CARDIGAN, acotar ¹

chapter forty six

₊˚ˑ༄ؘ͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏

CHAPTER FORTY SIX

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ERIS FOUND RHYSAND leaning against the door to the prisons that night, looking bored to death. however, he raised a brow of inquiry as he watched eris approach, while staying hidden within the shadows.

he ignored the fate written in his story. the time running out.

he wanted to see her. needed to.

and he could feel her now, close. like a flicker of calling down the other end of the unanswered mating bond — a quiet whisper he wished would never fade into the silence of oblivion. a lover's hope.

"aren't you a little late?" was all rhysand drawled in greeting, tucking his hands into his pockets. "it's been over a week since her fifth task."

eris's hands wrapped into fists until his knuckles turned white, hanging at his sides. amarantha hadn't let him out of her sight since that day — had ordered him to be confined to her personal chambers ever since.

"what do you want, rhys?" eris seethed quietly.

his smirk faltered for the briefest of moments. still, he remained positioned against the door, only shifting to cross his arms against his chest. "that doesn't matter," he mused in fake ease. the violet tendrils at his shoulders gathered, like snakes readying to strike. "besides, shouldn't i be asking you that?"

"i need to see her."

"come back tomorrow. she's sleeping."

i might not have until tomorrow, eris tried to snap, but amarantha's spell stopped the words from spilling from his mouth.

he only had tonight; the remaining time of starlight's hour before amarantha returned. there had been a reason she released him from her bedroom — for she had left the mountain to hunt down one of the dread troves she planned on using for carson's sixth task.

an item of the dread trove that amarantha had so happily revealed to eris that would be used to control him.

the attor had spotted them that one evening, where he'd so foolishly drew her away from amarantha's ball and admitted he loved her. ever since, amarantha had been planning their tragedy.

of course, she had spelled him not to say anything after that. he had tried writing it, tried telling someone else, but to no avail. amarantha was going to control him using the crown to fight carson until one of them was left standing, and eris couldn't do anything to stop it. couldn't even warn anyone.

"i need to see her," eris said again.

rhysand waited until a few seconds of silence had passed between them. then his smirk twitched to a near frown, as if he could hear the desperation clinging to his tone. clicking his tongue, he relented, shifting to face the door.

"carson," rhysand crooned as the light from the hall shot through the small gap, rippling against the wall.

eris's chest tightened in pain as he heard carson's voice pierce through the silence. "what do you want, rhysand?"