Page 24 of The Faebound Trials (Mates and Madness: The Phantom Prince and The Bloodweaver #1)

Before I was brought to take the third test, I was struck with worry and fear.

The doom of meeting the men who had hurt me the other day gave me so much unease.

The reality that I had to face them made me want to run away.

But I knew I had to face them.

I had to exact revenge after all. After what they had done to me.

But when the last boy, Drystan, walked into the winter garden, I knew something was wrong.

We were down to six.

After the last test, I was sure there were nine mortals left to take the test.

Etaran stewards marched towards us with tables in their hands. I saw the line of knights standing in the corners, all clad in silver armor.

They prepared sets of tables, and we were ushered to sit in front of it. I anticipated the floors to be cold, but the cushion was warm.

And I waited and counted the tables they had prepared for the test, but there were only five tables. Two tables were in front of me, and there were three in my row.

They brought us different kinds of powders, medicines, food ingredients, and flowers.

Every mortal had the same thing placed on our tables.

I met Drystan’s eyes, silently questioning him what was happening.

He got the message and shrugged.

Then I heard footsteps and all eyes fell on Shilmarej, the head steward who wore gray military clothes.

Then he began explaining what the third test was.

“In front of you are different powders that can only be found in Enoranthas. Twenty powders were laid out for you to test it. You can choose how to test it, you can taste it, you can smell it and you can put it on your skin. Just looking at the powders is not allowed. Physical contact is needed for this test. If you feel tightening of the chest, trouble breathing, sneezing, headaches, and incredible itchiness once you touch the powders, simply point it out. The Stewards behind you will immediately take note of the ones that caused you pain.”

Shimarej turned to the other row and continued speaking.

“But I will warn you that there are no cures if the powders are fatal to you. We can simply put you out of pain. Simple cases such as allergies can be treated but there’s no guarantee you wouldn’t die from it, as the cure we have is only tested to us, fae.”

We were all dumbfounded. It was the first time they told us something so detailed.

Was it possible that this happened simply because I asked Zethia to do something about it?

If he did. I didn’t know what to feel.

I felt something in my stomach. But I knew I shouldn’t.

I didn’t know how the rest of them felt about the test, I knew that they were devastated, angry that they were being used, from being forced to do this crazy human testing, but some of them had given up on their lives. I knew it once I saw it.

It reminded me of the way the rows of Bonbell infected mortals had hollow eyes, as if they were just waiting for an end, waiting for it to pass, just trying to live through it because there was no use fighting it.

They knew it would only cause them pain if they tried.

And I was watching the same thing happen right now.

No one said a word. No one protested.

They knew there was no way out. So did I. I remained silent too.

But I was happy that I did something to make it a little better for us. If I really did.

“You may begin now.”

I looked down on the twenty powders in front of me and stared.

There were different colors of crushed powders, the usual colors were in the brown shades, but I saw the one that looked like red hot chili peppers and decided to take that last.

The ones with light green powdered dust looked icky too.

So I started with the white and cream ones.

I chose to just slatter the smallest amount on my skin.

Nothing happened when my skin met the silky powdered white dust.

Until I snapped my head up when I could hear different kinds of blood pumping loud against my ears.

I could feel Drystan’s blood pounding, it was fast and thumping loud.

When I looked at him, he was about to put the powder on his skin.

And then suddenly I could hear dozens of heartbeats that were loud against my ear.

I couldn’t focus, my eyes dilated as I tried to control my breathing.

Then my eyes darted to Shimarej. The sound of his blood flowing through his veins was different. It was incredibly slow. And so did the rest of the fae.

That was why they were immortals.

Their heart beats were unnaturally slow.

This was the first time I could hear everyone’s blood flowing through their veins because we were far from the core of Thesavria, the ancient land of Enoranthas.

My breath hitched at the realization.

My wounds were healed.

That was why I could hear everyone.

I could feel my powers thrumming in my veins, working and twisting inside, weaving and threading the gaps from the days I had lost from not using it.

I could bloodweave now.

I could do it now.

My heart was wild against my chest.

It thrummed and jumped inside me.

I felt alive.

Suddenly everywhere I looked, the world was brimming with colors. Wild, vivid, alive.

The colors were brighter in my eyes.

A surge of power rose inside me.

All I could think about was going back to my sister and nothing else.

Forgetting everything and everyone, my mind focused on my little sister’s face. I missed her little bites and her playful side. I missed my sister so much.

I hadn’t fallen apart since I went down the rabbit hole of my own decisions. I hadn’t shed a tear ever since I chose this.

A part of me wished that Lera would be okay there.

She had always been a good girl, she had always been smart, but thinking about how she would crawl up into a ball and hug her makeshift teddy bear made from tattered clothes I put together to make for her, I knew a tear would come out of those huge sparkly eyes, missing me, worrying about her sister who had gone out and left her.

I realized I was becoming like my parents. No, I literally had become them.

I thought the Faebound Trials would be my chance to escape our lives, but doing so made me exactly like my parents, how I left my sister to fend for herself, how I left her to fight for what I think could help us.

I became what I hated the most. My parents.

And now, I was here, stuck in a timeline, way too far from the future, wondering if I could go back exactly to where my sister was.

It was all coming down to me, I made a mistake.

I became greedy.

I could’ve just let Nikolai own me and use him to give Lera the dresses she wanted.

I could’ve just suffered and stayed with my sister. Not neglecting her like this.

But I was stubborn, I wanted an excuse, I wanted an escape from everything, and being the selfish person I was, I left her alone in the world.

Like how my parents left us. Neglected us.

I neglected her true feelings about me leaving.

I hate myself so much for leaving her.

I crumbled, something inside me shattered, it was something that kept my emotions at bay, it was something that kept me from spiraling down the rabbit hole I created myself.

Without thinking I got up as fast as I could. And the table tumbled, and crashed upside down from the force of my knees, it clanged and made a distracting sound that everyone snapped their heads to the sound I created.

But my mind was blank.

I stopped caring when I realized my mistakes, when I felt the power running through my veins.

It didn’t register to me when I saw the steward behind me took two steps backward, away from me. I didn’t mind when Shilmarej’s blood ran through faster inside his body, as his heart thumped faster than the normal beat of a fae.

I stopped caring even when I saw how the knights posted at every corner had gotten ready to strike me.

My eyes were wide at the adrenaline pumping my veins. But I knew it was so much more than the adrenaline.

It was the power sleeping inside me.

It all happened so fast that I didn’t even recognize it.

I bolted for a run.

And ready myself to bloodweave.