wine glass, as if in toast, and my hands start to shake.
Another servant comes up to the table and places a box in front of Aileen, but she’s looking at me.
“Beloved,” she whispers, but she says it urgently, and as I frown at her, she tilts her head ever so slightly towards the box, and if I hadn’t been looking directly at her, I wouldn’t have seen. My Goddess mark on my wrist bursts to life, glowing brightly as my body is filled with power, and I realise I was wrong—Aileen’s got a poisoned chocolate.
The servant hurries off just as the king stands, gazing around and seeing everyone has their box, he nods. “Eat,” he commands, and all the ladies reach for their chocolates. All except me. I don’t have time to think, to plan a more conspicuous way of doing this, but there is no question in my mind. I won’t let my friend die.
“No!” I shout, knocking Aileen’s hand away from the box. She looks at me, shocked, and I feel everyone else in the room doing the same. The king is still standing, his eyes narrowed on me, and a shiver goes down my spine. I’ve just lost my usefulness to him.
“I said, eat.” He doesn’t raise his voice, but somehow it carries through the hall as if he’s standing right in front of me.
“Clarissa, what are you doing?” Wilson hisses, his skin pale. I hate that I’m putting him through this.
Reaching across the table, I switch my box with Aileen’s, making sure she sees my glowing Goddess mark in the process. I don’t try to hide what I’m doing, and a low mumbling fills the hall.
“Eat the chocolate from my box,” I tell Aileen in a low voice. It’s important that she’s seen eating one of them, obeying the king, but she won’t be safe for long. For whatever reason, she has a target on her back now. “Then, when this is over, find your father, tell him what happened here, and then go to the Queen’s Courtyard. There will be someone waiting there, hidden. He will help you escape.”
“What?” She’s looking at me in surprise, and I know she understands the consequences of my little rebellion as tears gather in the corner of her eyes.
“Clarissa, what are you saying?” Wilson leans across Aileen, placing his hand on my arm. He looks confused, but hurt lines his face. He might not understand what just happened, but he knows I’ve been hiding something from him.
“Switch those boxes back. That is an order,” the king bellows. I don’t look up from Wilson or Aileen, but out the corner of my eye, I can see guards making their way towards us. Ignoring them, I just smile at my friends, hoping they don’t see past it and notice how frightened I am.
“Come on, Wilson, you know what was going to happen here tonight. You’re going to lose one of us either way, at least this way it’s me.”
He shakes his head as if the action could negate what I’m saying. He wants to fight for me, but I know he would have to choose between me and Aileen. I won’t make him do that. His hand tightens on my arm. “Clarissa—”
Removing his hand, I push from my chair and smile at the king.
“Your Majesty, is there a problem?” My comment sends another ripple of muttering through the guests. I feel sick to my stomach, and my hands are trembling, so I ball them into fists which I hide under the table.
“You will eat from the box you were given.” The king stares at me, his voice settling back to his normal volume as he expects me to jump to follow his order. Rhydian sits forward on his throne, watching me with cruel glee as if all his wishes have come true. I’ve seen looks like that before, and it reminds me of children who torture small animals for fun. Fighting a shudder, I turn back to the king and tilt my head to one side as if I don’t understand. The king knows what I’m doing. If I outright defy him, he could have me killed on the spot, and when he doesn’t, that will raise suspicions. There’s a reason they are keeping me alive—I just don’t know why—or they would have killed me by now. So, instead, I pretend to be dense, and let the watching lords and ladies think I’m just stupid.
“So are you saying that one of