CARDIGAN, acotar ¹

chapter forty nine

₊˚ˑ༄ؘ͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT

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TIME SLIPPED FROM her fingers and before she knew it, the new day approached, bringing a full moon with it.

for her final tasks, she was given fighting leathers, with amarantha's sigil on its crest. both sisters dressed in silence, too scared about what was to happen. but as the guards unlocked their cell, they exchanged a glance.

"together," carson promised.

feyre's midnight blue eyes cleared, and she nodded once. so with gathering strength circling their hearts, the sisters were escorted to their death or beginning.

carson recognized the path to the cavern where her second and third tasks had taken place, and she forced herself to breathe as she remembered how close she had been to dying, had rhysand not saved her in time.

she inhaled. held it. then exhaled slowly.

the doors were flung open, and the silence of the room assaulted them. there were no jeers or shouts, no flashing of gold as onlookers placed their bets.

this time, the faeries just stared at them.

the masked ones kept their hope-lined faces on feyre, following her figure as the guards separated the sisters. carson trembled as she beheld the tank of the kelpies and found them staring back at her through the glass.

she took a step back, and they grinned with a full set of sharp teeth.

the guards brought her forward toward a separated platform, while feyre strode up the path they'd cleared — straight for amarantha. the queen smiled as carson and feyre stopped in front of her throne. beside her, tamlin sat. he didn't react — his features were like stone, but his green eyes glowed like first light.

carson marked her surroundings, searching for eris's amber eyes, but forced her gaze back on the queen as she spoke.

"feyre, darling, two trials lie behind you," amarantha said, picking at a fleck of dust on her blood-red gown. her dark hair shone, a gleaming onyx that threatened to swallow up her golden crown. "and only one more awaits. i wonder if it will be worse to fail now — when you are so close."

she gave feyre a pout, and they all awaited the laughter of the faeries. however, only a few laughs hissed from amarantha's court.

the high queen glared at the, but when her gaze fell back on feyre, she smiled sweetly. "any words to say before you die?"

carson watched as feyre looked at tamlin, losing her heart in those green eyes of his. "i love you," she said. "no matter what she says about it, no matter if it's only with my insignificant human heart. even when they burn my body, i'll love you." tears slid down feyre's cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away.

tamlin didn't react, but his silence spoke volumes.

amarantha said a little too sweetly, "you'll be lucky, my darling, if we even have enough left of you to burn."