Page 75 of A Court of Ash and Midnight
And then I see it, that flash like the color of the ocean, or the night sky. “There!”
Daemon spins and follows the line of my pointed arm. “Can you distract it for me?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Follow me!”
We take off running, following the beast as it zig-zags through the crowd. Daemon pulls ahead of me, his fae speed and endurance far superior to mine. He catches up to the wolf and runs alongside it before leaping up onto its back.
The creature lets out a furious howl and spins like a wild horse, trying to throw him off. I run as fast as I can, heart pumping, lungs about to burst, afraid I’m not going to make it in time. If Daemon is killed by this thing, I’ll never forgive myself…
I reach the wolf and throw a wall of fire at its face. The tournament council had said we couldn’t kill the heart stone wolf. They didn’t say anything about injuring it. Not that my flames seem to do much harm to its metallic scales. But it does distract the thing, making it cease its wild leaps while it shakes fire out of its eyes. And in that moment it goes still, Daemon slides his hand around its neck and down its chest, and he yanks the heart stone free and leaps clear of the beast.
Instantly, all the wolves stop fighting, as if the stone had entranced them. The heart stone wolf turns to Daemon and bows its head slightly in deference. Then it lets out another sky-shattering howl, and all the wolves go thundering down the valley again, disappearing in a matter of moments.
I turn to Daemon in excitement, but he holds up a hand in warning. “We’re being watched,” he says. “I’ll find you later.”
I step away from him as the crowd of champions moves in around us. The council makes its way back out into the field, andthey announce Daemon’s name to the crowd. A roar of applause erupts through the valley.
We did it. We survived another challenge.Isurvived.
But I’m not the only one. As I make my way off the field, in the distance I see several fae helping Toryn limp off as well. My heart sinks. I know he won’t stop trying to kill me, even with Daemon’s warning. He’s just going to wait until I’m alone. It’s only a matter of time before he finds me and makes good on his threat.
He’s not the only one, either. As I step onto the path leading down to the valley below, a prickle at the back of my neck makes me turn. Trianne is standing a dozen feet away, her eyes burning into me with hatred. I hear Daemon’s voice from a few minutes before.We’re being watched.
I don’t know what it is that Daemon’s family did to his human friend in the past, but it clearly has him rattled. And now, I have yet another target on my back.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ispend the restof the day in my tent, sleeping fitfully, but when night falls, everyone begins to travel down the valley to the celebration dinner for the second challenge.
The first dress that arrives with the guards is something black and lowcut, my breasts half-exposed. It’s clear my grandparents think they’re going to prance me around for Kildari and his brother. I send for Cillian, who brings me something much more suitable. It’s a simple slip dress of pale lavender silk that extends to my ankles, flaring out slightly at the bottom. There’s a thin row of crystal beads lining the bodice and the straps, giving it a bit of sparkle. I leave my hair down, as I had before, and then we head out with our escort of guards.
This time the dinner is held along the cliffs overlooking the ocean. The setup of the tents is somewhat similar, with seating in one, food in one, and drinks in a third. The décor is different this time, themed to match the ocean with tentacled beasts made of twinkling lights, and maidens with scaled tails, and strings oflights in a multitude of colors that look like sea grass hanging from the ceiling.
We’re somewhat late, again, so this time Daemon is at the opposite end of the table, sitting near the head with his family, close to my grandparents and their guests. He catches my eye for a moment when we sit down, but Trianne is watching him like a hawk, her eyes narrowing into a glare when she sees me. I don’t see Toryn anywhere, so that at least is a slight relief. Julian sits with us as before.
There’s a small speech from the tournament council, and everyone eats and drinks. I flick my gaze to Daemon from time to time, but he seems occupied with his family, and occasionally I catch him watching Kildari and Quelan, a scowl on his face. People are beginning to get up and drift into the other tents. I follow Cillian to get another glass of wine, when suddenly someone is standing in my path near the edge of the tent.
Sarielle, the Queen.
Before I can react, she gestures for me to follow her and leads me out into the darkness beyond the tent. I look back over my shoulder, but I’m not sure anyone even noticed us leave. I wonder, for half a moment, if I accidentally drank some of that fae wine again. The wind from the sea blows her pale lavender hair back from the small silver circlet she wears on her brow, and her black cloak swirls around her ankles as she strolls gracefully along the cliffside.
“Your—Your Majesty,” I say, finally finding my words. “Don’t you need your guards?”
She turns back to me, an eyebrow raised. “Do I?”
My cheeks flush. “I just mean… most queens have guards to accompany them, do they not?”
“I am not most queens,” she says with a smile. She is silent for several moments, and then says, “I’m sure you’re wondering why I want to speak to you.”
I nod.
“How is the tournament going for you so far? Is it everything you expected it to be?”
My brow furrows. The Queen came here to ask if I’m having a good time trying to overthrow her seat on the throne? I decide to go for complete honesty. “I—I didn’t know anything about this tournament a week ago. And I didn’t know I was related to House Harkyn. This tournament was the last thing I expected or desired.”
She turns and gives me an appraising look, then nods. “I sensed something of the sort. Though I didn’t know about your family. That’s very… interesting.”
