Page 46 of A Kiss From Death
“Whoring yourself out will not help you get any further in this competition,girl.” She doesn’t even give me the dignity ofusing my name. To be honest, she probably doesn’t even know it. I stiffen at her insult but keep my hard exterior in place, not giving away any of my emotions. She can’t hurt me if I don’t play into her game. She wants to get a reaction out of me, but I won’t stoop to her level.
Hade tenses, and I pray he didn’t notice the little flinch I couldn’t control. Knowing him, though, I’m sure he could tell if my heart rate went from one hundred beats per minute to one hundred and one. He grinds his teeth, releasing me as he nods to the Empress. “As you wish. I will head there now.” He dips his head in a small bow, and when he looks back up, the Empress is already turned, stomping back to her party.
I let out a loud breath, dragging in a ragged one. Hade goes to leave, but he turns abruptly, striding right back to me. Looking me dead in the eyes with unyielding certainty, he proclaims, “Even the grandest diamond couldn’t have drawn my eyes away from you tonight, Nyxi. I fear nothing in the lands below or above could rival your beauty for the rest of eternity, and that is a scary thought.”
Then, he’s stolen by the night, leaving me lost and confused in my own thoughts yet again, wondering who the heck Aire is.
But more importantly, how I can keep my heart tightly locked away from the thief trying to steal it.
“Citizens of Fallout and Lunaria alike, it is my great honor to announce the start of my annual Reaper Crucible!” The Empress’s voice echoes off the walls of the Bubble, magnified by the Enhancer next to her. Cheers erupt from the hundreds of people gathered around the perimeter, peering in and waiting for the blood bath to begin. Kids sit propped up on shoulders to get a better view over the growing crowd.
My heart hammers in my chest as I look around, seeking any clues as to what today’s trial will entail. I come up empty; all that sits in the Bubble are the ten of us spread out in a large circle, the Empress with a handful of her Vanquishers, and, of course, Hade.
He kneels behind her, balanced on one knee, bracing himself on his long, double edged sword stuck in the sand in front of him. His eyes scan our surroundings, looking for any threats to the Empress. I get distracted watching him until his eyes lock on mine, lingering for the briefest second, before they continue his searchfor danger, like he wasn’t just feeding me heart-malfunctioning words last night.
I rein in my confused heart just in time to catch the Empress announce it’s time to learn our rankings for the start of the Crucible. I pinch myself, cursing for getting distracted by a pretty man. Today is life or death, and even with zero distractions, my chances of making it out of here alive are not the best.
An Illuminist raises his hands next to the Empress, creating a scoreboard with our names and ranking as she speaks. “As voted on by both Fallout and Lunaria, with additional rankings added by me, here is your official start to this year’s Reaper Crucible standings.”
Narrowing my eyes, I scan the scoreboard for my name. After last night’s run-in with the Empress, I was scared my name would have been listed at ranking ten today, but to my surprise, I find myself smack dab in the middle. I’m more than okay with this ranking, because there are five rounds to work my way up the chart, and this is the safest place for me at the moment. Ranking at the top will only put a target on my back. Ranking at the bottom will show I am weak and an easy target.
Tank sits at the top of the charts, Cartwell following behind him, which I expected—the brawn and the brains. Sitting at the bottom of the chart is sweet Ray, making me dig my nails into the palms of my hands to keep my emotions in check.
The Empress’ voice commands the space again, and I slightly jump with surprise. “Do not forget, competitors, your place in this competition can change in a matter of seconds. Don’t get complacent, or you may just wind up dead and buried in the dirt.”
This is it. My mind races with a million options for today’s trial. For all I know, the Empress could make us each fight to the death right here and now until only one of us is left standing. Thinking better of it, I realize she would never do that. She lives for grand, drawn out deaths. It would be over too quickly.
I start to crouch into a fighting stance, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I shove all thoughts from my brain to clear my mind. It’s time to fight for my life—literally.
The Empress signals to the Illuminist next to her, and he lets his hands fall to his sides, stopping himself from capturing what she’s about to say next. I find this odd, but the Empress loves to add theatrics and suspense to everything she does. She signals to the Enhancer next, who also shuts his magic off, making her voice much quieter.
“There is one part of the Reaper Crucible that has remained a secret for all of time. It creates a fair playing field each year so no one can cheat or try to research prior to the Crucible.”
My mind spirals with what this “extra” part of the Crucible could be. I’ve never heard of anything extra connected to the trials, but of course I haven’t; they don’t share this part with the public.
“If you can successfully answer this riddle, then the Crucible will immediately be over, and you will be crowned its winner. You have until the last round to figure it out, but you are only allowed one attempt. Choose wisely, and take your time. The riddle has yet to be solved. There is no punishment for getting it wrong, but you will not be allowed a second attempt. You must come to me with your answer when you have one, and you may not talk about this with anyone, or you will be punished. Nod once if you understand all the rules.” Her serious tone leaves no room for questions.
We all nod to the Empress in understanding. I’m shocked that, out of all the years of the Crucible, no one has been able to figure it out. Is it a trick question? Is it something simple that people overlook? Does it have to do with the Empress and her history? The options are endless, and it’s just one more thing to add to my list of worries.
The Empress clears her throat. “I will only say this one time, so commitit to memory.”
She reads from an old leather journal.“Where three meet, one left behind. A sacrifice greater than mankind. A piercing cry from the one black eye. For that shall reset time before the ultimate crime.”
What in all of Fallout does that even mean? It sounded like she was speaking in a foreign language, gibberish with alternate meanings. No wonder no one has solved this damn thing; it’s literally a big mushed up ball of random words. Has the Empress lost her mind? That is the only explanation—how the hell is anyone supposed to figure that out? Committing it to memory, I stash it away in the back of my brain to unscramble later—if I make it out of today alive.
The Empress signals to the Illuminist and Enhancer next to her, and they cast their magic back on her again. She plasters on her larger-than-life smile and continues with her speech. “This year, I’ve decided on a theme for the Crucible to mix things up. It was getting rather boring, to be honest. Each round this year has been based off one of the many childhood games you have all grown up playing. Except these games will not be all fun, and you will not enjoy playing them on my terms. I, however, will love watching every second of it. Who doesn’t love a little danger with their fun?” The crowd erupts in cheers and hollers, egging her on. It’s sick.
A shrill screech pierces the air above us, and people outside the Bubble start to panic. I tense; I’d recognize that sound in any lifetime. My legs start to tremble as I’m brought back to the worst day of my life. A huge shadow blankets the Bubble as I spot multiple Necroshrieks circling above.
“Who doesn’t love a good game of Hide and Seek? A game as old as time.” The Empress spreads her arms wide, gesturing to the crowd outside. “Only this is no regular game of Hide and Seek. No, that would be too simple. Today, you will be playing Hide and Seek with a Necroshriek. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
The crowd erupts in cheers again, and a loud ringing settles in my ears as the blood rushes to my head. I feel dizzy, like this is some sick personal joke. She can’t know why I’m here, right? That one of those rotting beasts killed the one person I had. I feel like I might faint, but I know I need to pull myself together and listen to the rest of the Empress’ rules for this round. I catch Hade staring at me, and it almost looks like he’s worried for me, but I’m sure it’s my scrambled brain getting confused again.
“The rules of this game are simple. Stay alive. Once I leave, one of my lovely Fabricants will create a playing field of their choice. I allowed them creative freedom to design anything their dreams could conjure. Once the field is set, I will release the three Necroshrieks flying above us into the Bubble to hunt you down. You may use the terrain around you to hide or forge weapons. The only rule is that there are no rules. Do whatever you need to stay alive, including killing. The game will finish once two of your competitors have been killed by one of the Necroshrieks—or a fellow competitor—however long that shall take.”
My heart sinks with each word out of her wicked mouth. Of course, she would have no rules. She wants a blood bath, and that’s exactly what my competitors will give her. I can see them each start to smile at the thought of bloodshed, and my heart hammers in my chest so loud, it’s the only thing I can focus on.
I look around, spotting Ray up to my left and Aeron a little to my right. The circle we stand in is so large, they are too far to talk to. My best bet will be teaming up with my allies and then finding a hiding place, one where other competitors won’t spot us and none of the Necroshrieks will scent us. They rely on scent, since all they have for eyes are rotting sockets.
