Deah let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Here. Take this. You earned it. Not me.”

She shoved the gold cup into my hands, broke through the ring of kids, and ran off into the woods.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

I stood there holding the gold winner’s cup, the metal strangely, sickeningly cold under my fingers. All around me, everyone was quiet, although I could feel their speculative gazes on me, wondering what had ever possessed me to let Deah win instead of taking the victory for myself. Yeah, I was asking myself that one too.

Blake gave me a disgusted glare, like he couldn’t believe I’d actually let someone else win anything, then stomped off, heading back toward the fairgrounds. Obviously, he had no intention of going after Deah to make sure that she was okay. Some brother he was. I wondered if he was looking for Victor so he could tell dear old dad what she’d said. I wouldn’t put it past Blake to be that kind of tattletale.

I wondered if Victor would punish Deah and Seleste anyway, even though Deah had technically won the tournament. I hoped not, but there was nothing I could do about it. I wasn’t the one who’d let the monster out of the bag.

One by one, the other kids drifted away, going back to their own tables, although they all kept staring at me and whispering behind their hands.

I sighed. For the third day in a row, this was a miserable end to a perfectly miserable day. Yeah, bad things really did come in threes, and these last few days had been doozies all the way around.

Felix stared at me. “You really did let her win, didn’t you?”

I shrugged.

He grimaced, then looked at the woods where she’d gone. “I should go after her. Talk to her.”

I sighed. “No, let me. Besides, I still have to give this back to her.” I held up the gold cup. “I don’t want it. Not anymore.”

I’d never be able to look at it without thinking about Deah’s meltdown and the anguish shimmering in her eyes, anguish that I’d felt down to the bottom of my own soul.

Devon nodded. “Go talk to her. We’ll wait for you here.”

I nodded and headed off toward the woods.

We’d been sitting at a table near the front of the lawns, and I had to walk almost the entire length of the picnic area before I reached the woods. Everyone turned to watch my progress, although thankfully, the whispers died down the closer I got to the trees.

I clutched the gold cup to my chest, kept my head down, and hurried on. Even though it wasn’t all that big, the winner’s cup felt heavy and awkward in my hands, and I wanted to give it back to Deah as soon as possible. I wasn’t even tempted by all that shiny gold, not anymore. And I didn’t have the slightest desire to let Mo pawn it at the Razzle Dazzle.

I had thought that I was doing the right thing by letting Deah win, but now I wasn’t so sure. Maybe I should have just finished the fight. Maybe I should have beaten her fair and square. Either way, Deah had been hurt, and now she and Seleste would probably suffer even more, once Blake told Victor about her confession.

I left the picnic area behind and stepped into the woods. It wasn’t quite eight o’clock yet, but shadows already filled in the spaces between the trees, giving everything a gloomy atmosphere. It matched my mood perfectly. Because not only had Deah been hurt, but now I would always be known as the girl who had almost won the Tournament of Blades, the runner-up and the first loser, just like Blake had said. Even if everyone remembered all about Deah’s proclamation, her name was still the one on the gold cup—not mine. I kicked at a rock and sent it skittering off through the underbrush.

I didn’t think Deah had been walking all that fast, but she’d already gone far deeper into the woods than I’d expected. For the first time, I realized just how isolated I was and how far away the noise from the picnic area was.

I wondered if Vance had noticed these same things before he’d been murdered out here.

The image of Vance’s body and all the hideous cuts that had been inflicted on him filled my mind. I’d never been afraid of being alone before, not even in the bad parts of town where there were more monsters than shadows in the alleys, but a shiver went up my spine, and I found myself lowering my hand to the sword strapped to my waist.

And that’s when I realized that the woods were quiet—too quiet.

It wasn’t all that late, but here in the gloom, monsters should have already been stirring, waking up to hunt their dinner. But no brightly colored eyes flashed from the bushes or high up in the trees, and I didn’t hear so much as a rockmunk rustling around in the underbrush, searching for nuts and berries. I shivered again. The silence was creepier than anything else—

A low moan sounded.

I froze, wondering if I had imagined the sound. But the moan came again, and then again. Someone was out here, and they were hurt, from the sound of things. Normally, I would have rushed forward to help the injured person, but so many bad things had happened over the past few days that I decided to be extra cautious. So I drew my sword and slowly approached. Besides, just because those moans sounded human, didn’t mean that they actually were. Many a monster had suckered in an unwary tourist or guard that way.

I crept deeper and deeper into the woods, searching for the source of the sound. Even though the shadows grew darker by the minute, I was still able to see everything around me clearly, thanks to my sight magic.

Including the body.

A crumpled form was sprawled in the middle of the trail up ahead, and the red shirt and golden ponytail told me exactly who it was—Deah.

I quickened my pace, scanning the woods around her, but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Just trees, trees, and more trees.

I reached her a few seconds later. Deah was lying on the ground, bleeding from an ugly gash in her forehead. Her sword was clutched in her hand, as though she’d tried to defend herself against whoever or whatever had attacked her. Worry shot through me. Deah was an excellent fighter, something she’d proved during the tournament. If something could get the drop on her, that meant it could do the same to me—or worse.

My head whipped left and right, but I still didn’t see or hear anything moving in the trees around us. I’d have to take the chance that I could get her out of here before whatever—or whoever—had done this came back.

I dropped to my knees beside her, the gold cup tumbling from my hand and rolling away. “Deah! Deah! What happened? Are you okay? Who did this to you?”