Day Seven-
Cethin

“This is a terrible idea,” Razik grumbled as they prepared to Travel to the Fire Court.

​

Cethin arched a brow in confusion as they waited for Kailia to finish getting ready. “We go to the Fire Court all the time.”

 

“For dinner. Or meetings. Or smoking mugweed,” Razik said. “Not for…game night. This is a terrible idea.”

 

“It’s going to be fine.”

 

“Do you not remember the race through the hedge maze? Because I sure as fuck do. Scarlett and Eliza are competitive as fuck, and Lia wasn’t even part of that race,” Razik said. 

 

“Right. They’re the competitive ones,” Cethin said dryly. 

 

“Then you understand why this is a terrible idea,” Razik said yet again. “Lia is definitely going to stab at least one person before the night is over,” he added, gesturing to her as she emerged from their bedchamber.

 

Cethin smiled as she crossed the room leaving ashy footprints in her wake. The deep slits in her black dress revealed bare skin with every step, so he knew there were no daggers strapped to those thighs. But that was the problem. She never went anywhere unarmed. None of them did. The problem was not knowing where hers were made her unpredictable.

 

Well, more than she already was. 

 

“We should have done a trial run before we did this,” Razik said, his arms folded across his chest. 

 

“A trial run of what?” Cethin asked with a sigh as he reached out to twirl a strand of her hair between his fingers, watching her carefully.

 

“Of what?” Razik repeated flatly. “The only other time we have played a game of cards with Lia was the time—” He stopped talking abruptly, a small smirk tugging at his mouth. “You know what? Nevermind. Let’s go.”

 

He was gone before Cethin could say anything else, leaving him alone with his wife.

 

“Ready, tiny fiend?” he asked, releasing her hair and instead running a fingertip along her jaw. 

 

“I still do not understand,” she said. “We are going to play games?”

 

“Just a night of fun,” Cethin said with another smile.

 

“Fun?” she repeated. “The point of a game is to win.”

 

“Yes, but not always.”

 

“So we want to lose tonight?” 

 

“We do not want to lose, but if we do, it is not a big deal.”

 

She nodded slowly. “So we do want to win? That is the goal tonight?”

 

Maybe Razik had been right. Maybe they should have done a trial run of this game night thing, but it was too late now.

 

“You know what? Let’s go and maybe just observe tonight,” he said, taking her hand and Traveling them to the Fire Court.

 

They appeared in the den the Fire Court favored just in time to hear Cyrus cursing as he slapped coin into Scarlett’s outstretched hand. 

 

“There is no possible way you win every single fucking time,” Cyrus seethed.

 

“Clearly it is possible,” Scarlett simpered, tucking the coin into her pocket. 

 

Cyrus turned to Cassius. “You play her. Win me my money back.”

 

Cass snickered, pulling balls from the pockets to rack them. “I’ll see what I can do.”

 

Kailia’s head tilted to the side. “We get money if we win? We do not need coin, Cethin.”

 

“Again, this is just for fun,” he repeated as Razik and Eliza joined them. They each held out drinks to them, but Cethin ended up taking both of them because Kailia was too busy watching the others in the room.

 

Razik didn’t hide his smirk this time as he observed her. “Want to play cards, Lia?”

 

“We decided just to observe tonight,” Cethin said, throwing a warning look at Razik.

 

A look he completely ignored because he was a godsdamn prick.

 

“We already told Rayner to deal you in,” Razik answered, gesturing to the table across the room where Rayner and Sorin were waiting along with Cyrus, who was apparently done with billiards. 

 

With another sigh, they were led to the card table, where Cethin was sure to have Lia sit between him and Razik. Mainly because if she did end up stabbing someone, it was more likely to be one of them if they were next to her.

 

The house rules were explained as they picked up their cards. Kailia sat perfectly still, amber eyes watching everyone else play their hands. She played her hand, then watched as Razik raked the pot towards himself.

 

“You won?” Lia asked.

 

“That round,” Raz answered. “Now we play another hand.”

 

“But you already won.”

 

“And now we need to keep winning.”

 

“Keep winning,” Lia repeated. “Got it.”

 

“Raz,” Cethin muttered, glaring at him over the top of her head.

 

The male only shrugged. “We both know she’s stabbing you before me.”

 

“Thanks for that,” Cethin grumbled, picking up his next round of cards.

 

Scarlett came over, sliding onto Sorin’s lap, and within a few hands, she was playing instead of him, much to Cyrus’s dismay.

 

“No,” Cyrus said when Scarlett took the next hand. “She can’t just take over for you, Sorin.”

 

“Stop whining,” Eliza muttered. 

 

“Like you can talk,” Cyrus grumbled. “Why aren’t you more upset? Usually you’ve threatened to set someone on fire by now.”

 

“If by someone you mean you, I can certainly do that if you’d like,” Eliza said, flames flickering in her eyes.

 

“I propose a new game,” Scarlett suddenly announced, tossing down her cards. “We can be on teams. Males versus females plus Cassius.”

 

“Fuck that,” Cyrus said in outrage.

 

“Your team will have five players. It’s more than fair,” she countered.

 

“I can just sit this one out,” Eliza said, already pulling a book from a pocket realm. “Then you can have even teams.

 

“Thank the gods. I was ready to leave five hours ago,” Razik muttered.

 

“You weren’t even here five hours ago,” Scarlett drawled.

 

“Exactly,” Razik replied, standing from the table. “If Eliza’s not playing, then I don’t have to sit through this any longer.”

 

“But then we still have uneven teams,” Scarlett said, her hands going to her hips where she now stood.

 

“I don’t think I could care any less,” he answered.

 

His sister turned to him, shadows drifting across her silver eyes. “Cethin?”

 

Cethin tugged at the back of his neck. “Maybe we should call it a night? Ease us into this whole game night thing.”

 

“You can’t be serious,” she demanded. “Game night isn’t something you need to ease into. You just play games.”

 

“Honestly, I’m amazed no one’s been stabbed yet,” he said.

 

“We can stab people? No one told me this,” Kailia said, an arrow appearing in her hand a moment later.

 

“No,” Cethin said with another sigh, plucking the arrow from her hand. “No stabbing anyone.”

 

Kailia sat back in her chair. “It’s been far too long since I’ve stabbed something.”

 

“I hear that,” Scarlett muttered, swiping up her glass of wine. Then she called out, “Eliza, want to go stab something with me and Kailia?”

 

Cethin started, lurching to his feet. “What? No. No one is going—”

 

“Is that something Cyrus?” Eliza called back.

 

Scarlett looked at the male in question.

 

“Oh, fuck off,” Cyrus said, flipping them his middle finger.

 

Kailia leaned over and Cethin bent down so he could hear her over the bickering happening in the room. “I was not enjoying this game night until now,” she said. 

 

“Another drink, Lia?” Razik asked, appearing with one in his hand for her.

 

“Yes, please,” she said as she took it from him. “Do all of your evenings here end like this?”

 

Razik glanced at the others. Cyrus and Scarlett arguing. Rayner raking in the coin while Sorin gathered the cards. Cassius making sure his ward and his lover didn’t kill each other.

 

“Pretty much,” Razik muttered.

 

“We should join them more often,” Kailia mused. 

 

Razik balked at the idea as Scarlett announced a new idea for a game outside, everyone suddenly agreeing to…whatever it was she was proposing.

 

Cethin wasn’t entirely sure what was happening at this point. The only thing he was sure of was that someone was definitely getting stabbed tonight.

 

©️Melissa K. Roehrich 2024