Page 78 of A Kiss From Death (Oath of Vengeance #1)

“ Round one, commence,” the die hisses at the same time a thin magical barrier appears between us on the table top.

Closing my eyes, I give the Jezzle die a good shake and open my eyes right as it explodes out of my hand, barreling onto the table.

It flips many times, clanking the whole way until it finally lands right in front of the barrier, so Zale can’t see.

A buzzing hums from the die at the same time a bright blue light explodes from the top, where a glowing blue orb in the shape of a…miniature octopus crawls across the table, using its tentacles to glide while a thin blue light acting like a rope tethers it to my wrist.

Staring at the creation in front of me, I’m frozen in astonishment. Now I understand what the Jezzle die meant when it said have fun playing with my magic. The little octopus sits ready and waiting at the magical barrier, bouncing up and down on its tentacles.

Shaking myself from the initial shock, I pick up the die and toss it over the barrier to Zale to roll. I hear the die tumble on the other side of the table as it leaves his hand, and a faint humming vibrates from just beyond the barrier, the magic making his eyes glow.

The barrier melts away to nothing, showing us the entirety of the table again.

A faint giggle accidently slips up my throat that I have to quickly muffle with my palm as I take in the adorable purple miniature Pegasus tethered to Zale’s wrist. The thing doesn’t look like it could hurt a fly, and to prove my point, a burst of glitter shoots from its nose.

The smile falters on my face when my octopus’ tentacle lashes out, stretching longer then should be possible, making me understand why it symbolizes shapeshifting magic.

It wraps around the Pegasus’ neck, choking it to death.

Zale’s Pegasus tries to use its wings to fly away to safety, but as soon as my octopus wraps its entire body for the fourth loop around its neck, its head falls to the side, completing the first round.

I gasp in shock, suddenly not in the mood to laugh. Zale’s cute magical creature lies limp and dead on the table. Sensing my unease, Hade moves a little closer behind me, sharing his body heat with me in comfort.

“It’s only magic. It’s not real, and it doesn’t hurt them,” Zale says softly, also noticing my shock.

On cue, both creatures fizzle away into a blue and purple mass of magic, until they are sucked back into the Jezzle die, ready for the start of round two as the magical barrier settles itself between us.

That seems to relax my shoulders again, knowing this is just a fun game and no one is actually dying or being harmed here. My life has too much death in it for my liking, and it’s nice to know this isn’t permanent for once.

“ One point, Nyxi .” The die’s snakey voice slithers up my spine. “ Round two, commence.”

“I’ll go first this time, and we will rotate starting each round,” Zale states.

“You ready to see what these hands are actually capable of now that they are warmed up?” He shoots me a wink and then lets the die float through the air down to the table.

He lets the magic explode out of the die before tossing it over to me for my turn.

“I hope they age like fine wine, because so far, they seem rather… lacking .” I draw out the last word as I let the die tumble from my hand.

The die lands with the eels facing up, and a bright white glow comes from within until two zappy little things slither out onto the table.

They look like lightning bolts as electricity dances over their slithering bodies.

The barrier vanishes, and two yellow sea snakes launch immediately, trying to sink their fangs into my eels. The eels zap the snakes a few times, trying to warn them off, but as soon as the snake’s poisonous fangs sink into my eels, the fight is over.

“ One point, Zale,” the die’s haunting voices calls to us.

Zale’s shit-eating grin beams at me from across the table, his dimples on full display.

“Better luck next time, darlin’. It seems these fingers are indeed capable of making magic happen.

” He twinkles his fingers at me while raising his eyebrows suggestively, and I choke out a laugh at the same time I hear a faint, disapproving grunt from Hade behind me.

Rolling my eyes playfully, I pick up the die again as the barrier constructs itself between us.

“Even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while,” I quip back.

I release the die in front of me, and it rolls a few times before landing on the dragon.

Red light erupts from the top, and the cutest red dragon barrels out of the face, stomping its little feet across the table as steam billows out his nostrils.

Satisfied with my roll, I pick up the die and throw it over to Zale.

He rolls quickly, the faint glow of magic casting on his face right before the barrier melts away.

Two eels try to slither across to my half of the table, but before they even make it two inches, my dragon unhinges his jaw.

Red hot fire erupts from deep inside him, turning both eels to a pile of ash.

Efficient—I like it. I want to scoop him up and slip him in my pocket so he can incinerate all my enemies to come. Just as the thought leaves my brain, my little dragon friend dissolves into a blob of red magic, sucked back into the die along with the eels.

“ Another point to Nyxi. One more and she wins.”

The Jezzle die puts reality at the forefront of my brain with just how close I am to the answers I need.

One more win, and I could potentially have my ticket to solving the riddle.

To saving my life. With only one trial left, it truly is life or death for me.

If the trial has anything to do with strength, Tank has a major advantage over me, and I don’t like those odds .

With the barrier back between us, Zale rolls for his turn and then tosses the die back over to me.

Closing my eyes, I send Theo a quick prayer, hoping my plea for luck is answered, and then release the die from my palm.

It rolls so hard, it knocks into the barrier, wedging itself there.

I swear I catch the faintest shadow whip out and knock it a touch so it tips right instead of left, finally landing on a face.

Dark black magic bursts from its face, and my eyes grow wide as a grim reaper holding a scythe gallops out of it, riding a mini horse.

Death magic.

Hade’s magic, to be exact.

The barrier dissolves between us, and my grim reaper wastes no time, running at full speed right into battle against Zale’s…

Pegasus. The poor thing trembles slightly, not even trying to find a way to escape.

If it wasn’t so cute, I would be howling with laughter over how pathetic his Pegasus roll is compared to my grim reaper for someone who is apparently an undefeated champ .

A swoosh rings out as my grim slices his scythe through the air, fully decapitating Zale’s Pegasus, easy as butter. The grim trots his horse in a circle around the head, marking his victory before all the magic is sucked back into the die, signaling the end of the game.

“Game well played,” I say casually while kicking my feet up on the table again.

I pretend to pick dirt from under my nail, as if winning the game means nothing, while secretly waiting to see what Zale has to say in return.

I try to wait as long as possible, which is precisely one second before I launch out of my chair a little too eagerly, the ale aiding my outburst. “Empress, that was embarrassing. What was your name again?”

Of course, I remember his name.

“Zale,” he says with a slight edge, but he’s too prince charming to really crack his confident shell, which is now my new priority challenge to meddle with. Life is utterly too boring if you aren’t trying to push your finger in every crack you find and dig around a bit.

“Hmm, are you sure? I could have sworn it was Zeke?” His eye slightly twitches, but he says nothing, and I smile internally at the newest crack I’ve whittled.

“I guess it doesn’t matter, because your name is last week’s news after that performance.

” Turning, I look over my shoulder, gesturing for Hade to look at my lower back.

“Do you think you could rub out this knot I have from carrying that entire game on my back?”

The most glorious thing happens then, and it plays out in slow motion in my head on loop.

Hade lets out the loudest, most heart stopping laugh I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.

It’s warm and infectious—quite honestly my new favorite thing.

His eyes wrinkle at the corners when his lips grow into a full smile as the most carefree laugh sings out around us, and I can’t help staring, stunned at this beautiful creature.

A smile touches my lips just from taking in this moment at the same time Zale joins in with Hade, who still can’t control his laughter. It’s a forever moment, one I will think about when the hard days come.

“I like her,” Zale says authentically over to Hade, who has recovered from his laughter assault and nods back with a panty dropping smile.

“That’s two in one night,” he says under his breath, more to himself, but I catch it all the same. “She’s one of a kind, that’s for sure.”

The ale has definitely altered my ego, but I’m still right minded enough to know how to treat a person, or maybe a new…

friend? Striding over to Zale, I grin at him sincerely and offer him my hand.

“Good game,” I say honestly. “Apparently, the odds were in my favor tonight, but six wins in a row is very impressive. One might say it’s your lucky number. ”

He shakes my hand and once again brings it to his lips, kissing my knuckles gently with a smirk on his face. “A pleasure, darlin’ . Hade will just have to bring you back another night so we can even the score.”

Squeezing his hand back, I drop it to my side and look over to Hade. “I would love that.” Hade gives me a weak smile I catch from the corner of my eye. It looks slightly pained, and I know exactly why. He’s concerned I will run out of days.

Just as the Crucible grazes my mind, a slithering, eerie voice claws against the inside of my skull again.

“ Congratulations, my metamorphosis. As promised for winning, one answer to any question will be granted within realistic parameters. I cannot tell you answers to the future, nor can I tell you the answers to your destiny, but I can grant you my knowledge. Choose wisely, because you only get one question.”

There are so many questions I would love to ask, but one is more important than all the rest, no matter how badly I would love the answers to everything.

Taking a moment to think, I choose carefully exactly how I want to phrase my question for the best outcome to help aid my search for the answer to the riddle.

Going with the most up front one, I think my question. Can the answer to the Empress’ riddle be found in the personal journal collection inside the Castle library?

The dice’s snakelike voice answers immediately, giving me a lifeline to grasp for dear life. “ All the answers you seek, my child, are within your grasp. Follow your intuition, and all will be righted again. Find the answers and force the world to listen. It must be you. It has always been you.”

I’m left with so many questions, and just as I scramble to ask what the heck that all means, the Jezzle dice disappear completely. I’m left staring at the now-empty table in complete shock and confusion.

Force the world to listen? I have nothing to say to the world.

All I want to do is solve the riddle and get on with my revenge so I can live out the rest of my life in peace.

I come to the conclusion someone must have fed the magical dice false secrets, because no way he meant to say I am the answer to… to what?

What the hell am I the answer to?

I feel a soft weight on my shoulder, and I drag my eyes up to be entrapped between two pools of night and day. He gives me a concerned look that I shrug away, forcing a smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes.

“Did you get the answer you were seeking?” he says gently.

“Yes and no,” I huff, annoyed but still grateful I have a good plan in place to solve the riddle. I think it’s time for a date with the rest of the journals, starting immediately.

We say goodbye to the group of friends Hade is oddly very comfortable around, and I make a mental note to get to know the others better if I get the chance to meet them again.

Hade finished off his second ale before planting a kiss on Harry’s wrinkled cheek when returning his mug to the counter, the thoughtful gentleman he is.

Harry waves goodbye as Hade grabs my hand. She looks down at our joined hands and shoots me a wink, like she’s in on some secret I have no clue about.

Shuffling through the still-packed crowd, we sneak out the door behind a large, rowdy group calling it a night.

I find it funny that not a single one rubs a hand over the rock, but I chalk it up to them being too drunk to remember.

Hade, of course, mindlessly glides his hand over the smooth surface, and I follow suit, looking for all the extra luck I can get, soaking in the warm comfort that dances over my skin at the contact.

Now it’s time to find the winning answer that balances my destiny between life and death.