The throne glowed red. I tracked where Vaddon’s handtouched it, summoning anger from the cacophony of gems built into the headrest. Briefly, I remembered the request Rodric had made of me before I fled. He’d wanted adamas built into a crown. It would have taken all my skill as a jeweler to do such delicate work. I imagined the best his people could do, once my family had defected, was to insert the preselected gems into the chair back.
It was a dangerous amount of power.
Elias didn’t have a moment to react before Vaddon’s boot hit his stomach. With the might of eight glowing red gems behind him, Elias was flung back from the dais, landing in a heap to the side of the room.
From red, the gems shifted to blue. Vaddon called on the calming magic Rodric had so highly prized. I wasn’t sure who it was aimed at. Alysa? She and Elias were the only two left in the room that the magic would impact. Alysa tilted her head and wandered away from where Hart had protected her from Themis’s attack. She was calm to the point of apathy almost immediately, and not even the youngleaf she chewed seemed to help.
Fear shot down my spine as the tense muscles of Hart’s shoulders released. His head swayed back and forth as if he heard music none of us could. How could the magic of the adamas impact him? The stones had no effect on Champions.
“The transition of power has begun,”Charon said.“He’s not fully a Champion now that Vaddon offered the sacrifice.”
I wanted to ask how he knew, but it was irrelevant, as Vaddon’s footsteps echoed down the dais. He ignored Elias, a crumpled heap on the floor, and retrieved another adamas stone from a fallen guard. The gem glowed blue almost immediately as his strides brought him closer to where Hart swayed. Alone. Undefended.
“We have to do something,” I whispered.
“What exactly do you have in mind?”
Wasn’t that the question? Though I was unimpacted by the calming magic, I knew I wasn’t better than Vaddon with a blade. Still, if that was my only option, I had to try.
“Get Alysa away from there,” I said to Charon. We’d lost everyone else. I needed to get her out of here alive.
Vaddon’s sword raised as he crossed the distance to Hart. Themis watched his progress with a slight curve to her lip. She appeared … impressed by this display.
I had to act. My only choice was to unleash the stored fear in my adamas ring. It wouldn’t help Alysa’s condition.
She screamed as the nightmares took hold. With only moments gained, I couldn’t waste them. I sprinted from beneath Charon, headed directly for Hart. “Get Alysa!”
My heart broke as I realized my nightmare magic affected Hart, too. He screamed my name, and I didn’t have to imagine the scenarios he witnessed in his mind. I shut down my guilt at causing him this pain. He’d consider it worthwhile if we accomplished our goal.
The physical presence of our connection seemed to throb with each step I took toward him. My every move echoed the words I’d whispered earlier. Hart didn’t want to be Themis’s Champion—he chose differently. He wasn’t supposed to have to die for this to work.
I spared a glance at the pendant as I ran. It gave me nothing.
Choice. Hewantedto choose. He hadtriedto choose. Why wouldn’t it let him?
You’re going to have to think bigger.
Eris’s words circled in my thoughts as, mentally, I reached for the connection to Hart. The steps in Themis’s escape clause seemed so clear. Make a sacrifice, spill theblood of the Champion. Why had Eris’s trials not come with a similar instruction manual?
Heat flooded me, like it always did when Hart and I touched. Except now I wasn’t touching him.
My steps faltered.
Of course Themis’s path would have order to it. And Eris’s path would demand chaos.
I picked up my pace, knowing my nightmares would only last a moment longer. I needed to be across the room at Hart’s side by then.
Break the curse. Free Hart from the game.
Those had been our goals, but they hadn’t been big enough for my goddess. I’d always intended to stay Eris’s Champion. I had truly believed I could help Kavios in my role. It was part of why I had chosen the path in the first place.
But maybe I didn’t need the designation of Champion to do hard things.
I’d been doing them my entire life.
My mind spun with each step, with each breath, with each unsteady beat of my heart. I wanted to save Kavios. I wanted to save Hart. I wanted the goddesses’ game to never be a problem for our kingdom ever again. No loopholes. No second chances.
The purple glow of my ring faltered.
