𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 - acotar

ⅩⅨ

Minutes passed before Feyre too was escorted in the arena.

Her armed guards hauled her toward a wooden platform making her fall on her knees.

She rose on trembling legs, her eyes taking in the people on the platform. Amarantha, Tamlin, the High Lords.

And lastly she noticed Maiven. The younger twin was the first to break eye contact.

She couldn't look at her.

Amarantha had only to raise a hand and the roaring crowd silenced.

"Well, Feyre," the Faerie Queen said "Your first task is here. Let us see how deep that human affection of yours runs. I took the liberty of learning a few things about you," Amarantha drawled. "It was only fair, you know. I think you'll like this task," She said. She waved a hand, and the Attor stepped forward to part the crowd, clearing the way to the lip of a trench. "Go ahead. Look."

Feyre obeyed. Hands slammed into her back, and she cried out before she was falling down. The Attor reached forward and jerked her up with a bone-hard grip. Laughter echoed through the chamber as Feyre dangled from the Attor's claws, its powerful wing-beats booming across the arena. It swooped down into the trench and dropped her on her feet.

"Rhysand tells me you're a huntress. Hunt this." Amarantha said, flickering her fingers in her direction."Release it," She called

A grate groaned, and then a slithering, swift-moving noise filled the chamber.

The crowd quieted to a murmur, silent enough to hear a guttural kind of grumble.

Amarantha clicked her tongue "Run," she whispered.

Then it appeared. It was a giant worm, or what might have once been a worm had its front end not become an enormous mouth filled with ring after ring of razor-sharp teeth. Its pinkish brown body surging and twisting with horrific ease. These trenches were its lair.

And Feyre was the dinner.

Feyre started to run away from it. Sliding and slipping on the reeking mud, she hurtled down the length of the trench.

She kidded to a halt to squeeze herself through a gap in the walls. As she made to pull herself through the walls grabbed her back.

She clawed at the mud, twisting, tearing at anything to pull her through. Grabbing onto the wall, she pulled and pulled. Suddenly she was released and she fell through the crack, sprawling in the mud.

Maiven noticed how it followed her. It wasn't by its sight but by the scent.

It's blind

Feyre continued to run and pass through the gaps within the walls. The weird worm stopped every time she passed one, confirming her thought on its blindness.

As she ran, Feyre looked through the crowd.

They were all looking at the Wyrm giving away its position.

Feyre's eyes traveled to the wooden platform and Maiven knew that she too had understood. Her eyes landed on Maiven. Her twin.

Behind her veil maiven smirked and gave her barely noticeable nod.

Feyre continued to run, but she was still too surprised by her discovery and didn't notice the enormous pit in front of her, making her fall straight into it.

Come on, Fey.

"Feyre," Amarantha called. "You're ruining everyone's fun! Come out!"

"What's it doing? What's it planning?" one of the faeries hissed as everyone watched Feyre jamming bones into the wall creating a ladder with them.