Page 69 of Reign of Betrayal

Opening the door, I’m immediately hit with the fresh scent of flowers. The room is grand and beautiful, bathed in shades of sage green, white, and cream. There’s a four-poster bed with a sheer canopy. A huge open window adorned with billowing sheer curtains overlooks the ocean in the distance, offering a refreshing view of the glittering water. The fireplace is large and made of sandstone, taking up the entirety of one wall and promising comforting warmth. As I enter, James follows behind me and shuts the door.

Unsure of what he wants, I raise my eyebrows at him.

“This thing going on with you and the prince isn’t good. It’s a game of gambling hearts, and someone is going to get hurt.”

My mouth drops open. “Why? Because I am not good enough for him?” My voice is loud, my tone offended.

James sits on the edge of the table, rubbing his hand across his forehead. “The thought of you not being good enough never crossed my mind, Reign. I love Luke like a son. I don’t want either of you to get hurt.”

“There’s nothing going on between us, James. Trust me.”

“Yet there is.” He stands and walks in front of me. “I may be old, but my eyes still see.” He places both hands gently on my shoulders, looking deep into my eyes as if he can see my vulnerability. “Reign, what happens if you lose? Or if you die? Or what if you win the trials?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“You will hurt him. Whether either of you want to admit your feelings or not, if something happens to you, it will crush him. And if you win, how is that going to work? Do you think the king and Vanna would allow it? Be smart, Reign. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

His words feel like ice water dumped over my head. He’s right. I know I can’t be with him. I don’t even know if he would want that. But the truth is, I’m a Drifter—a peasant. Vanna would never allow it. Why would I even think of the prince like that?

Words elude me. James gently rubs my arms and shoulders. “Even if everything went your way and you win, he’ll be married off for duty to his kingdom, Reign. Save you both from the heartache. Whatever is going on, cut it off now, or you’ll both burn from the embers of a broken heart.” James pulls me in, hugging me tightly. I am thrown off by this gesture, but I hug him back. He reminds me of my father, and this talk feels very much like one my father would have with me if he were still here.

“Alright. Well, I’ll leave you to freshen up and rest if you wish, but Christolyn will be by later to see you.”

When James leaves, I let his words spin wildly in my mind. I clean myself up in the washroom and dress in a fresh outfit that I find in the armoire. Then lie on the bed, contemplating what I’ve gotten myself into.It’s going to be fine. I tell myself. He just wants to sleep with me, that much I know. He doesn’t care about me, which is fine because I don’t care about him. I even planned to kill him until recently. I will be fine.

Sleep doesn’t come for me, considering I have much on my mind. I find a book in the room and decide to read it. It isn’t anything like the books back home.Home. Gods and goddesses, that palace is not my home. I don’t have a home. I am sure I lost it when I went into the Hollows. If I win this trial, I will need to see what I can do about housing.

A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. I answer it, and it’s Luke. I divert my eyes from his and give a slight bow. “Prince Lukene.” I can feel his gaze watching me intently. “What can I help you with?”

He holds out a lavender colored litham, which I accept. “You will need that to keep the sand from whipping you in the face. Come, the others are still sleeping since none of them rested on the ride here. You’ll train with Christolyn every day we’re here. You need to improve your hand-to-hand combat, and she’s one of the best soldiers I have.”

“I think I do well enough, Prince,” I seethe. “I killed three contestants alone during the first trial.”

“Is that why you ended up beaten to shit? You could have been killed by Jaime and that other prick. Now come—that’s an order.”

Rolling my eyes, I exit the room and follow him down the hall. Then it hits me. How did he know I killed Jaime and that I’d been beaten up? He didn’t see me until I was healed. I stop dead in my tracks.

“You were there.” My brows knit together, mouth gaping.

He stops and turns to me. “I was where?” Confusion is written on his face.

“The Shadowed Forest, during the first trial. You must have been there. How would you know that I killed Jaime and that I was hurt?”

An emotion I can’t quite place runs over his face until he adjusts the many masks he always wears, concealing anything about him—hiding his true self away. “Reign, I told you before I wasn’t there. I was in the library and heard what Jake said. You killed Jaime, his lover. And Dola was the blood wielder that put you to sleep for the second trial. She has mind magic and told me what happened in the Shadow Forest.”

Well, now I feel stupid. Of course he wasn’t there. Not knowing what to say, I just nod my head, and we begin walking again.

* * *

Christolyn is a formidable fighter.The way she moves and strikes—her sheer strength—makes her a force I would not want to face. We’ve been here for five days, and every morning, she wakes me before the sun rises, and we train for hours. Afterward, we’re introduced to the trained wyverns that some of the guards ride. We learn how to mount and dismount, how to call them, and, most importantly, that riding a wyvern depends entirely on whether the wyvern trusts you. This is why it sometimes takes months for a guard to fly one.

Today is the day we get to see the orange wyvern. It’s said his den is up the mountain that overlooks Cracken’s Cove. I haven’t spoken to Lukene since our conversation in the corridor on our first day here. He’s housed in the room next to mine, but he must come in late because I never hear his door shut. Or maybe he’s staying in someone else’s room. The thought is unsettling.

Jake, Elm, Marshalla, and I finally reach the top with no incidents. The vegetation is vast here, whereas in Serpent’s Reach the plant life is sparse. We find a large cavern and a huge field at the top of the mountain which takes us nearly the day to climb. My legs and feet are sore from training and the hike up here. In the distance, I spot a few different wyverns flying, and I see a dark green one lying in the field, but where is the orange one?

We walk to the front of the cavern’s entrance, and a rumbling roar rattles the ground from within. Coming out of the cave like a spawn from the double hells, is a massive, burnt orange wyvern.

We scatter to hide behind trees and boulders. I look to Elm and Jake, who are both with me. Marshalla runs to the opposite side of us.

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