Corliss and her flunky strode into the henge, their wings casting shadows in the dying light. “How is the training coming along, mage?” Her eyes were full of murder. I could almost hear my own screaming and see the Binder magically linking me to a blood tree, the branches turning a deep red.
“I’m pretty badass, honestly.”
“Good.” She swept by us, cold as January. “You’ll need it for the feasting tournament,” she said over her shoulder. The two walked past the Binder and Nora, then disappeared into the forest just as the last of the sun’s glow faded into darkness.
“Where are they going?” Hekla asked.
“They’re off to the human world to find auras.” Lucus watched the forest with unmistakable longing. It was a keen reminder he had inborn traits I’d never be fully comfortable with. “Did she say tournament?” he asked.
“She did. Please tell me that means we’re going to play a mean game of canasta before the feast.”
“Sadly, a simple game of cards has never been a part of a fae tournament.”
“For fuck’s sake. We can’t catch a break. As if a prison escape and a super dangerous portal spell weren’t enough. Now we have to entertain Mistress Evil Face in a twisted bunch of games that will definitely involve pain.”
“I am over pain. And magical surprises, honestly.” Hekla rubbed her temples.
“All right, Lucus. Spill it. We need to know what we’re going to see at this tournament of awfulness.”
Chapter 15
The Binder and Nora joined us, confusion wrinkling their brows.
Removing a magestone from his pouch, the Binder said, “Corliss mentioned something about a tournament. Lucus, can you tell us what she is talking about? I’ve never seen the fae host anything that would fit my idea of a game.”
“I haven’t been a part of a fae tournament in perhaps three hundred fifty years. I was a young one then, but I still remember the thrill of the danger and the complexity of the power used during the competition. The tournament consists of three parts: a game involving a large group of those who will attend the feast, jousting between two champions chosen by the alpha, and a one-on-one duel between two high-ranking fae as determined by the alpha.”
Seriously? “So it turns out my childhood trip to Medieval Times in Atlanta won’t have been a waste.”
Hekla pinched the bridge of her nose.
“What type of game did the group play?” I asked Lucus, who had leaned against one of the henge stones, his color fading. “I can only assume we’ll be dragged into this nightmare.”
His eyes searched my face, and I wondered what he was looking for there. “All participants were given a weapon. The type varied and the players had to refrain from using anything but that single weapon. No magic. No flying. No other tools. Our alpha had her guards give out blunt objects such as sticks, rocks, and dulled fae knives. She set up a goal for the players. They had to reach a box filled with gold. Whoever arrived first won the treasure. It was a brutal game, but none were seriously injured.”
“If we have to play, we’ll just agree not to destroy one another, right?” Hekla picked at her cuticles.
“I doubt it’s going to be that easy,” Nora muttered. “Arleigh loves bloodshed.”
“Awesome. Okay, Lucus. Don’t hold back,” I said. “What was the deal with the second event?”
“Our high hunter sought two dark unicorns. Then two fae with bound wings rode against one another in the joust. Both were outfitted with thin lances that broke upon contact. The unseelie won’t do it that way though, I wouldn’t think. Our seelie fae jousting was challenging, but there was a clear point system. A touch was one point, breaking a lance was—”
Hekla smacked my arm. “Did he just say unicorn?”
“Yeppers. There was a skull of one at the cursed castle.”
She clicked her tongue and nodded quickly. “Sure. Right. Carry on while I once again freak out quietly over here.”
“What exactly is a dark unicorn? I suppose it’s a bit scarier than the pearly magical ones they have in human faerie tales.”
Neither the Binder nor Nora seemed to have any idea. This whole thing was new to them as well. Mages must not have been invited to fae parties, plus, from what Lucus had said, the events were few and far between.
Lucus coughed. “I need to feed. Forgive me.” He left the henge and headed for the woods.
The Binder watched him go, an odd look on his face. “Is he dying? I’ve seen fae wither—from what, I don’t know—but some fade after a traumatic experience or from poisoning.”
I swallowed a big lump in my throat. “The curse that held him in the Mage Duke’s castle is hurting him somehow. That’s why we have to find his brothers and get them all back. I have to find a way to break this curse.”
“I have seen fated mate bonds, but never between a fae and a mage. How does it feel? I’ve never spoken to anyone about them.”
Grateful for a break from talking about the horrors of the upcoming tournament, I answered as honestly as I could considering the bond was new. “It’s like I have no choice on the subject of caring about him. I just love everything about him. The way he walks with a bit of a list to one side. How his upper lip curls when he talks about things he doesn’t approve of. His grouchiness even. It’s insane. I feel our connection like another element of my magic. When the bond is alert, for lack of a better word, his words seem to echo inside me. I feel safe with him when I probably shouldn’t.” I shook my head, smirking at myself. “I know better than to believe the bad guy’s dark backstory, but my heart doesn’t care much for being logical when it comes to Lucus.”
The Binder had gone very still while we were talking,
