Three.
Four…hell. How many are there?
“How many compete in the games?” I meet Kaine’s bright eyes that linger on me.
“We start with a hundred men.” Kaine clears his throat, before his hand rubs over his lips nervously. “Well, I suppose this year, ninety-nine men and one…woman.”
I aggressively run my fingers through my hair, my braid having fallen out by the men hustling me through the streets and throwing me over a horse.
“I need out.” My eyes lock onto one of the bunkbeds, not blinking as I repeat, “I need out of this damn place.”
Kaine scratches his head. “Yeah… that’s not going to happen.” He reaches for Theon’s hand, lifting him off the ground with a tug.
“We should try to soak in the water of Vitaei before we meet at the pit.” Theon pats his black suit off, dust flying around in the air, making me cough once more.
I stumble to my feet. “You two are Royals?” My eyes darted between the two of them. At this point in my journey here in the Realm of Azure,screw the Royals.
“I’m the prince of the Sky Nation, Ekane.” Kaine grabs Theon’s shoulder, shaking it with a playful force. “My friend here is Theon, prince of Eekatia and son of the Queen that rules all of Azure.”
You have got to be kidding me.
My nails dig into my palms as my voice drops to a deep growl. “You!” I exclaim, charging towards him with a surge of adrenaline and rage. My hands collide with his chest, the impactvibrating agony through my arms but I don’t care. I’m furious. His raven suit, textured with intricate dragon scales like the rest of us, jabs at my palms and I know they’ll bleed if I hit again but I don’t wait another second to do so.
“Woah!” Kaine’s eyes widen as he rushes around, grabbing me by my waist as my arms wail in attack mode. “We aren’t even battling yet!Calm down!”
“Let me at him!” I roar, trying to wiggle my body out of his iron grip.How are these men made from what feels like steel armor?
“What the hell did I do?” Theon steps back, his palms upright as if he is trying to make a truce.
“Your mother put me in here!” My shoulders shake as I try to slam my body into Kaine, but there is no use. These men are too damn strong.
I’m going to have to be stronger to kill Koen.
Theon licks his bottom lip before revealing his pearly teeth. “Ohshit.” A laugh escapes his lips. “What the hell did you do to her to be thrown in here?”
“You don’t know?” My body relaxes as I still try and squirm from Kaines grip.
His icy braids sway as he shakes his head no and crosses his broad arms over his broad chest. “Tell me, what did you do to piss off the Queen?”
Chapter 15
“The women chosen by the Gods are the deadliest warriors of the Realms. They have the strongest connection to the Gods, making them a threat to any man. The stones must be protected by the Deskyiara bloodline and only by a woman Deskyiara.” - Book of Azure
MORE MEN BEGIN TO JOIN us in the dimly-lit dormitory, their footsteps echoing off the cold concrete floors. Their boots beating against the ground make the hairs on my arms rise higher with each step. Some begin to climb up on their bunk beds, their feet swaying over the bed frame as they eat an apple without their gaze ripping away from me. I catch others in the distance, stabbing their cherry-red apple dead in the center as their eyes linger on me.
The crunch of teeth and fruit makes me want to vomit.
I am so doomed.
Each one pauses as they pass me.Every single one of them.Their eyes lock onto me with a fierce, deadly stare that sends a chill creeping down my spine. A chill that won't leave me. A silent threat from every single one of them as their eyes linger down my body and their lips tug with disgust. They make me acutely aware of my difference, myvulnerability. As the Queen said, I die in the games or I die from the men. I guess she knew they would hate me the second I walked in. Except for these two who still stand by my side. However, as more men walk by, some begin to tap at their daggers, warning me that I will die for being a woman.
The first woman to ever be thrown into these damn games. How the hell did I end up in this situation?I should have never touched those stones in the first place.
“Act like you have known me for years.” Theon wraps his arm around me, pulling me in as if I have been his friend for years even though I just beat the shit out of his chest. I roll my eyes, knowing it didn’t even hurt him. So annoying.
“Am I really expected to just stand here and let these men look at me like I'm some kind of prey they're about to devour?” I shudder, my lip rising in disgust as I meet the gaze of a man with midnight-black braided hair tied in a high bun, who is straddling a chair and making a kissing gesture at me. “Or even worse, maybe some of them have other intentions?”
Kaine lets out a silent laugh, tugging his lips between his teeth. “Stick with us, I won’t let them touch you…in any way.”
