A Wicked Game [The Crown Saga II] (Under Editing)

Abyss of Red

The first trial.

Why hadn't any of us thought of that? Because it had been almost a month since that barbaric event? Because of the dates?

My throat tightened, cutting off my air. I dug my fingers into the fabric covering my chest, begging my racing heart to calm down and clear the haze starting to shroud my mind.

I had finally gotten rid of the nightmares that had haunted me behind closed eyes for weeks following that trial. Now, I was being dragged right into that dreadful darkness again.

Everyone with access to a screen had seen what had happened during my trial. Everyone had seen how horribly wrong everything had turned out. There was no way I could make it through this interview without addressing it.

I couldn't do it.

"Willow?" Calla asked beside me when my breathing started sounding audibly erratic. "Will, are you okay?"

The walls were closing in on me, black dots dancing in the periphery of my vision. I couldn't answer her.

All I could think of was the Faceless Shifter imitating Koa and Tristan's voices and the wretched twist of my mirrored lips.

I felt my powers surface, crawling like ants just beneath my skin. I was about to lose control.

"Willow! Look at me!"

Calla grabbed my wrists, the chill of her skin around mine piercing a small area of the suffocating darkness.

She squatted before me, my wrists still firmly caught in her hands. "The Raeewh is gone," she said, her voice reassuring. "It can't hurt you. Breathe."

I nodded, focusing my attention on her eyes. I inhaled, breathing in the heavy air all the way to the bottom of my lungs. I held it for a few seconds before exhaling.

"Good. Again."

I repeated the process until my heart stopped thrashing wildly, and the darkness was merely a shadow in the back of my mind.

"Calla," I whispered, my voice still quivering. "What if they ask me what happened in there? I don't want to go through it again."

She squeezed my wrists. She knew that the possibility of that happening was nearly certain. "Keep it short," she finally said. "They only have fifteen minutes allotted to each of us. No one expects our answers to be through."

That's right. Fifteen minutes for three questions—including the selection of the random spectators and introductions—wasn't much. I could do this.

"Wildcard! You're up!"

My heart shot to my throat again, my limbs locking. I couldn't do it.

"No," I whispered, wrenching my wrists from Calla's hands to grab hers. "I don't want to, Calla. Please, don't make me. What if I say something that could jeopardize everything? What if I—"

"You won't, Will." Calla's eyes were stern but filled with worry. "You've done this before."

"Wildcard!"

Time was up.

"Piper will be waiting for you on the other side," Calla said when two men dressed in red suits showed up beside us. "I'll be there shortly."

The men grabbed my arms and started escorting me toward the door.

"Calla!"

"Fifteen minutes, Will! You can do it!"

My heart threatened to burst as I was pushed into the adjacent room with the platform mechanism.

"Let's all applaud Miss Weldon on her way out," Arawn shouted to wrap up his interview with Piper.