It’s not Mum who answers, but Peyton. His eyebrows are furrowed, and he’s looking at his phone with a puzzled expression on his face; he only moves his eyes up to me for a second as he taps away on the keyboard. “Hey,” he says, sounding distracted. I guess that’s for the best; I don’t need him scrutinising me right now.
“Hey,” I say, rubbing my arm. “I was just looking for Mads. She wasn’t in the room and I thought maybe she’d be here.”
That’s enough to get his attention, and he raises his eyes to mine. There’s something on his face that I don’t like, and my heart sinks when he answers. “I was about to ask you the same thing,” he says, his mouth pressing into a hard line.
“What?” I ask, the first pangs of unease beginning to clench around my chest. “I thought you would know where she is. That’s why I’m here.”
Peyton shakes his head, his eyes widening and his grip on the phone tightening. “She was texting me and then she just stopped,” he says. “I thought maybe she was mad at me for something, but then she stopped reading my messages altogether…” The alarm on his face is clear, and it’s not doing much to keep me from panicking, either.
“The door to the apartment was left open when I arrived,” I breathe, my voice barely above a whisper as a dreadful realisation dawns on me. “She’s always been a stickler for locking doors after she leaves them. She wouldn’t just walk out.”
“Shit,” Peyton says, his voice full of fear. “You don’t think she would have…?”
“Left?” I shake my head. “And gone where, Peyton? This doesn’t feel right.” All the heartbreak and confusion melt away in an instant, giving way to cold, sharp fear: Mads has always been the mum friend, checking in almost to the point of absurdity. It’s been like that for as long as I’ve known her. For her to just suddenly go AWOL like this, when we’re sleeping in the wolf’s den…
Something about this doesn’t feel right. Wordlessly I turn on my heel and begin to race back to my apartment. It takes everything I have not to break into a full-on sprint. Peyton follows me, and I can barely even bring myself to look at him; he’s probably drawing the same conclusions as I am right now, and they aren’t pretty. We reach my apartment in less than a minute, and I fling the door open with Peyton hot on my heels. “Call her phone,” I instruct him. He looks as panicked as I do, running a hand through his fiery hair as he puts his phone up to his ear. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look this stressed out. A few seconds later, we hear the muffled sound of Mads’ phone ringing in one of the other rooms. My heart sinking, I follow the noise from room to room, ending up in the lounge.
Mads’ phone is on the floor by the window, vibrating across the stone floor and letting out its telltale chimes. I hurry over to it and pick it up, nearly dropping it when I see two drops of blood on the screen - two ominous little spots that scream possibilities I don’t dare consider. Fear fills my throat as Peyton comes to stand beside me, and I meet his eyes wordlessly as I hold up the phone.
“Where the feckin’ hell is she?” Peyton says, his voice almost a growl as he pulls the phone out of my hand. He looks like he’s torn between fear and rage, his shoulders heaving. I look around frantically, groping for some reason, some explanation that doesn’t point to a terrible accident - or worse, but all the more likely, a violent altercation.
Hugo breezes into the room at that moment, seemingly oblivious to our panicked state. “Hey guys,” he begins. “I’m going to the beach, if you wanted to—”
“Hugo, have you seen Mads?” I ask him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He pauses, staring at me with wide eyes, his expression falling.
“No, should I have?” he asks, glancing from me to Peyton in confusion.
I shake my head, really starting to panic now. This isn’t somewhere where people just go missing - especially people who are ostensibly “guests” of the higher gods. They run the show here, they’re in close proximity to the rest of us... and they’re evil to the bone. Relax, I tell myself futilely, they wouldn’t have done anything to her. They need to make you cooperate, and they’re not going to…
But the argument is hollow, and I know it. They’ve always had the upper hand, here. For all I know, maybe they’ve gotten impatient with these games and decided to start picking us off one by one.
“Both of you stay here in case she comes back,” I tell my brothers, not waiting for them to respond before running out of the room and back out into the hallway.
Even with the complicated labyrinth of hallways in the palace, it takes me less than ten minutes to find my way to the dining room, where Gestune is whiling away her evening on top of the table. She’s filing her nails, her long legs crossed in front of her as god awful high-pitched music flows through the room from an enchanted stereo.
Aware that I shouldn’t, but too driven by my emotions to stop myself, I let my anger take control of me, a bolt of green lightning lancing out of my hands and into the stereo, which bursts into flames.
Gestune turns to me, her expression unbothered. “That was extremely rude, sweet little niece,” she says condescendingly. “If you want attention, all you need to do is ask for it.” She slides to the floor with enviable grace, standing up tall as her dress billows out around her. I’m tempted to let loose another bolt of magic, but I’m no fool; half higher god or not, I know I’m no match for her. Instead I just wait, watching her and seething. “What is so terribly wrong?” Her voice is almost as honey-sweet as her sister’s, but there’s something cold and biting underneath it that makes me shiver like nails on a chalkboard. Her evil is visible even in spite of her beauty.
It dawns on me that this is the first time we’ve ever actually spoken, and I’m already concluding that she’s no better than her siblings.
“Where is my best friend?” I ask through gritted teeth. I’m past the point of making nice with these people. If they want to feck with the people I love, I’m not going to keep playing the docile prisoner.
“Oh, the blonde little girl. She is with Xur and Eenta, being prepared for the final game tomorrow. Do not worry, she will only be improved,” she says. My heart pounds in my chest, remembering how truly fucked up these gods are. Mads is just human, and they are just plain evil.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I demand.
“You’ll see tomorrow, won’t you? The games started with you both, and it’s fitting they will end with you both as well,” she replies, trying to make sense of the fact her sister and brother have kidnapped my human best friend. I should have sent her away, made her leave. This is the second time her life has been in danger since I got back. If she is killed because of me, I will never forgive myself.
“If you hurt her—”
“You’ll do what exactly?” she asks caustically, walking over to me, her heels clicking against the ground until she stops in front of me. I flinch when she places a nail on my cheek, applying enough pressure to hurt but not actually break the skin. I can tell she likes to see me in pain, and that makes me more worried for Mads. “Since you’ve gotten here, you’ve ignored your true family and played happy girlfriend to more than one man. Now you’re here, so very sad and all alone. Did your plan work out the way you expected, little niece?” I don’t respond to her, and I certainly don’t admit her words hit home in a hard way. I have been spending a lot of my time with Storm and the twins, and now I don’t even know if Storm wants to be with me anymore. My heart hurts, and for a second, I’m vulnerable to her - and she realises it. “Men are nothing more than tools to be used. I’ve learnt they only break your heart with their selfish ways. You are a goddess, an immortal goddess who is more powerful than she knows. You do not need them.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I do need them... because I love them,” I say, pulling away from her. “I love them. And I love my best friend; she is my family too. If you’ve hurt one feckin’ hair on her head, I will make sure you all die.” I don’t wait for her reply as I walk out, feeling more helpless than I ever have in my life. I’ve already lost one friend; I cannot lose another.
Chapter 50
“Are you okay?” Killian asks me for what feels like the ten millionth time since he got here this morning. I appreciate his concern - his presence is pretty much the only thing keeping me sane at this point - but I can’t tell him the truth. He knows me well enough at this point to see that something is bothering me, but I’m not ready to address his fight with Storm just yet; better to just let him think I’m worried about Mads, which I am. This feels like the biggest insult the higher gods have inflicted on me so far: to take my best friend, who can’t do anything to stop them, as collateral for the final game, nothing more than a pawn. It’s terrifying, and the thought that I might lose her if I fail this last test is almost unbearable. Even my heartbreak over the fight I overheard has dulled in comparison, my worry for my friend all-encompassing.
“I’m fine,” I reply, not meeting Killian’s eyes. “I’m just… scared.”
Killian touches my shoulder gently, searching my face. “Whatever happens in there, we have your back, Karma. You know that, right?”
I nod, forcing myself to smile, but I can’t help but wonder if that’s even really true. Seth is a ways away, speaking with Damien in a low voice - they seem to get along well, all things considered. As for Storm, though… I don’t see him here, and at this point it wouldn’t surprise me if he just doesn’t show up at all. This fight might be between him and the twins, but it’s clear that I’m the source - another disaster with me at the centre. I tell myself it doesn’t matter, that I need to focus on Mads and winning this game while keeping us both alive. But not seeing the familiar weather god is like a punch in the gut, and no matter how many times I tell myself not to focus on it, it doesn’t sink into my hurting heart.
I clear my throat, straightening up and fighting off the sudden urge to burst into tears. “We should get going to the arena,” I suggest, still unable to look Killian in the eye. I feel like the longer I wait here, the more nervous I get, and the constant reminders of everything that’s on the line aren’t helping me keep it together. My family members all gather themselves quickly before they start walking out, and there’s a sombreness in the air that wasn’t here even for the first game. Peyton silently meets my gaze as we walk, looking like he got about as much sleep as I did last night. Which is to say - feckin’ none.
“I will save her,” I tell him, hoping it comes across as more resolute than I’m currently feeling.
“I love her,” he says, telling me what I already know. “I can’t even put my finger on when it happened. Everything fell apart so quickly after you killed Neritous, we didn’t even get much time together… But there’s something about her.” He shakes his head, his face drawn with pain and worry. “Mads is kind and sweet,” he says. “I knew this world would destroy her, but I couldn’t help but love her anyway. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, you know?”
I nod. “Mads is one of a kind.”
“Yeah,” Peyton agrees, “and she’s human. This game isn’t meant for her to play.”
There’s a twinge of guilt in his voice, and I reach out and touch his shoulder as he meets my eyes. “I brought her into this world first, Peyton - this isn’t on you,” I tell him sincerely. “I was the one who brought her to that night club. She’s in this because of me… and if anything happens to her, it will be my fault.” The words are almost painful to say, and I hope they’ll help put his mind at ease a little, but if anything they only seem to set him more on edge. His face looks wrecked with guilt, and my hand slides from his shoulder as he wordlessly turns away and heads out of the room.
