Thunderclaps begin to roar in the sky as the rain finally downpours on us all.
His damp curls cling to his forehead and neck. Despite the water dripping down his cheeks, he remains still, his jaw ticking with the sudden lightning that rips across the sky. His eyes are unwavering, seeming to be eternally fixed on me.
“The games need to continue.” Florian clears his throat, as if he notices the tension between Koen and I. “The Fireninze will no longer participate since she has chosen you. And you must go to the Vitaei to heal.”
“That’s if the Vitaei is still standing,” I mutter under my breath before glancing towards Florian, his golden hair soaked against his body. “What comes after these games?”
“The first eight who bond with a horse will head to the Darklands and begin to kill more darklings. The last true game to see if they are true warriors, fighters, to continue living in the Pyre.”
“Every year they do this?”
He nods, taking a step towards the wall. “There are thousands of darklings. Every year, we try to kill off as many as we can in order to one day fight against the Darklands.”
I follow his steps, catching sight of the Queen sitting precisely on her throne up high on the mountain cliff. Her golden umbrella covers her. Her brows lift, a smirk dancing along her lips as she nods.
Was this her plan all along?
“Do the horses fight alongside us?”
Florian pauses at the wall, letting his body rest against it. “Yes. We need them against the dark magic that they wield.”
“When do we leave?” My chin rises, and I cross my arms tightly.
Tilly will be there. This is my chance to find her and kill her. I will have my revenge.
“Impatient now, are we?” He starts to climb the wall, his boots digging into the ledges as he grunts to lift himself up.
“You have no idea.”
THE VITAEI IS SOMEHOW STILL standing.
I leave without watching the remaining men compete in the games, due to the pain from the broken bones inside my shoulder, and soak in the water instead. It feels like hours I am alone, soothing, until Theon and Kaine both come to heal as well.
Both bonded with the horse of the sky, the Lasyius.
And of course, Koen bonded with the one of the ice, the Iycekazie. I wonder how the horse from his Realm feels about him bonding with another during these games.
I have learned from Theon, every year the horses are bonded with a new set of riders to take down the darklings and have the chance to fight against the Wailing Mother. After their year at the Pyre, they head back to the arena and wait for a new set of riders. If the horses don’t die in the last battle game against the darklings.
Supposedly the dark magic that pulses through their Realm, flows through the lava that surrounds their Kingdom. One touch of the lava, and you burn, scorching your body until there's nothing left but bones and then, the transformation takes place. One touch, that is all it takes for you to become a darkling, bonding you to the dark magic for life.
I wonder what happens if one of our horses touches it.
But now that we have the eight that have been bonded, we have a celebration to honor those who didn’t survive. A night to remember those who have come before us, and those who will come after us. Ninety-one lives were lost in the games, due to Skydance running off and vanishing. The guards never found him, and I fear he is waiting for me.Watching me.I almost sense the darkness around us, as if time is running out and the war is coming sooner than we thought.
I must take the stones. I must read the book.
But even if I want to run off and head back to the chamber of the Queen, I cannot. Not tonight. This is the night the Queenwill confirm our place in the Pyre as the chosen eight, by looking into our minds and souls. In front of the Royals and most of the Realms. Or at least, the ones that have received an invitation by the Royals of Eekatia.
She must welcome us.
The fire of the Gods must turn the fire blue for us, upon the selected eight, granting us a spark of their fire. A fragment of their light. The spark from the fire forms an ethereal shield, guarding us and empowering us to battle the darklings.
An armor granted by the Gods.
I should be thrilled, my heart racing with excitement that I am about to face my sister. The burning rage that has been flooding my mind and body will now be able to unleash, to take her down for good. I will stab my dagger through her heart, just as she did to me. Yet, my heart beats with exhaustion.
My heart beats with sadness.As if a black hole has formed inside my heart and is gradually devouring it until there is nothing left.
