A cruel curse.
All of them were so very cruel.
Celeste was already there, speaking to a group of Starling nobles. Her friend’s cape was magnificent, specially made for her demonstration. Somehow, a tailor in the Starling realm had managed to make silk that was so thin, so translucent, it almost resembled glass. Faintly silver, with stars sewn into its edges, crystalline and glittering.
Isla had to stop herself from smiling at her friend, from acknowledging her at all.
The king was there too, surrounded by his own nobles and advisers and by wealthy islanders who wore gold cuffs and necklaces, who were so decked in gold, they looked like statues gilded by their king.
Cleo entered, joined by her entourage, who trailed her like guards.
Azul laughed with a group, interacting with them more like friends than a leader speaking to his subjects.
Isla was alone. Not surrounded by anyone. Even Ella had left her side, waiting in the wings with the other attendants.
So was Grim. He appeared across the room, making the nobles closest to him scuttle like roaches.
His dark eyes found hers, and she saw an understanding there.
Both were alone.
Was that why he had helped her?
Was it because he knew what it felt like?
No. He was her enemy. She had to remember that.
“Welcome,” Celeste said. She was standing by something tall and cloaked. It looked like a statue with a sheet shrouding it.
It was not.
“My demonstration is a trial of fear. Whoever conquers their greatest fear first is the winner.” A silver hourglass sat across the room, counting the seconds down.
Demonstrations were planned carefully. Some were chosen to showcase the hosting ruler’s superiority. Some were chosen to demonstrate a particular opponent’s weakness. Some, like this one, had a more mysterious purpose.
With a silver-gloved hand, Celeste tugged at the glittering sheet, revealing a towering mirror.
It was an ancient Starling relic the ruler had brought from her own realm. Isla had watched it for over a year, standing in the corner of Celeste’s room like a specter. It could only be used by a person once, so Isla hadn’t been able to practice. But she was almost certain about what her biggest fear would be.
“Who would like to begin?” Celeste asked.
Fear was perhaps a ruler’s greatest weakness. What they feared most could doom their realm. It was a good test.
But it was not why Celeste had chosen this challenge.
The king stepped forward. The moment he pressed his palm against the mirror, its glass rippled, water shifting in a goblet.
Suddenly, it stilled. And so did he.
For minutes, the king went on a journey none of them could see. Oro just stared blankly at the mirror, hand still pressed to its face, brows occasionally jerking together.
Everyone had a fear. Isla wondered what the king was so afraid of. According to Celeste, the mirror trapped someone until they succeeded in besting their greatest fear. Someone could be stuck inside it forever. Many had died using the relic.
Oro straightened, the spell broken. The king’s hand was released.
He had conquered it.
In just three minutes.
