Standing still makes the pain in my feet worse, and I can’t resist checking the damage. I glance down and?—
Fuck…My head drops as I stare at my bloodied feet.
At least I don’t have to worry about that mental map Vexar wanted me to keep. There’s a physical trail of my blood leading back to the bathroom. I rub my hands over my face in frustration.
Today’s going great. Really. Fucking. Great.
The sound of the door opening and the smell of food pull my attention up, and the room tilts on its axis.
The Magistrate.
I knew this was going to happen, but my body seizes up anyway. Black spots appear on the edge of my vision. My stomach churns, andsweat slicks my palms.
I’ve spent months imagining what I would do in this exact moment, and now that I’m here, I’m frozen.
Gaius’s lips curl in a menacing smile, and my stupor breaks. I recoil, only to be met by the unyielding frame of the guard behind me. My eyes search for something. Anything. A weapon, an escape route, I don’t know. I’m a wild animal caught in a trap.
“Amara,” Gaius purrs. My breath catches. He’s holding out a paunchy hand like he expects me to touch it. Bile rises in my throat. “Do not be rude. Take my hand,” he orders.
I’m shoved from behind and stumble through the door, unbalanced and unable to avoid the grasp of cold skin around my wrist. Vexar’s words echo in the back of my mind. “He will want to know why you saved me. He will want to meet you. Use your time wisely.”Fighting every instinct I have, I let Gaius pull me towards a long table as a definitive ‘thunk’ marks the closing of the door behind me.
I can do this. I can do this.
“Sit,” Gaius says.
My legs shake as I collapse into the oversized chair. I feel like a child in a room built for giants. Everything’s too big. The massive table, the oversized trays of food, the vaulted ceilings, the tall windows that span the length of the wall, and the endless desert that stretches out beyond them.
I wipe my sweaty palms down my legs and stare at the monster that’s haunted my every waking moment for the past year. I frown as my terror morphs into confusion. The image I’ve built of Gaius is so different from reality. He’s not large, or imposing, or scary at all. Nothing like my memory. He’s about my height—maybe five feet seven inches? He moves with a slow wobble, his cheeks are ruddy, and the horns I remember being intimidating now just look pathetic. They remind me of Vexar’s horns, just a lot smaller, and … weirdly shiny?
I narrow my eyes and catch a flash of golden light as he settles in the chair at the far end of the table.Oh my god.I have to press my lips together to hold back a laugh.Did he gild his horns?He definitely gilded his horns.Holy shit, how am I supposed to not make a joke about that?This fucker gilded his horns. Oh god, it’s comedy gold. If he were in grade school, he’d be ripped to shreds in seconds.
A sudden surge of glee hits me as I realize I’ll be able to share all of my bad jokes with Vexar tonight. I won’t be locked in a room by myself.
“I have good news, my dear Amara,” Gaius says. “Vexar has agreed to be your champion!” He flourishes his hands wildly, as if he’s revealing some sort of prize, and my eyes go wide. He’s like a bad TV show host. How in the hell was I ever scared of this guy?Probably because he has the power to have me killed. Duh.
“Champion?” I ask.
“Indeed!”
I raise a brow, confused by his over-excited demeanor. “What does that mean?”
“He will fight, and if he wins, he will take ownership of you. Is that not grand?”
Be calm. Don’t let him get to you.Yeah, no. That’s not working. “Ownership?” I growl.
“He asked to take you back to Vhorath so you can stand trial for your crimes. A very noble gesture to be sure. Andifhe wins, your contract will be transferred to him.”
I swallow down my rage and remind myself that this was part of the plan. Right now, I need to be a gracious idiot, not a pissed off killer. I drop my eyes to the table like a fawning idiot and say, “Well, I guess that is good news.”
“Indeed.” He grins, and the tip of a sharp canine appears between his cracked lips. A second later, my brain catches up.Holy shit, Gaius is Vhorathi.I hadn’t even considered that hecould be the same species as Vexar. They’re so … different. Then again, there’s a pretty wide range of appearances in humans too. He takes a swig from his goblet and wipes his mouth on his sleeve. “Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting him to agree to the revised contract at all, but I suppose that is the folly of those who are more noble than intelligent.”
This fucking asshole.‘More noble than intelligent’? Really? With extreme effort, I keep my face calm, press my hands into my lap, and launch my first question. “Can I ask what would have happened if the gladiator didn’t volunteer to be my champion?”
To my surprise, Gaius doesn’t hold back. He gives me an overly long explanation about the importance of law and order, maintaining balance in the galaxy, and the honor of a good death. I listen carefully, nodding with interest, and smiling when appropriate. My translator does a good enough job, but I make a point to look confused when he speaks in metaphors or uses more complicated terms.
Everything about Gaius screams insecurity, so I’m hoping Vexar’s right and my gracious-idiot performance will get him to open up. So far, it seems to be working. Sure, he’s burying the truth beneath a layer of pageantry and virtue signaling, but the information’s still there. He’s confirmed that he kills slaves in the arena—although he’s calling them “criminals”. Real slick.
“You see, the criminals are given a chance to earn their freedom back. Although it rarely works out that way.” He lowers his voice conspiratorially and leans forward. “You would be surprised by how many criminals walk these halls,undiscovered.” Then he shrugs. “Or maybe not.”
