Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
“How was I supposed to know she’d actually win the damn thing—”
“You didn’t. But we could have made sure her name was omitted from the draw, as we do with all the other subjects that we can’t afford to lose. If this girl was really that important to you, you would have done that.” He stepped closer to me. “So, don’t blame me for this. I’m not going to risk everything for a girl you hardly know. We both know you would have had your fun for a short while and gone your separate ways. She could have won the lottery then—and you’d have no idea.”
I’d never want this for her, regardless of what happened with us. “She was a good person—”
“They’re all good people, son. You think anyone deserves that fate? No. But we must sacrifice the few for the many. We must protect our kingdoms and our people. The gods put us in charge of Delacroix because we’re the only ones strong enough to carry this burden, to do what others could not.”
I bowed my head, starting to shake.
His hand went to my shoulder. “There was nothing you could do.”
His touch used to be savored, but now it made me cold.
“Your destiny is on the throne of the Capital. A worthy wife at your side. Subjects at your feet. Not with somebody like her—a nobody.”
I sat on the rug in front of my fireplace, leaning up against the base of my four-poster bed, staring at the fire with eyes that didn’t need to blink. My arm was propped on one knee, and I stared at the only source of light in the room.
Didn’t bother trying to sleep.
How could I sleep, knowing she was struggling to survive this very moment?
Supplies were dropped with the winners, so they’d have a chance to make it to a settlement, but who knew if anyone ever made it. My father said it was a frozen wasteland, full of yetis and Teeth.
I closed my eyes because the pain was too much.
I could have prevented all this, but I didn’t think.
The entire village entered their names into that lottery. What were the odds that she’d be picked?
One in a million.
I turned my head to look out the window, to see the distant signs of sunrise, the way the sky had changed from black to slightly blue.
The decision came to me without any thought, without any inner speech. I just knew what I was about to do—and I got up to do it.
Decked in my armor, my weapons, and my warmest clothes, I went to the stables and took my horse.
The stablemaster watched me, as if he knew I shouldn’t be there but didn’t dare comment. “Anything else you need for your trip, m’lord?” He placed water canteens in the saddlebags, along with jerky and dried fruit.
“No.” I took the horse by the reins to walk to the edge of the city.
“And when the duke asks after your whereabouts?”
I turned back to him. “He’ll know exactly where I’ve gone.” I mounted the horse and kicked. In the rising sun, I rode hard, heading to the Mammoth Mountains where the cave was rumored to be.
I would take the tunnel to the bottom of the cliffs and bring Effie home.
If I made it there in time.
5
EFFIE
Dark. Cold. Terrifying.
It was chaos, all of us panicking once we were on the ground, ankle-deep in snow. They gave us clothes to survive the cold, torches that we couldn’t light, weapons that we didn’t know how to use.
What the fuck?
My father had woken up that morning and bounced around the house like a kid on Christmas morning. He’d had a look in his eyes I’d never seen before, and he talked about the fishing boat he was going to buy after we sold the house, how he would spend all day by the coastline in the sunshine.
But then they forced us onto that wooden platform—and lowered us down.
I didn’t have time to feel the cold, to be terrified of the dark, to face the moment.
My adrenaline was so high, loud in my ears, pounding in my heart. I assumed the bottom of the cliffs was the ocean, but now I realized it was a real place, fifty degrees colder than the mild temperatures at the top.
Why had they put us down here?
My sister was the most frightened, and she started to scream.
“Laurie, shh.” Mother tried to console her, but that was hard to do in the pitch black.
I reached for the torch they’d left for us and fumbled for the other supplies, hoping they provided a lighter or some matches to get this going.
Laurie wouldn’t stop crying.
But my dad was silent—and that was worse.
I finally found the lighter and lit the torch. The ball of heat was hot against my face, so I held it out, seeing the flames reflect on the snow around us. There were two sacks on the ground full of food and weapons, but that was it.