“A game, of course,” she answered ominously. “You will have a teammate. You must work together to solve the clues I give you every day for five days. If you die during the course of the game, your partner will be put to death. Conversely, if your partner dies and you manage to somehow survive, you will be executed. Survive together until sundown on the fifth day, and I will give you what your heart desires.” She closed her eyes for a brief moment and then opened them, a smirk forming on her lips. “I see trunks filled with riches. Is that all it would take to fulfill you? Gold and gems?”
“It would help,” I rasped. “Do I get to choose my partner?”
One side of her mouth curled up. “You do not. I have already chosen him. More correctly, his heart chose you. And yours chose him as well.”
“His heart chose me? Who is he?”
She motioned to one of her guards. “Bring in the human prince.”
Prince? I turned to the massive doors through which I’d entered the room and watched them part. Two guards dragged in a man whose feet limply pushed at the ground as he tried to work them. His head hung down, but I knew those clothes. I knew his shape and knew that when he raised his head, his obsidian and gold eyes would be looking at me. Glenlyn O’Hare had pretended to be him. I should’ve known it wasn’t.
I did know it wasn’t. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t him.
“Why did you hurt him?” I whispered.
“Do you even know his name?” the Queen asked.
“No,” I breathed, but my heart ached to see him like this, broken. When he managed to raise his head, one eye was swollen shut and his cheek had been sliced open. Bruises marred every inch of exposed skin. Even on his hands and feet.
“Hearts are beastly things,” the Queen inserted. “Fae and human alike are capable of feeling love, and every heart is tethered to a select few others. There are tethers that bind parents to children, and the hearts of siblings and friends. But one tether is stronger than the rest. Humans speak of soul mates, and so the strongest tether would be exactly that. He and you share this strongest of tethers. Your hearts are bound. It’s why you feel something for him, though you know very little about him.”
There was truth in her words. I didn’t know why or what was happening, but the wind was knocked out of me when I saw him being dragged into the room. And it wasn’t just because of the shape he was in; it was because it was him in that shape.
“What if I don’t want to play your game?” I questioned.
“You will be executed,” she announced with no emotion, gesturing toward O’Hare’s head. “You are guilty of tardiness and have wasted enough of my time. Besides, our prince needs to be taught an important lesson.”
“And what lesson is that?” I asked.
The Queen locked eyes with me. “You will see soon enough.”
“And you’ll provide me with riches if we manage to win?” My stomach churned. This could change everything. Father would stop obsessing with finding Mother. He could move on and stop drinking, and Oryn and I could stop hating him and move on. This could fix everything. This could mend us all.
“I will give you what your heart desires above all things,” she replied mystically.
“And you’ll let us both go if we survive five days?”
She smiled. “Of course.”
The young man shook his head, speaking for the first time since he was dragged in. “Tell her you won’t play.”
“I can’t do that.” My head would roll and bounce against O’Hare’s if I didn’t. Besides that, I couldn’t watch him die. I’d never be able to live with myself if I let that happen.
“Just let me play alone, Coeur. Please, let her go.” The young man struggled against his captors, panting. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. I knew the Queen had no intention of letting me out of the castle alive. If I declined her invitation, she would kill me. My only option was to play her game. To play, I had to survive.
I’d never seen a faery before, even though Oryn told stories to warn me out of the woods. But I remember what he told me: don’t trust them, be careful how you word things, never eat their food or drink their wine, and never, ever play games with them. The Fae were legendary tricksters.
“You promise to let us go and not kill us if we win your game?” I asked her again to be sure.
She rolled her eyes. “That’s what I said, human. If you win and survive together until sunset on the fifth human day, you will be set free and I will reward you with the thing your heart most desires.”
I looked at my partner. “What’s your name?”
“Carden,” he rasped, his voice quivering uncontrollably. “And I’m telling you to run, Arabella.”
My name on his lips was like a plea and a prayer all at once. I knew playing was our only way out of here, if it was even possible in the first place. But if I was doomed to die, I’d proudly die at his side fighting for a better life.
He groaned as an invisible force tightened around his ribs. I heard the cracks, one by one, as they strained beneath the pressure. The sound was like the snapping of dry twigs.
I reached out to him, only to be held back by a similar force. “Your answer,” the Queen demanded.
“I’ll play! Just stop hurting him!” I yelled angrily, desperate to stop his pain.
The force, controlled by the Queen, released Carden and he collapsed bonelessly to the ground.
CHAPTER SIX
CARDEN
I could barely breathe. How was I supposed to play a game that gambled Arabella’s life when I was in this shape? My bones were on fire. “Promise to play fairly, Coeur,” I bit out. “No invisible fae beating us half to death before we play. No binding our thoughts or tongues.”
“I would never influence the game itself,” she sniffed. “I want you to feel every experience, including all the joy and pain that comes with triumph and defeat. And I want you to know they are real. That’s part of the fun.” She turned to Arabella. “The two of you will dine with us tonight as my personal guests. Tomorrow at dawn, the game begins.”
Coeur leaned in close to whisper in Arabella’s ear. “A word of advice: Men have fickle hearts and lying tongues. Don’t let your heart make decisions your mind tells you are foolish.” She turned to me. “As for you, Prince, I can’t wait to see the beast she awakens in you.” Turning to face us both, she added, “The game is in play from dawn to dusk each day, after which time you will celebrate with us—assuming you’re still alive.” With those ominous parting words, she turned and walked away, vanishing into thin air.