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It doesn’t really matter what his answer is because the consequences are already in motion.
Smoke is filling the air.
I follow the swirls to Ackealenvyos.
He’s literally fuming, his shoulders lifting up and down with his hard breathing as the stones at his feet start to glow red and crack from heat.
I’m slightly aware of the announcer blowing into his horn and yelling about being disqualified for starting the fight too soon, but it’s hard to hear him over the noise of the people.
Everyone’s starting to get concerned, and rightly so.
The smoke and heat are spreading, and anyone sitting in the front row is in danger. They start to back up, pushing against the people behind them.
Mihkyle shoos the princess back to the cover of her canopy and faces his opponent, but Ackealenvyos is already in fight mode.
Regardless of the panicked announcer’s threats for both men to stand down, Ackealenvyos rushes to the weapon wall, and he goes straight for the wooden staff. As he lifts the rod, some of the smoke clears behind him briefly.
The sun glints off something sticking out of the back pocket of his pants.
I recognize the top of the flask.
My flask.
Standing, I squint at the familiar metal cap before grabbing Envy by the shirt. “Why does Ackealenvyos have that?”
“Have what?” He goes for innocence.
“Don’t.” I shake him, jostling him around while tightening the material over his neck.
His men are too preoccupied with the shit going down in the arena to notice I’m about to maim their king.
“I gave him the Glow,” Envy admits, barely able to say the words because he can’t breathe. I’m twisting his shirt until it strangles him, and he rasps while trying to pull my hand away, “He already consumed it before coming out of the tunnel, so there’s no point in dwelling on what you cannot change.”
“The hell I can’t. I’m dwelling, motherfucker.” Betrayal burns hot in my chest. “We had a deal.”
“I told him not to drink all of it. There might be some left for you.” He weakly bats at my arms.
Envy isn’t weak, but I suddenly understand why he isn’t able to fight me off.
As powerful as he normally is, he should be able to blast me away with his telekinesis, but he fucked with one of the most important fae rules, and now he’s paying for it.
He’s experiencing the damage that comes with breaking his end of the bargain.
“I’m doing you a favor,” he snarls, doubling down. “You’ll thank me someday. If you go live in the human realm, you’ll lose your power. I couldn’t let you waste your gift like that.”
“That’s not your decision to make.” Releasing the hold I have on him, I shove him backward so hard his head bounces off the stone. “The amplifier is dangerous, Envy. Why does Ackealenvyos even need it?”
Gasping and rubbing at his throat, he replies, “I wanted to make sure he wins this fight.”
“You said he’d beat Mihkyle. You were very certain about that.”
“He will, especially now.” Envy gestures to the arena floor.
All the square stones are charred. They look like blackened coals in the embers of a fire, with bright orange glowing from the cracks.
Mihkyle desperately tries to counteract it with a cold spell. The bubble he throws fizzles to nothing but steam when it hits the rock.
“Oh, this is bad,” Hannah mutters behind her hand, her eyes wide with terror. “I think we need to get away from here.”
