Page 43 of Prince of Ruin

Air fills my lungs as the vision disappears. I open my eyes to find myself lying on my back on the floor, silence filling the room. People—Fae—creatures—whatever the fuck they all are—circle above me, their eyes shining with merriment, mouths spread in wide grins. A humanoid with a boar’s head says something to the exceptionally tall and thin, skeletal creature with arms that hang to the floor, and the creature laughs in a hissing voice. Behind them, Aden is standing on the table looking at me over their heads with—concern? Hatred?—burning in his eyes.

Tarsus appears through the crowd, a gold chalice in hand. They look too tall, their antlers exceptionally large from my view here on the floor. And this close, I can see the make-up expertly painted on their face. Shimmering everglade green eyeshadowmerges into mermaid blue, and black liner shapes their almond eyes. Several small hoop earrings glint from their pointed ears. A bone necklace hangs over the fabric of their dark purple robes trimmed with silver threads—like the one in my vision. Their grin, however, is cold and calculated, nothing like the warm smile in my vision.

“You are truly something, Clavicle.” They reach out a hand to help me to my feet, but I can’t move. My legs are rubber, I’m still catching my breath, and my throat is dry. When I don’t accept their hand, they grab the front of my shirt and yank me to my feet with impossible ease. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone outrun Weaver.”

“Cross...Country...bitch.” I say between breaths.

They hum. “Well, at least you didn’t chop off her other leg. She might not have let you live. Come on, then.” They roughly guide me through the crowd. “This means another day of fun with you.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” I manage to wheeze.

They lead me down a stone stairway, Ulna beside me to keep me from running, and I stumble along, still dazed from that fall. I could have a concussion, but it’s not like anyone here would care. I can tell by the cooling air that we’re going deeper into the belly of the planet, to an earthen prison, no doubt.I glance behind me, hoping to find Aden, but heapparently doesn’t care enough about me to accompany me to my prison cell.

“You may be living in a mortal body,” Tarsus remarks, “but your willpower is just as strong as it was before you were cursed.”

Cursed. I glare at the back of their head as they lead, taken aback by how long their bone-white hair is, the way it flows in silky strands straight to their waist. We arrive to an earthen chamber where faelight orbs hang from the dirt walls and chains are drilled into the stone floor.

“It wasn’t enough that you nearly killed me with your tarantula? Now you have to imprison me, too?”

“As long as you’re alive and within my palace walls,” Tarsus mutters darkly, “you will always be my prisoner.”

My mouth is dry. I feel like I could guzzle down a whole gallon of water. I haven’t had a drink since before the battle this morning, and if I don’t choke from the dryness in my throat first, then I’m sure to pass out from dehydration.

Ulna shackles me to the floor. The cool metal bites into my skin. Hunching before me, with their violet robes gathering around their feet, Tarsus places a copper ring around my neck, their cool fingers grazing my skin and making me flinch.

“This is all too familiar,” they mutter grimly as they study me. This is the closest I’ve been to them since that day at the faire. They smell like wood smoke and pine. They’re not smiling, but their silver eyes almost seem to be shining as they stare at me. Almost imperceptibly, they lean forward until their nose is mere inches from my own. “Once, you placed me in chains for trying to stop you from carrying out the human sacrifices. Now I have you in chains until you agree to end the sacrifices once and for all.”

I blink, confusion clouding my mind.

“Y-you want me toendthe sacrifices?” This is one piece of information Abaddon left out. “Iwant to end the human sacrifices!” I shout as they stand and turn toward the door.

“You’d say anything to get out of those chains.”

“No—really! No force necessary!” A manic laugh escapes me, because—what? Tarsus wants the same thing as me? God, if only we’d communicated all this sooner, the whole battle could have been avoided!

“Tarsus!” I shout to their retreating form. “Stop! Let’s talk!”

But their chuckle echoes through the hall as they shut the metal door behind them.

Tarsus

It takes all my willpower to leave Clavicle in that cell as he shouts out my name. Old habits die fucking hard, and all I wanted to do was draw him into my arms and apologize and tell him how much I missed him. I wanted to feel those lips pressed against mine, to hold him and never ever let go. If I didn’t walk out when I did, I’m pretty sure I would have released him. I can see why Aden was fooled by him.

My hands are trembling when I finally reach my chambers, closing the door behind me with trembling hands. I lean back against the wood and close my eyes, inhaling deeply.

“Think you went a little far?”

My lids crack open and I find Aden sitting in his favorite chair in front of the fireplace. He usually has a book in hand and a mug of coffee or tea sitting on the stand beside him. But tonight, he’s hunched forward, elbows resting on his thighs, hands claspedbetween his knees, a distressed look in those shamrock eyes.

“Not far enough,” I say, straightening. “You know he was never in real danger. The greatest danger he was in was when he leapt off the balcony like an idiot.”

“He didn’t know he wasn’t in danger. You scared him shitless.”

I huff out a laugh. “This whole thing was your idea.” I wink. “And a brilliant one at that.”

Aden drops his gaze, and now I feel bad. Crossing the room, I pour a drink at the mini bar, then walk toward him. “You cannot let your human empathy get the best of you, Aden. He might look human, but he is every inch a ruthless Fae king, and he’ll throw you into the volcano the first opportunity he gets.”

Aden blinks and reaches into his pocket, pulling out Clav’s pair of glasses. “You forgot to give him these.”

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