Page 44 of Court of Lies and Deceit

A shudder rolls down my spine when I see the large insect he has picked up. It looks like a cross between a centipede and a spider. I shiver again as he lifts it up closer to his face and whispers something to it. That creature has far too many legs to be normal.

We all tense up as Orion starts towards the wards. But neither he nor his soldiers attack. Instead, he just walks up to the wards a short distance from us and sets the centipede spider down in front of the rippling wall. Then he straightens and turns to face us.

“This is what happens if I give you thewrongpassphrase,” he says.

I glance down at the gross insect that has started scuttling towards the wards.

The moment it reaches the shimmering magical barrier, it bursts into flame.

Jerking back, I gasp as all those spindly legs shrivel up in a flash. Barely a second after it reached the wards, the insect is no more than a tiny pile of ash.

I swallow, meeting Draven’s gaze for a second, before dragging my eyes back to the smirking king.

Orion spreads his arms wide, mimicking Draven’s cocky pose from earlier. “Still want to try to torture it out of me?”

Next to me, Draven flexes his hand and clenches his jaw in frustration. Alistair and I exchange a glance. And so do Lyra and Galen. Isera just continues watching Orion as if she can kill him with her glare alone. But none of us say anything. Because we all know the truth.

Even if we were to win a fight against all of these soldiers and capture Orion and torture him, there is no way for us to know if he gave us the right passphrase or the one that will incinerate us. He holds all the cards right now. He knows it. And so do we.

“The only way you are leaving my court is if I allow it,” he declares, rubbing that fact in our faces with his smug tone. Then he lifts one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “But I do keep my bargains.”

Isera scoffs.

His eyes gleam again as he watches her, but he lets the insult slide and instead shifts his gaze back to all of us. “Play the games. And play them well. Entertain my court. Make this the most interesting Great Games in a century. Win. And then, I will allow you to leave.” He meets Isera’s furious eyes again and smirks. “As promised.”

“Fine,” Draven grinds out.

Orion arches an eyebrow and looks from face to face, waiting for us to acknowledge his power as well. The others reply. I manage a nod. Isera barely dips her chin in confirmation, but he seems satisfied anyway.

“Excellent,” he says. Then that spark of vicious authority returns to his eyes, and his voice drops dark and low. “But you were about to break our deal by leaving. And actions haveconsequences. So now, you have just earned twohoursin your nightmares.”

I don’t even have time to gasp before the world around me disappears and I’m plunged into the cold dark depths of my worst memories.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

When we finally stagger back in through the door and into Jocasta’s faction house, I feel like a used dishrag that someone has wrung out too forcefully. The Unseelie King certainly followed through on his threat. And this time, he didn’t just show me that one horrible memory. He showed me everything.

For two hours, I was stumbling around blindly on the grass by the wards, trapped in my worst memories. Memories of my parents, of all the shitty things people did and said to me in the Seelie Court, of my time in the Ice Palace, of those soul-crushing hours when I was paralyzed and dying from ice flames.

And now, I feel so tired and wrung out that I’m afraid a gentle breeze is going to knock me over.

A thud comes from the door.

Collapsing down on the white couch, I slowly turn my head towards the sound.

Isera, who was the last person through the door, only managed to close it behind her before her legs give out. She sits down hard on the pale wooden floorboards right inside the door. Dragging in an unsteady breath, she draws her knees up to her chest and leans her back against the carved wooden door.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” she whispers, her voice hoarse.

The couch creaks as Draven sits down next to me. I didn’t even realize that I was tilting to the side until his firm body is there next to mine, giving me support. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, holding me tightly. It makes warmth flood my body and gives me a burst of energy. Without thinking, I lean my head against his shoulder. He tightens his arm around me even more.

“He’s using your claustrophobia against you, isn’t he?” I ask, my gaze returning to Isera.

She meets my gaze in silence for a few seconds before finally replying, “Yes.”

“What happened?” Alistair asks from where he is sitting by the wall across the room.

He looks as exhausted and raw as the rest of us. Galen and Lyra, who are sitting on the other couch, had been watching Draven with pained eyes, but now they also shift their attention to Isera.

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