Not this time. This was the court case of the century, and Elijah wanted to make sure to set an example.
I had a choice to make. Emma’s life, or Lord Lucien’s.
It wasn’t much of a choice. I already knew what I had to do.
But gods, every part of me rebelled at the thought of it.
I was thrown into one of the holding rooms at the Field. My prosthetic was tossed in after me. I scrambled to put it on. It was painful— the gel liner and the prosthetic sock I wore was filthy, and my skin had developed a rash for wearing my prosthetic so long in prison without bathing. The area was green and yellow with infection. I might’ve screamed aloud with pain if the situation wasn’t so dire, but I gritted my teeth and forced my way through it.
Once I’d gotten to my feet, I began tugging at the doors of the holding room. All of them were locked.
“It’s no use. We must accept our fate.”
Lord Lucien’s deep tone made me still. I turned. He’d arrived for the short time we had for a final discussion.
I grabbed Lucien’s arms. “I can’t do this. I will not kill you.”
“Do not lie to me. You will do whatever is necessary to save Emma,” Lord Lucien told me gently.
He was right. And yet that didn’t make it any less painful. “Emma needs the both of us,” I pleaded weakly.
Lucien’s voice became more aggressive. "Ethan, I am giving youno choice. I’m not putting on a show. This is kill or be killed. If you don't end me, I'll be forced to slay you where you stand. And I will not hesitate. One of usmuststay alive, to protect Emma. If you cannot do what has to be done, I will.”
He was deadly serious. Magdalina had threatened me once— told me that if I could not protect my mate, she would find someone else to take my place.
Apparently, Lucien held the same opinion.
“How could you offer yourself up like this? You can still stop the battle. Say you won’t fight me.”
“From the moment you put that mask on, I knew one day I would have to give my life, so I could protect yours,” Lucien replied, and he grasped my arms. “For nearly two years now I have been concealing your movements, making excuses, hiding evidence. I was certain it all had to come to a close. I made peace with that long ago.”
So Lord Lucien had known all this time I was the Phantom, and had been covering for me. That night we’d fought in my lair before he’d set the cultist I’d tortured free came back to mind. He’d been trying to save me from myself.
I should’ve listened to my mentor and resisted succumbing to my darkness. We wouldn’t be here now if I had.
“I owe you so much.” My voice was heavy and choked. “It’s only because of you I was able to do what I could.”
“You made a choice to defend Malovia. Now it’s my turn to make a sacrifice for my country,” Lucien said. “We both know the king and queen can’t remain in power for long without ruining the nation. You and Emma are the best hope Malovia’s got. The fae can’t lose you. Let an old man go.”
He let his grip fall from my arms, and my own hold felt weak. I’d lost so much in service of my country. How much more was I bound to lose?
“I will not hold back,” Lucien told me. “The people need to see that you deserve your freedom. Use what I taught you to win.”
The doors of the holding room slid open. Direct sunlight hit my face, and I threw an arm up to shield my eyesight. Lord Lucien stepped forward into the arena, and I followed him.
The Field was open, blank and covered in a thin layer of snow. It reminded me of my time in the King’s Contest, and how Emma and I had fought here to win the crown. The arena felt far from kind. Again, it was a colosseum of death.
In the middle of the Field was a giant flaming pyre. It’d been built several feet high, and was blazing with flame. The stands of the Field were already full of participants eager to watch the match.
In the royal box stood Gabby and Elijah, with the rest of the Circle. Emma stood beside them, hands still bound and surrounded by guards. She remained still only by Lady Magdalina's hand, which was placed firmly on her shoulder.
Lord Lucien withdrew his sword from his side. There was a sword lying on the ground before me. It wasn’t my own, a cheap make of metal. I picked it up and found it was almost dull to the touch. My cousin certainly wasn’t doing me any favors.
Elijah strode forward. His voice projected outward with his illusion magic as he spoke. “This will be a trial-by-combat. To prove his innocence, Ethan Hastek has agreed to battle Lord Lucien, a member of the Circle, to the death. The loser’s body will be thrown on the pyre, burned, and promptly forgotten about. Let the match begin!”
The crowd broke into a roar, and Lord Lucien sprung, leaving me little time to react. I jumped out of the way and batted his sword aside, but it wasn’t a second after that he came for more. He swung his sword upward in two uniform arcs, but I combated them, my arms shaking with the force of his strength.
I dodged to the left and jabbed my sword outward, but it didn’t even graze his cloak before he lashed out once more. I ducked and rolled. The blade sang overhead, and adrenaline rushed through my body as I realized he’d almost cleaved me in two.
