Page 8 of This Shattered Star

Quickly, I tore my eyes from his, dismissing him. Though his earlier words lingered in my mind.

Maybe we’ll have fun, you and I.

“But this year will be different,” Maverick continued.

The fear in my stomach soured.

“If it were not for the Veil, nightmares made flesh would bore down upon us all. Turn us to ruin.” Maverick gestured upwards, to his protective magic surrounding the kingdom like a gargantuan bubble. “The gods knew thatyouwere worth saving.Youall deserved a life of peace and prosperity when other kingdoms were not so fortunate.”

Someone shouted from across the room. “Long live the king!”

Maverick went on. “I have given myself for over four hundred years. Shouldered the powerful magic bestowed by the gods to fend off those beasts. The Dark Ones. And I have not failed you. Refuse to beweak, like others who let their realms fall to ash. All because they could not carry what the gods asked of them.”

This was not part of his usual speech.

“Our ancestors had the power of the Sunstar to protect them. Its light shined bright enough to vanquish even the strongest of our enemies. But the selfishness of your forefathers stole that from us.” A murmur of disquiet spread throughout the room as Maverick raised his voice. “Instead, we suffer in darkness, in eternal night. We hunt for the power stored in the Temple of Borealis in hopes that things can go back to the way they were. So that one day, we grow strong enough to conquer the ground and skies once more!”

The murmurs increased until they became an uproar.

“Long live the king!” Almost everyone chanted now, including the other competitors. The two girls beside me raised their fists, shouting so loudly that my ears rang.

I spared another glance in Kodhan’s direction.

To my surprise, his face mirrored mine. Dread pulled at his features, tightening his jaw to a point where I wondered how his teeth weren’t cracking.

The woman standing to his right shifted subtly. Uttered something to him out of the corner of her mouth, further straining his expression.

Kodhan repeated it for the man to his left, whose brows narrowed as he tipped his head to the side.

Maverick raised a hand. And that was all it took for the crowd to quiet once more.

“And yet, more of you join those who threaten my life—my crown. Do you believe I have I failed to uphold my promise to protect you?” He paced the dais, allowing his eyes to roam across the crowd. “Your sisters. Your fathers, and friends. Turning against me as we speak, even in this very room.”

One could hear a pin drop in the silence.

“Do you all take me as a fool?”

I winced.

Outrage contorted those handsome features as he roared. But just as quickly, that rage vanished. Replaced with a false mask of contemplation.

“As you all seem to have an increased interest in working with each other, what kind of king would I be if I did not encourage you?”

By the stars above.The floor began to slip from beneath my feet.

“In the light of recent events, our competitors will need to conquer each trial with at least one ally. I don’t care how many else. But if a competitor is seen working alone, they will beimmediately eliminated.” I fought with every fiber of my being to stay still. To keep from trembling. “Two shall be crowned as Starlight Champions this year.” He winked directly at us, at our line of uneasy competitors. “Choose wisely.”

Silence stretched while Maverick descended the steps of the dais. He didn’t wait for any of those who’d been sitting with him. They were frozen still.

Even the orchestra needed time to thaw from where they sat at the far end of the room. Their tentative notes that began anew were wobbly, hesitant.

Despite my best efforts, my knees quaked as Maverick halted directly in front of me. I knew I needed to bow, but the rest of me was made of stone. Heavy. Immovable.

“Let’s have a word, Eloise. Shall we?” He offered me the crook of his arm.

The man had already laid out my death in a perfect equation.

He couldn’t possibly do any worse now.