Page 18 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

“Perfect, we will plan on leaving for war in a few days. She needs to kill Cassius.”

My darkness swarmed at the thought of Cassius dying, and I thought it was odd.

“What are you doing?” I turned to see Jesper.

“Snooping.” I shrugged. I figured acting nonchalantly would throw him off my trail, and when he smiled, I figured it had worked.

“Sounds like you,” he chuckled. “You were always a bit of a troublemaker.”

I nodded but took that as my cue to leave. I hurried past him and pretended to go to my room, but instead, I waited around the corner until I heard my father's throne room door open. Peeking around the corner, I watched the guards shuffle out of the room and disappear down the hallway before Jesper walked into the room with my father. I hurried forward and stood at the cracked door.

"Well, she saw Cassius and didn't remember him." My father said happily. "Maybe all of our plans will come together this time."

"Don't get too hopeful; she still has to kill Cassius."

My father sighed heavily before he spoke. "You can have a little optimism."

"Every time we have optimism, our plan goes to shit," Jesper snapped. "We have sacrificed enough. We can't afford to keep doing this, so it better work this year. My mother won't help another year."

"You sound like your bitter mother," Luren said angrily. "No one has sacrificed more than I have through this damncurse. Do you need to remind your mother that she owes me her cooperation for what she did tomysons?"

Jesper scoffed.

"Your bastard sons. Sons that you didn't care about until you could use them to hold over my mother's head."

Shock coursed through me. I had brothers.

"You little shit." My father began, but Jesper cut him off.

"I would tread very carefully, Luren. You need me and my mother to make sure this all goes in your favor. My mother has sacrificed too, or did you forgetwhoyou had those sons with? They wereherchildren too."

What in the actual fuck was happening? My father didn't say anything in return, but I could feel their tension from in the hallway. Did Gwyn know that my father had sons?

"Get out of my sight," Luren demanded. I hurried away when I heard Jesper coming toward the door. It wasn't until I was safe in my room that I let out a deep breath. When I turned toward my bed, a woman stood near the window watching me with her red eyes. But it was the fact that she looked just like me that made me let out a startled scream.

"Shit," she muttered before disappearing. My bedroom door burst open as two guards stormed in.

"Captain?" they asked while looking around.

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't get the words out. My friendly dark green orb appeared in the room and flashed between black and red. I don't know how I knew she was warning me to not say anything, but I did.

"I saw... a spider."

They looked at each other before looking at me suspiciously but didn't question me any further before leaving my room. What the hell is happening?

Chapter 6

Cassius

Forty-nine. There were still only forty-nine participants standing there. My heart pounded violently as I glanced around at each one, hoping that I had missed her somehow. But as I stared into the group of men, I knew she hadn’t come. Her green eyes were not hidden behind her green cloak. I didn’t feel her close by.

She had missed the trials.

This was the first time she had never made it. Panic was taking over because I felt helpless. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where Thea was. My father stood to my left and Haden to my right. But my eyes stared at the gate, waiting for her to walk through it. She still might show up.

“Cassius.” My father had turned to face me. “Maybe…”

“We can wait a little longer.” I cut him off. “Maybe she ran into some trouble.”

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