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“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we freed you from the Crimson Kingdom so that you can return to the Kingdom of Cerithia where you belong.”
As soon as he said I belonged there I got angry, but I didn’t know why. Who was I supposed to believe? The darkness that lingered inside of me was clawing its way out. The Kingdom of Cerithia had sent a group of men to make sure I didn’t complete this tournament. Riven had tried to kill me because of it. Now I had Nev sitting before me, acting as if Cassius was the one to blame.
Cassius was keeping secrets, but so was everyone else. We were all liars, but there had to be a truth somewhere. I looked up to the bright sky and wished for some fucking clarity on the matter.
I needed more information to piece together all of this. Maybe Nev could give me just enough to understand. “Riven said you guys didn’t want my wish to come true.”
“We don’t.” He looked at me skeptically as if I had more thoughts about this. “It would be the downfall of the Kingdoms.”
“You guys don’t even know what my wish would be,” I argued.
“We know what it will be. Why do you think the Crimson Kingdom wants you to win the trials so badly? Because you disappeared with all the elitist magic holders, and no one can find them. Everyone wants the same thing.” He stared at me for a long moment. “Your kind needs to be controlled before they kill us all and the only way to do that is with you.”
“Elite magic holders aren’t fucking monsters.”
“Keep telling yourself that, Thea.”
He stood up and glanced into the thick woods we were on the outskirts of. I watched him gather his bag of belongings. Great, we were moving again. I watched him gather more of that powder in his hand, but I couldn’t fight against him when he blew it into my face. At least this time I closed my eyes so it wouldn't hurt as much. Fighting would be pointless, so I closed my eyes as he lifted me. His heavy footsteps lulled me into a deep sleep.
?????
“Thea?” I turned around. Cassius stood in his room at the castle. He seemed distraught. “Where are you?”
“We’re in a dream,” I whispered. I wasn’t used to seeing him here anymore.
“Nev took you. Do you know where you are?”
“I thought you didn’t remember things from dreams?” My eyes narrowed on him.
“It was for your protection, Little Viper. We can talk about it when I get you back. Now, where are you?”
I hesitated to tell him anything. Who did I trust? Nev was carrying me tied up through a forest, but Cassius had never hurt anything but my feelings. Both were liars, though.
“We're headed into the thick forest that I rescued you from, but he wants you to follow,” I warned him.
Cassius watched me and took a hesitant step forward, but I stepped backward. His outburst in his room still played fresh in my mind. I was tired of the back and forth with him. He halted when he saw me step away.
“If I could tell you what I know I would.” He sighed. “I can’t, Thea. Not until the curse is broken. Not until you remember everything.” He said, pained as he watched me. Like he wanted nothing more than to pull me close to him. I was also in pain, mostly over the fact that I couldn’t remember why we were this way with each other.
“So, you have been lying to me, keeping who I am a secret? You and I know each other, right? That’s why I feel this way about you without hardly knowing who you are?” I was angry now.
“I tried to stay away so it wasn’t confusing for you, but I’m not doing a very good job at it. I just wanted you to do well in the trials this time.”
“Because I’ve been in the trials before? Riven and Nev have both told me. Nev says I shouldn’t trust you, that you are a fucking monster. That you broke the alliance between two Kingdoms, and that you kill mercilessly. That I fell for your shit before and that I was doing it again. What happened the last time I was in the trials?”
“The Kingdom of Cerithia always made sure you didn’t place in the top ten and you always disappeared back to where you were hiding before we could follow you and help free you.” He was angry as he spoke. “Last year you made the number eleventh spot and so we were hopeful that this would be the year that you finally made it.”
Cassius had announced at the start of the trials that this was the seventh year. Had I participated in each one of them? If I did, why hadn’t Sybil or the twins said anything? Confusion plagued me again. It was like I was living someone else's reality.
“I’ve competed seven times?”
He looked confused as to how I knew but confirmed my guess.
“Why do you want me to win the trials so badly?”
“Because you need to steal the witch's blood stone from the Kingdom of Cerithia and you need a group of men to help you. We have sent others to try, but they aren’t powerful like you. They need your magic to guide them. My family cannot set foot on Cerithia territory without starting a violent war. The stone will give you back your memories and help save our Kingdom.”
His family? My heart thudded in my chest as I stared at him. How had I not noticed before? He looked similar to the Crimson King. Except Cassius’s eyes were a stark contrast to the King’s. This was why the King was so worried about his return when he was taken. Cassius was the Prince of the Crimson Kingdom.
