Page 21 of The Shadow Heir

All manner of creatures huddled or paced within their metal confines, many I didn’t recognize. In one cage a sphinx was sleeping, one dark paw dangling through the bars. In another, large antlers kept the animal inside from being able to move atall. In yet another cage, a flurry of bats darted around, never squeezing through the bars. I jumped as a wolverine snapped its jaws.

I pulled my eyes from the chandeliers and looked instead at the seated fae. The tables had been hewn out of the rock floor itself, and space had been carved around each one to make a bench. Fae lounged at each table, some engaged in heated arguments, others in passionate embraces. A few of the immortals lay flat on their backs, reaching across with lazy arms to grab a piece of fruit from the heaps of food stacked on their plates.

At a glance, the wealth in this room mocked the richest in Leor. Jewels hung over foreheads and dripped from the men’s ears as well as the women’s. These fae were adorned with dresses and tunics and suits of the highest quality, all made from a fine, drapey material rather than the stiff fabrics of our upper class. But the most surprising detail of all was the strangeness of their features.

A fae at the nearest table had antlers that glittered in the light diffusing from glowing cages above. Another male—by the look of his suit—had the same blue skin of the lizards back home. At one table, a massive jackrabbit sat eating a wad of lettuce between a pair of women in fine silks. A great dog the size of a bear lay on the floor between two tables, its red eyes tracking my movements. I jerked with fright at the sight.

A few chuckles greeted my burning ears, and fury rose up from my toes. These immortals thought I was a toy. I straightened my shoulders and attempted to walk with all the grace my father had always expected of me.

“As is customary, you will perform alone tonight,” Malik explained as he led me down the sloping floor. His voice had lost its sympathetic tone and was now curt and businesslike. “Every new arrival is evaluated and given a task suited to your abilities.”

“Evaluated? Right here?”

“Oh, no. You were evaluated earlier. The master of the mortal games has already created your first trial.” He inclined his head down the walkway. “You must walk the rest of the way alone.”

Casimiro had said he was in charge of thegames,as he called them. Death games—what a morbid paradox.

I glanced at the lake, then back at Malik. For a breath, I didn’t move.

Then Malik made a subtle shooing motion, and I stumbled down the sloping path, my shoes slapping the stones and finally drawing the eyes of those seated at the lavish tables. My eyes raked over the crowd, desperate for someone to stand up and tell me this was all a dream, a joke, an immaculate play—anything but reality.

Strange animal noises filled the vaulted space, and I glanced around, nervous that my first trial would involve dragons or some other mythical creature. Though, I supposed, mythical wasn’t the right word anymore. My eyes snagged on a single figure dressed in white, standing on a table in the center of the cavern, near the edge of the lake. He was staring directly at me.

The heir’s dark hair and rich skin tone stood out against his loose white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck. He wore a gray suit jacket, also unbuttoned, and his shiny black crown sat on his head. He was the kind of man who could wear soil-stained farmer’s attire and still be impossibly handsome, which just made me loathe him more.

He lifted both arms at his sides and the room fell silent. I ground my teeth and fisted my hands.

“Shadow Court, meet your newest entertainer,” he announced, his deep voice filling the cavern. “I’m especially looking forward to watching her performance.” He lowered one hand, leaving the other still angled toward the lake.

The water’s reflection was utterly smooth and perfectly black. A square platform sat atop the water like a dock, though there were no ships. My heart hammered angrily in my chest. I was no great swimmer.

My stomach dropped as my eyes flicked back to the wooden platform. A single glowing orb hovered directly over it. That was no dock—it was a dance floor.

I swallowed as I spotted a pair of castanets resting at the base of a small staircase leading to the platform.

As I walked slowly toward the platform, Casimiro’s voice echoed around the cave. “Entertain us, señorita Valencia. Show us that passion you showed me.”

My head whipped back around in time to see him wink. I snatched the castanets as a chorus of laughter rose from the crowd. Casimiro had dropped to sit on the edge of his table, feet swinging as he picked up a cluster of grapes from the centerpiece.

The cave was cold, but sweat broke out across my chest and back as I climbed the few steps to the platform. My stomach rumbled, and I ignored it, relieved that all I had to do was dance. I’d brought the heir to his feet with a dance once. I could do it again.

Get a grip, and get this done, I told myself as I stepped onto the platform, convincing myself this was no different than any other performance.

While I walked to the center of the dance floor, I was careful to keep my weight on the soles of my feet, saving the clack of my heels for when the dance began. I slipped the castanets onto my fingers and envisioned the dances I knew best. I couldn’t repeat the dance I’d performed just an hour ago at my party, since the heir had already seen that one. I needed something new, something riskier. I’d picked my most tasteful routine for my party, given that I’d thought my betrothed would be offended bythe kind of flamenco I liked best. The corner of my mouth flicked into a grin as I settled on the dance I would perform for these creatures. If it was passion they wanted, I’d give them that.

“Dance well,” a quiet, accented voice spoke from nearby.

A man in a white tunic identical to Malik’s wove between the tables, a guitar slung over his shoulder.

“Any tips?” I hissed, taking my stance for the start of the dance.

The man shrugged, strumming a single chord. To my horror, the stairs to the platform evaporated, trapping me on the dance floor. A few notes of laughter floated across the cavern.

Don’t panic.

This was only another performance.

The servant strummed once more, a fast chord, snapping my mind into sharp focus. I clapped my castanets together and fixed my arms in their starting position a heartbeat before the music launched me into the dance.

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