I freeze.
My hands brush and pull through the now short points of my hair. I give Braxton a look.
“I will tell you when we are out of here. I am sorry,” he whispers. I am not sure what he is sorry for. I think really hard and everything comes back to me.
The man, a healer, a torturer.
The fight.
The way he punched my face to the wall.
I must have blacked out after that and have no idea how we got back to reality. The king speaks up, freeing me from my endless thoughts.
“Not only did they win and survive, they did it in an incredible time. They haven’t been in there for more than.” He looks at the clock and everybody goes quiet. You could hear a pin drop.
“One minute and forty-seven seconds.” His face freezes as he speaks the last few words out loud. I look at Braxton. That can’t be correct. My fight with him only must have taken more than ten minutes. Braxton’s body is stiff and his jaw is ticking. He doesn’t react and to others it might not be visible, but to me it is.
I will ask him about it.
Later.
I hate the word later.
It brought me into this awful situation.
“Come to the front.” The king gestures with his arms. “Eliane and Braxton, you are the winners of the third trial.” I look at Brax and he gives me a nod in confirmation, so I follow his lead. I hear the screen behind us start again and Aiden’s point of view comes on screen. I know that because I can see Aaliyah in front of him reliving her nightmare. I step next to the king, and Braxton steps on his other side on the left, ignoring the screams on the screen that leave a hole in my stomach. Luckily, Annie and his mom stepped back. He grabs our arms and raises them in the air. People go wild.
“Congratulations,” he spits the word out in disgust, and we can’t be the only two who notices. People clap, shout, and cheer while all the other candidates are still fighting for their lives.
A loud snap silents the arena.
A scream fills my ears.
I turn around.
Zephron runs towards one of the candidates. I don’t have to see who he is running at, as I hear him pray.
“No, no, please no,” he begs. He kneels in front of her, holding her face between his hands. My gaze goes towards her body. Her arms are limb, and she is sunk away in her chair.
Her red curls hang volume less next to her face.
Her broken neck doesn’t carry her face anymore.
It hangs down as a burlap bag.
The screen goes on replay, but I don’t want to see it.
I can’t swallow. Tears fill my eyes as Zephron screams for help. People move next to me, run, hurry towards her dead body.
An arm wraps me against a broad chest.
A sob escapes my throat as I hear Zephron speak those lovely but hurting words.
“I am so sorry. I love you, Hazel, please,” he begs again. He is hysterical and guards drag him away from her.
“Don’t act so stupid,” the king spits out towards Zephron in a whisper, but loud enough for me to hear. Braxton gives the king the finger before I turn into him.
Tears leave my eyes, and I press my face hard in Braxton’s chest. The smell of cedarwood fills my nose next to blood and some comfort crashes in me. I look up in his eyes. His eyes are on fire and his face is burning. He has seen death before and he protects me from experiencing it. Except he can’t. It is out of his power. I hold onto him tightly.
