the inside. It held the same dark beauty it did outside, but the light from the stained-glass windows made it colorful. It was more whimsical than I thought the Crimson Kingdom would allow. Tapestries hung from the black stone of the walls and gold artwork graced them, too. Beautiful flowers grew on vines up the walls that held every shade of red imaginable.

I couldn't believe others lived like this. My mind flashed back to mine and Sybil's home. Thousands of our home could have fit in the castle. It was more beautiful than I would have ever pictured in my mind.

My eyes drifted to the back of the man in all black. There was no doubt that he was in charge. His walk was confident and exuded power. His black uniform stretched over his wide shoulders and showed how muscular his legs were. None of the other men wore any color but red. I turned away when he glanced back at me. Eventually, we came to a stop in front of two plain wooden doors.

"This will be your sleeping quarters. Down the hallway to the right is a second set of wooden doors. That is where you'll eat. Down the hallway to the left is another set of doors, which is the washroom."

The men piled into the sleeping quarters to pick out their beds. I hung back, not caring where I slept. As soon as the last male walked through the doors, I followed but the man in black pulled me back out.

"You are not staying here."

"I'll be fine." I struggled to free my arm from his grip, but he held tight. He turned to me, so I was face to face with him. His face held a cold indifference when he stared at me. He didn't remember me from the dreams.

"No, you won't. It"s a custom that women stay in their own room and private wash area. We've had issues in the past." My heart beat fast at how close he was to me. His golden eyes met my green ones with a demand that I listen to him. Then his eyes briefly dropped to my lips before he pulled away and released my arm.

"You'll stay down here." He walked down the hallway, not even bothering to wait and see if I was following. We passed the washroom and dining hall before coming to a singular wooden door. The man opened it and led me inside. The room was simple, but still nicer than my room with Sybil.

A big bed sat in the middle of the room, with dark red linens. I had a big window that I couldn"t wait to look out. There was a small desk and lamp, too. Another door in the room led to my own washroom, and I couldn't wait to shower when he left. As I took in the simple space, my eyes lingered on the bed. Had I ever slept in a normal bed? There was no doubt that it would be better than my lumpy makeshift bed in Exile. He cleared his throat and when I glanced at him, he raised an eyebrow at me. His tall broad body filled the small space of the room.

"Is it to your liking?" The guard stared at me oddly.

"It will be fine." I set my bag down. "Thanks."

Giving me a curt nod, he headed for the door. He paused with his back to me and his hand gripping the door handle tightly.

"Lock this door when you are in here alone. Dinner will be served within the hour."

Then he was gone. Taking his advice, I locked the door. I removed my cloak and walked over to the window. My view overlooked the castle's private gardens. Fountains and statues lined the stone pathways. It was absolutely beautiful.

I turned and surveyed the room again. The bed called to me. I laid on it and a smile crept on my face that hadn't been there in a long time. It was odd to look at the ceiling and not see cracking mud and moss like in Exile, nothing in this room was falling apart. The thought made me feel filthy, and I headed for the bathroom. The shower relaxed me, but I cut it short when my stomach wouldn't stop growling.

I needed a good meal and a good night"s sleep to do well tomorrow. I'm sure they had already targeted me as weak because I was the only woman. Tomorrow needed to be a day I established myself as someone not to fuck with.

A knock on my door startled me.

"Dinner is served."

After braiding my hair, I headed to the dining hall, where most of the men had already taken seats. Ignoring their gawking stares, I filled my plate with a ridiculous amount of food. It all smelled wonderful. I was so used to bread and water, with the occasional vegetable if I could find any to steal. The smell of the meat and vegetables made my stomach clench tight with hunger. It had always been easier to not acknowledge the hunger because acknowledging it only made it worse.

I chose to sit at an empty table. The guards lined the outskirts of the room, including the man in all black. I wondered if they would stand guard the entire time. Slowly I ate my food, savoring the flavor and knowing that eating too quickly would make me sick. The men were loud, but I didn't mind. I was so used to pure silence or boisterous fighting in Exile that civilized chatter here was nice. I kept my face down and minded my own business, but that didn't save me for too long.

The burly man that tried intimidating me earlier was walking around to each table and talking with them. I noticed men adding coins into a bag. What was that about? The man caught me looking and stared at me momentarily before laughing, which of course drew everyone's attention.

"Little Dove, would you care to join the betting?"

It was easy to ignore him as I continued to eat my food. Do not allow yourself to be bothered by this guy, I told myself. He wanted to get under my skin. Some of the other men started laughing which caught my attention more. There was obviously something funny at my expense. The guard in black was watching the exchange with a hard-pressed face. He was not amused but didn't interfere.

"Yeah, I didn't think you would. Besides, you"ll lose the bet anyway."

I rolled my eyes at his tactic to rile me up. He was like a big ugly child. He sauntered up to my table when I didn't engage yet again.

"Listen here, you stupid bitch. I don't take kindly to being ignored, but I'm feeling generous today. I'll let you join the betting without having to pay in. If you win, you can have the whole pot."

I raised my eyebrow at him but gave him little else to go on.

"We have a little bet going. Who will be ranked the lowest after the first task?"

I knew I was likely the only person that was voted for considering I was the only woman. His smug smile felt unpleasant and made my skin crawl. His whole demeanor radiated bad energy and I just wanted him to quit pestering me. Still, I continued to eat without giving away my annoyance.

"You are the unanimous vote," he sneered as if I would become upset at this information. Still, I said nothing. My eyes drifted to the tall guardsman in all black. He wasn't even watching us anymore. He talked to another man as if he were bored being here. The burly man turned to the room full of men.

"Seems here the bitch doesn't want to participate. Yeah, I wouldn't either if I knew I would be at the bottom of the ranking." This had the men in an uproar of laughter. The guard's golden eyes moved from the burly man to me as I continued eating, his lip curling in disgust at the exchange. Just as the big ugly man went to sit back down, I spoke up just to prove a point. I knew I should just let this go, but I couldn't.

"You know, a boy from back home always told me it was easy to spot the weakest fighter in a crowd." I shot the man a look of boredom. "It's always the one who is the loudest in the crowd. The one who tries to intimidate and bully fear into others."

The man"s face turned bright red with anger, and the laughter of the other men died out.

"I guess that would make you the weakest since clearly, you are compensating for your lack of confidence by trying to make me look weak." I took a bite as all the men stared at me like I was an idiot. Maybe I was. "I won't join your childish game, but just know that I will be ranked higher than you." I held up my cup to the room in a toast and smiled.

Their eyes darted stunned that I stood up for myself. The guard in black held an amused smirk on his face as he watched all the horrified men glaring at me. The audacity I must have to speak up against this bully of a man.

"Watch your back, stupid whore," the man bellowed before he turned his back to me and headed to his table.

Once I was comfortably full, I stood up and headed to my room. I was thankful that I didn't have to share a room with the men now. I'm sure the big ugly ogre of a man would try to smother me as I slept. Just as I turned the handle to my door, someone rushed up behind me. I pulled my dagger out of its sheath and held it to the throat of the guard in black. An amused smile spread across his face as he grabbed my wrist and slammed me back into the wall.

"Glad to see you have good instincts considering you just insulted the man who is expected to rank first in the entire tournament."

Processing his words was difficult when he was so close to me. I had not thought much about what he looked like in my dreams until recently, but everything about him drew me in. Maybe it was due to him being around me for so long that I felt comfortable with him, or maybe it was something else entirely. Something about his presence made me less tense, despite the powerless position I found myself in.

His body molded to mine as he held me against the wall. His other hand squeezed my throat softly. His eyes swirled with gold and black, his fingers gripping me tighter as his gaze found mine. This man was nothing like my dreams, but I still found myself drawn to him. He wasn't gentle or playful; he was cold, indifferent, and powerful.

"The man's repulsive," I argued weakly. "He will not rank in the top ten." The need to try and focus on something other than him overwhelmed me. Could he hear how hard my heart was beating from being this close?

His golden eyes traced over my face. I held my breath as his eyes lingered over my face. What did he see when he looked at me?

"I look forward to watching you in the trials since you seem so confident in yourself," he said, voice softer than it had been as if he was distracted.

"Glad you'll be entertained while I fight for my life," I retorted.

A smug smirk curled on his lips.

"You signed up for this."

He had a point.

"May I go to bed or are you planning on holding me here all night?"

He seemed to realize that he was pressed up against me and pushed away from me instantly like I repulsed him. My body shivered at the loss of his body's warmth.

"Tell me your name." Not a question, but a demand.

"Thea." That was my only response as I closed the door on him. I locked the door and listened for him to walk away, ignoring the patter in my chest. The man was too handsome for his own good, but too handsome for a man that served my biggest enemy. He was the enemy and I needed to remember that when he was near me.