Page 198 of Tale of the Heart Queen

“It looks big enough for only one of us.”

She nods. “Then I’ll go first before I move to that one.” She gestures to the left and a platform that hovers nearby. “I can also ensure it’s stable enough for you.”

She gives me a preemptive look that dares me to argue, but I don’t bother. I see the logic in allowing her to use herself as the test, but I hate it. I hate that she has to put herself in danger for my sake.

“When this is over, I will find a way to make this all up to you,” I swear. “I’m supposed to be the one protecting you. I was supposed to save you.”

“Nadir,” she says softly. “You’ve protected me over and over. You did save me. But it’s my turn to protect you. And this isn’t your fault. We’ve both been the victims of everyone else’s desires.” She takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. “When this is over, we’re going to spend the rest of our lives making all of this up to each other, not because either of us did anything wrong, but because we deserve happiness.”

I nod, my throat too tight to speak as I marvel at this woman who’s chosen to love me. Who deserves so much better than the man that I am. But I’ll take it and hope she doesn’t realize it eventually.

Then she backs up and leaps. My stomach sinks to my feet, and I stop breathing. I swear everyone in the stands does the same.

She lands safely in a crouch, and I let out a whoosh of air. Then she prepares to leap to the next one, and I see her pause. But she runs anyway and jumps, sticking the landing.

“Come on!” she calls, and I follow after, clearing the first jump before I see what made her hesitate. The perspective from the previous platform is off, making this next landing further away than it looks.

I hate not having the use of my magic, and I hate that I’m so vulnerable right now. But the fierce look she gives me bolsters my confidence. She wants to protect me, and I . . . Gods, what a lucky asshole I am.

I run and leap to the next platform, and we continue in the same vein, drawing closer and closer to the center. There are a few near misses, backdropped by the crowd’s oohs and aahs and screams. It’s distracting, but I try to shut it out. I think of when Lor described her time on the gauntlet in the heart of Aphelion, and I watch her carefully for signs of distress. It can’t be easy to be reliving the same shit yet again. But she is resolute. Nearly unshakable.

“That one,” Lor says as she leaps for the next platform, where she waits a moment before I follow her. We make slow progress, the experience now bordering on tedious. I can tell even the crowd’s interest is waning as their chatter dies to a muted hush.

But I remain on alert. I’m sure this is intended to lull us into a sense of complacency.

Be vigilant, I say to Lor. Something is up.

Her jaw hardens as she stares around the cavern, her gaze skirting over the spectators. She rubs her face with a hand and then uses the back of it to wipe away a bead of sweat. We exchange a look filled with so many things we can’t say.

I take stock of myself. My limbs feel shaky and hollow from the lack of food and sleep, and I pray we’re almost at the end. We continue leaping between the platforms, some of them further apart than others, as we wind our way towards the center. My aim feels off every time I jump, and what I wouldn’t give for some water right now.

We stop on a larger spot to catch our breath, using each other for support.

“You okay?” I ask, holding her in my arms and murmuring into her hair.

“I guess,” she answers, burying her face into my chest. I can feel her trembling, and again I slide into the simmering pit of my blood-soaked rage. Pulling her tighter, I listen to her heart as it beats in tandem with mine, using it to calm myself. I won’t do us any favors if I lose my temper. A clear head is the only way we win this.

The sound of a loud crack has us jumping apart. We both spin around, scanning our environment.

In the distance, I see movement in the dark, and it takes me a moment to realize the platforms are starting to crumble.

“We need to move,” I say, taking her hand.

This is the true test.

“Go!” I say, and she leaps onto the next platform and then the next as I follow.

More cracks and rumbles shake the cavern as everything around us starts to disintegrate.

Finally, we reach the middle, and Lor leaps onto the larger platform. The one under my feet starts to crumble, and I run before I’ve really gauged my distance. I fall short, my stomach hitting the edge of my target.

Lor leaps for me as I start to slide, snagging my wrist as I slip.

Our hands snap together just before I fall, so I’m dangling beneath her.

“Lor!”

“Swing your arm up!” she shouts. She grits her teeth, her face turning red as she hauls me up inch by inch. Slowly, she drags me up. Just as I’m about to reach the top, we both hear another loud crack. The far edge of our platform is starting to crumble.