Page 255 of The Wishing Game

I sigh. I don't think there's any way to convince her that her dreams of being with Aethon are more or less unattainable. Whether he's dead or alive, mated or unmated, for her it's him or no one else. And I'm ashamed to admit that I understand her and where she's coming from.

I try to remember the time before my marriage, when I was crushing on Nikki with no hope of ever being with him. Even as my future opened up with opportunities I never dreamed of, I never once thought of being with another man. To my young mind, he was the only person I could ever belong to. And even now, years later, the truth remains that he is the only one for me.

"Please don't tell Thea about any of this," Wyn repeats anxiously. "She will freak out and will never let me leave the house ever again. She's worse than my mother."

"Of course not. I gave you my word, Wyn."

"And please don't tell anyone you saw me here. The recruitment process ends a few days after my ball. By then I should know for sure if I made it—no, Imustmake it," she adds determinedly. "My family cannot know, or they will do everything they can to stop me."

"Even though the position is so prestigious?"

"Regardless." She smiles ruefully. "My purpose is to make a good match. There is already Cer in the family, and he has enough prestige."

"I see." I nod, pursing my lips. "Then I will cheer you on. You do not have to worry about competing against me since I will be gone after the first test."

Her brows go up in surprise.

"Hmm... It has something to do with Commander Azerius, doesn't it?"

I blink.

A knowing look crosses her face.

"Do not worry. I won't pry, nor will I tell anyone. Tit for tat." She winks at me.

I nod numbly. God, am I so transparent? I make the worst of spies. I should have never agreed to this.

"Be careful with Azerius, though," she mentions a moment later. "I may not know him as well as my siblings do, but he is the most hated person in Aperion, and for good reason."

"I've gathered that," I mumble dryly.

"He's also the most powerful person I know. Rumors say he's more powerful than the Supremes."

My eyes widen at that.

"Really?"

She nods thoughtfully.

"So that begs the question... What could he want with a human?" She muses quietly, though the glint in her eyes tells me she's skeptical about my acquaintance with Ze.

A loud noise erupts in the air, distracting us and saving me from having to reply—thank God, for evenIdo not know what Ze would want with a human.

Wyn nods to me to get up and head toward the center where all the other recruits are congregating. The priestesses from the pavilion are also closing ranks and surrounding us from all sides. A loud voice calls to attention from the base of the mountain, but there are too many people for me to make out who's speaking.

"Count to ten, and then each number line up in a queue in front of the fountain," the voice intones.

We do as told, and when our turn comes, Wyn is five and I am six, after which we're separated into different queues. She gives me a smile, whispering a quiet, "Good luck," as I move away from her to stand in my own line.

I take a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. Although seeing that I've already been recognized by someone, it's pretty clear I'm not cut out for this James Bond stuff.

All the girls take their spots, and ten lines queue up in front of the fountain. It's only when we're more ordered that I finally see who was speaking.

She's the only woman wearing a wine-colored dress, her face painted white and red.

"Gazes to the floor. The high priestess will assess you," another priestess calls out from behind, and all the women tip their heads down.

I focus on the floor as my ears tune in to the click of heels as they tread closer and closer. Out of the corner of my eye, I make out the high priestess as she walks toward us, heading to the far left side where line one begins. She stops for a second in front of each woman, her gaze quickly flickering over them. A few girls are told to move to the side, though it's not explained why. The high priestess does the same to lines two through five, stalling when she stops in front of Wyn. She tilts her chin with her finger, looking her straight in the eye. With a satisfied smile, she nods before she goes to the next girl. She chooses another girl to look up at her before she switches to line six.

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