A human in the Dragon Rite? No way. No human has ever done the ritual, let alone is going to live through it. They have to know that? He has no magic to even get past the first trial...
"Humans don't have magic!" Saxon yells across the crowd to Alec.
"Ahh, that's where you're wrong, Saxon. They do. They can only do common magic, just like us."
What? They've always told us that they cannot do magic. We were told that they fought us for our magic, and yet we share the same common magic? They probably fought us for our dragons; I really wouldn't doubt it. Dragons are a magnificent feat, and they are quite dangerous, especially once they are bonded; they will do anything for their Bonded. The crowd's roar went to a murmur as everyone started to gossip amongst themselves.
"Now I can see how this could be a shock to everyone here, but he is the Prince of Endorskarr, and he wants to try and stretch diplomatic ties to us. And after hundreds of years, we, the Courts, feel as if we are ready to try and" he paused, "accommodate this young man."
A voice in the crowd, speaks out from everybody, "What Court is he staying in? Certainly it isn't the Spring Court!" Is that Quincy? Quite a thought, considering he is from the Summer Court, but he always proves a point... King Edward Earrach of the Spring Court lost his wife to a human assassin. The loving nature of the Spring Court got them caught and the King never truly recovered, despite what he says, his children say it all. He neglected them.
Alec tsked and waved a hand towards Quincy, and suddenly he calmed down, "No, not the Spring Court. The Court that will host him is the Winter Court," he smiled towards me. My body was aching to do any other emotion but stay calm. Fuck Alec. I knew that was his power controlling me from acting out against him is really starting to anger me.
I swallowed, and with a gracious smile I looked around the room, "I'm sure the Queen has bestowed this generous offer to him. And I'm also sure she gladly took it, I mean the Winter Court being the first one to host a human over hundreds of years is quite the statement," my eyes connected with Alec. I wonder if my mom did this for a bit of extra money, certainly the other Courts decided to pool in extra since she is doing the "gracious" thing. His smile never wavered against mine, no matter how long he stared at me.
"Well, I guess it's time to retire to bed then, young Royals. We will continue this tomorrow, and once everyone is settled then we will pack and begin the trek to Fafnir."
Lovely, Fafnir. Fafnir is where we train to hone our skills and progress through the trials. We all sleep in our separate quarters, in our own sectors away from the other Courts. Years ago they had some other Court kids kill some of the others in their sleep while they all were in the same building. After that, while it isn't necessarily looked down upon, they build us all separate rooms, separate buildings to be able to sleep peacefully. Now, whether you're dumb enough to not ward your own door is up to you. Some don't, they'd rather kill their enemy as well.
Turning away from the crowd I rush, as fast as my demon heels can carry me, towards my carriage where my mother is already waiting. I sit across from her and she looks out the tiny window in silence.
"Mom?" I put my hand on her thigh.
Her head turned slowly towards me, her eyes held mine, "Yes. I decided to host him."
My eyebrows scrunched, "Why? It's not like we need the money. We are one of the very few Courts that don't even partake in festivities that require the money."
She smiled and put her hand atop of mine, and squeezed gently, "It's not even about that, my dear. I wanted to host him because he is the first human in decades. I mean, who will talk of our Court in disdain if we host him and he succeeds?"
Ah, I see. She wants to smear the bad blood my father left behind for a successful story. I hope he lives up to his success...
"Mom, what if he doesn't make it?"
She waved her finger in front of me, "No, he will make it. You should've seen him. He looks like he's been training for this... for years."
And what if he has? What if he is secretly infiltrating our way of life to find out how to take us down? That'll be a disaster... "Don't worry, dear. We must trust him enough for him to pass the trials. I'm sure he wants to be a part of our way of life, and it is quite simple. Humans are already partly there."
Wait. That's right. "Speaking of that, mother, I thought we were told they didn't possess such things? I remember distinctly being told that they're Isle is a wasteland, a barren one at that."
She waved her hand and sat back against the cushion of her seat, "Well, of course they have magic. Why else would they have fought us? In order to keep the peace, they kept that and we got the dragons and this part of the Isle."
"Seems like a pretty ridiculous treaty to me. Sounds like shit," I stated confidently, "Even if they agreed to that, there is no way they'd be happy with it."
My mom looked out the window once more, "Exactly. They came crawling back after all this time."
The carriage ride was silent after that. What she said was indeed ridiculous, but I don't know what she does. I haven't read the books that she has, and I'm not nearly as old as her. Sure, Fae age slowly against them, but none of us alive have ever interacted with them before. Arriving back home I quickly go into my room and start to pack my bag. I am only allowed one, so I better make it worthwhile. Opening it I stare into the emptiness, and I wave my hand to it. There we go... I stretch my hand in it, and sure enough the bag lets my whole arm go through it. I quickly go to my wardrobe and pick out my training clothes, which include a variety of tough cloth and leathers, all of which are purples, blues, and silvers. Over my legs I slip on a stretchy fabric and shrug over a lightweight shirt made of a harsher material.
Getting all of my clothes, I shove it into the bag, unfortunately I did forget that the bag is now a never ending pit. Welun help me. Swinging the bag over my shoulder I look around my room once, and look into the mirror at myself and examine my hair, which is still intact. I nod once and descend from my room to the bottom of the stairs where my mother was waiting.
"Might as well get you there now instead of tomorrow morning," she started rushing me towards the outside.
"Why? I thought we were going to go to a central location then travel as a group to Fafnir?" I stopped walking and put my hands on the straps of my bag.
"Well, we want you to help the Prince get his footing in the College before tomorrow when everyone else gets there. Can't have him dying on his first day," she humored.
"I don't even know where to go, mom."
Her eyes lit up and she ruffled in her own bag, "I almost forgot! A map." I grabbed the map from her hands and examined it. It really was a map of the whole College, "It should help you two navigate, at least for the first day." I smiled at her, and wrapped my arms around her.
"Thank you, mom."
Her arms wrapped around mine briefly, "Well of course! Can't have my only daughter go in there without some sort of game plan. Now, when you get there, your Court building will be directly on the right."
I nodded my head quickly to what she was saying, "Directly on the right, got it."
"Also..." she took my arm and pulled me to the side of the stairs, "whenever you get there, do not trust anyone but in your Court."
"Mom, the Prince is in my Court."
"Lyle. His name is Lyle Karalis," she corrected, "and he is a part of your Court. You will have to trust him if you want your own dragon. You have to do everything in your power to get one."
My breath hitched. "Of course," this is important to her.
She smiled and her hands went towards my cheeks, "You will be great, Blake. You just have to believe in yourself, okay? No matter how hard someone kicks you down, get right back up. You hear me?"
"Yes, mom," my eyes started to tear. My mom is the only one in my family left, and she means everything to me.
She opened the carriage door for me and then shut it after I sat down and got comfortable. Why aren't we going?
"Didn't think you'd wait up for me, huh?" that voice was different. No Royal child has that voice? Hell, no one I know has that voice.
I turned to face the door and there stood a man. He was quite tall, and muscular, he fit the doorway of the carriage too well. I don't think he'd squeeze in very well, but sure enough he squeezed in here and sat across from me. He's beautiful, I think. Different from Knox, but nevertheless still beautiful. His skin was a honey color, black hair, sharp jawline, and his eyes... goodness his eyes were the deepest green, like a dark forest. My eyes lingered down to his full lips, down his body where he is muscular but also stocky and then they fluttered back up to his eyes.
"Surely not..." I forgot his name.
"Lyle. Lyle Karalis," he held out his hand. Why would he do that? He must've seen my expression and smiled, "It's a handshake, Princess."
"Oh..." I took his hand in mine and he shook it gently, but firmly, "Oh!" my hand shot back towards my side. He shocked me?
His eyes flickered to our hands, but never missing a beat he said, "Ready for the ride?"
Looking away from him I shrugged, "Not sure. Depends on the company."
He chuckled, "Ouch, Princess. What a way to make a man feel welcomed."
The carriage ride was mostly silent. Lyle looked out of the small window to his left and I to my right. This is so strange. This man, a beautiful man, is looking out the window of our Kingdom... a Kingdom that he and his people have never seen. It's quite interesting, considering we have similar animals, but different climates, and just new dangers that he and his people have never encountered in the past hundreds of years. I wonder what he's thinking...
"So, what do you love about your home?" he never looked at me.
"Well...uh," I hesitated. How much should I tell him?
"C'mon, Princess. I won't bite," he smirked. What the hell?
"I know you won't bite. You're not stupid enough to," I squinted towards him and huffed, "But if you must know, I love the nature of it. Every realm has their own climate which is retrospective to their Court. So the Summer Court is basked in eternal Summer. Mine...I mean ours is basked in eternal Winter. But the weather can vary. Some days we have mild winters, and other days it's a blizzard."
He was nodding and listening the entire time, "Well, that must be fun. Then you'll be able to go to a different Court to experience a different day, yes?"
"Well, only sometimes. For example, since I am a Royal, I can move however I want and whenever I want. The...more common folk do not have that luxury. They need special access to move between the Courts. The most common are the traders, if they have things to sell then they get approved for the pass as long as they pass the background check. Every now and then we have a family access pass, with that you can visit your family for how long you're approved of. So if you say you need four days to spend time with your family then usually you're approved for four or five days. Sometimes they get an extra day's grant."
Lyle was still listening, but this time his eyebrows were knit in confusion, "Is there no freedom here?"
I shrugged, "Depends on your version of freedom. Every Court has their own set of rules, but that specific rule set was made by all the Court officials. When everyone was free to move between the Courts, there was a rise in the crime rate. The rule back then was that no Court could punish another. So if a Summer Fae killed a Winter Fae, then the Winter King or Queen could do nothing about it. They could provide proof to the Summer King or Queen and see if they could give them punishment, but most of the time that never panned out."
Lyle laughed and sat back against the cushion, shaking his head as he looked back at me, "That's ridiculous."
Scoffing, I looked at him, "Well, what is your Kingdom like? Clearly, it can't be that special if you left for your supposed enemy."
His face got serious, and his eyes struck mine. "First of all, Princess, do not assume you think my Kingdom is that bad. The Kingdom is beautiful. The people are something different," he said coolly. His arms crossed in front of his torso, and it's a clear indicator that the conversation is over.
A while later, we finally reached Fafnir, the cluster of floating islands in a peninsula. The floating islands consist of three, the bottom one isn't an actual floating island and it sits in the water instead but this is where we are held as fresh blood and where we also hone in our magic. The second is where we move onto the battle trial, we will stay there until that trial is over, then we move onto the third island that is there for the mind. The third island is where the dragons den is. Looking out at the buildings it was quite the site to see. Terrifying, but beautiful. The main building resembled a castle, with its tall frame, intricate friezes, and rubbled cobblestone on the outskirts. In the center was the tallest part of the castle. Looking down at the map my mother gave me, the tallest is where you climb the stairs to get to the second island. I'm assuming every island has its own quarters. On the outside of that were smaller buildings with uniform windows, training areas. Lastly, there were buildings on the farthest outskirts and those were the quarters; a wall surrounded the entire area with a bridge connecting us from these islands to the mainland.
The carriage rolled up to the gates and stopped. Lyle and I climbed out of the carriage. Standing next to him, he was taller than I by a good head, and his stance was so straight and perfect. His muscles were also perfect. Welun, what's happening to me? Welun, guide me through this and don't let me falter. I'm not particularly religious, but I am hoping Welun sees me trying and steadies me. I have been told that she is a calm, benevolent God while her counterpart, Siksta (the Sun), is more of a trickster. He likes to play games and cause malevolence, especially to Welun. Legend has it they were lovers who created Earth, and after so long of torment, she left Sicksta for her people. When he sleeps, she rises to greet us with open arms and a calming sensation. When she sleeps, he rises to greet the partygoers and tricksters who want nothing but to cause chaos. But what is a little dark without the light?
Lyle taps my shoulder, "Coming, Princess?"
Shrugging my bag over my shoulder, I seethe, "Stop calling me that."
"And call you what? You are a Princess after all."
"It seems demeaning."
He waves his finger while taking steps forward, "No, that cannot be true because I am a Prince, so therefore it cannot be demeaning."
I snort, "All the more reason for it to be so."
His steps falter slightly before picking up the pace once more, "You should feel proud of your title, not embarrassment from it. You know how many girls would kill to be in your shoes? So many. They'd slit each others throat to stand where you stand," he leans toward me and whispers, "to fuck you who fuck."
I gasp at him, "First of all, don't assume you know who I've had sex with," in fact, I've never had sex with anyone. In my Court, it is held in such high regard, you need to be sure whoever it's with...you stay with them. Sure you can have sex with your partner, but people will judge you if you leave them for someone else.
"Don't act like such a prude, Blake."
"I am not a prude! I just...don't see what that has anything to do with us," I motioned back and forth between us.
A noise came from his throat that sounded like a hum; he was either satisfied with my answer or contemplating arguing it. "Doubtful. Nothing wrong with having sex with people," yep, he wanted to argue.
"Sees as it is in my Court, it is traditionally only amongst married people, I'd have to say that that is where I stand." Words no longer came from his tongue as we continued to walk at a leisurely pace towards our quarters on the right, "Listen, we have our quarters in this building," I pointed at the building, "And just so you know, people will try to kill you or me."
His eyebrows jumped at the accusation, "Whatever for?"
I stopped and grabbed his elbow, "Because there are only so many to choose from. There are only ten of them this year, and with you being here, there are eleven of us. And even then, the dragons sometimes don't even pick."
"Then what's the point of them being here?"
Rolling my eyes, I squeezed his elbow, "Lyle, I need you to listen to me, please," I pleaded.
Looking at me for a split second before looking away, he looked back towards me, "Fine, I'll listen. Not like I have a choice if I want to live."
"Great, so, there aren't many rules in this place. People can kill you at any time, but it can never be anyone in your own Court, for example I can't kill you and you can't kill me but the Fall Court could sneak in and get us both. Which is why it's imperative that you stay alert and focused. We'll have to ward our doors so that only us can get in, whether it be just our own door or each other."
"So you want to get into my room, hm?"
Hitting him on the chest, I notice just how firm he is. How is anyone that firm? "Listen, we need to protect each other."
"Why is this so important to you?"
My temperature started rising, feeling my cheeks pink, "Why is it so important to you?! I'm trying this for my family," I yelled at him.
Taken aback, his eyebrows knit, "Princess, you'll do just fine. Don't worry about me. I'm doing this for myself, not my family."
"Maybe I wouldn't have to worry about you if you weren't a Human."
Growling at me he takes my arm and shoves me towards him, his face in mine, "Listen here, brat, I am just as strong as you or any of your filthy Fae species. You say another word about me and my kind, I'd love to remind you of what you did to us," he let me go like I burned him and walked off, slamming the entrance door behind him.
Great, I pissed him off. And what does he mean by "what you did to us"? Fae and Humans had a war that resulted in a treaty, and we went about our ways. Is that not what happened? I cannot think of that right now. Clenching my bag, I went through the doors and up the winding stairs to where the quarters are kept, about 2 floors in. The first floor is a common room, the second is the quarters, in which every room contains its own bathroom. Going through the first door on the right I opened it to examine the room, the bed was on the far wall under the large window that seemed to take up most of the wall, next to that on the right is a door to the bathroom, across the door is a desk and next to the desk in front of the entrance is a wardrobe. Simple enough. Tossing my bag on the desk, I tumbled to the bed with a huff. I don't understand why it's so hard to talk to Lyle. It's not like he really did anything to me. He's too pretty, it makes me flustered. I didn't say I liked him; he just knows he's good-looking and there's nothing I can do about that.
Rising to my feet, I went and looked to see if he was across the hall from me, knocking on the door, I waited for him. One...two...he opens the door, "What, Blake?" He didn't call me Princess? Odd.
"I was just wondering if you wanted to walk the grounds or the castle with me? Learn the lay of the land, as they say?" I tried my best to sound as if I really wanted him to come. I do. Wait, no, I don't. Why am I saying that? Silence followed my words, and I soon regretted even asking him to come along with me.
"Just me and you?"
I looked around, "I mean, unless you have some ghosts or a secret you're hiding, there's no one else here."
Rolling his eyes playfully, he closed the door behind him, "Fine, Princess. Take me wherever."
"Awesome! C'mon, let's go walk outside the walls. The dragons sometimes will be out in the field," smiling, I grabbed his hand and tugged him behind me.
"They live around here?"
"Of course they do," we reached outside and headed towards the gate. Once we made it there, I pointed to the left where the field was. Of course, it's close to our chambers, "That is the field on the east side of our island. They like to lie out there when the sun is high and the weather is nice."
I look up towards the sky, not many clouds, and the sun is almost in the optimum position for them, "C'mon, they should be landing at any moment."
Following me, we ended up at the field and sat on a pair of rocks that looked over the grass, "How do you know so much about these guys?"
Shrugging my shoulders, my eyes watched the skies, "My mom and her dragon loved me. She used to tell me their stories while I was riding on Mathair's back with her. I knew when my mom lied because Mathair would always make a chuffing noise and blow steam in the air, coating us in the droplets. My dad never approved of me riding her, and even hated it when we talked about them in secret. I ended up learning whatever my mom knew."
"Which I'm guessing you're not supposed to know?"
I nodded my head, still watching the sky for them, "Of course. Talking about them is seen as giving an edge before we have a chance to reach this place, but like I said, my mom loves me. My dad was the odd one out."
"What happened to him?" he asked softly.
My breath hitched, and that's when I saw them. Their scales shimmer against the sun as they massive, heavy bodies land on the soft grass, stretching their limbs, they quickly lie down and stretch out with their front legs out and hind quarters up in the air. They're like cats, which they would never say so. The only ones that are here today are the ones that are going to be picking someone. It's like Lyle sensed that my dad is a touchy subject, because he quickly changed course, "Can you tell me about them?"
"Of course! Let's start with our Court's dragons... so we have the blues and the blacks,"
"Like a bruise?"
Scowling, I swatted his arm, "No, like the colors. So the blues are only in our Court, they are known for being patient or high-tempered, and strategists, most often they choose those who become Generals or something to do with the military, and they have scorpiontails. Blacks are...not as patient, and will become aggressive when needed with a morningstar tail. They are mostly tied to leaders or any rebellious figure. Blacks fall in the Winter and Fall Court." I pointed to the two different ones and made a point of the tails.
"Now, to the Fall Court...they also have the reds, who are extremely hostile," I say as the only red snaps at a black who, in return, snaps back with a growl, "short-tempered as you saw, and a club tail. Yellows are even-tempered, very sociable, with a daggertail; they belong to the Spring Court. Greens are in the Spring and Summer Court, and they are down-to-earth, and have the highest temper among them all, and they carry a swordtail."
"Only those colors?" He quizzed me. "Seems to me like there should be one more."
That took me by surprise. How does he know about the white dragons? We haven't seen one in years, but that doesn't mean that they can't show up at some point. "Well, there is a white dragon. Not much is known about them, we only know that they are feathertails and they have never joined a Court. If they are still around, they stick to themselves."
He looked at the red and black dragon having a brawl, "Well, it seems to me like they need to come out of hiding. Not that they would, considering they're feathertails. Feathertails don't fight, right?"
"Mostly. Feathertails belong to adolescence and those who choose them, but the colors tend to stick to their trademark tail. Why'd you ask?"
He paused and cleared his throat, "Well, we have books on them. In our books, they considered the white dragons extinct."
Whipping my head towards him, my mouth fell, "You have books on them? All the dragons?"
He nodded, "Not a whole lot, but a good bookcase worth."
"And you let me go on about them when you knew the information already?"
He shrugged nonchalantly, "I wanted to see what you knew. I also liked watching you go on about it like a canary."
The dragons stopped their tousling and looked at us watching them. The blue, possibly my blue, started stalking its way towards us. She easily towered over us, we only came up to the top of her ankles. Lowering herself, she stared into my eyes.
"Blake? What's it doing?" Lyle got up and stood behind the rock, seemingly behind me.
"I...I don't know," I tilted my head and looked at her back. You're technically not supposed to do this, you're supposed to show them respect by lowering your gaze for about five seconds and lifting them back up. Especially if the dragon isn't your own.
She lowered her head towards me, making a purring noise, "Princess, I don't know if I like this."
Looking up towards the other dragons, I noticed that they, too, had walked closer towards us, and now we were surrounded. "I don't think anything is going to happen. They seem curious? I mean, she literally just purred at me."
Lyle leaned down slowly. "How do you know it's a she?"
I opened my mouth to respond, then closed it, "Well... I don't know. I just felt as if this dragon were a she. Are you?" I looked back at her. She chuffed and blew steam at me, "Well, there goes your answer." I laughed.
Looking up towards the sky, the sun moved about an hour's worth. The rest of the Courts have to be getting here soon, and if they saw us out here, they'd think we're cheating. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I put my hand over her snout and squeezed gently. She purred once more, "We have to go. The rest of the Courts should be here soon. Don't want to be caught out here," dropping my hand, I smiled at her and ducked my head down, signaling our leave.
Walking back towards the College, I looked back at the field one last time and noticed the dragons were gone. Well, that was quick. Much shorter than I thought they'd stay, the sun is still relatively high for another hour. Maybe what the blue did was upsetting to the rest of them.
"We have to hurry. They should be here any minute," we quickened our pace until we got to the gates right on time. The carriages just started over the bridge, coming up to us. Pushing Lyle inside the gate I hissed at him, "Don't start shit. The Fall Court siblings are easily angered and like to talk shit, Summer and Spring Court are usually pretty tame. They'll mostly be curious about you and your Kingdom. Got it?"
He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, whatever. But if the Fall Court siblings "like to talk shit"," he provided air quotes with his fingers, "then they'll see what happens."
The carriages stopped before the gate, like ours, and each of them started exiting their rides. Welun, help me with Lyle, they'll swarm him. And, just as I said, they do swarm him.
"Hello! Who are you?"
"What's your name?"
"Are you the common look of your people?"
"Wow, you're so cute, are you single?" What the hell?
Lyle raised his hands with a grin, "I'm done talking. I'll see you all later," and just like that, he left and went into our wing. Odd.
Rhiannon looked at me, "He's so handsome! If all humans are like that, I want a slice."
Addison popped up next to us, "He's a human, Rhiannon."
She rolled her eyes towards Rhiannon, "Why does that matter? There used to be half-breeds."
"Exactly, used to be. There hasn't been one since we split from them."
Shrugging my shoulders, "I think it'd be nice...to open that gate again?"
Both of them gasped. Rhiannon grasped my shoulders while Addison put her hand on her chest, "Do you really mean that? Rule follower, Blake?"
"I mean, the whole Human Kingdom. Not just him."
Rhiannon chuckled and put up her hands, "No, of course not. He's off limits, right?"
"Right. Wait! No, he was never on the limits."
She doubled over in laughter, my cheeks turned pink, which is very clear because of my skin color, "Oh...my...Siksta! You really just said that."
"Of course you value Siksta," I hissed. Addison grabbed my arm and hauled me away from her.
"You have to stop doing that. Most people value Siksta over Welun."
"Maybe I would if she weren't evil."
Addison made a clicking noise with her tongue, "She's not evil. You know the Spring Court just jests around. Nothing wrong with that either," she poked my shoulder before stopping abruptly, causing me to falter back.
"What the?" I questioned her.
"I forgot to tell you! Our Guards are coming here! Isn't that amazing?" Her eyes twinkled with love and excitement.
"You love him don't you?"
"Don't act like Knox doesn't love you. He's been gunning after you since we were kids."
I shrugged my shoulders, "I love him, I really do, but I'm not sure I can open that pathway to him."
"Why not? Not like it'll be hard. He's hot!"
I laughed, "No, it's not that. He is quite the sight, but I just... I'm not sure."
"I know what it is. You're scared, he is your best friend."
"Sometimes the best relationships come from friends," I quip. My parents were best friends, "although it can be dangerous. You saw what happened to my parents. She lost everyone but me."
Addison's demeanor changed, "Well, that's different, Blake," her voice trailed off.
"No, it's not. I can't just love someone because that means losing a best friend, a lover, and my future all in one. I can't do that to myself or my partner."
She let go of my arm and sighed, "Listen, you can't live like that. You have to experience what life has to offer."
A voice echoed across the courtyard, and there stood Alec with his arms crossed, looking at all of us, "Hello, Royals! I hope the ride wasn't too terrible," he smiled.
I wonder if he's trying to relax us.
He walked towards us and opened his arms, "Tonight we shall rest. After tonight, your training starts, specifically tomorrow, we will examine your magic skills and put you on a chart. That said chart is where you stand with your fellow students."
Well, that's new. My mom never mentioned this before. A murmur rippled through the crowd, "I know, I know, this is new. We are trying it this year to determine your new job title and who here is the weakest link between all of the Royal children," Alec grinned. "Now, go get some rest. Can't start off on a bad foot now, can we?"
Addison's wide eyes found mine, and her lips set into a hard line, "Now that's new. I wonder why they're doing this? Certainly all of the Courts didn't vote on this."
Shaking my head at her, I confirmed, "Absolutely not. Why would they anyway?"
Saxon strolls up next to us and parks beside me, putting his arm on my shoulder, "Seems to me like they're trying to eliminate you, Blake. After all, you are the weakest here."
Seething with anger I whipped my head towards him and yanked his arm away from my shoulder, "Fuck off, Saxon. Don't you know where you're not wanted?"
He shrugged, turning away, "Just trying to see where my competition lies now that there's a score chart. Have fun!" he yelled over his shoulder.
Waving Addison and saying our goodbyes, I walked back towards my room. It's time for a good shower and call it a night.