Her entire body was steeped in cold but she forced herself not to panic. She could do this. The water wasn’t trying to punish her. She relaxed until the current eased up. Then, with steady, even strokes and pulls she worked her way back to the surface, kicking hard until she reached a wide set of steps.
Slowly, her eyes adjusted as tiny green lights, as infinitesimal as bits of dust, flickered to life. They swarmed the air like fireflies, casting jade illumination over two gray-blue soapstone statues guarding the entrance to the steps.
Twice as tall as Scarlett, and cloaked in robes that disappeared beneath the water, the figures’ hands were clasped in silent prayer. But though their eyes were closed, their faces appeared far from peaceful. Their mouths stretched wide, calling out in silent agony as Scarlett pulled herself onto the black soapstone staircase.
“I was starting to lose faith in you.” The click of a walking stick pressed against the stairs, as one by one each polished step brightened. Though it was not the stairs nor the murky places they led, but the young man in the velvet top hat who captured Scarlett’s full attention.
She blinked and he was suddenly there in front of her, reaching out a hand to help her to her feet. “I’m so glad you finally made it, Scarlett.”
Scarlett told herself not to be dazzled.
She knew Legend was a viper. A serpent in a top hat and tails was still a snake. It did not matter that this snake was almost exactly how Scarlett had always pictured him. He might not have been quite as handsome as she’d imagined, but still, he was made of dashing elegance, laced with intrigue and illusion, set off by a twinkle in his dark eyes that made her feel as if she were the charmed one, covered in magic only he could see.
He appeared younger than she would have thought, a few years older than she was, without a wrinkle or scar on his face. The rumors that he never aged must have been true. He wore a royal-blue half cape, which he quickly tore off and draped around Scarlett’s shaking shoulders. “I’d suggest you take off your wet clothes, but I’ve heard you’re on the modest side.”
“I won’t say what I’ve heard about you,” Scarlett spit out.
“Oh no!” Legend clapped his hands to his chest in a show of mock offense. “People have been saying nasty things about me?”
He laughed—a rich, spicy sound. It bounced off the cavern’s walls as if there were a dozen different Legends hidden behind the stones. The noise continued, even after he stopped laughing. It wasn’t until he snapped his fingers that the horrid echoes stopped. But Legend’s manic smile remained, twitching and restless, as if he were thinking of a joke he had yet to share.
He’s mad.
Scarlett edged back as her gaze quickly cut to the water, where Julian should have been emerging behind her. But now the water wasn’t even moving.
“If you’re waiting for your friend, I don’t think he’s going to be joining us. At least not yet.” Legend’s lips turned cruel around the corners, leaving her drenched in a cold blue-violet feeling that went deeper than the wetness soaking her clothes.
“What have you done to Julian and my sister?”
“It’s really too bad,” Legend said. “You’re so dramatic, you would have made a fantastic performer.”
“That’s not an answer to my question,” Scarlett said.
“Because you’re asking the wrong questions!” Legend shouted. Instantly he was right in front of her again, taller than she realized and even madder than he’d been moments before. His eyes were all black, as if the pupils had devoured the whites.
Scarlett reminded herself that the tunnels beneath the game did strange things to people’s heads. She stood her ground without flinching, and repeated, “Where are my sister and Julian?”
“I already told you that’s not the right question.” Legend shook his head, as if she’d disappointed him. “But now that you’ve brought them up a second time, I’m curious. If you could see only one of them again, Julian or your sister, who would you choose?”
“I’m finished playing games,” Scarlett said. “I took your leap of faith, I don’t have to answer any more questions.”
“Ah, but the rules say you need to find the girl before you can officially win.” Green lights danced around Legend’s head, adding a glittering emerald cast to his fair skin. He was magical to be sure, but in all the wrong ways. “Have you wondered at all why the game is played during the night?”
“If I answer you, will you tell me where to find my sister?”
“If you manage to do it correctly.”
“What if I’m wrong?”
“I’ll kill you, of course.” Legend laughed, but this time it was hollow, like a bell without a clapper inside. “I’m just kidding. No need to look at me as if I’ll sneak into your house at night and strangle all your kittens. If you answer incorrectly, I’ll reunite you with your male companion, and together you can continue searching for your sister.”
Scarlett highly doubted Legend would keep his word, but he was blocking the stairs in front of her, and behind her was a river that she doubted led anywhere good.
She tried to remember what Julian had told her about Caraval their first night there. They say they don’t want us to get too carried away, but that is the point.
“I imagine the game wouldn’t be the same in the light,” Scarlett answered. “People think no one sees all the nasty things they do in the dark. The foul acts they commit, or the lies they tell as part of the game. Caraval takes place at night because you like to watch, and see what people do when they think there are no consequences.”