Page 110 of A Kiss From Death
“I’m taking you to the Bubble for the final round of the Crucible. There, are you happy?”
“No.”
“You are insufferable, woman!”
I sigh. “So I’ve been told. Hate to break it to you, but that’s last week’s news.” I think it over, his words finally hitting me as hives spread over my body.
The Crucible.
Today is the final round of the Crucible, meaning it could very well be my last day alive. An array of questions rack my head. Why is it starting so early? Why am I blindfolded? Where is Hade? Who is this man? Will I get to say goodbye to Des or Winston before I potentially die? What will today’s game entail?
The questions are a never-ending tide swirling around my head in a dizzying manner, and my body slickens with sweat. I had a plan in place for today, and this puts a major, life-altering wrench right in the center of it.
After finishing the last of the journal entries last night, I was left with even more questions and avenues to chase down. Why did the journals abruptly stop at age fifteen? Did I miss some of them in the library, or did something happen at that birthday ball? I still have no idea who the journals belong to, but I know they are important to solving this riddle.
I was planning on heading to the library first thing this morning and checking for loose floorboards, praying whatever mysterious gift hidden within them was still there. Clearly, fate laughed in my face and had other plans. That was my last ticket to solving the riddle before the last round of the Crucible, and now, it’s gone.
There’s no getting out of this, and like every other moment in my life, I will have to fight my way out to survive. Nothing I’m unfamiliar with. So far, my track record for staying alive is on a twenty year winning streak, so I’ll take my odds.
Count your days, Tank, because they are about to be over.
“I didn’t want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice.”
I’m about to ask him what exactly he’s talking about right as I feel a small prick in the side of my neck, and then, everything truly goes dark.
Groaning,I slowly peel one eye open while stretching my neck, feeling a giant, uncomfortable kink in the side. Once I’m coherent again, I register chanting around me, but once again, I see nothing.
I see black. I see him, dark as death itself, the hazy abyss calling to me akin to how it feels to be wrapped in his dark, blissful magic.
Except it’s not him. It’s just a blindfold, and reality comes crashing back.
The Crucible.
Licking my chapped lips, I swipe a tongue full of sand that must have snuck into the bag around my head, swiftly sputtering and spitting.
We’re in the Bubble.
This is it. Life or death. Strangely, I’m not as nervous as I should be. Instead, a small pit of excitement festers deep in my stomach, a small ball of hope for today being the first obstacle tocheck off my list in myoath of vengeancefor Theo. A smaller part of me is also buzzing at the thought of being able to wield magic.
Magic had zero sway in my decision to enter the competition, contrary to my opponents, but now that I can practically reach out and grab it, it’s exhilarating. I push the thoughts away and ready my mind and body for this last test.
The chants grow louder, signaling someone’s arrival. I try to push myself up to sit, but I realize my hands are tied behind my back.
Rude!
“Lunaria, my magical citizens, I am pleased to announce the final round of the Reaper Crucible!” The crowd erupts into a fit of screams and hollers, ready for the blood bath to commence. I’m glad my life on the line is amusing to them.
“Our final two contestants have battled for their life to get to this very moment. It hasn’t been easy or full of rainbows and butterflies, that’s for sure, but we have been provided with the utmost entertainment. Give a round of applause for your finalists!”
I hear a mixture of chants screaming our names, shocked I have any fans rooting for me at this point. That definitely won’t be good for my ego. The chants finally die down, and an eerie silence slips into its place.
Sand shuffles next to me, and then blinding light sears my eyes when the bag around my head is ripped away. I slam my eyes shut to dull the burning pain.
Rapidly blinking away the tears and now grains of gritty sand sticking to my wet face, I slowly take in my surroundings. The crowd surrounding the Bubble is one giant, screaming blur, the Empress dressed to the nines per usual.
And then, there’shim.
Hade stands stoic as ever, an unmoving, double enforced statue dressed in full black, a deadly weapon forged to be unbreakable.Tension runs through his entire body, wound tight and ready to attack at a moment’s notice.
