I snorted but Lark just pointed, exasperated.
“Go,” he barked.
Cass rolled her eyes but reached for me. I tried my best to pretend I wasn’t gritting my teeth so hard they might shatter. The jaunt confirmed my suspicions that I still wasn’t used to this whole shadowstepping business but at least I didn’t go reeling off a cliff on the other side this time. Though Rook, who had apparently been waiting for us on the other side, did grip me firmly by the elbow to keep me from falling as Cass disappeared again.
“It’s not getting better,” I said through gritted teeth.
“It won’t,” he said simply, negating everything he had told me before.
“I’m glad you’re alright.”
His gaze snapped to mine, apparently shocked by the admission. I just turned away and finally chanced a glance up at the city before me. My lips parted in stunned surprise.
Where the Court of Light and Life had been hidden in the depths of a valley, its shining gold spires not daring to peek over the cliff’s edge in perfect, defensible position, the Court of Rivals was in open desert. The sand was not so white here but more of a burnt orange color and grittier, hot to the touch. But it turned to rough stone the closer you got to the city.
The city itself was not red at all, as I had been expecting it to be. And not everyone wore red. Some did, favoring a crimson shade mostly, but some wore gray or beige, more neutral, earthy tones to cool in the warm climate. The buildings were all in the style of a Spanish Villa, clay walls and tile roofs, all neutral, earth-tones as well. The city itself was massive and sprawling so far that I couldn’t see the end of it on any side. Lights flashed from the streets, illuminating the sky above, and I could hear raucous sounds of music and laughter even from this far away.
I pulled my gaze from the enormous iron gates and looked back to Rook who still hovered at my side.
“Rivals,” I said, lost in thought. “What does that mean? What does this Court stand for?”
“All manners of debauchery,” Rook answered me, pumping his brows suggestively as a wicked grin split his lips.
I rolled my eyes.
“It’s named for the fighting pits,” Lark drawled as he and Cass appeared behind us.
I looked back to where he was striding toward us before turning to face the city with a frown.
“Fighting pits?” I asked.
“They’re centuries old. From the days of colosseums and battles of blood feuds. Men volunteer to fight to the death, to gain the status of warrior.”
My eyes widened as I thought the word I was beginning to realize I thought of often in this realm. Barbaric.
“They’ve been banned everywhere else,” Lark continued to explain. “But the Court of Rivals is…”
He trailed off.
“Debauchery,” Cass intoned, using Rook’s word for emphasis.
“Yes,” Lark agreed.
And then we were walking toward the city in a way that made it feel like I might be walking to my doom. I couldn’t stop thinking of that word as we walked. Debauchery. Fighting pits where men voluntarily risked their lives just to be considered some mighty warrior. I remembered Cass telling me about that now, in our lessons, and was embarrassed that I hadn’t put it together sooner. With that memory came another. She had mentioned pleasure houses as well. I thought I might understand Rook’s choice of terms even better than before.
“If anyone asks you if you have the time, don’t answer,” Cass muttered under her breath as we passed through the massive iron gates.
Ahead, Rook howled with laughter. My face was heating, despite having no idea what she was talking about, as I turned to her.
“Why?” I asked out of curiosity.
“It’s code,” she said. “It’s how they ask you if you’re… available for payment.”
My eyes widened and I clamped my mouth shut as if terrified of what other code I might unwittingly agree to if I dared to speak in this court.
“If anyone asks you the time,” Lark growled from behind us, “you come straight to me.”
I felt that pulsating power radiating from him once again and fought the urge to shiver at the sheer rigidness of it. Cass chanced a look back at her brother, her lips drawn down into a frown for some reason that I couldn’t fathom. I was too focused on my steps, walking through this city of sin while keeping my eyes out for anyone who might have seedier intentions than I. That pulsing power kept at my back though, urging me onward through the cracking streets and stumbling masses.
