Burning Bridges (32 page)

“
Emilia, Echo. What
’
s the difference?
”

I frowned.
“
Two extra letters.
”

He smiled at the little boy in his hands and shrugged.
“
Right. Can you watch him for a while?
Get to know your nephew?
Angelina and I have somewhere to be.
”

I pushed past him and made for my rooms. I turned to face him last minute and said,
“
You know, I
’
ve always wanted a big brother. I could
’
ve used one today, but you
’
re never around.
”
I looked
at the baby, brown hair and hazel
eyes, and sighed.
“
Take some responsibility for what is yours every now and then, eh?
”

I shut my doors behind me and let the pain and the sadness devour me.
That morning I dreamt of Old Haven.

The
coach pulled up in front of the palace and Noah took my hand in his.
“
Four days and you
’
ll be all mine,
”
he whispered so that only I could hear.

I elbowed him in the si
de
and he dropped my hand. I stared straight ahead when I said,
“
I belong to no one. Even so, what makes you think I would
ever
give myself to you?
”

He smiled.
“
I just assumed that—
”

“
You assumed wrong.
”
I took hold of the guard
’
s hand and he helped me into the coach. I sat beside my mother so that I didn
’
t have to be next to Noah. When he crawled in and sat across from me, he winked and blew me a kiss. I shook my head and mouthed,
‘
I hate you
’
.

             
“
Sit straight, Echo,
”
Mother barked.

“
Yes, Mother.
”

The rest o
f the ride was spent
in silence. I tuned her
out
after a
while and thought about Ayden. I would see him tomorrow, I was sure. If I could get away, I was going to spend the whole day with him at the river. I absentmindedly touched my lips and smiled. I would see him soon and he
’
d make me forget about Shadow and Noah, Everlae and Silas. The world would slip away, time would cease to exist, and there
’
d only be him and me.

My thoughts slowed as the coach pulled to a stop and we climbed out one by one.
Noah grabbed my hand again, but my focus was on the massive building before me. It stood taller than the border, than the palace. Shaped like a dome with no roofing, it appeared like a prison in every way. Some pillars had been broken down from the looks of it and as we stepped closer, I could actually smell the iron taste of blood. Loud cheering and screaming erupted from the insi
de and caused my ear
drums to ring. Noah smiled giddily and led me in.

I stopped him.
“
No, I can
’
t.
”
I looked back at my m
other and the Queen of Delentia.

Mother look
ed disgusted with me and said,
“
Echo,
walk
.
”

I swallowed any arguments
I’d had
and gripped Noah
’
s hand harder.
My heart had never felt so heavy in my chest.
How the hell could they possibly sit and watch?

I was led through a large corridor flooded with people. Some parted way for Noah and I and they clapped merrily as they gazed at us. I cringed and turned away, feeling shameful once
more
. I didn
’
t deserve their acclaim, nor did I want it. Noah escorted me up the steps to the second level where a small doorway was sectioned off by
a thin, blood red curtain
. I laughed at the irony.

“
For you, Princess,
”
a thin woman said
as she handed
me a goblet of wine. I shook my head at her and she turned to Noah. He stared at her body appreciatively and she coward away from him.
“
Must you be so obvious?
”
I asked him. The same woman showed us to our seats as we emerged through the curtains and I was met with open skies and hot, arid air.

“
If you won
’
t put out, what is a man to do?
”
Noah whispered. I glowered at him, but he merely shrugged. I sat in the chair the woman directed me to and noticed that Noah and I were the only ones on the terrace. But when I glanced to my left, Mother and Father, along with the King and Queen of Delentia, sat on the other terrace
just a few feet away
. Father nodded at me and I smiled a smile that barely touched my eyes.

“
So when does this thing start?
”
I asked nervously.

Noah smiled and pointed to the ground below us.
“
Now.
”
In the middle of the dome was a playground of sand stained with what was evidently blood. Two gates stood on either
side
and guards rounded the whole perimeter of the arena.

“
My gods,
”
I breathed. I sat back in my seat and refused to look down again.

“
This is your first time?
”
he asked me.

I laughed.
“
You ask as if this is a d
eflowering, Noah. This is death!
”
I gripped the cushion of
my
chair and tried not to raise my voice above a whisper.

“
Death is beautiful, Echo,
”
the blonde-headed moron dared say.
“
Watch.
”

Unwillingly, my eyes moved to the sight before me and I froze. The crowd screamed in excitement as a young girl probably the age of ten stepped out onto the arena. She held a sword twice as big as her in her hand and struggled to keep it up. My heart wept for her.
The clothes on her back were filthy and did nothing to hide the evidence of malnutrition. Were they feeding her?
What could she have possibly done to deserve a death such as this? As if she coul
d hear me, her eyes shot to me
and watched me in a silent plea. I struggled to swallow the saliva in my mouth and closed my eyes against the pain.

“
Fighting Hazel will be Loretta James!
”
the Announcer screamed into an amplifier. My heart dropped to the ground as a big woman holding an axe stepped out and growled at the crowd. She was huge. My eyes shot to the girl and she stumbled away from the woman, pressing herself against the wall. A tear fell from my eyes and I hadn
’
t even noticed I
’
d been crying until then. I shook my head at the little girl and she nodded, mouthing,
‘
help me
’
.

I covered my mouth to hold back a sob the same moment the announcer let go of a flag and a horn went off. Things happened too fast and I couldn
’
t make anything out but the girl walking around the arena, crying and trying to stay away from a beast that stalked her every move. She yelled at the woman to stop and to look at what she was doing, but the woman wa
s
void of all feeling. The girl glanced up at me with bloodshot eyes
and I saw the fight leave her
.
She was reaching for a lifeline I couldn
’
t give her, and as she noticed this—that no one would come to her rescue—she dropped the sword to the ground and faced the woman.
This little girl was somebody
’
s daughter, someone
’
s sister. The pain they must
’
ve been going through
I could only imagine.

“
This is cruel,
”
I murmured.

“
The best part has yet to come,
”
Noah said, smiling at me. I shrugged away from him and turned to Mother. She, too, was captivated by this little girl being slaughtered. I
’
d never felt so alone in that moment.

“
Kill! Kill! Kill!
”
the crowd screamed. I shook my head, thinking
no, no, no
. The big woman smiled
maliciously
as the little girl screamed stop over
and over again. Every move the
woman made, the girl countered, but she was too small. She knew that. The little girl screamed stop the last moment the woman charged forward with her axe and slammed it into the girl
’
s chest. I
’
d never seen death so close, and seeing it this way for the first time, I knew it was a hideous thing.

I gasped silently as the little girl
’
s blood sprayed against her face and the wall behind her. My hands trembled and my heart beat slowed to an erratic pulse.
Hazel’s
eyes still watched me and her mouth hung agape in a silent, everlasting cry to stop. Blood spilled over her lips and her voice still echoed around the arena as all fell silent. I leaned forward in my seat and gripped the edge of the balcony.

“
Please,
”
she mouthed. The woman pulled back her axe and the girl slumped to the floor in a pool of her own blood. As she dropped, something rolled out of her hand and I fought to see it from so far away.
It’
s a picture
, I thought with a grimace. I shook my head in defeat and backed away from the balcony,
rising to my feet. The crowd cheered on around me, happy and oblivious to their own sins. They should
’
ve
be
en the ones in the arena
being slaughtered mercilessly.

“
I think I
’
m going to be sick!
”
I yelled. I turned and stared at Noah, disgusted that he even thought this to be exciting. I pushed at him and he almost fell out of his chair. The woman with the
wine
gawked at me in fear, but I easily
shoved
passed her and found myself wandering the long corridor. I paced until the colors in
the room merged into one and
felt myself losing consciousness.

When
I awoke
, I lay on the bed in my chambers
wrapped in thin blankets and duvets.
I quickly pushed them off and sat up. Outside my window the sun was setting and the nightingales still sung their tunes.

There was a knock on the door and I whispered for them to
come
in. Mother, smiling and in her finest gown, walked in with three maids.
“
I figured we could try on the dress today, darling,
”
Mother called.

I stared out the window with a vacant stare.
“
Not today, Mother. Can I have a moment,
please
.
”

“
No,
”
she answered succinctly.
“
You
’
ve already wasted enough time, I think. Besides, you ruined my mood with that stupid act at the chambers today, I could use some cheering up.
”

I scowled.
“
Act? Your mood
, Mother? Look at me! I
’
ve never felt this low, ever. I
’
m miserable and you do not even see it.
”
I thought back to the little girl in the arena and cold tears rolled down my cheeks.
“
I
’
m not trying on the dress because I am not getting married.
”

“
You have no say,
”
she said, laughing. She snapped at the maids and they came to her quickly. One lifted a red looking dress and the other a blue.
“
Which one for
the reception
,
honey
?
”