“Jacinth, you know I’m only here because they needed a candidate from Diamond.” She began, her voice shaking the slightest bit. “I have no desire to marry Az and become queen.”
“I know that,” I assured her quietly, “but we still need to get out of here.”
She shook her head, stumping me completely. “This is my shot to get out, Jac. You heard what they said. Any lady not back by sundown will be up for elimination.”
“Faiza—” I tried, but she continued.
“Still, only one of us will actually be eliminated,” she stressed heavily. “One. Which means if more than one of us doesn’t make it back, Az could keep either of them. This is my chance to be so damn late, I’m guaranteed to be eliminated!”
“And what are you going to do?” I asked her incredulously. “Hide in the forest? Where the mist will get you?”
“I know a spot.” She smiled, satisfaction written all over her face. “Az showed us when we were kids. It’s the only spot in the forest where the mist won’t go. I’ll hide there. Don’t worry about me, you need to make it back.”
“Faiza,” I said helplessly, wanting to convince her otherwise, but knowing I stood little chance. I hated to think of her being out of the competition. She was the only one who seemed at all tolerable. More than that, she was almost like a friend. I knew I would miss her once this was over, and I already mourned the relationship that would be broken with the end of this competition.
“It’ll be okay, Jac,” she reassured me, pulling me into a hug that made me stiffen uneasily. “And I’ll still be here at court, so you’re not getting rid of me as easily as Az is.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that came out of me at that, relaxing into her arms until I finally hugged her back, wishing for a moment that this was all real. That we were merely two noble ladies fighting for our lives to win a crown and a king to call husband…but it wasn’t to be, and I knew I couldn’t live in that fantasy.
Our friendship might be a fantasy as well, but it was one I could at least hold onto until Azurill was gone. I knew Faiza would never forgive me, not when she couldn’t see the same monster I did. He had fooled everyone, and it only made the rage I felt burn that much higher.
As I pulled back, she nodded at me with a smile, “Now get out of here! You have a competition to win!”
“Any idea how to get back to the city?” I asked dubiously, looking around the forest with a wary eye. She giggled, shaking her head at me.
“Not a clue, they dumped us pretty far in, and nothing looks familiar,” she admitted with a shrug.
“Then how are you going to find this supposed safe place?” I countered with a raised brow. She looked a bit sheepish, eyes trailing down to where her toe kicked into the dirt.
“Magic is weird sometimes,” she told me in halting pauses. “I can find this spot because I’ve been invited to it by Az, but I couldn’t take anyone else there, or it won’t show up.”
Her explanation left much to be desired, but it was clear her loyalty to Azurill was the reason for it, and not that she was putting herself in danger unnecessarily, so I was begrudgingly fine with it for now.
“You need to get going, though.” She hurried me along, “The forest is vast, and you don’t want to lose the lead you’ve gotten.” She smiled nervously at me, hugging me once more, before taking off into the gloom.
I sighed, looking around and trying to decide where to go. Everything looked the same in all directions. The grey tree trunks led to deep blue leaves that looked black without any light to illuminate them.
Fuck.
Chapter Eighteen
Jacinth
Hours spent wandering the Forest of Discontent left me just as damn discontent as it was.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of a direction, and having to run to dodge the mist anytime it came near left me wildly off course whenever I thought I was making some progress.
The creaking of branches in the wind, the snaps as they cracked, the animals scurrying around the forest floor, making bushes and dropped leaves sound about ten times more intimidating than they should be, all of it left me desperate to get out of this place and back to the palace.
I was clearly getting soft. Ula would kill me if she could see me now. A few weeks in a nice palace and suddenly I couldn’t rough it anymore.
It was a good reminder, at least. All of this was temporary, and once it was over, I would go back to living far away from the palaces and politics I was once meant for.
I arrived at an intersection with four different paths converging into a little clearing. I looked around, knowing that anything could be coming from the other directions, but I couldn’t see anything that stood out. I stepped a foot forward when the sudden sound of shuffling feet made me pause.
I slunk back behind a tree, watching to see who would emerge. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed; the lack of sun breaching the treetops made it impossible to track. It could have been any number of the ladies who went through the course after me.
I doubted anyone else was stupid enough to come in here. It wasn’t exactly a place people went for fun.
