Page 37 of Hallowed Games

CHAPTER 18

Draped in dark cowls, nearly a hundred Penitents marched in a grim procession. Beneath ancient stone arches, we stalked closer to the labyrinth entrance. Fear hung in the air, so heavy I could practically taste it. Above the open-air passages, lines of cloaked archers stood ready to pierce us all with a volley of arrows if we tried to escape. Here, the halls had been carved deep into the earth.

As we marched, our alliance of five stayed together. Subtly, I’d been able to maneuver us all to the front. Hugo and Godric flanked me, while Sazia and Percival marched just ahead. Godric’s long, dark hair flowed from the side of his cowl, and I knew he must have arranged it that way on purpose. I supposed if I had hair that glorious, I would, too.

Take pleasure where you can get it before you die.

Around us, the air smelled of soil, moss, and damp rocks. Wind whistled through the rocky corridor. The crumbling stone arches swept overhead, but otherwise, the passage was open to the sky, to the archers. I slid my hand into my pocket, feeling Leo’s note. A twinge of joy fluttered through me at the thought that he was safe, even if I wasn’t.

“This place is older than the Tyrenians, you know,” whispered Hugo. His eyes looked enormous, cheeks hollow. “Built before Emperor Severin arrived from the east. Before anyone here had ever heard of the Archon. Godric and I are masons, but we’ll never build anything that lasts so long.”

“The Archon does not want us here.” In her Aquitanian accent, Sazia dropped the ‘H’ on “here.” She was waving her hand dismissively. “I do not think he gives a shit about any of this. I think we are here because you Merthians have no real culture. I never should have come to this barbaric place.”

“We have a culture,” said Godric defensively. His eyes darted around. “It’s just not…well, it’s not the best at the moment, is it?”

“Guess why I was accused? It wasn’t because of the herbs,” Sazia continued without giving us a chance to answer. “It was because I fell in love with a Merthian woman. And that’s not allowed here, is it? So when someone nearly caught us, my lover turned me in as a witch. She said I ensorcelled her. Ridiculous.” She tucked her hair behind her cowl. “It would almost be funny if I weren’t here.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“It isn’t your fault,” she said sharply.

When I glanced behind me, my chest tightened at the long line of Penitents marching forward, cowls shading their faces. I wondered how many of us would be alive by midnight.

Not far behind us, the tattooed man glowered at me. “Hello, little witch. Hello to the reason we’re all here. Good morning to the cause of all today’s innocent deaths. Dark powers like yours are the problem. Did you drain all those bodies of blood, witch, with your wicked magic? With your death powers?”

My breath caught in my throat.

Hugo turned, his eyes wide. “And yet your fate has brought you here. Maybe it was meant to be. Perhaps the Archon, or the old gods—”

“Stop talking, my friend,” said Godric, clapping him hard on the back. “There are no old gods here.” He shook his head. “Honestly, Hugo. We get on stage at the Raven and Scepter, and you’re totally silent. I could hardly hear you singing; do you know how much that threw me off? The poppy water had you half asleep. And now, when I actually need you to be quiet, you can’t keep your bloody mouth shut.”

Hugo looked bright-eyed this morning. A little bit of color had replaced the pallor, and a smile curled his lips. “I have a good feeling about today.” He leaned in closer to me. “They say some passages here were carved by those gods who we shall not speak of. They run all the way through the Thornwood to the Kingdom of Bones in the west, where stones rise from the earth, with ancient hymns carved to the moon goddess—”

“Shhh.” I put my finger to my lips.

“They say that north of Merthyn, in the black, snow-tipped Sumaire mountains beyond the wall, live creatures called vampires. It’s where the region got its name. They can wield shadows, you know. They live forever; they feed off blood. And when they do, the mortals delight in pleasure—”

Godric clamped his hand over Hugo’s mouth. “That’s enough for today.”

Even I didn’t want to hear about the old gods and the cursed luck they might bring us. “Are you feeling better, Hugo?”

His answer was muffled by Godric’s hand.

“You see? He’s better. I’ll join the alliance.” Sazia turned to face us, and she shrugged. “I gave him a bit of healing herbs. Perfect for energy levels.”

Too much, perhaps?

As we marched toward the start of the labyrinth, I clung to the golden thread of relief that twined through me. The little note in my pocket and the thought of Leo sitting at a breakfast table over hot bread with his uncle, who’d never been able to have children. Nothing made me happier than knowing he was safe.

At last, the corridor opened up to a large set of steps. They must have been grand once, but now the steps were half-broken, overgrown with weeds. They led up to a sort of circular stage, its ruined surface covered in moss. Maybe this had once been a temple. Five dark archways led off from the atrium like spokes from a wheel. So this would be our start. I led my group around the stone platform, all the way to the other side.

Morning light poured in from the open sky above, and I tilted my head up to it. For some reason, the light reminded me of Maelor. Maybe it was the heat of that dream I’d had. Maybe it was the warmth that I felt at being able to touch someone after so long.

Except he was the Raven Lord, and I mustn’t fall under his spell.

When I looked down again, I saw Gwyneth kneeling with another man, praying to the Archon in the Tyrenian language. The boy who stood behind them looked shockingly young, no more than fifteen. I pulled my gaze away from him, trying to erase his full, youthful cheeks from my mind.

Don’t get distracted.

---