Page 52

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

O nce again, the excited roar of the crowd vibrates through the walls of the arena above us.

We’re standing in the same waiting room as last time, and just like during that game, the sands of the arena outside the door are completely empty.

There are no structures. No weapons. No obstacles.

Nothing to allude to what kind of game we will be playing for the crowd’s pleasure this time.

The door opens behind us, and three people walk in from the corridor that leads deeper into the back rooms rather than the one that leads out onto the sand. We all turn towards it.

In the week since Isera pulled her stunt, we have all come to terms with it in our own way.

Draven wasn’t particularly angry from the beginning, so he just continued as usual.

And once he had accepted it, Galen and Lyra did too.

Alistair was scowling at Isera all the way up until last night when he let out a dramatic sigh and grumbled something about how she could have at least let us know what she was going to do so that we could’ve helped.

To my surprise, Isera did actually apologize a few days ago.

But only to me. And not for making the actual deal, but rather for gagging and shackling me in ice while she did it.

It was more than I was expecting to get, so I accepted it.

To be honest, my irritation had already faded by then anyway. Because I know that she is right.

We need the Unseelie Court in order to win this war.

And we need to win this war so that Draven and I can have that future we promised each other.

As long as Bane and Jessina live, they will hunt us to the ends of the world to get revenge for Draven’s betrayal and the humiliation they suffered when we started a rebellion in their own city and then escaped.

So we need to take them and their entire dynasty down.

Which we won’t be able to do without powerful allies like the Unseelie Court.

So, Isera was right, and I can’t really be angry with her for it.

Deep down, there is also another reason. One that I barely dare to admit to myself. I can’t be angry with how she accomplished her goal, because there is a secret part of me that wishes that I could be that ruthless too.

“Welcome to the special extra game,” a male Unseelie fae with short silver hair says. “I’m Yster. And I believe you have already met Grey.” He motions at the male fae next to him, who I recognize from somewhere.

He has shoulder-length brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and eyes that are turquoise and yellow. It takes me a moment to realize that it’s the guy who brought us in to the city from the forest out by the wards. I blink, stunned. He has portal magic. So what in Mabona’s name is he doing here?

“And this is Hana,” Yster continues, and points towards a female fae with shoulder-length black hair.

The woman’s eyes, which are vibrant shades of blue and green, study the room around her before she notices that everyone is staring at her. Then she snaps her gaze back and flashes us all an awkward but genuine smile.

“Hi,” she says.

Alistair frowns at her, but I manage a small smile.

“For this extra special game, His Majesty has commissioned an extra special set,” Yster says, beaming as if he is very proud on the king’s behalf. “Grey here will open a portal into a pocket reality that Hana has created.”

Stunned silence falls down over our group like a violent slap.

“They’ll be doing what now?” Alistair at last blurts out.

“Well, we can’t get you into the pocket reality without a portal. So that’s why?—”

“Yeah, not at all what I was asking about.” There is a scowl full of suspicion on Alistair’s face. “What the hell is a pocket reality?”

“It’s, uhm…” Yster trails off, uncertain, and looks to Hana.

She was once again staring at the room around us, and she jumps a little when she notices Yster’s glance. Giving her head a quick shake, she turns back to us.

“A pocket reality,” she begins, her voice surprisingly gentle.

“It’s a temporary intrusion into a place that is separate from our reality but then pulled into our reality for a brief, or longer, moment in time depending on the strength, while using certain measures to bend the edges around it and also?—”

“No,” Alistair interrupts, giving her a look that is somewhere between exasperation and disbelief. “Spell it out like I’m five.”

She hesitates, her lips slightly parted as she just blinks at him for a few seconds. Then she hums hesitantly and begins glancing around. We all stare at her as she suddenly drops down to her knees and draws two circles in the sand. She points to the first one.

“Think of this as the Unseelie Court,” she begins. Then she points to the other circle. “And this is some other place far away from here.”

We nod. Once she has seen that we are following her explanation so far, she reaches down with both hands into the circle that represents the other place and scoops sand into her hands.

“When I create a pocket reality, I take a little bit of the place, like this.” She nods towards the sand she holds in her hands.

“That place still remains in the circle. Physically, at least. But I can move that reality into our reality over here.” She nods to the circle representing the Unseelie Court.

“So you see, the sand is physically still here. But now everything that is inside the walls of my pocket reality, which is the sand in my hands, now belongs to our reality. So no one can enter or leave this pile of sand in my hands until I release it.” She lets the sand drop back down into the circle.

“Then it goes back to belonging to the original realm again.”

“That… actually makes sense,” I say, somewhat surprised by that fact.

The others nod as well.

“Good,” Hana says, flashing us all a bright smile.

Brushing sand off her hands, she stands up again.

“No, not good,” Galen interjects before anyone else can say anything. “What does that mean? This game takes place in another reality?”

“No,” she says, her tone pensive. “More like another world. Or perhaps another continent. I’m not entirely sure.”

Alistair stares at her. “Is that supposed to make us feel better?”

She blinks, looking startled. Because apparently, it was.

Next to me, Draven crosses his arms and fixes Yster with a commanding stare. “We’re being sent into another world for this game?”

“Yes,” Yster replies with a nod. “As I said, Hana has created a pocket reality, and Grey will create a portal to take you there. I am a farseer, so I will be looking into that pocket reality and projecting it for everyone out there in the arena to see. We won’t be able to hear you, unfortunately.

But the crowd should probably be satisfied anyway. ”

My mouth drops open. A farseer can project what he sees for other people? The farseer we have in the Seelie Court, who watches for dragons atop the tower, can only, well… See far.

I let out in impressed breath. It’s incredible what a difference it makes to have a teacher who can help you understand everything that your powers can do. Something that most people have been sorely missing in the Seelie Court since there are much fewer people with magic in our city.

Yster apparently misinterprets my impressed noise, thinking it was for the no doubt brilliant combination of their three powers, and stands up a little straighter while another beaming smile spreads across his lips.

“So what’s the objective?” Draven asks, his commanding stare still locked on the proud farseer.

“Oh, uhm, it’s to find the portal that leads out,” he replies.

“That’s it?”

“Well, you need to find it before the Red Faction or the White Faction can find it. You see, as soon as one person steps through the portal that leads out, all members of that team will be instantly transported back here to the center of the arena. And the pocket reality will collapse.”

Shock pulses through me, and my jaw drops. “Say that again?”

“Only one team will make it back. The other two will be left behind in the land that the pocket reality originally belongs to.” Yster shrugs. “Or at least until His Majesty gives us orders to open it again and retrieve someone.”

Which he will never do for us if we are one of the losing teams. Well, maybe he will open it to get Isera. But the rest of us? He will definitely leave us in there.

“Wow,” Lyra says, and lets out a low whistle. “That’s… intense.”

Yster flashes us another beaming smile. “A very exciting game, don’t you think?”

“Uhm,” Galen says, giving him a sideways glance. “Sure.”

“Well, get ready,” Yster says, and claps his hands once. “All teams are starting from different locations that are roughly the same distance from the portal that leads out. And the other two teams have already gone through.”

A jolt shoots through me, and I snap my gaze back to him. “What?”

“Yes, well, Grey can’t open more than one portal at a time, so we had to send each team through one at a time. And since you are the crowd favorite, His Majesty suggested that it would make it even more exciting if you were the last ones in.”

Of course he did. Fucking Orion.

We all exchange a glance, wondering how much of a head start the other teams have on us.

A shimmering blue rectangle begins to rise from the sand as Grey summons the portal into the pocket reality that Hana has created. I swallow down a sudden overwhelming flash of nervousness. This game has a lot higher stakes than I expected.

Above us, the excitement of the crowd rumbles like thunder. Much more understandable now that we know that the Red Faction and the White Faction have already started playing.

The rectangle at last stops moving, forming a doorway. Through it, a forest is visible.

“What world does the pocket reality belong to?” I ask, licking my lips nervously.

Hana starts in surprise, once again pulling her attention away from the room and back to us. “Oh, uhm, I’m not sure. I opened it by accident just last week.”

I give her an incredulous stare.

Fantastic.

We step through the portal.