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Disappointment panged my chest—if only the nightingale was real, I’d be halfway to the border by now.
“Well, well, well, wasn’t that exciting!” King Harkin clicked his tongue, pleased with the chaos he’d created.
Prince Bowen’s face was just as menacing. The crowd cheered, their shrieks piercing my ears. If this was what they did for fun, I didn’t want to know what they were capable of when they were angry.
“Six out of ten survived the first trial,” he continued. “And this was only the beginning! Who will come out the winner?” His lip curled with disgust before he returned his attention ahead. “Place your bets. The next trial is one week from today.”
Everyone filed out of the coliseum, cackling to one another, and gossiping about who they thought would win.
“You hear them?” a slimy voice came from behind me. “They’re betting on me to win.” I peeked out of my peripheral to find Aeron lurking over my shoulder, his fingers laced behind his head. “You won’t get so lucky next time. I’ll make sure of it. Your luck will run dry, eventually.”
I stood up, our noses at equal level as his coal-black eyes bore into mine. “Is that a threat?”
“And what if it is?” He took a step toward me.
“I’m not scared of you,” I lied. “You’re a disgusting maggot that kills innocent children.”
“All the more reasons to watch your back if I were you. I will win this, and I couldn’t care less who I hurt or must kill to do it.” Kelvin shouldered past me, not giving me a chance to reply.
I stood there motionless, mustering up everything inside me not to scream in frustration.
He had a point—the king said only one of us could make it out alive. They designed these trials to test our virtues. Not that I was perfect by any means, but I certainly didn’t have it in me to kill my way to the top. If that was everyone else’s plan, I was doomed. I could play defense for as long as possible, but eventually, I’d have to make a decision that’d haunt me forever.
My breaths became shaky as I held back tears. I couldn’t do it. It’d been a week since I’d arrived, and my mother would only be getting sicker as the days passed. There was no guarantee of walking out of this place.
The stars above knew I stood a better chance against those water creatures than the monsters crawling inside this castle.
I’d gone back and forth on whether I should wait until nightfall to make my escape, but I figured the sooner I got out of this dreadful place, the better. Pulling my hair out of my face, I tied it with a ribbon and wondered how far I’d get before anyone noticed I was missing.
Hopefully far enough to buy me some time.
I poked my head out of the door to check the corridor and closed it behind me as I exited. All the servants and handmaidens didn’t seem to pay me any mind as I breezed through the hall, weaving around carts of food and cleaning supplies. Getting caught was the furthest thing from my mind as I pushed past the gothic doors at the end of the corridor, running alongside the golden shrubs and trees to remain hidden.
The foliage dwindled to nothing—exposing me before I could reach the forest ahead.
I paused to catch my bearings, checked over my shoulder to see if any of the groundskeepers were watching, and took off toward the wooded shelter. My legs carried me as fast as they’d allow, still exhausted from the trial hours ago, until I reached the sanctuary of canopy trees and vines that hid me from the castle view.
Slowing to a walk, I took notice of which side the moss grew and cleared a shrub of purple berries, using them to mark my location in the event I got lost. However, as long as the Wintercrest Highlands remained on my right, I should make it to the Dolorem River in no time.
The deeper I trekked into the forest, the darker it became, and soon, I could barely see my hand in front of my face. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been walking and if it was the sun that had gone down or the thick covering of leaves above that caused my impaired sight, but I knew I needed to find the river before whatever lurked in the shadows killed me.
I trekked further into the dense woods. Déjà vu of my travels through the Elmhurst Woods played around me and how densely ignorant I’d been. Never could I have imagined I’d end up in this predicament—stuck in a deadly trial, fighting for my life.
Nor could I have dreamed up half the creatures I’d come across. While most seemed innocent and kind enough, others belonged in the deepest depths of the underworld.
I grimaced, the hairs on my arms at attention, as sticks and leaves crunched to my right. Every muscle tightened, on high alert, and I pushed forward.
Each snap.
Every rustle.
The faint clicks and buzzes above.
My body hummed in anticipation. It instinctively knew how to overcompensate for my lack of vision—tune in to the environment.
Another crunch sounded to my left.
And then behind me.
