Page 133 of Court of Lies and Deceit

And right inside that doorway of branches is another doorway. A glittering blue portal. Beyond it, the sands of the arena are visible.

I can’t stop the whimper of relief that erupts from my chest.

We did it. We found the portal. We?—

The Unseelie King steps into view on the sand right on the other side of the portal.

Dread sluices through my veins.

“Oh, how hard you’ve fought to get here,” he calls through the glittering blue doorway. His black and silver eyes glint, and there is a vicious smirk on his lips as he watches us sprint towards him. “But are you sure you want to actually step through the portal?” He motions up towards the top of the doorway. “Read the inscription above.”

My gaze snaps to the thick branch that runs over the top of the portal. There, someone has carved two sentences with a knife.

All magic comes with a price. The cost to use this portal is the death of the one who loves you.

I screech to a halt.

And so does Draven.

Only five paces separate us from the portal now. But neither of us moves.

On the other side, the Unseelie King flashes us a cruel smile. “Told you I would make this game interesting.” His gaze locks on me. “If you step through, Draven will die. And if he steps through, you will die.” A hint of angry defiance flickers in his eyes for a moment, as if remembering how Isera forced him into this bargain against his will, and he spreads his arms in a taunting challenge. “How is that for a grand finale?”

Dark storm clouds gather around Draven, and lightning crackles down his arms. But all he can do is to stand there on the grass, a few strides away from victory, and flex his hand in frustration and anger.

“You son of a bitch,” I snarl at the Unseelie King. “You cheated!”

Something lethal flashes in Orion’s eyes, and he lowers his arms again. Drawing himself up to his full height, he locks a sharp stare on me, sounding more insulted than angry as he declares, “No, I did not cheat. I simply stacked the deck in my favor.”

“It’s the same thing! You?—”

“Andthisis why I would never risk my court to help you,” he snaps with sudden frustration, cutting me off. Flicking his wrist with an agitated motion, he gestures at both me and Draven while contempt flits across his regal face. “Thisis why you will never win against the Icehearts. You still play by the rules. You play fair. And you expect your enemies to play fair too.”

His words, and the frustration in them, stun me so much that I just suck in a sharp breath.

“But they don’t,” Orion Nightbane continues, his voice hard. “Bane and Jessina Iceheart are some of the most ruthless and cunning people this realm has ever seen. And you still believe in beinggood.” He practically spits the word at me, full of utter contempt. His eyes are merciless as he stares me down. “Only a villain can take down another villain. And that is something you will never be.”

I stare at him, my heart beating so loudly in my chest that I can hear the blood pounding in my ears.

“So stay here,” he presses on, flicking his wrist to indicate the forest around us. “Stay in this new world or continent or wherever the hell Hana has put you, and build a new life. Away from them. Start over. Give up your foolish heroic notions of freeing our continent from the Iceheart Dynasty. For if you go to war against them, you go to your doom. And you are not taking my court down with you.”

And with that, he stalks away from the portal and out of view.

I stare at the empty sand, the only thing now visible on the other side of the portal. My heart slams against my ribs and my mind spins.

As much as I want to hate Orion right now, I can’t seem to be able to. Because in his own twisted way, I get the distinct feeling that he is actually trying to help us. That he truly believes that we will only die needlessly if we go up against the Icehearts, and that this is his way of offering us another life.

“We can’t stay here.” Draven says the words carefully, as if worried how I might react. “My clan is still out there. They’ve been in hiding and on the run for months now. I can’t abandon them.”

I turn towards him. “I know.”

Relief flits across his features, and he nods.

Tense silence falls over us as we both turn to stare at the glittering blue doorway. The unspoken question hangs like an executioner’s blade in the air between us. We need to get out, but how the hell do we get through the portal?

My mind churns, and I take Draven by the arm and move us a short distance away from the portal. Just in case the Unseelie King is standing right on the other side, where we can’t see, listening in.

“The son of a bitch picked the only emotion that I can’t manipulate,” I growl softly as Draven and I come to a halt on the grass a little farther away. “Otherwise, I could temporarily decrease your love for me while I step through the portal. Then once you have been transported back as well, I could just release my magic again. But love is the only emotion I can’t manipulate.”

---