The Art of Courts and Lies (Book 1 in The Gifted Trilogy)

28- A Bad Feeling

I should have known something was wrong when I awoke the next day and the clock on my wall said that it was noon and nobody had yet to come wake me up.

"Shit" I hissed as I threw the covers off of me and hastened to put clothes on. I was out the door barely a minute later, racing towards the training room, knowing that I was so inexcusably late.

As I rounded a corner, I ran right into a firm chest that sent me stumbling backwards. I looked up, an apology spilling from my mouth, to find Marlowe chuckling lightly at me.

"Your guards should get a raise simply for having to keep up with you" he spoke lightly before glancing behind me and furrowing his brows. "As a matter of fact, where are your guards?"

I groaned loudly, running my hands through my hair. "I completely overslept this morning" I rambled, only partially registering Marlowe's question. "Stars, I don't even want to think about what Kess is going to-"

"Kess?" Marlowe interrupted in confusion. "He's been gone all day. He headed out early this morning and hasn't been back to the castle since."

My brows furrowed together. "What-"

"Your majesty" a voice called from behind me. I turned to see a pair of guards walking towards us. "You are wanted in the throne room. As are her and the other Garner participants."

Before I could snap at the man for addressing me as 'her' Marlowe was gently pulling me by the crook of my elbow towards the men. "What is this meeting about?" he asked them as we passed through, the guards immediately flanking our sides.

"No idea, Your Majesty" the second one spoke. "We were just informed to gather the kings and the participants."

Before I could ask why they would need us, we turned the corner and appeared right in front of the throne room, its polished wooden doors thrown open to reveal a room already filled with nobles and aristocrats.

I snarled. "If this is some meeting of the kings and Garner participants, then why are they here."

Marlowe shook his head slowly, still keeping a reassuring grip on my arm. "Whatever this is about, it's meant to be a spectacle."

We walked through the doors and my eyes immediately fell on the boy with dark curls who was standing at the edge of the room beside where the rest of the Garner girls were already standing. I slipped my arm out of Marlowe's hold as I moved towards the side of the room and he moved towards his throne.

If Kess saw me he didn't acknowledge my arrival. His eyes stayed trained forward, his face fixed in a hard and emotionless expression. I took the last spot open beside the other participants, standing closest to the thrones, right beside where Kess was currently standing. The doors to the throne room slammed shut once again.

"Where were you this morning?" I whispered under my breath so only he could hear, glancing over at where the rest of the kings were currently sitting on their thrones. Kess had yet to join them, which meant he was waiting for me. He needed to tell me something.

My stomach dropped.

He let out a shaky breath as his eyes finally flitted down towards me. "Silvertongue," he breathed out, his voice barely audible over the muffled noise of the nobles in their seats. "I need you to promise me something."

"I'm not promising you anything until you tell me what's going on" I hissed back, panic rising in my chest. I felt his hand slowly slip into mine but I pulled back. He flinched at the movement, as if I just physically hit him.

"You have to know I didn't want this" he whispered, his eyes burning into mine. "But I had no choice and-"

Kesserian cut himself off as his gaze moved past me and landed on something behind my shoulder. My heart began to thunder in my chest at the look of regret that took over his face.

The throne room collectively went completely silent at the sound of a door being thrown open. But I watched Kess's face rather than the new subject of the everyone's attention. I caught the slight muscle spasm in his cheek and felt my heart begin to beat a little faster.

"Kess..." I drawled, something inside of me knowing that I wouldn't like his next few words.

"Please Wren," he whispered so delicately that I could hear every inch of remorse in his voice. "Whatever happens, please just remain indifferent. For your sake, I'm begging you, don't allow yourself any display of emotion."

I felt the blood drain from my face. Kesserian never called me Wren and he sure as hell never begged anyone for anything.

I swallowed hard, fighting to still the shakiness of my hands as I finally turned around to see what all of the gasps and whispers were about.

Inwardly, I felt as if I had become obliterated into a million tiny, shattered pieces.

But on the outside, I didn't do anything more than part my lips at the sight of the bloody and dirty man being dragged forward in chains.

A man with brown hair that, even being disheveled and sweaty, held a tint of copper.