Page 10 of The Never List
“I haven’t lost hope,” he says, but a muscle in his jaw ticks.
I hit a nerve, but let’s face it—that’s what I do.
“I don’t want your choice,” Axl says, shaking his head. “You should at least see who’s out there.” He leans forward with his elbows on his knees and grins. “You never know. This year could be different.” Axl’s excited energy is contagious; it’s one of my favorite things about him. He’s rarely ever dismayed by obstacles and is always down for anything—especially all my bad ideas.
“Come on,” he says, standing and motioning toward a long mahogany table across the room. “I commissioned new masks for the occasion.”
We follow him to the table. It’s clear which mask is meant for each of us; though most of their design is identical, they’re easily distinguishable by the gemstones set under the left eye slits that match the official colors of our cities: Kal’s has rubies, Pierce’s has emeralds, and Axl’s, sapphires. Mine has black diamonds, a nod to my Obsidian city.
I run my fingers over mine, admiring the detail in the metalwork. It’s a full-face mask with a vertical opening from beneath the nose to below the lower lip and two horizontal ones for the eyes. The rest is covered with intricate designs that whirl toward a sharp chin.
We scoop them up, sliding them over our faces in a move that almost feels rehearsed. Something shifts among us, our powers snapping through the room. United and strong, the Legends of Chaos are something to be feared.
And tonight, I suppose, the woman I select will be the least terrified of them.
Axl claps me on the shoulder. “I’ll take your pick if you haven’t found anyone by midnight. Deal?”
I give him a nod as we head out the door and file into the elevator.
“She’s out there,” Axl says hopefully.
“She has to be,” Kal adds.
“And if she isn’t?” Pierce counters, always one to explore both sides.
“Then we go another year without our mate,” I answer plainly. “And risk losing our mothers’ protection of Lumathyst.”
5
Rylee
“Invitation,” the enforcer at the gates of the palace says in a gruff tone as we stop before him.
I hand mine over first, proud when my fingers don’t tremble. I deserve to be here. I deserve answers.
“Take a pin if you agree to the contract.” The enforcer holds out a silver bucket filled to the brim with glittering jeweled pins. I hesitate, but only for a second, before plucking one from the pile and securing it on my dress above my left breast. Ivy and Layce do the same.
My friends are right. The money I can get from selling this after the event outweighs the risks of being selected as a potential mate. I won’t go near the princes—just like Ivy and Layce said—so I won’t get chosen. Knowing I can feed a starving group of Ashlanders with the money earned from this pin makes it worth it.
I glance down at the jewel-encrusted gold pin as we follow a herd of other event guests up the palace steps and inside. The large, gilded base holds four tiny precious gemstones from the Legends’ cities: a ruby, an emerald, a sapphire, and a black diamond. The four gems surround a smaller cluster of clear diamonds in the center of the pin, making up a number that is now linked to my invitation.
Thirteen.
I do my best to think it’s a coincidence that I drew an unlucky number and focus on the relief barreling through me as we’re directed toward a hallway filled with glistening golden elevators. I made it through without a hitch. Not that I ever doubted Ivy’s forged invitation.
“I hate this part,” Layce whispers as we slide into the elevator.
“Deep breath,” Ivy says, her shoulder brushing Layce’s as we’re crowded into a corner.
Four other people pile in beside us: two giggling women our age, dressed in bright-yellow dresses with sparkling masks that look like they’re made from real honeybees, and an older couple that seems to be their parents. I glare at them for their lack of empathy for the creatures, knowing full well they could’ve used fabric for the design, like my mask. But that’s Lumathyst nobility for you—entitled, never thinking twice about a resource before exploiting it.
I tear my eyes from them. I wonder what it would be like to be here solely for the chance to be selected as a potential mate, and not to illegally search for answers about my missing sister.
A groove appears between Layce’s brows as the elevator jolts upward, moving at top speed as it carries us toward the roof of the palace. Ivy told me about it beforehand, but there’s nothing quite like experiencing it for myself. I can’t stop my grin at the rush, the knowledge that this tiny gold contraption now holds our lives. One break and we’ll all plummet to our deaths.
I let out a small, excited laugh. Maybe I’m as mad as Turner always says I am. As everyone says.
Maybe I don’t care. It’s easy to laugh at death when you’ve got nothing to lose.
