Page 197 of Tale of the Heart Queen

“What?”

Herric smirked and leaned in. “Your son. He gave up his crown for her. What will happen to your legacy now?”

Rion blinked, once again recalling the tale Cloris shared with him. Two Primaries could never bond unless one of them gave up their position. His son had made the choice Rion hadn’t been brave enough to face. Would Amya succeed him?

As he watched them comfort one another, Rion realized his son had been so much smarter than he could have ever hoped to be. That maybe none of this had been about taking his crown after all.

A moment later, Lor and Nadir fell through the back of the cave. The stadium blinked out, the entire dome darkening before they suddenly found themselves inside a cavern hewn from the center of the mountain, everything lit with a soft glow.

Rion could make out the edges of the space and the animated faces of the crowd.

A bright light flared, illuminating Lor and Nadir balanced on a tiny cliff at the edge.

They blinked in confusion, staring at their surroundings.

Herric spread his arms wide with a grin on his face, and Rion . . . noted the ark tucked into the Lord of the Underworld’s belt before he turned to look at his son, silently rooting for him to win for the very first time.

CHAPTER 69

NADIR

We tumble out of the back of the cave and roll down a tunnel, bumping against its jagged surface. My hand smacks against the rock, and I grunt at the impact before we land in a heap.

“Gods, what now?” Lor grumbles as we both become aware of our new surroundings. We’re inside a massive soaring cavern lit only by a few lights suspended over the crowd and a single hole cut into the top.

“You’ve done well so far!” booms a voice, echoing through the space. I exchange a look with Lor as we slowly climb to our feet.

“You’re so close to your goal,” Herric adds. “But not quite yet.”

I scan our environment, noting we’re once again surrounded by the dead. The sound of their laughter and chatter is hollow and cold. Herric stands inside a box adorned with swaths of black fabric and silver accents hovering in the air.

Next to him is my father, who stares at me with an enigmatic expression. What does he feel about doing this to Lor? About dragging us both down here for his own gain? Probably nothing. He’s probably enjoying watching me scramble and suffer. After all, my suffering has always been one of his greatest pleasures.

Lor takes a few tentative steps as she peers into the darkness. Once my eyes adjust, I make out several more platforms floating in the air around us. At least, I think they’re floating, but it’s hard to be sure.

Another light flares, revealing a platform in the center of the cavern. It’s a few feet across and dangling above it is a ladder that stretches up and up, disappearing into the opening far above our heads.

“We’re under the mountain,” Lor says, and I nod.

We’re under the mountain, and all we have to do is climb that ladder to reach our goal. In theory.

Lor approaches me, and we whisper to one another.

“We have to run and jump, maybe?”

“Or there’s another way,” I say.

“Come now!” Herric shouts, interrupting us. “Don’t keep secrets from everyone. That is so very rude.”

I look up and glare. Gods, how I wish I could incinerate him to a crisp. If I ever get my hands on the bastard, I will beat him with my bare knuckles until he’s nothing but a puddle of blood. He grins back, enjoying himself. I know he made a deal with Lor, but I don’t trust for one moment that he plans to honor his promise. I’m just not sure when he plans to double-cross her.

Lor inhales an angry breath and blows it out slowly before she turns to face me, determination written into the fabric of her expression.

“Which is the closest one?”

We walk along the edges of our tiny perch, trying to gauge the distance.

“That one,” she says. “I think if we take a running jump, we could make it.”