I swallow down the anxiety and drop my eyes to my feet, but the sight there isn’t any better. Dark stains pattern the metal beneath me, barely covered by my new, brighter contributions. Clearly, I’m not the first person to bleed in here. I pinch my eyes shut and grip the bars, willing myself to stay calm.
“If Vexar can defeat all three opponents, Amara will be his!” Gaius’s voice booms. The sound of his voice drowns my terror in a furious rage.
Just focus on your breath, Amara. In for four…I turn and make eye contact with Gaius.Hold for four…He’s standing in front of a throne.Out for four…Gripping a microphone.Hold for four…And gesturing at me. I repeat the box breathing as I take in his fresh robes and bandaged hand.
No matter what happens, at least I made him bleed.
“But if he fails,” Gaius continues as he walks up to my cage and gives it a push, sending me swinging, “she will be my gift to all of you!”
Gift to the crowd?
“You fucking dick!” My arm shoots through the bars of the cage, fingers hooked and ready to do damage, but the cuffs pull tight, stopping my hand and nearly flaying the skin from my wrist. I claw at open air, hoping the swinging of the cage will bring me close enough to rip out an eye. It doesn’t.
The volume of the crowd rises further, and I think they’re cheeringforme—or at least for something unexpected to happen—and I can’t help but think that’s a good thing.
Gaius keeps speaking, but my focus is pulled down to the arena by a tug at the back of my mind.
My eyes lock on Vexar like he’s a lighthouse in a storm, and despite the distance, I know he’s staring back. My mind quiets, heart calms, and the arena seems to fade away. He’s impossibly beautiful in the sun—all sharp angles and rippling muscleunder a layer of warm, golden skin. His expression is stern, and there’s an unmistakable promise in the hardened lines of his face. It gives me hope.
His gaze drops as he squats down and gathers a handful of sand, methodically rubbing it between his palms in a way that feels almost ritualistic. I rest my forehead against the bars and focus on our connection, wanting to feel him. But there’s nothing there. I blink a few times, confused, and try again. Nothing. The connection’s still open, but his end is silent.
Maybe he’s just really focused.
With calm, practiced movements, Vexar stands and pulls an axe from the sheath on his back. A small grin pushes through my discomfort. The axe suits him.
“And now, I introduce our first contender!” Gaius says.
There’s a rattling sound and a metal gate thing—like the kind you’d see in a castle—begins to rise at the far end of the arena. My grip tightens on the bars as I wait for some horrible creature to crawl out of the shadows, but to my surprise, it’s an average-looking bipedal male carrying a sword and shield. I think he’s a Sikut? But from here, I can’t be sure.
The crowd reacts with gasps and whispers, and it feels like they all know something I don’t.
“Nonus,” Gaius shouts, “our most beloved gladiator!”
Beloved…Shit.
Something flashes across the back of my mind. The emotion is foggy and hard to discern, but I think it’s resignation? Or maybe cold resolve? Then it disappears, leaving nothing but a barren void between us again. I shift nervously, wishing I knew if the disconnection was intentional or if something’s wrong.
Nonus, the very average-looking gladiator, raises his sword towards the crowd like a salute before fixing his gaze on Vexar, who’s been stalking him this whole time. I haven’t seen this side of Vexar yet. He seems like an entirely different person.
A horn sounds from somewhere. I jump at the noise. Nonus takes a single step forward. And Vexar explodes into kinetic action.
My jaw drops as their massive forms clash.
Sand kicks up around them in sweeps of glittering orange. Vexar moves like a shadow—smooth and swift, always one step ahead of Nonus’s attacks—his long braid swinging behind him with each graceful movement. The blur of strikes is impossible to follow. My eyes just can’t keep up. But I spot a trail of blood on Nonus’s arm while Vexar appears unscathed.
I’ve never seen anything like it. Vexar is a storm in flesh. Beautiful and terrifying.
Nonus blocks the attacks, but Vexar doesn’t stop his torrent. While I’ve seen my fair share of violence, this is something completely different. It’s intimate and brutal.
Without warning, Vexar’s axe lands on Nonus’s back with a sickening thud. Horror flares through me, but I quickly douse it. Vexar is trading his peace for my safety, and I won’t shy away from that sacrifice. He didn’t have to do this. He could have run. But he didn’t. He’s doing this for me. Forus.For every person the Tusku have taken.
Strengthening my resolve and my spine, I watch Nonus crumple.
Silence descends on the arena as Vexar removes his axe from Nonus’s back. Bloodied and glorious, my champion turns to face me. At this distance, I can’t see his eyes, but I know they’re two dark pits of rage. He’s still for a long moment before his head tilts back and he lets out a roar that can only be described as a deadly promise. All the hair on my body stands on end, and a single word flashes across the back of my mind.Xelora.
I’ve never seen anyone look so savage or unstoppable, and as his roar ends, the crowd responds with one of their own. The Vexar I’m watching right now is not the same man wholamented about the incongruity of death and celebration. He said he was a very different monster than he was before, and now I think I understand what he meant.
Gaius’s previously buoyant demeanor is gone. He notices me watching him and plasters a confident smile on his face. With a raise of his goblet, he says, “To the show.” I spit through the bars, and he laughs. “Like a feraljhyrata. So feisty, but so helpless.”
