Once upon a time, the realms of Chance and Men lived in peace and harmony. The balance of the worlds was perfect. Unfortunately, the thirst for power and magic is an inevitable poison, as insatiable as the noble families of chance. Their thirst led...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧
Chapter 7
✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧✧★✧
I salivate as Killian places a steaming plate in front of me. The smell of what appears to be a stew accompanied by a vegetable broth twists my insides. Nevertheless, I hesitate to eat its contents, but Xavier gives me an encouraging look as if to say, "I promise it's not poisoned." I'm not sure if I should be reassured, but hunger eventually overcomes me.
"Do you have real animals here?" I ask, after recognizing the taste of rabbit, but I receive silent and astonished looks in response. I must have asked a stupid question, and I roll my eyes. "My childhood stories only mention mermaids, fairies, and other monsters."
Elise sighs loudly and rolls her eyes but doesn't say anything. Philippe saves me from this embarrassing exchange by taking something out of his pocket. "I got it," he murmurs, lower, sliding the parchment in our direction, towards Killian and me. The latter leans over to grab it, and our shoulders brush.
"What is it?" I ask as he unfolds it.
"Our only chance of survival," Xavier answers with a wink.
"Are you sure the directions are correct?" Killian's voice is dry, and I look over his arm. It's a hand-drawn map that severely lacks detail and precision.
"Is this a map of the world? Don't you already have one?" Another sigh from Elise is directed at me like a jab, but I ignore it and look at Killian, waiting for an answer.
"This world," he begins, "is peculiar. It's alive in a way." I stare at him, not understanding. "This map is special." I lean in closer to inspect it. I notice the entrance to the world of chance, or at least where it used to be, and then the village of survivors. I also notice the peculiar layout described on the map. "It's a labyrinth."
"Specially created for this game," Xavier adds. "It's unique, and bound to change."
"This map is up-to-date, at this moment. If we follow it, we'll arrive here," Philippe finishes, pointing his finger at the Castle of Hearts.
"And the other castles?" I ask. "Does the game extend throughout the entire kingdom? Are the other Princes also participating?"
I think of the unknown figure from my dream with its inhuman eyes. If I was mistaken about the existence of this world, could it also be more than a mere creation of my mind? Could it be a prince?
"Most likely," Xavier retorts, furrowing his brows. "There are rumors of a possible coup against the King of Spades. Some say these games are just a façade."
