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The cloudless sky above was painted a beautiful shade of cerulean—the same color it had been when I crossed the Dolorem River all those moons ago.
I enjoyed that moment—the sliver of time in between dreams and reality when you couldn’t remember anything. Not your hair color or your name. Not even where you were. It was peaceful. Blissful. You could be anywhere and anyone you wanted to be.
If that was purgatory, I didn't want to leave.
However, my bones soon ached, and my skull throbbed, as did the crushing weight of reality that came collapsing down with it.
Gone was the illusion of who and where I was, replaced with the familiar sinking feeling in my chest that refused to be ignored.
Talon is in trouble.
I sat up and lightly stretched, feeling my spine pop into place as I took in the surroundings.
But there was nothing.
Only an empty field that stretched for miles until it reached the edge of the skyline, meeting a tall, lean silhouette.
I squinted.
“Talon!” I yelled, rushing to him before he disappeared. Before I realized that this, too, might be a dream. I wrapped my arms around his middle as I inhaled his familiar scent, my heart warming from our embrace. “I thought I’d never see you again,” I sobbed, relief washing over me. “I’m so sorry about what I said. I didn’t mean any of it. I was so worried! Stars, I couldn’t?—”
“Let go of me,” Talon warned.
Looking up at him, my brief moment of relief was ripped away, leaving me cold and disoriented. His focus remained straight ahead, his jaw set, and his body rigid. It was like he was standing at attention before the king.
I released him, confusion rippling through me while I stepped back, the fae court revealing itself above.
“Welcome, Elowyn, to your final trial,” King Harkin announced from his place on the throne above. Prince Bowen sat at his right, his legs crossed as he puckered his lips, blowing me a kiss.
My hand flew to my mouth to conceal my shock—and the bile that climbed up my throat—as my eyes darted back and forth between the king and Talon.
The faerie court above remained quiet, the disgust on their face hard to ignore. Thumbing the ring on my finger, I stood beside Talon, keeping a painful distance between us.
I wanted to tell him how I truly felt and take back all the harsh words I’d said. But the nagging dread in my bones told me I wouldn’t get that chance.
King Harkin leaned back against his stolen throne. “I can see the confusion on your face from here.” He cackled, tracing a finger along the embellished armrest. “I admit, despite how much I’m relishing in it, you must’ve seen this coming.”
I unfurled my brows, refusing to give him the satisfaction of being able to read me anymore.
“The truth is a dangerous thing, wouldn’t you say, Elowyn? It has the power to upend the very foundation of our realm.” His neck turned a deeper shade of red with each word he spoke. “As is any interference in our sacred trials!”
Talon blinked—his expression bored as the king spoke. The defiance that radiated off him was contagious and fueled King Harkin’s anger, his harsh glare impaling us like an arrow.
“Your fervor isn’t virtuous. It’s revolting and makes a blatant mockery of our principles! Let’s see if you can overcome your lust for the unattainable or if it will be the very thing that thwarts you from obtaining what you desire most.”
My heart thumped hard against my ribcage as he looked between us—a wicked smirk pulled at his mouth as two swords materialized at the toes of each of mine and Talon’s feet. My head whipped over to Talon, who still faced ahead, refusing to acknowledge my presence at all.
I wanted to scream. I wanted him to look at me—give me a glimpse of what was going through his mind instead of that stoic, unreadable disposition.
Stars, I couldn’t breathe!
“Talon Warwick, prove your loyalty to this court by succeeding in this trial, and I’ll release your family—and restore your honor. Kill for your desires or be killed for your transgressions. The trial begins at the sound of the bell.”
The fae court didn’t disappear like they normally did.
No, they remained in the sky, their haunting presence a painful distraction.
Talon bent over and grabbed his sword, finally facing me as he got into position. My heart sank as I followed suit, picking mine up with trembling hands.
