Page 116 of Court of Lies and Deceit

I stare at the colorful vista.

It’s like standing in the middle of a rainbow.

“Wow,” Lyra says. “This is pretty cool.”

I nod. “It’s stunning.”

Alistair draws his eyebrows down. “I hate forests.”

The portal behind us drops back down into the ground, sealing us in. I glance down at the grass where it used to be while a sudden sense of dread slithers through my stomach. I have a bad feeling about this.

“Ah, cheer up.” Lyra jabs her elbow into Alistair’s ribs. “We just need to find the other portal, and then we’ll be back on that dry and barren sand that you prefer.”

He levels a flat look at her, but it’s incredibly obvious that he’s fighting a smile too.

“And we need to find it fast,” Draven picks up. “Especially since the other teams have a head start. So listen up.”

“And there you go, giving orders again, bossy pants,” Alistair notes.

Draven fixes Alistair with a commanding stare until the snarky fire wielder raises his hands in mock surrender. With an exasperated sigh, Draven turns back to us.

“You heard Yster,” he begins. “As soon as one person steps through the portal, the entire team is immediately transported back.”

“Which means that we should split up to cover more ground,” I finish for him.

He nods. “Exactly.”

“Unless we’re attacked by the other teams,” Galen adds. “Then we’ll be picked off easily if we’re alone.”

Leaves rustle above us as a warm wind sweeps through the strange forest while we consider his words in silence. He has a point. After the last game, both the Red Faction and the White Faction seem to have developed a grudge against us. I’m pretty sure that that’s a big part of why they agreed to play this high-stakes extra game. Not just to win back the crowd’s favor, but also to get revenge against us.

“Good point,” Draven agrees. Crossing his arms, he considers in silence for another few seconds. Then he turns to Galen. “In pairs then. You go with Isera. Lyra, you’re with Alistair.” He turns to me. “And Selena, you’re with me.”

We all nod in confirmation.

“Don’t waste any time or effort doing things to entertain the crowd,” Draven continues. “We just need to finish as fast as possible, and we’re already behind.” A sly smile tugs on his lips. “But fortunately, we have an advantage against the other teams this time.”

A small cloud of smoke explodes in the air and then drifts away on the breeze as Draven performs a half-shift. His massive black wings rustle as he spreads them wide.

Lyra chuckles and rubs her hands excitedly while Galen smirks knowingly.

Draven jerks his chin at me. “Alright, let’s get going.”

Lurching into motion, I run my hands down my black fighting leathers and check that my dagger is secure in my thigh holster. Then I quickly step over to Draven. He bends down and slides one arm behind my back and the other behind my knees. My pulse flutters as he lifts me into his arms.

His eyes are serious as he looks between Galen and Lyra. “Be careful.”

Then he shoots into the sky.

My stomach lurches and I wrap my arms tightly around his neck while squeezing my eyes shut. Winds rush in my ears, and my hair flutters behind me. Then the rapid ascent stops and Draven comes to a halt, hovering in the air. His massive wings create thumping sounds as they beat steadily.

Drawing in a deep breath, I pry my eyes open again and level a stern look at him.

“Bastard,” I huff. “You really are doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”

He just smirks at me, the wicked glint in his eyes answer enough.

With another half amused, half exasperated sigh, I shake my head at him and then turn to look at our surroundings.

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