Page 113 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

I nod unsteadily, my brain a bit foggy by the way he keeps glancing at my mouth.

I think he might kiss.

I think I might let him.

He leans in.

I start to shut my eyes.

“Let the games begin!” a male voice cuts through the darkness like glass across flesh.

River’s fingers on my cheeks stiffen, his gaze darting to bleachers. There’s a crack between the floors and the benches, and he lets go of me so he can inch closer and peek out at the field. I follow and look, too. And what I see is straight out nightmare.

The cloaked people are standing in a circle, holding torches, with one person in the center of them. When I look closer, I can tell it’s a guy wearing only his underwear, and he’s kneeling down with his hands tied behind his back.

“Pledge three, do you accept the fate of your future, as it be our choosing?” one of the cloaked guys circles the guy in the middle—pledge three, I guess.

“Y-yes,” the guy stammers.

The person circling him comes to a stop, sticks his hand into the pocket of his cloak, and then pulls out a knife.

I gasp but quickly slap my hand over my mouth as River tosses me a warning. Then he fumbles to get his phone out of his pocket, I think to call the police. But it’s too late. The guy raises the knife and brings it down on the guy. My heart stops but quickly recovers when I realize he’s merely cut the rope binding his wrists.

The guy stumbles forward and scampers away, the group parting to let him through.

“Pledge three has completed his first task!” the guy shouts as the pledge runs across the grass in our direction, tripping the entire way.

River is holding his phone but hasn’t called anyone as he watched the pledge run. We both track him, rotating as he sprints past the bleachers and out of the gate. He keeps running until he disappears out of sight.

River and I both say nothing, but we do trade a look. Then River shoves his phone into his pocket, threads his fingers through mine, and pulls me closer to him.

“Now that that’s settled, it’s now time for the next sacrifice!” the same guy that cut the ropes declares. “Maddison Averly, we’re coming for you.”

At first, I am horrified that maybe they’re speaking directly to me, but then they gather together in a cluster and march back into the trees, taking their madness with them.

I exhale a deafening breath. “Oh my God, what the hell is going on? What’re they going to do to me?” My mind is moving a million miles a minute, to the point where I’m worried I might pass out.

“I don’t know.” River’s words rush out of his lips as he tugs me closer to him. “Maddy, look at me.”

It takes a lot, but I manage to focus on him.

He carries my gaze, his hands finding my cheeks again. “Nothing will happen to you. Finn is part of it, so I’ll get some answers from him.”

I suck in a deep breath then release it. “I can’t believe Finn is a part of that.” Finn, the guy who’s been nothing but nice to me.

“My father pressured him into doing it. Please don’t judge him, Maddy.” His eyes plead with me to understand.

“I get it—my father’s fucked me up, too.” The wind picks up, kicking leaves up and away and whisking the dirt around.

“We should get out of here,” River mumbles, frenetically energy practically humming off of him.

I nod, but part of me doesn’t want to leave the shelter of the bleachers. River must be on the same page, because when we reach the edge, where we have to step out into the open, he hesitates. Then he sticks his head out and peers left and right before snatching my hand and leading me out of our safety net.

The air is silent and offers a drop of comfort as we pad back to collect our stuff. Then we silently make our way back into the academy building. We’re quiet not because of awkwardness but mostly out of fear that we’ll be heard by those lunatics running around with a knives.

After what feels like an eternity, we finally make it to the security of the hallway that leads down to my dorm room. The corridor is empty except for the occasional wanderer, and one really drunk guy who’s skipping and singing in a pitch that resembles the noise the malfunctioning security alarm was making earlier today.

“Do you think they’ll come for me tonight?” I finally sputter the words plaguing me like the impending flu.

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