Hudson starts to say something else, but he stops as we walk into the auditorium, which is already half filled with students, many of whom turn to look at us as we start toward the back row of seats.
There’s a purple carpet—a purple carpet!—lining the walkway up to the stage. It’s obviously for us, and I feel completely ridiculous walking down it, even though everyone else seems to think it’s totally normal.
Uncle Finn is waiting when we get to the stage, once again fiddling with the sound system. He grins at all of us and goes out of his way to send an encouraging little wink to Macy and me.
Still, there’s something in his eyes—they’re so serious, despite his smile and wink—that makes my stomach clench.
“Is it too late to run?” I ask, and I’m only half kidding. Something about this just feels off. Jaxon squeezes my hand.
“I told you not to come,” Hudson hisses at me. “I told you something bad would happen.”
Nothing bad has happened yet, I try to soothe, but my heart has started beating out of control.
Even Jaxon looks like he thinks running might be a good option, especially as the assembly hall doors swing open and the members of the Circle come parading up the walkway on the opposite side of the auditorium from where the rest of us entered.
Cyrus heads to the podium with all the pomp and flair of Mick Jagger at a Stones concert. Today he’s dressed in a black pinstripe suit with a purple-and-black tie and, not going to lie, he looks like a million bucks. Of course, his eyes are gleaming like a zealot’s, so it takes a little away from the whole picture.
As soon as the other members of the Circle find their seats, he starts the assembly with a, “Thank you, Katmere Academy, for the most exciting Ludares tournament we have ever experienced. It was truly a delight to preside over such an incredible event.”
The room falls silent as he looks the audience over, and I’m not sure what’s scarier, the serious looks on their faces or the sound of the locks as the doors slide shut.
I swallow the panic rising in my throat as I give the audience a shaky smile. What I really want to do is race down the aisle like a K-pop fan after my favorite idol, but instead I stay where I am as the king turns back to the audience and continues what I now know—what all eight of us now know—is a total fucking farce.
“First on the agenda is celebrating the win of this amazing team up here. They played an incredible game of Ludares, didn’t they? That moment when Grace dodged the two dragons was breathtaking. And when she turned one of the dragons to stone?” He shakes his head. “Absolutely captivating.”
The audience claps more enthusiastically than I expected.
“So, with no further ado, let’s bring them up to accept the special prize donated this year—a bloodstone from the royal collection.”
Delilah is also at the front of the stage, though it’s clear she plans to let her husband do all the talking today. She’s dressed head to toe in white, and she looks chillingly beautiful. Her crimson lips are turned upward in a perfect smile—that appears genuine as long as you don’t look at it too closely.
Cyrus motions toward our team at the back of the auditorium. “Can our Ludares winners please come forward together and take a bow?”
The group of us exchanges uneasy glances—but Jaxon squares his shoulders and walks in front, with all of us following behind reluctantly and single file.
“Take your bow,” Cyrus instructs as we come to a stop on the stage, and we do as the audience applauds.
Cyrus walks behind us now and pats everyone on the back as he calls their name. I’m at the end, though, and he stops when he gets to me.
“Grace.” Cyrus hands me the box with the bloodstone in it, looking me up and down, and it totally squicks me out. Not because the look he gives me is lascivious—it’s not—but because it’s avaricious. Like he wants me, but only because he’s already figured out how to best use me to serve his interests.
“It’s so lovely to meet you,” he tells me, coming around to my side and opening both arms in some kind of bizarre facsimile of a social-distancing hug. “My son’s mate, a gargoyle.” He shakes his head. “It’s unfathomable but so, so exciting.”