I let out a frustrated growl and slam my hands against the bars. I need to break his smug face. To feel his blood on my hands. To watch the terror in his eyes. “Fuck you!” I snarl.
There’s another shuddering sound from the arena, and Gaius smiles. It’s the gate again.They haven’t even removed Nonus’s body, and he’s already starting the next fight?
Feeling out of breath, I turn back to the arena, shielding my eyes from the sun. Vexar is pacing, watching the gate and the darkened passageway beyond. Something moves in those shadows, and I watch in terror as a walking fever-dream enters the arena. That’s not a gladiator, that’s a fifteen-foot-tall killing machine shaped like an oversized praying mantis.
And Gaius is laughing.
35
THE MANTA
VEXAR
THE RAGE INSIDE me dies at the sight of the Manta, a flame slowly flickering out.
I let my axe slide through my grip until the head rests in the sand near my feet. I do not want to do this. This creature is not sentient, it is not a gladiator, it is just an animal trying to survive. When I signed the revised contract, I knew there would be no guarantee of who I would fight, but this? This is not what I imagined.
My eyes flick up to the only true monster in this place, Gaius. He has kept his power for far too long, and I can only hope my actions today are the first steps towards removing that power.
I scrub a hand over my face and lift my axe as I come to terms with what I must do. I cannot save this beast. Only one of us can leave here alive, and it must be me.
Amara’s heart pounds in my chest.I wish I could tell her not to worry.Sweat drips into my eyes. Sand permeates my boots and sticks to my feet. The horn sounds. And nothing happens. The Manta just watches me with large, curious eyes. It has no idea why it is here or what it is supposed to do. I am not prey, this is not its territory, and it has no reason to attack.
There’s a cracking sound—most likely an electric pulse delivered to the Manta’s collar—and the creature bursts into action.
I dash to the side, narrowly avoiding its thrusting arm while positioning myself to strike. I swing horizontally. My axe powers through carapace, sinew, and bone, until the end of a twitching leg lies in the dusty sand between us.
The Manta stares at the detached extremity before letting out a shriek that vibrates my chest.
I am sorry.
Biting back the sob that threatens to escape me, I dart between the Manta’s legs and let my axe drag along the length of its belly. A rush of green, metallic gore spills as the Manta frantically stomps, trying to spear me with its legs. But I am already clear.
End it,the dark voice inside me whispers.
Rage begins to burn in my chest as my shadow claws for dominance. ‘I do not need you,’ I think as I try to shove it down. All I need is for this poor beast to die quickly.
I run towards the Manta’s hind-quarters, jump, plant a foot on its upper leg, and swing. One of the beast’s arms catches my bicep, tearing flesh but not slowing my forward momentum. One heart beat. Two. My axe slams into the creature’s shoulder with a sharp crack that rings in my ears. Sand flies as I impact the ground and roll to my feet. I turn, ready to strike again, but the fight is over. The Manta is dead. Its body lies in two pieces, arranged horribly in a growing pool of its own blood.
“Vok!” I throw my axe to the ground with a growl of frustration and cover my face with my hands. Sand crunches between my teeth. Blood runs down my arm and drips from my elbow. Rage burns through my chest, and I drop to my knees, praying that I can be forgiven for this. “Vaeryth, god of love and connection, forgive me,” I whisper.
The Manta did not need to die. I did not want to kill it. But the horrible truth is that my shadow did.
I stare at the corpse, struggling to look away. I did not just kill it, I mutilated it.Was this really what my ancestors coveted?I grab another handful of sand and aggressively rub it between my palms, focusing on the sensation of abrading skin. I feel like little more than a killing machine. A vengeful monster. The exact thing I feared I would become.
The portcullis rattles its warning cry again, distracting me from thought as my shadow creeps back up my spine. My eyes flick to Amara, and a rush of fresh savagery pulses through me. I bite back a scream. It is all too much. The death. The malice. The loss of control. The burning need to protect. The desire to let it all consume me. To be rid of this turmoil.
The ground shakes with a heavy thud. Then another. And another.
My eyes narrow on the clawed, gray foot that emerges from the open portcullis. The creature that follows is at least three times my height, maybe more. It walks on two legs while its long arms drag by its sides, carving deep furrows in the sand with its claws. A mass of coiled muscle sits between the beast’s shoulders, twitching and betraying the power of those long limbs.
Let go,the voice begs. I resist, but the shadow presses forward anyway, sending tendrils of rage through me until any hint of mercy I once had is gone. I have no pity. No kindness. Only violent brutality and a deep desire to return to my Queen. Images of her in that cage flash through my mind, as if the shadow is reminding me of my purpose.
I bend and retrieve my axe, feeling the smooth wood meld with my hand while my focus stays on the beast. A bony, skull-like face, stained with blood and shielded by a crown of antlers, turns towards me. It is static and expressionless. Impossible to read. Black, lidless eyes ruin my ability to track its gaze. I have seenthis creature before, in the storybooks of my childhood. It is a myth turned monster—a lab-born creature, I am sure—and unlike the Manta, this beast’s murderous intent is clear in every snap of its jaws and tilt of its head. It wants to kill me. So I must kill it first.
“For our final fight, I introduce a creature that stalks the shadows and haunts only the darkest dreams. A beast that cannot be caged by the confines of time or space. The Skugga!”
The horn sounds, and I cling to my last sliver of restraint. I will not allow myself to be consumed by this darkness.
