Claudette looked at her father and felt like his hands were tightening around her throat Feeling the genuine warmth in his tone contrasting with the words themselves it was hard to even speak Seeing his eyes on her Claudette could acknowledge that what Pinnacle Seeker Thousand Bones had said is correct her father did genuinely believe what he did for her was for the best More than that he thought that this public grand display of it was necessary He was daring her to speak out publicly against him
The shadows on Don BeigonÆs face spoke to her in that intimate and unfamiliar voice You donÆt understand the way the world works
Claudette lifted her chin Her eyes burned even as her throat quivered Yet you are responsible for that are you not
Considering the auspiciousness of this occasion the Don continued almost constantly prodding Claudette to speak against him as he maintained eye contact I think itÆs only appropriate that we announce the Beigon FamilyÆs intent to enter into an alliance with another powerful force in the Nexus This force will assist with the running of Alymian and receive access to the Beigon fortune in return However we here are nothing if not fair to all comers the new partnership will be decided based on a contest A treasure hunt arranged by me
The crowd was silent There was not even a hint of surprise in the air apparently most of the attendees knew what was coming Most seemed to just be settling in to watch the show
The Don spread his arms wide Suddenly a bright like flared in front of him like a star winking into existence A womanÆs head her eyes closed and her long hairs fluttering down around her as if she was constantly buffeted by a wind that didnÆt exist Even in Alymian where some of the Skull of TruthÆs power was suppressed it still managed to affect the entire beach Claudette watched with narrowed eyes
Don Beigon gave the head an affectionate smile then looked around the beach once more Now that the bonfire was gone the light of the Skull of Truth made it impossible for the attention not to fixate on him For this special event IÆve prepared a unique venue within the Skull of Truth itself that way each of you will be able to manifest your talents despite competing within the restrictive laws of Alymian Those of you who wish to be involved please step forward
The rebels glared at the Pinnacle Seeker who barked out his bloodthirsty amusement Yet suddenly Claudette became very aware of the way Randidly continued to stare at the floating Skull of Truth still dripping long tendrils of light out of its inert nose mouth and the corners of its eyes Unbidden the words of Thousand Bones rose in ClaudetteÆs mind once more
After a moment of hesitation she leaned sideways and whispered to him Randidly
DonÆt trust the Skull of Truth Randidly said solemnly at almost the same time she had spoken He blinked and looked away from the treasure Oh what What were you saying
nothing Claudette replied shaking her head with a small smile on her face Just good luck This is what we trained for right
Mostly I was just bored Randidly said with forced casualness The attempt at humor was more perfunctory than anything else but still Claudette appreciated it They had made their preparations now it was time to find out how much those were worth
The DonÆs gaze swept around almost erased from visibility by the blinding radiance that the Skull of Truth released The light thickened swimming around them all Well then letÆs officially start
Ah wait Devick cheerily interrupted She took a step forward Her golden mask reflected the growing wave of light seeming to give her the face of a god Is it too late to throw my hat in the ring It seems like fun
Honestly The Don smiled with genuine sweetness at Devick The light had become so thick that Claudette couldnÆt make out the details but she knew her fatherÆs expressions very well I would have disappointed if you had not
Devick took a step forward The light reached a crescendo illuminating with such vigor that the air seemed to vibrate Watching this sudden development Claudette felt a sudden sinking in her heart Thousand Bones had spoken of a fourth party that was the true target of this alliance Was this why father put up with all of her needling and interruptions Because he had already agreed to an alliance with her
Or was he sounding her out seeing if she was truly as powerful as everyone said But if this is truly the real target why did Thousand Bones warn me away from Randidly due to the presence of Devick
One thing was for sure in those last moments Claudette realized that there was something that she didnÆt know about the contest And that made her very afraid
Then the light carried them away
Chapter 1860
Randidly looked around warily as the light began to fade and reveal the surroundings within the Skull of Truth Sensations arrived gradually First he felt suddenly freed of the lingering headache that crouched on the bridge of his nose due to the fact he hadnÆt had enough time to sleep during the second half of the party Second he became abruptly aware that his body was morphing and swelling beneath him into something grotesque
Alarmed he made to move back but his form simply rippled His hair grew and thickened into vines sporting dangerously sharp thorns His joints grew chitinous grey spikes and his limbs stretched and flexed Meanwhile his ribcage appeared to be opening up like a blooming flower revealing a vast seed of darkness that sought to devour everything Tongues of oblivion flicked out tasting the air
With a firm application of Willpower those shifts halted and then began to reverse The misbehaving limbs pouted but obeyed His strange metabolism came under his control and his form shifted back toward his current physical look But Randidly examined his fingers in wonder An image body Is this how we will be competing That does not bode well for our ability to resist My control is comparatively lacking
However more than that the sense of wrongness is even stronger here This Skull of Truth
Welcome all A voice brought RandidlyÆs focus up Don Beigon floated in the middle of the softly glowing space beaming around at them all Occasionally an amorphous shape briefly condensed behind him but mostly they seemed to be suspended in an oblivion of soft illumination Randidly glanced back and forth noticing he was just one in a long line of similarly monstrous figures
None of them flickered earning a small frown from Randidly it was clear that most relied so constantly upon their images that they were dependably solid It was only from a golden haired maven holding the keening blade Clarent that he saw other signs of instability but considering how recently Claudette had acquired the image it made some sense
Looking around Randidly once more felt that strange worrisome instinct as he looked at the soft white space Those shapes came and went quickly Their construction seemed to speak to him The Nether King told me not to trust the Skull of Truth but even without that warning there is definitely something wrong with the space What the hell are these patterns IÆm sensing They make my hair stand on end
This is an interior space within the Skull of Truth The Don boomed without noticing RandidlyÆs discomfort IÆve deactivated the image reflection function that youÆve likely heard so much about for now be satisfied with your current images They are your greatest weapons IÆve projected you outside your bodies but just to have a bit of fun There is a physical location waiting below for the treasure hunt but the body you use there doesnÆt necessarily have to be your own
IÆve randomly assigned an order to all of you and youÆll pick which body you use So first Allilia Dusseau