Page 48 of A Taste of Torment
He nods. “For a set of games. Very illegal, very immoral, very secretive.”
“What sort of games?”
His expression is grim. Silence stretches between us so long I’m ready to strangle him.
“What?” I force out of my dry lips, the sound coming out shrill and pathetic.
“They’re called the Akrasia Games. They’re a sort of magicalHunger Games. Several contenders, only one survivor.”
“So, you suspect,” I say, glancing back down at the two images, “somehow, Liz was forced into these games?” My bottom lip trembles. So many questions fly through my mind. Who would do that? Her boyfriend? Who runs them? Why? What happens to the winner?
“The games aren’t well known. They’re very secretive, and so, most of what I’ve learned is speculation. But from what I understand, no one is ever forced into these games. They choose it.”
“Excuse me?” I straighten. “You’re suggesting my sister volunteered for this?” I slam my forefinger into the image of the destroyed forest.
Jarron holds his palms up. “I’m only telling you what I’ve learned from the investigator’s findings. It’s possible this was all a decoy by the killer. There are still some inconsistencies. But if the authorities and your parents believe it, it does explain why they’d drop the investigation.”
This isn’t at all what I’d expected to learn. I ignore my stomach twisting in all the worst ways and clear my throat. Logic—I need to use logic right now. I need to get to the bottom of this. Even if she was part of this barbaric competition, there are still so many people to blame. I need to know who.
“Tell me what you know.”
Jarron puffs out his chest, like he’s preparing for a battle. “The games are legendary. Supposedly run by an ancient jinn.” He nods to the calling card.
“Are jinn even real?”
“Not that we know of. There are many supernatural species still being discovered, and the legends are prevalent in certain parts of this world. Many believe they did exist but died out. Some believe there was simply one powerful being that called themselves a jinn. We don’t know. But that’s, at the very least, their mascot of sorts.”
“Okay,” I say. The genie’s eyes are deep black and harsh. It’s not a kind drawing.
“Ten contestants are recruited, all from a level three or lower. The winner is promised power beyond imagining.”
I curl my lip in disgust. “So, they prey on weak supernaturals and promise them lies to get them to kill each other for sport. That’s what you’re telling me?”
Jarron nods, his eyes soft. I don’t want his sympathy.
“And conveniently, no one knows who runs these games or if they’re even real.”
“Correct.”
“So, how many other bodies did they find here? Were there nine others beside my sister?”
“No,” Jarron whispers. “Your sister was the only one found.”
I frown. “The hell—”
“That’s the part that bothers me the most. It sounds more like a cover up to me. Why else would there be no other bodies?”
Some of my anxiety eases at that thought. Somehow, it’s easier for me to believe some psychotic asshole murdered my sister in cold blood than to believe she fought—willfully or not—in this terrible competition with other supernaturals. Did she kill before she died? Was she injured and forced to continue fighting?
She would have been so scared.
I shake my head from those thoughts. A cover up is a simpler and easier-to-digest answer.
“Do you think the whole scene was orchestrated, then? They damaged the forest and left the card just to cover her murder?” To be honest, that sounds like a lot to cover up one murder of an ordinary human girl. I know our parents are famous potionists, but we don’t have that much influence.
Jarron shrugs. “I don’t have any firm theories, just doubts.”
I nod and hand the papers back to him. “I guess we should have taken a trip to the forest after all.”
