“Get over here!” Dominik yells, and I recoil.
The other faerie breaks into a jog, and Benji struggles to keep up, little chest heaving, face growing shiny already. “Benji!” I lurch forward, but Briar clutches my arm.
“Not here,” she says.
He glances my way, fear in his eyes, and Dominik grabs his shoulder, smirking. Cold sweat rolls down my back. It’s as if my night terrors have come to life.
Maxian quirks a brow. “The boy from the coronation?”
“You said I am to play on behalf of House of Death, as my sister is playing for Illusion and the executioner will be the game master. As there are no Death faeries here, I chose the Illusion Bases that are closest to death.”
The king gestures to Dominik. “You seem to be feeling generous today.”
“Perhaps we give the boy a chance at redemption.”
“Pawns, to your places!” the king commands.
We line up at the start of the labyrinth, the widest part of the path at the bottom corner of the board. To my left are Lila and Carter. Briar stands on my right, and beyond her are the Healing faeries, then Benji and the other Unluckie.
“A quick overview of the rules,” Death states, gruff voice scraping the air. He stands on the edge of the lawn with dice in hand. The High Fae linger beneath the tent for shade.
“His Magnificence will go first. All parties are forbidden to speak or touch one another for the duration of their turn. I will roll the dice, then reveal the number only to the king, who will move his faeries that many spaces. The High Fae can split the number between both faeries, but no two pawns of opposing teams can occupy the same square simultaneously.
“If the faerie lands on gold, they will move four more squares. If they land on silver, the High Fae will either swap them with another pawn or reverse another House’s next number in the round, so their pawn moves backward. If the faerie lands on red, they are immune from a silver-square attack. Land on black, and the pawn must return to the starting line. Whichever High Fae can get their faerie of the same House to the center of the Pith first wins.”
The king clasps his hands. “Thank you, Death. Now, after each round, High Fae and their faeries can strategize together for two minutes. Whichever pawn wins will keep the Prize of the Pith. Spend it, save it, give it away.” He pauses, considering. “It is one gold coin.”
A glint of gold appears in the center of the labyrinth, floating in the air. A collective gasp. One gold coin is worth one hundred silvers, one thousand coppers—what I make in a year as an Illusion Crest. Paid all at once toward debt…How many rings would that shave off? What lies at the center of the Pith is not just a coin. It is a once-in-a-century chance at freedom.
Sweat drips down my spine as the faeries shift eagerly. On the other side of the Healing attendants, Benji jerks his chin up.
If I cannot help Benji win, then I shall win and give it to him. The realization descends like a heavy blanket. The fleeting vision of my unmarred skin dies out.
“Are you ready to lose?” the king asks the other High Fae as he swaggers from the shade of the tent and toward Death.
“If history is any indicator, I will win.” Kassandra smirks.
“Much has changed since then, Kass.”
“Aye, but the crown did not come with a brain.”
The king barks a laugh. When I glimpse my mistress, she is baring her teeth, and because she is a lady, the males perceive it as a smile and not a threat.
The executioner tosses the dice into the air, which disappear in the light of the sun, then land in his hand. Death reveals the result to the king, who nods.
The plane cascades with a sharp, jerking energy. To my left, Carter grunts. The valet teeters forward like a wooden toy.Reign magic,I realize with horror. The High Fae are using their magic to move us. We cannot even move ourselves.
Carter crosses two spaces, landing on a red square. Lila steps forward just one to a silver square, and the two switch places. She lands on the third spot, while he returns to the first.
Eli takes his turn and moves his pawn forward five spaces to the only gold square on this leg of the route, advancing another four spaces to the corner square, the first turn of the labyrinth. The king and Dominik swear, and Kassandra is silent.
Death rolls for Kassandra next. Briar passes Carter and Lila, stepping to the sixth spot, a red square. She is protected from silver-square attacks.
An unseen hand grabs my wrist, and I lock eyes with Kassandra, who raises a brow. I am yanked beyond Carter, Lila, and Briar, and the force lets go of my wrist.
My shoes glitter with gold paint. The males under the tent groan.
Grinning, Kassandra advances me the additional four spaces, until I occupy the same square as the Healing servant.
