Page 60 of A Court of Ash and Midnight
“Speaking of cousins,” Julian says, “I’m always fascinated to speak with humans to learn more about their magic…some do not have the gift at all, but others are quite proficient in it. Does House Harkyn have many gifted in the art? Is there a particular line of spellwork the bloodline tends to inherit?”
My grandmother doesn’t respond right away, taking a very slow sip of her wine. When she finally looks back up at Julian, her expression has dimmed somewhat, a tightness in her smile. “Not many in our line possess the gift of magic. It does appear every few generations. Usually some form of elemental magic.”
“Fascinating,” Julian says, his eyes bright. “I do wonder why it skips some and appears in others. Magic can be so finicky.”
“Yes,” she responds. “Yes, it certainly can.” Her eyes sweep over mine again, and there’s something in her gaze that makes me shiver.
“I would love to look at your family tree,” Julian says, seeming oblivious to the change in mood. “If you’d allow me.”
“Perhaps another time,” my grandmother says, her cool smile back in place. “My husband needs to head back to our tent to get some rest.”
My grandfather shoots her a look from beneath furrowed bushy brows but says nothing to contradict her.
“Delightful,” Cillian says. “I knew everyone would get along fabulously. So glad I could make the introduction.”
“Quite.” My grandmother offers a small bow to Professor Julian. “We bid you goodnight.”
They turn and depart, and once beyond the tent, are joined by their guards, who escort them across the valley.
“Can I get you another glass of wine?” Cillian asks Professor Julian.
“That sounds lovely.”
“And you, cousin?”
I shake my head. “I think I’m also ready to rest for the night. It’s been a long day.”
“That it has,” Cillian concedes. “Make sure the guards escort you.”
“Of course.” I say my farewells to them both and head out into the night, summoning several of the guards to accompany me.
As I walk back down the length of the valley, each step seems heavier than the one before. In the last three days I’d been taken against my will on a crazy twenty-four-hour cross-country journey, met my incredibly unpleasant grandparents for the first time in memory, and participated in my firsttournament challenge. Not to mention that Daemon, the one person I thought might be an ally and a friend, now hates me and considers me his enemy. All of that, paired with the fact that I’m very unlikely to survive the next few weeks.
I want to go to sleep and wake up a hundred years from now, when all of this is over.
I’ve just reached the edge of the tent village that glows between the jagged peaks of the valley when a group of fae step out from behind one of them.
Toryn, and the same group of fae he’d paired up with during the first challenge. My heart climbs into my throat, pulsing there like a star.
“Embyr Harkyn,” Toryn growls, his eyes glowing with hatred, “I challenge you to a one-on-one tournament duel.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Istare into Toryn’sglittering eyes, my heart racing. I can’t fight Toryn. I’ve never been able to defeat him or come evencloseto defeating him in any of our sparring matches back at Shadow’s Keep.
He lets out a low growl. “You cannot reject a challenge. You must name the time and place.”
My mind spins. So, I don’t have to fight him right now. I have time. I need to delay as much as possible, so I can try to come up with some sort of plan.
“Two days’ time. Sunset, on the cliffs.” I’m not sure how I manage to get the words past the tightness in my throat, but somehow, I do.
“See you then.” A slow smile moves over his face. “Enjoy your last two days on this earth, Embyr. I am going toendyou.”
And with that, he turns on his heels and strides off, his entourage of fae following behind.
The guards walk me the rest of the way back to the tent, making no indication I’d been essentially sentenced to death. Of course, they don’t care whether I live or die, I’m just a job to them. I shouldn’t be upset, either. I’d known this was going to happen. My life had started its’ final days the moment I got word of the tournament back at Shadow’s Keep. I’d known then it was as good as over.
But the idea of dying at Toryn’s hands is too much to swallow.
