Page 39 of Court of Lies and Deceit

The woman with the white dress, who never even left the platform, immediately looks towards the team on the far left and declares, “Team two.”

They salute her.

The same thing happens when Rosea calls the Red Faction. The owner of the Blue Faction picks team eighteen and the Yellow Faction chooses team six.

“Remember that fountain we passed?” Draven whispers while Rosea unfolds the final piece of paper. “That’s where we make our move. We can disappear into the narrow alley on the left and block it before they can follow.”

I hadn’t even noticed that there was a narrow alley close to that fountain when we were escorted here, but Draven apparently never turns off his scheming brain.

“And last but not least,” Rosea calls. “Jocasta, which team will you choose for your Black Faction?”

Jocasta, the white-haired fae who confronted me earlier, steps forward.

“If we can get out of the city, I can fly us one at a time to the border,” Draven continues. “Then from there, we can?—”

“Team nine,” Jocasta declares.

Dead silence falls over the arena.

Next to me, Alistair glances down at the paper in his hand.

Then clothes rustle as every single team turns to stare at us.

My stomach lurches.

Up on the platform, Jocasta flashes us a sharp smile that looks slightly threatening.

“Uhm…” Alistair says as he looks up from the paper in his hand, which has the number nine clearly written on it.

I stare at the strange white-haired woman in absolute bewilderment.

What the hell just happened?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Jocasta frowns at the eight guards around us as they form up again once the other teams start moving out. But then she just jerks her chin in the direction of the main entrance.

“Let’s go,” she says.

Without waiting for a reply, she turns around and strides towards the now open doors that will take us back out into the city.

“What do we do?” Galen whispers hurriedly.

“Follow her for now.” Draven casts a discreet glance at the guards around us. “Until we know which route she takes.”

Isera is the first one to stalk after Jocasta. The rest of us hurry to catch up as well.

Indecision swirls inside me. Should we try to escape while we are escorted through the city? Or is it better to take our chances with these games? But Jocasta said that we are the weakest team, so do we even stand a chance at all? But then why did she pick us?

I glance at my companions. All of them seem to be thinking the same, but no one offers any solutions.

Warm midday winds tug at my hair as we step through the final set of doors and walk out onto the street outside the arena.Jocasta has stopped a short distance ahead. She speaks briefly to another female fae, who then takes off at a run.

After once more frowning at our guards, Jocasta jerks her chin at us again and starts down the street to our left. Draven and I exchange a glance. We came from the right, which means that we won’t know the layout of the streets we’re about to pass.

On Draven’s other side, Galen and Lyra look to him in silent question as well. He considers for a moment and then shakes his head.

Alright, follow the strange fae it is.

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