Page 57 of Royal Hunt
Whatever Nessian had told Gregory was immediately put into action. Gregory threw the ball straight up into the air. The fae across the boundary were all busy watching the ball, and not Nessian. As it fell down, he jumped straight to meet it, then pounded it straight into the ground at an angle with his fist.
The ball shot toward three fae too fast to follow, and they died in a red mist when it exploded between them.
My stomach turned, and Anna retched loudly behind me. Maven’s face was red as he strained to hold Ellis up. If they threw a ball at them, they were dead.
Thank god the balls were gone.
“Round Two. Go.”
Another group of twelve balls appeared. My heart sank and despair crumbled the faces of everyone around me. We couldn’t do this forever. We’d already used up all our tricks!
Fae and half-fae alike scrambled toward the new balls, stumbling and falling. This time the grabs wouldn’t be as clean. More people would die.
It was all so surreal and horrifying.
Lyra tried to grab a ball but was too late, and a fae twice her size got there first and cocked his arm back. She wouldn’t be able to dodge. Two other fae were looking across at Maven’s shaking shoulders, sensing an easy target. They pulled their arms back.
The fae threw.
“POINT OF ORDER!” I screamed.
“Point of order has been called. A time-out is in progress. All contestants are required to pause.”
The fae’s arms dropped and they held their balls close to their chest, scowling at being denied their easy kills. Cassus’s voice sounded extremely pissed this time, but I remembered what Pari had told us earlier. They had to answer any question we asked about the games.
Any question.
My mouth was dry with fear.
Everyone hovered, hanging in suspended motion, staring at me.
Pari’s eyes were wide as she urged me to say something.
“What is the point of the Royal Hunt?” I called out hastily.
It felt like the entire world held its breath as my voice echoed unnaturally across the field. Cassus’s answer came but it was reluctant, as if he were fighting back each and every word.
“The point of the games is to distract the fae society’s attention from ongoing domestic issues as well as dispose of any political prisoners causing too much trouble. It also allows me and the high fae to profit from enriching our breeding manors with new human blood. My orders from the council were to find the girl from the prophecy, and kill her.”
My jaw dropped.
It was dead quiet.
“No! Don’t … that’s not—” Cassus cut himself off, perhaps realizing there wasn’t anything he could say to salvage the situation. The fae battling with us dropped their balls, shock and despair twisting their features.
“There is magick here!” Pari shouted out to them, shooting me a crazed look. “The prince here has it. I saw him use it last night! He conjured fire!”
Lyra eyed the balls and the fae, torn on whether she should grab one or not.
“The game will continue!” Cassus boomed.
“Point of order!” sneered a hulking blue fae, all muscles and standing at least seven feet tall.
“Point of order has been called. A time-out is in progress. All contestants are required to pause.”
Each word from Cassus sounded like it was causing him physical pain.
“It’s part of the same bloodmagick that took our magic,” Pari whispered, in awe. “Magick is balance. The balance requires he revokes his fae ability to trick and lie while he holds our magicks hostage here.”
