Fatefall - 16

Chapter 16 - Adrian 

There were people fighting for the Fates, so we had spies, of course. They told us that Dusan was seeking refuge with a mortal man in the city and that the house was unguarded. And so Zara and I began planning our ambush. 

“Hurry! We should be nearing the end of the tunnels soon,” called Sophie---another Graced of Void. 

Adrian trailed behind her, glad that he’d convinced the other competitors to work with him. It helped that he’d known Sophie from childhood. She’d been one of his sister’s ladies-in-waiting and had somehow recognized him despite the mask. And while she hadn’t explicitly mentioned it to the two other competitors working with her, Adrian knew the only reason his identity was still secret was because she’d left on good terms with Aida.

It was only a matter of time before Sophie used this tidbit of information against the kingdom. Adrian hadn’t exactly been charismatic as a prince and he regretted it immensely. He’d been more concerned with his own studies and tinkering to care much for castle gossip, including the story of why Aida had discarded Sophie without a second thought. 

He wished he’d paid more attention to Aida---and Asher too. It was too late for that now, and Adrian had a feeling the regret would fester inside of him forever. 

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” asked the shorter competitor, suspicion evident. “We’ve been wandering around these tunnels for a long time and we haven’t gotten anywhere.”

“We’re going the right way,” Sophie decided, her lips pressed into a thin line. 

Adrian nodded his agreement, still not entirely willing to use his voice, lest it give away his identity. 

His Grace hadn’t stopped buzzing since his father had visited, and it gave him a new awareness of Graces and Fates and magic. It was as though Adrian had finally tuned into the hums of the universe, had finally caved to the inner workings of the world. 

As they navigated the winding tunnels, he wondered if he’d discovered another facet to this unusual power. 

Sophie had figured out early on that if she laid her palm against the walls of the intersection, she could feel her Grace set to work nullifying other “Graces”. This was all well and good---all Graced of Void knew when someone was Graced if they had skin to skin contact. 

No, the weird part was that Adrian could sense all of this without touching the walls. 

They reached another intersection and Adrian’s Grace recoiled from the left passageway, as though wincing. He kept his mouth glued shut, waiting as Sophie surveyed both walls and decided on the path to the right. 

Curiosity warred with concern in his gut, leaving him nauseous and slightly dizzy. His head wound from the Qualifiers wasn’t exactly helping either. Poppy’s attempts to heal his concussion had left him his temples pounding for hours on end and he was pretty sure she’d only worsened his condition. 

So what if his Grace could now somehow sense other Graces? It just meant his Grace was strong, which wasn’t surprising given the power of his father’s Grace. When he returned home, he would search the libraries for a book on Graces. 

“Ah,” Sophie’s gasp was mixed with amusement and pride. “We’ve arrived.”

Adrian blinked once, unimpressed by the two wooden doors that stood before him, engraved with unreadable runes. 

“Was that it?” the shorter competitor scoffed, echoing Adrian’s thoughts. “Surely that wasn’t the only puzzle.”

Sophie frowned. “I can’t imagine why the only challenge would be a maze. This door is probably a trap or another trial. But if you’re so sure that our only puzzle was the maze, go ahead and try it.”

She’d phrased it perfectly---a challenge to the competitor’s cowardice, even if they’d agreed with her. Adrian admired her manipulation of the situation. She’d quickly flipped the stakes so she wasn’t the one at risk, and rightly so, because as the competitor grabbed the handle on the door, they dropped to the floor, clutching at their gut. 

Adrian and Sophie shared a look, obviously thinking the same thing. 

How were they supposed to open the door? 

The taller competitor knelt over the writhing one. “She’s alive for now.”

Sophie shrugged. “They wouldn’t kill competitors on purpose. That would defeat the point of the Tournament.” 

The other competitor glared at Sophie. “That doesn’t change the fact that Kelli is in pain.” 

“That isn’t to say that the Tournament isn’t supposed to be challenging,” Sophie continued, as if she hadn’t heard. She tapped a finger against her lips. “Do you think that Kelli could hold open the door for us, now that she’s undergone the challenge.”

“She’s still fighting it!” cried the other competitor.

“And she’ll finish soon,” Sophie said bluntly, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as she inspected her nails. “Just give her a few minutes.”

Adrian counted as the seconds ticked by. Four minutes passed and Kelli didn’t seem to be changing condition. The other competitor paced back and forth, their worry infectious. Only Sophie seemed unconcerned, though Adrian noted the way she glanced nervously at Kelli. 

“I can’t do this anymore,” the other competitor burst at last, grabbing hold of the door and slumping over immediately. 

Sophie gave a bored sigh. “Idiots, both of them.”

Adrian glared at her. “Says the girl who’s waiting for others to do her bidding.”

“And?” Sophie glanced toward him, her gaze apprehensive, as though drinking him in for the first time. “I’m playing it safe.”

“No,” Adrian corrected. “You’re a coward.”

I’m doing this for Asher, he reminded himself. His teammates had distracted him from his true mission, but he had every intention of beginning investigations once this Trial ended. Assuming he survived this Trial, of course. 

For Asher. 

He reached for the door, and the second he touched the cold, metal knob his chest caved in. It felt like he couldn’t breathe. Like the air had turned to stone and he was sucking in lungfuls of rocks. 

The world lost its tangibility. He was the abyss and the abyss was him. Adrian couldn’t tell where his consciousness ended and where the darkness began. Ice grated against his senses. He was falling and floating, swimming and sinking, living and dying. The insatiable urge to give in---to give up---battled with his instinctual itch to pull free of the darkness. To break away from the void--

Void. Grace. Fates. Tournament. Poppy and Jett and Sage and Nakoa. Asher and Aida.

Adrian followed the trail of words until the world turned solid. He could feel the gaping hole in his chest, the empty hole of where his Grace belonged. And, yes, there was his Grace, hovering in front of him. He reached out with his mind, grabbing hold of his Grace and stuffing it back inside of him, the jagged hole binding itself shut. 

Suddenly, he could breathe again. He rose to his feet, checking himself for injuries to find that he was unharmed. His head complained about the extra exertion, but other than that he felt … relatively okay. 

“Did you enjoy your little spaz session?” Sophie inquired, her voice sounding simultaneously close and a million miles away. 

Adrian shot her another glare. She hadn’t moved from her position by the wall, obviously waiting for one of her opponents to wake up. Evidently, Adrian was the first one. He stepped away from her so the wood of the door was at his back. 

“It was great. You should really try it sometime,” he responded, trying to muster up a bit of courage. He still couldn’t find the words to describe the sensation of the abyss, nor did he really want to give Sophie any warning about the experience. His trust of her only extended so far. 

“Hmm, I think I’ll pass,” Sophie said, finally approaching. 

Good, Adrian thought. Lure her close and then trick her into touching the door. Or wait until the other Graced show up and let them ambush her.

“Look,” Sophie continued, her hands on her hips, “either you’re going to let me through that door or I’m going to force you to take me with you. Pick your poison.” 

Adrian didn’t allow himself to react. Sophie didn’t exactly intimidate him. And she seemed to know that too, because she took another step closer until she was practically breathing in Adrian’s face. “I know who you are, Your Highness, and I’m not the only one. There are people in this competition who want you dead.”

“Surprise, surprise,” Adrian mumbled. 

Sophie smirked. “You may know there are people after you, but I’m the one who knows who they are.”

Adrian was quite tempted to bite. He knew Sophie could feed him lies---she was an expert on twisting the truth, after all. But something in his gut told him it would be better off if she trusted him now. Besides, what harm could come from her getting a gem. There were plenty for both of them. 

“Fine,” Adrian relented. “I’ll let you in if you give me the name of someone who wants me dead.”

Sophie’s eyes seemed to glow, catlike in the dim lighting. “You know you can’t do anything about this person because they’re competing, right?” 

Adria nodded. “I can still avoid them.”

Sophie hesitated, as though picking who she wanted to expose. Then she leaned forward and whispered the name,”Hunter.”

Author's Note

Sorry that this chapter is so short - I felt that the Trial was getting a bit repetitive and I didn't want to stretch it out any longer than it needed to be (though I promise Sage's POV will be different).