Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
(And she was a mindgazer. What in the fuck was she doing in here?)
Okay, Daisy replied (no idea if that was true or why she’d say it).
The female nodded and looked down at the male at her feet, then at Daisy putting a hand over her ribs.
Okay, the female murmured before bending and grabbing the male’s arm. She dragged him through the cots, her lack of effort not at all matching the size difference. Like Daisy, she had more strength than what was apparent. She dragged him out to the wash area. If anyone was awake to notice, they didn’t stir or move to look. When she came back in, so light and graceful in her step that she practically danced, it was without the male.
Without another word, the skinny female climbed into the cot beside Daisy. It hadn’t been occupied when Daisy had fallen asleep, just like the other nearby cots, still empty.
Thank you, Daisy thought at her. Whether the female had saved her life or not, she’d definitely helped a great fucking deal. Another blow like the first one would’ve crippled her until Faelynn could get here. Maybe even beyond.
She just barely saw the female nod before turning her back on Daisy and settling.
With each breath, pain stabbed into Daisy’s side. It hurt to move. It hurt to exist. When she did move, the bones sounded like they were grating against each other. The break was bad.
Faelynn is trying to get in, but they won’t let her, Tarian thought, his tone flat and colorless. He was trying to control his rage. Can you hang on until morning?
I’m going to have to. How long have you been listening? Did you notice the female with mindgazer magic?
I woke up when your surprise registered. I did notice, yes. That talent is not listed on any official documents, but then, most talents aren’t. It is unusual to sacrifice a bloodline with mindgazer magic to games such as this, though, and more unusual to sacrifice that kind of power. She seemed…lost when she fought, though. Unfocused. She won, but barely.
She’d been called directly after Daisy, and Daisy had been busy getting locked in. She’d missed that battle.
Tarian replayed what he remembered of it, a hazy memory within his concern for Daisy and the frustration that they had to do this at all. The frustration of an unsure future. The memory was enough. Plenty, actually.
Daisy would’ve chuckled, but the excruciating pain prevented her.
The female did seem lost, unsure where to stand or which foot to lean on. Her movements were clunky, and her blocks were usually clumsy. The sword strikes she missed emphasized her scrawny arms and lack of muscle tone. But the strikes that landed…
Daisy couldn’t have landed them better herself.
She didn’t barely win, just like I didn’t accidentally win. She’s not a sacrifice at all. She doesn’t look like much—
Neither do you.
I beg your fucking pardon, Mr. Adonis, she thought, faux-scandalized. I look like a little dove, weak and fragile and sometimes pretty in flight. I look like the sort of creature a predator snaps up, and so does she. She cultivated her image, just like I did.
Is that what you think I am calling you? He paused. Of course you do. You wouldn’t know any different. Well. Yes, I agree, she is not as she seems, just like you. Be careful there. She has an ulterior motive in helping you, and that is likely to get close to you. And that is deadly in your situation.
Yes, Mother, thank you. I had no idea how the world works. What sort of dove are you talking about?
I’ll find out who put her forward as a champion. In the meantime, get some sleep. Faelynn will be in as soon as she can. I’ll see you tomorrow.
With that, his mind slipped away.
The pain controlled her world, a dull throb of intensity she couldn’t filter into the background. There would be no sleep for her tonight. She might as well replay everything she knew, from the battles to the male who’d accosted her in her sleep with no real desire to kill her, to the female who’d helped her.
It was the female she kept coming back to. What was her game here? She could see helping Daisy so as to get closer and get information, as Tarian had said. But why reveal the mindgazer magic? That was huge. It hinted at her power level, the status she should have, and the strangeness of ending up here. Something definitely didn’t add up.
Daisy was missing something, and as Tarian had said, that could prove deadly.
The next afternoon, Daisy winced as she shifted. The blood covering the marble floor was slick on her smooth-soled boots. The nobles lounged in their places, eating and chatting as the next opponent came out.