I’m suddenly sucked back to reality, remembering the stiff chair I’m sitting in, the stiff dress clinging to my body, and the equally stiff contestants beside me. I shift in my seat, my arm brushing against the hard one that belongs to the prince I haven’t spoken to in days.
I run a hand under my rib where I can almost feel the jagged scar given to me by the same boy who was almost the cause of Jax’s death. I sneak a glance at Kai beside me, cool and collected as ever, despite what happened. Or so he seems. I’ve gotten quite good at pinpointing the cracks in his masks, picking apart his facade.
I suddenly realize that Tealah is speaking to the crowd, gesturing at us with excited movements. I don’t care enough to listen to what she is saying, but the crowd is eating it up. They love this, these Trials. It makes me sick.
“—now for what you have all been waiting for!” I finally decide to pay attention to Tealah’s words as she amplifies them across the arena. “As you all know, this year’s Purging Trials will be...unique.” She gestures to Kai, clearly indicating that he is the reason for this. Another test for their future Enforcer.
She continues with a flash of her blindingly white teeth. “And because of that, the first Trial was outside of the Bowl with no audience to witness it.” The crowd murmurs at that, clearly unhappy that they couldn’t witness the violence. “But do not fret, citizens of Ilya!” Tealah exclaims enthusiastically, “You will still get to watch the highlights, but without all of the boring bits.” She laughs and the crowd joins her, rumbling the stadium.
“So, here is the first Trial in the sixth ever Purging Trials!” The audience roars with excitement before falling silent as we all shift in our seats to get a view of the enormous screen at the far end of the oval arena. Recordings flicker to life, snippets of each of us provided by the line of Sights standing below it.
I watch myself, and every other opponent, wake up in the forest, confusion and concern written on each of our faces as we read the note left for us. I witness Blair’s fight with Andy before the scene cuts to Hera, sinking in quicksand she stumbled into deep in the forest. She’s screaming, eyes pleading with us—no, with the Sight standing idly by.
She vanishes from the screen, and I’m suddenly staring at Kai. But he’s not alone. He’s brawling with Braxton by a fire, trading punches in the dim light before burning each other with the flames.
The crowd cheers and quiets, claps and stomps while watching the Trial as though they were there. I’m silent, still, stiff-backed like my opponents beside me. We are watching ourselves fight to survive.
Suddenly, my own face flashes before my eyes. And then I’m watching the horrors of those illusions all over again. Kitt’s dead body floating lifelessly in the pool. The starved little girls begging for help—myself begging for help. I see the terror on my face, see myself crumple to the ground.
The body sitting beside me shifts, and my eyes drift slowly towards him. My gaze crashes into Kai’s, ignoring his clenched jaw and taut brows. It’s his cold eyes I focus on. I’ve never seen a stare so icy, yet so full of fire. The look in his eyes is chilling, and I shiver. It’s like icicles, his gaze. Pretty but sharp. Cool but deadly. Captivating but cutting.
He doesn’t break my gaze, and I swallow. Then he’s saying something, though his mouth doesn’t open. My head whips to the screen, and I’m watching myself strain to hold my bow up with the pain of my wound. I watch Kai rush over to me as I crumple to the ground. Watch something like worry cross his face as he tries to keep me awake. Tries to keep me alive.
I glance at him again, but he’s focused on the screen, not bothering to return my gaze. I hadn’t realized he could look at me like that. Look at me like he cared. It frustrates and flusters me all at once, but I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from the scene playing out before me, playing out before the entire crowd.
I hadn’t realized just how often the Sights were watching us, and my face feels hot as most of my conversation with Kai while he stitched me up is blasted for all to hear. And the crowd is loving it. I swear I hear a collective sigh each time Kai touches me or says my name, accompanied by murmurs of jealousy for that very reason.
I watch Jax Blink from tree to tree, and then Andy and him together, screaming as dozens of snakes surround them. I watch Hera stumble across Blair before a sloppy fight ensues, one where latter is mostly yelling in frustration because she can’t find her invisible opponent.
Kai and I are back again, and this time, I’m nursing his wounds. The crowd buzzes as they lean in to hear our teasing. I throw a glance at Kai beside me who doesn’t bother to look my way, though the corner of his lips twitch, telling me he finds this amusing.
Flashes of each opponent over the days flit across the screen, fighting one another while fighting against the dangers that inhabit the Whispers. Kai and I are back too soon, and—
Oh, Plagues, no.
Thankfully, the Sight only caught the very end of our dance before Sadie interrupted, but it’s enough to get the crowd hollering with delight. I can’t say I blame them. Too much bloodshed can get boring, and this is quite the unexpected twist. Their future Enforcer is giving them quite the show.
I stare down Kai who is, to my annoyance, smirking now. My voice is hushed and highly agitated as I say, “Why didn’t you tell me there were Sights around?”
His eyes finally flick to mine, causing my heart to hammer against my ribcage.
Stupid, stupid organ.
He leans in so close that his lips brush the shell of my ear. “I was a little distracted.”
I will my pounding pulse to slow and force my eyes away from his, turning my attention back to the screen where I watch myself fight Sadie.
And then I watch her die all over again.
It seems that a Sight failed to catch Kai burying her, though part of me wonders if that was intentional. The king would have likely found a decency such as that to be a weakness, a flaw in the Enforcer he’s created. So, the kingdom will never see that shred of kindness Kai showed. It seems that secret solely belongs to the two of us.
There’s movement flickering across the crowd as the audience around us presses their pointer and middle fingers together, the symbol hovering over their hearts. A diamond. Ilya’s image of strength, power, and honor.
They are paying their respects to the fallen.
The contestants beside me do the same, and the crowd is silent, utterly still until the final fight at the edge of the Whispers lights up the screen.
Blood. So much blood. The scene is utter chaos, and I have no idea where to look or who to focus on. The angle switches back and forth between different Sights documenting the fight, focusing on different Elites. I watch each of us battle against one another, out for blood and those bloody bands.
Then I finally get to see how Hera died.