Drake smirks, crossing his arms, enjoying the game. Savoring his win.
“Your father put out a hit on you.” My stomach sinks, even though it’s what I’d guessed. “You’d be shocked how much he was willing to pay to get you out of his way.”
Rev’s lips part, but otherwise he shows no reaction. Is he not surprised either?
“You were never good enough, Rev. Your father doesn’t want to hand such a powerful court to a pathetic heir like you. He’d rather give it to his bastards. Sad, isn’t it?” Drake laughs. “But of course, he doesn’t want the world to know of your true weakness. He wanted you out of the way neatly. And I agreed to hand it to him.”
I wrinkle my nose. The fae world is screwed if this jerk is to be their new high ruler.
“And what about you?” I ask, for the first time turning to Rev’s friends. “What’s your excuse?”
Tears well in Rev’s eyes.Dammit.
I hate this. I hate it.
They’ll blame me for it, I realize.
When this trial is done, they’re going to tell all of the courts that I’m the one that killed Rev. I know it. I can feel it in the way they look at me. That’s another part of Drake’s plan.
I’m the fall guy, whether I live or not.
I pin my gaze to Brielle. “You wanted to kill me for being a betrayer. A murderer. Those are your words. Yet, you stand here, looking your friend in the eye as you watch him bleed out from a wound you supplied.” I say. Rook lifts his chin, unwilling to look me in the eye.
Brielle sneers. “I want to killyou. But that’s not a secret.”
“But first... you’re going to kill your friend and become what you hate me for?”
“He’s not my friend,” Rook says, still keeping his attention elsewhere.
“He betrayed us first,” Brielle says.
I narrow my eyes, but Brielle turns away, apparently over entertaining me.
“How?” Rev coughs a desperate plea. I don’t know why I’m dragging this out. I don’t know why I keep asking questions because every second gets me closer to giving in.
The raven overhead soars lower. Closer.
I damn well know anything other than compliance is suicide. And yet, panic has my eager darkness coiling inside of me. Preparing. Ready to fight if necessary.
She’s marching toward me before I even notice Brielle turn. Her fists are clenched, eyes ravenous. Rook grabs her by the shoulder to stop her.
Right, this mysterious truce Drake and Kari negotiated for me. “You,” she spits at me. Drake chuckles. “First he,” she points at Rev, tears now rolling down his cheeks, “tells us all about how he’s going to kill you to avenge his brother. He tells me every day he wants it just as badly as I do. Then, in that last challenge, the orb showed me a vision of you two—together.”
My stomach drops. I don’t ask her what she means by “together.” I don’t dare turn my attention to Rev. I cannot bear to see the look on his face at this revelation.
Her bottom lip trembles, and she finally turns away, into Rook’s chest.
I stare at them—shocked stupid—for entirely too long. Finally, I get my wits about me.
“I’ve never even been alone in a room with Rev. All he’s ever done is hate me...”
“Like I believe you!” she says, the sound muffled by Rook’s chest. Rev is still silent, but from the corner of my eyes I notice him fall to his knees with a soft plop.
“So, you’re going to murder your friend and apparentlover,” I say with more acid than I should have, still focused intently on Brielle’s back, “over something a scarcely-understood magical being showed you in a vision? The entire point of that trial was to screw us up. Show us what would hurt the most. That doesn’t mean it was true.”
Maybe I want Brielle to change her mind. If they turn on Drake and Kari now in favor of Rev, maybe I could save myself from this fate. From what I’m to witness.
From the light that’s about to leave this world forever.
