Page 47 of Courting War
Acid crawled up his throat.
Reading was going to get him murdered.
“You may leave.” Nefeli waved him off as if he were an irritating fly. “Cecile Declare, you have successfully completed . . .” Nefeli continued, calling Cecile to the floor, and quickly starting her tribunal.
The gods hated wasting time or distracting from their revelry. Because while the champions played their five challenges, the gods watched and partied with lucky—hand chosen—mortals, drinking spiked nectar, and eating delicacies from the Nine Great Countries. Meanwhile, after every challenge, each champion was forced into fancy clothing and fake smiles as they withstood judgment at their tribunals, expected to mingle with the gods for at least a couple of hours before returning to their games, during which they were required to watch the other champions’ challenges on the mirror monitors stationed throughout the palace.
It was all just an elaborate mind game.
Fortunately for Cecile, the gods seemed to like how she was playing the games, and her tribunal lasted only five minutes, with all eight gods giving her top scores and telling her the answer to her next mirror.
Poison.
It paid to play the games well, and Cecile was playing perfectly. She made it through two of her five challenges in two days.
Passing platters of elaborate food, Kellyn walked up to his friends. Reluctantly, his priestess followed him, snorting as she saw a platter of deer meat. She grabbed a piece as Kellyn asked Cecile, “Two challenges already?”
Cecile blushed. “Oh, yes,” Cecile shrugged, “I’m sorry for not finding you before the first. Andromache insisted I start the Death challenge when I did.”
Kellyn forced a smile. “It’s okay.”But it wasn’t. He felt alone. Betrayed. Although he was incapable of asking for help—the family motto:Ellises never needed help—he never imagined Cecile wouldn’t be there when he needed her.
“It’s not.” Cecile’s lips twitched. “I was going to return and find you as soon as possible, but you’d already left.”
“I didn’t mind leaving you,” Emmett said, turning his glower on his former friend. He said the words to wound. It was the boy’s way. When he was upset, his behavior got brattier and brattier.
“Emmett,” Cecile reprimanded.
He ignored the remark, facing Kellyn directly. “The only reason I'm tolerating your presence is for Cecile.” His speech slurred slightly. Drunk. Already.
Kellyn swallowed. He hated the situation, and he hated that he might be able to clear it all up if he were honest with his friend, but he couldn’t. The secret was too shameful to share. Emmett would leave him no matter what. He wouldn’t want a stupid friend.
“Emmett, I’m sorry. I truly didn’t mea—”
“Isn’t it enough that you’re a prince? That you were going to one day rule a kingdom?” Emmett spat out. “No, you’ll never be satisfied because you care about nothing and have to have everything.” The last words dripped with acid. “You had to steal my glory, too.”
Emmett raised the glass as if to throw the liquid on Kellyn,but he realized too late that there was nothing in it, so instead, he cursed and stumbled away.
He wasverydrunk.
“You need to tell him about your—” Cecile crossed her arms, watching their friend leave.
Kellyn flashed a grimace that saidnot in front of Morrigan.
The priestess narrowed her eyes but leaned against a pillar, chewing on a piece of deer meat she’d taken from a footman and pretending not to care.
“I have to go after him,” Cecile said, “but I promise I will help you solve your riddle.”
She hurried off after the drunk boy, and Kellyn was left alone with Morrigan, who raised her apple-red wrist, indicating the invisible chain binding them together. “I’d run from you, too, but we seem to be on a tight leash today.”
Kellyn ignored the gibe. Instead, he took a step closer and examined her injury. “You need jewelweed.” He gently grasped her hand and ran a finger over the rash from her chain. “I have some in our room.”
“You have jewelweed in our room?”
“I have a lot of herbs in our room.”
“Are you an herbalist?” She wiggled her brows, and he couldn’t tell if she was mocking him.
Before he could answer, Gallagher Healy, his nemesis from school, sauntered over. Her presence felt like a rash. Irritated and agonizing.
