Page 8 of Trial of Thorns
Caelynn
The lights twinkleabove my head as I stand over the railing of the Flicker Court balcony, looking out upon the land I lost when I was still an adolescent. The rolling hills flow with magic and talking trees. Lights and power and beauty the human world could never even comprehend.
The trials are being held in the Flicker Court—home of fire fae—because this is the home of the current High Queen. Soon, the power of the High Court will shift to a new home. A new century, a new ruler, a new ruling court. The Luminescent Court should have been next, they still may be if Reveln is chosen as heir. But the Glistening Court, the Whirling Court, and the Crackling Court are all also in the running, from what I’ve heard. And the trials have the power to turn everything on its head.
A soft wind tickles over my skin like a caress. Magic I’d thought lost fills my lungs in the most glorious way. I’m hundreds of miles from my homelands in the Shadow Court, but I am in the faery realm, and that alone makes me feel whole. For just one quick passage of time, I am home. A blink, and soon it will be gone, like it barely existed at all.
I intend to make the most of it.
Most of the Flicker Court lands are desert, but the western edge of the territory collides with the black sea, which allows for a surprising amount of lush vegetation—all red and orange in hue. To the west is a golden forest and black sea beyond, to the east and for many miles north is barren desert.
I don’t recognize the swirl of pathways and the swaying amber trees—bright and glistening. But I do recognize the whisper of wild magic, unwieldy and raw.
A sizzle of heat brushes my neck, and I shiver as his shadow falls over me. I blink quickly, surprised I hadn’t heard anyone approach, but I feel his presence now—thick and heavy. His anger ripples off of him in waves.
“You came,” is all he says, his voice low and somber.
I close my eyes and suppress a shiver. For a moment, I could pretend there wasn’t animosity in his tone. I can pretend that he is glad to be near me. I can pretend my presence doesn’t cause him pain.
“It was too tempting an offer,” I say smoothly.
“To see your homeland one more time before you suffer a violent death?” His words are as sharp as his obsidian blades.
“Something like that.” It will be fitting for him to end my miserable life. “I intend to win,” I admit. Because I do. This competition was created to form ruthlessness. It was made to breed violence and sate the most power hungry of all faery.
I am the worst of them all.
And they don’t know it yet, but I am also the strongest of them all. The cost of this power was higher than it’s worth but since that price is long paid—I may as well use it for something important.
Not that I expect the competition to be easy. No, I am sure I’ll face the brink of death a time or two before I end them all.
But I will win.
“Intention and completion are two very different things. The odds are stacked against you,betrayer.”He spits the last word, and I wince. A new pet name for me.Lovely.
“And I just want you to know,” he continues slowly. He takes another step so close now I can feel his warmth. His rage. His power. The Luminescent Court is light and raw power. “When you fail, it will be me laughing over your cold corpse.”
“Perhaps.”
His warm breath tickles my ear, and I shiver in sick delight.
“I’m going to make your every moment torture. You will lament the day you allowed me to lay eyes on you again.”
His stomping feet echo away, and I let out a long breath. “I expect nothing less,” I say to the empty place he left behind.
