I wasn’t. Not even close. But maybe I could prove I was better than theworst.
The only way to discover Lugh’s plans was to infiltrate his castle. To do that, I would have to sign a blood contract. But the great thing about magic is, there’s always a way out. A counter spell, a loophole,something.
With a deep breath, I gave a nod. “I’min.”
* * *
Turnedout it wasn’t as simple as signing my freedom away on a blood contract. Lugh paraded me through the cobblestone courtyard and then into a Great Hall packed to the brim with tittering fae. The large, expansive room rose up to a hammerbeam roof made with dark timber, rounded off in decorative stone-carved corbels. Flickering sconces highlighted the collection of swords that were hanging in rows by the entry. The bottom half of the walls were glistening wood, polished to perfection. The top half had been painted crimsonred.
Twenty rows of wooden tables spread from one end of the room to the next, facing the front where a throne made of twisting black vines sat on an elevated stone dais. Behind it, a flames roared in a dominatingfireplace.
My stomach flipped as I stared. He’d fashioned himself a throne. This was worse than I’dthought.
Lugh strode through the packed hall with his head held high, his hand curled tightly around my arm. He practically dragged me forward. Whispers and murmurs rose to a harsh crescendo. When we reached the front, he deposited me at the front of the dais. He settled into his throne and crossed his ankle over his leg, leaning back with a smugsmile.
The room fell silent with ahush.
My heart thumped as I scanned the crowd. They all stared at their King in awe, eyes shining with eageranticipation.
“Welcome to the Court of Wraiths. We are ghosts, spectres. The rest of Faerie does not know we exist.” Lugh flicked his fingers at a small squat hobgoblin who scurried out of theshadows.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. It had been decades since I’d seen one of these creatures. I thought most had died from the plague and the rest during the human world wars. They were strange little fae. This one was male, with greenish skin, a long snout, and ears that were as big as his face, pointing up toward the ceiling. He was about as tall as my waist, but his feet were three times the size ofmine.
The hobgoblin that scurried toward me wore a billowing black cloak and nothing else. Even though I knew he was harmless, I had to fight the urge to step back. They could turn vicious when they wanted tobe.
I slid my eyes from the hobgoblin to King Lugh.Court of Wraiths?Not only was Lugh calling himself a King, he’d made his own Court. I had enough information to go straight to Clark now. I could just sprint out the door and never look back. Of course, I still didn’t know what Lugh had planned. And I didn’t know what the cauldron coulddo.
The hobgoblin shoved an ancient parchment into my hands with words written out in an elaborate scrawl. His little voice was high-pitched when he spoke. “This is your blood contract. It binds you to never speak of this place or what you find withinit.”
He held out a pen,waiting.
Bracing myself, I grabbed the parchment and signed myname.
The hobgoblin let out a screech, and the entire hall joined in with the cheer. I glanced from one wicked grin to the next, wondering what the hell I’d gotten myself into. These were not welcoming faces. They weren’t applauding because they were happy I’d joined their Court of Wraiths. I knew that sparkle in their eye. I’d walked straight into some kind of trap, and the hammer was about tofall.
The hobgoblin sauntered over to King Lugh and shoved the contract into his hands. A moment later, Lugh had whisked it out of sight. The little creature strode from one end of the raised dais to the next, hands tucked neatly behind his back. His oversized ears swished from side to side. Suddenly, he stopped and whirled toward the crowd with a dramatic flair that only hobgoblinspossessed.
“Every new member of the Court of Wraiths must undergo a trial to prove their worth,” the hobgoblin said, his wicked eyes flashing. He glanced at me over his shoulder. “What is yourgift?”
I let a beat pass, and then another. I didn’t want to tell this room of fae my power, but I didn’t see a way out of it either. “I’m skilled with theblade.”
Out of the corner of my eye, Lugh shifted on his throne. The hobgoblin looked delighted. A murmur even went through the crowd. Great. Just what I needed. They were excited that I’m good at combat. That never led to anythinggood.
“We could use a warrior,” the Kingmurmured.
“Very well then.” The hobgoblin clapped his hands and turned toward the crowd once again. “It is now time for you, my dear Court of Wraiths, to vote on the trial that Moira must endure to join us. As always, you will be given three options. The first of which is this: Moira must slay as many vampire mannequins as possible within five minutes. She must beat the current record, set by our Kinghimself.”
Mannequins? Sure, okay. No problem at all. That seemed fairly straightforward and not nearly as gruesome as I’d expected. I shot a glance at the King and tried to take a measure of his skill. He was clearly strong and formidable. I wouldn’t want him to sneak up behind me in a shadowy alley. His muscular physique confirmed he spent hours training for time in the field. But what was his skill? If it wasn’t swordplay, his record didn’t stand a chance againstme.
Much to my disappointment, only a few hands shot up at thatoption.
“Brilliant.” The hobgoblin’s smile stretched wide. “Second option, Moira must fight our strongest warrior. The winner is the first to draw blood. Injuries areencouraged.”
I shifted on my feet and frowned. The first to draw blood? Injuries encouraged? While I had no doubt in my abilities, the trial was quickly transforming from a harmless display of strength to a blood-soakedbattle.
Much to my relief, only a few hands shot up onceagain.
The hobgoblin twisted to face me and grinned. At the look in his yellow-green eyes, unease clenched my stomach. Suddenly, I understood what was about to happen. If the pattern followed, this next option had something nasty instore.
