Page 103 of The Cursed Kingdom

It makes me more aware of my quickly beating heart and shaky breathing than I’d care to be, which brings about a sense of panic. Outside noise brings distraction, and I need that. I need to do anything other than hear my thoughts.

My head isn’t a happy place. Especially not lately.

I glance at the bare wall to my left. What would happen if I smashed my head against the white plaster? The room could use some color, and red is one of my favorites. I could paint it with my blood, and if I’m lucky, I could give myself enough brain damage that I’m no longer aware of what’s happening around me.

I wouldn’t care about being sold to a god. I wouldn’t care about leaving my family behind. I wouldn’t care about Lill dying. That sounds blissful.

If I still had my knife, I could attempt a DIY lobotomy.

It’s risky, but the worst outcome is I die. At this point, that doesn’t seem so bad. I highly doubt Kie and Mason will let me kill myself, though. They’re too quick, and they’d stop me before I could inflict any real damage.

My death would ruin their precious plans.

“How long is this going to take?” I ask.

Nobody answers me—not even Kie, who’s almost always desperate for conversation. The pretty prince must be stressed. How unfortunate.

I lie flat on my back and stare at the ceiling. It’s incredible how well-lit the room is despite no visible bulbs or windows, and I find myself squinting as I search for a light source. I don’t see any, though, and I quickly grow bored and give up.

It’s silly to search for similarities between here and the human realm. They’re gods, for fuck’s sake—of course their way of living is going to seem foreign. Even the most intelligent humans would probably have trouble adapting to a place like this.

There’s no way of knowing how much time has passed, but it feels like a lot. Hours, maybe.

I run my fingers through my hair, trying and failing to think about anything other than my current predicament. Other than the god we’re waiting to meet. My sanity is slipping.

Kie taps his fingers against the ground, sending a quiet thudding resonance around the room. Every noise is amplified here, even the sound of my thighs brushing together or Mason scratching the top of his head.

It’s enough to drive anybody insane.

I can’t take this for much longer.

“I have to pee,” Mason eventually says.

Kie’s tapping fingers pause. “Hold it.”

If Mason peesanywherein this room, I will scream. Judging by Kie’s scowl, the faerie will be doing something similar. The room smells like crisp nothing, and I’m going to lose my mind if Mason ruins that with his urine.

He probably has excessively smelly pee, too. I bet all the noble ladies laugh about it behind his back. I know I would if I were one of them.

“Can you open another portal?” I ask, turning toward Kie. “In case Zaha decides to let us rot in here.”

Kie sucks his lips into his mouth, looking like he’s debating whether or not he wants to answer me, before shaking his head. I let out a dramatic sigh and turn back toward the ceiling. Kie’s useless.

Time stretches. My hope of ever getting out of this room gradually dwindles, continuing until I’m convinced I’m going todie in here. That’s just my fucking luck, and it tracks with how these last few days have gone.

At least Kie and Mason will die, too. It’s a small blessing.

I dig through my backpack and eat my last few pieces of food. It tastes nowhere near as delicious as it did my first day in the faerie realm, and I practically have to choke it down, but it kills a few minutes.

I chew with my mouth open to annoy Kie and Mason. They don’t say anything about it, but I can practically feel their anger pulsating around us.Good.

Something crackles through the air, and I lurch upward to see what it is. Kie and Mason do the same, their reactions annoyingly quicker than mine. We all turn toward the far end of the narrow hallway where the noise comes from.

The plain, white wall now has an archway in the center of it. It’s opaque, with nothing to see beyond it but darkness. So fucking ominous.

Kie’s on his feet in a heartbeat, ready to keep moving. I linger where I am, dread rendering me motionless. I can’t do it. I can’t walk through there.

They can’t make me.

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