Page 63 of Shadows of Ruin

As if I’d burned him, he dropped my hand. He closed his eyes and inhaled a few times. My words summoned the tyrant himself.

“Well played, Guardians.” The king’s voice echoed around us.

Kade and I stared at each other before I glanced at the man’s body, dead on the ground. He’d killed him without hesitation.

Everything I’d felt since this morning tumbled through me. Realization, need, and an aching pain collided inside my chest for the man standing in front of me.

Storm and Jax approached us, and the three of them shifted, all positioning themselves around me.

“Not bad, Princess,” Raya said at my back. They surrounded me, maneuvering into this formation on purpose in a way that obstructed me from the view of not only the spectators, but the king himself.

“Faithful warriors, your bravery has been witnessed by your king,” King Dargan announced as the crowd roared in a standing ovation. “Those unlucky enough to find themselves out will be among the first selected for a station along the outer outposts of the kingdom. You retain your life, but you’ve fallen from grace. Perhaps next year, you’ll earn back a place closer to the palace.”

At least they’d live.

“Cassandra will administer the Blood Oath, and then,” the king shouted, “my people, we will celebrate our Guardiansand another year of their fealty and our strength. With blood may you reign.”

A terrifying realization hit me. The Blood Oath. Now that my name had been called, I would be asked to take it. But I wouldn’t, especially not to that man. I certainly wouldn’t pledge myself to another kingdom when I would always remain loyal to my own. A kingdom that, once I returned, I would save no matter what it took; I would die defending it if necessary.

The king turned from the platform he stood on, parting the crowd greeting him, and made his way down the colosseum stairs. Down toward us.

I swallowed. “Please tell me you spoke to Cassandra,” I whispered.

Storm, closest to me out of all of them, dipped his head once. At least she’d keep them safe. I hoped. Though throwing me into the festival didn’t make me feel as though she had my best interests at heart.

We hadn’t planned formeto be in this position.

I wondered briefly how many fake oaths Cassandra could pull off. I may be in deep shit myself, but I needed all of those with me to be okay too.

Even with the knowledge that they’d spoken to her, each of the three men radiated a tangible unease.

Raya stepped directly to my side as the other Guardians shuffled in front of us, all appearing eager to take the oath. Or perhaps they were merely eager to get out of here and go to the celebration.

I peered around the line. Cassandra hadn’t left her position by the cauldron. This time, the smokey makeup of whatever lay inside glowed red instead of gold.

The king stalked through the entry way, entering the arena, and stood a few feet to Cassandra’s side, looking each Guardian in the eye as they stepped forward.

A hissing noise startled me, and black smoke shot from thecauldron. A man shouted, crying out in agony. “It's not true, my king.”

I gasped, watching a seasoned Guardian in the front fall to his knees before the king. He reached for the king’s feet, but King Dargan kicked him back. “You dare touch me? You beg for mercy when the Blood Oath has revealed you to be a traitor?” He slammed his foot into the soldier’s face.

The Guardian collapsed in the dirt, and two men came to either side of him, lifting him by the arms and dragging him out toward the center of the arena.

I looked at Kade. He stood utterly still, staring at Cassandra. Except for his clenched jaw, his face showed no emotion.

He’d have to kill him. He’d be forced to kill that man. Even though he most likely wasn’t a traitor, or maybe he merely fought against the king somehow like the Guardians currently surrounding me.

Or perhaps worst of all, he simply drew the short stick in this terrifying game of luck.

I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself. Warmth pricked at my fingers, and I glanced down at my hands. They were as they’d always appeared. No light. Nothing. I must have imagined it. The short-lived spark looked so much like the flare that happened in Brookmere a few times in the past few weeks.

Nature. That’s what I originally thought. A blessing from nature in the moments I needed it most, even if it had added nothing to me magically. But how could nature’s blessings reach me here? And why?

The oaths continued. A few more men barked out their loyalty when the cauldron found them unworthy. Five stood in the center of the arena, with only a handful left before Jax’s turn.

I held my breath, watching the playful shifter approach the cauldron and Cassandra. The king scanned those of us whoremained until his gaze fell on me. I refused to meet his eyes, but I felt his stare. Warning bells rang inside my mind, demanding I heed the danger of this Fae.

Perhaps my only hope lay with being honest about who I was, which surely would go over poorly. Though it had to be better than being deemed a traitor with a Blood Oath I didn’t feel remotely able to fake.

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