CARDIGAN, acotar ¹

chapter thirty four

₊˚ˑ༄ؘ͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

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AMARANTHA BEGAN SMILING, and carson had never felt such fear enter her heart as magic seared the air between them, marking the bargain. seven tasks that would be completed by the end of three full moons.

that is, if she managed to survive.

but she had to. as amarantha had sworn, everyone's life was on the line. if she died, it all would have been for nothing, and her friends and family would go down with her. carson's hands shook at her sides as she sighed deeply, basking in the reality of what she had truly promised the high queen.

"seven tasks for each court, to cease by the end of three full moons," amarantha repeated after a moment, "in exchange for everyone's freedom."

carson just nodded.

amarantha smiled. "i'm going to enjoy breaking you." with that, she nestled back in her throne and began to pick at her nails. "take her away, eris. and put her in a different one to the other. let's keep the sisters away from each other for now." her dark eyes sparked with sordid torment, and she waved a snide farewell.

eris said nothing as he kicked off the pillar and headed for her. she half-expected him to brush past her and have her follow, but his hand wrapped around her elbow before he tugged her out of the throne room, his grip unrelenting.

she grunted as she nearly tripped over her own feet, attempting and struggling to keep up with his pacing.

"eris," she hissed, stumbling as he turned a sudden corner. he halted before a chamber door, shook his head again, but didn't reach for the keys hung at a near post. the dungeons were unusually silent, as if they had just been cleared out — or killed. she shivered, stepping back into the shadows.

"they have been cleared out," eris seethed, reading her thoughts. "she killed them all for entertainment last night, and you'll be next."

she said nothing. every flicker of hope or determination had been snuffed out by the darkness blanketing them.

his hands remained tightly gripped on her upper arms as he shoved her against the wall, his amber eyes wild with desperation. "what the hell were you thinking?" he snapped down at her, his voice tinged with pain.

carson just stared up at him.

what the hell had she been thinking? seven tasks, set by a cruel, sick queen who would rather slaughter her over and over again than ever let her win. lives were on the line, and she could almost hear the crescent moon taunting her.

the thought of doing it for her family and friends didn't seem so frightening. no — what scared her was eris's vulnerable, hurt expression. she had never seen him so ... afraid before, and even he looked surprised to feel it.

"carson," eris said, his tone gentle now.

"i couldn't just live my life in the mortal lands, knowing everyone i cared about was trapped here," she said at last. if she had, she could picture herself decaying in that town house, drowning in her misery with a haunting realization that she could have done more. that she could have tried to.