Page 71 of Courting War
The entire week was rotten. One terrible thing after the next.
Kellyn needed space. He felt useless once again. Always useless. Emmett was in a coma, Morrigan was nearly recovered but still utterly maddening, and Cecile was forced to halt her progress through the games.
None of it boded well for survival. Because to survive the games, they needed to get moving. Kellyn had three challenges left, and Cecile two, and they were more determined than ever to win—to live. But they couldn’t continue without Emmett.
Kellyn didn’t care if Morrigan played. It would be better if she didn’t because she’d sabotaged him. Multiple times. She destroyed the statues in his room, tried to find a book instead of participating in the first challenge, and switched out the poisons.
“Are you okay?” Cecile asked, hovering at the doorframe of Kellyn’s bedroom. “I saw your interaction with The—Morrigan.”
Kellyn grunted.
“Yeah, she has that effect on people.”
Kellyn chuckled. “How do you know her?”
Cecile bit her lip like she measured what to say. “Through Theodra . . . and the Godmark.” She hedged around the truth, or at least not the whole truth. “She’s part of the War Court.”
“A human member of the War Court?” Kellyn raised an eyebrow. “Then why is she here?”
“As punishment.”
“From Theodra?”
“No.” Cecile sucked on her lip more, clearly uncomfortable with the line of questioning. “She wouldn’t want me to say anymore. Perhaps you should ask her.”
Kellyn grunted. He’d rather fight a rabid dog than talk to Morrigan now.
Cecile sighed. “Morrigan is better.” She changed the subject. “You should complete your third challenge.”
“I’m not going without you.” Firelight flickered on his face as he rubbed it. He kneeled at his makeshift altar and fiddled with his nearly finished lovespoon carving. “Especially not when we both have Nefeli’s challenge next.”
They’d solved their next riddles together. Cecile’s answer was a diamond, and Kellyn’s riddle read:
I have hundreds of eyes
and preening is my past-time
my train is so glorious that
Maidens do plunder
For hats, coiffures, and drapes, they sunder
I'm metallic blue and diamond bright
my piercing calls do drown the night
Kellyn managed to solve it quickly. He was good with riddles once he managed to read them. The answer was a peacock.
Peacocks and diamonds were both symbols of Nefeli.
“Kel, you need to look out for yourself. Time isn’t on your side. It’s day four.” Cecile’s tone dripped with unbridled anxiety, and her posture sang of it, too.
“I could say the same thing to you.”
“But I’ve completed three challenges.”
“True . . .” Kellyn took a poker and played with the fire. “Butwe all live.” His new motto. “We all make it through these games, and I think we have the best chance of doing that as teams.”
