Discipline and control.
The Skugga bursts towards me with alarming speed. I jump and ready my axe to strike from above, but the creature is already gone.It is faster than I thought.By the time I land, it is already charging again. I dive to the side. Scramble to my feet. But before I can get my bearings, I am forced to duck again. This time, I am too slow. A clawed hand drags over my already injured shoulder. Searing pain spreads down my arm as I dance back. Blood spills into my hand, slicking my grip. I shake my head at the familiarity of the situation and risk a glance at my Queen. At my Xelora.
Never stop. Never slow.
A long tongue flicks out from between bony jaws, and the Skugga begins to lick my blood from its claws, shuddering in delight. I seize the opportunity and charge, but the beast anticipates this and jumps, copying my move from earlier.It is learning.
Anxiety fills me, but I push it down and watch the beast's shadow pass overhead. When it reaches the apex of its arc, I launch myself backwards and roll. My timing is good. The Skugga lands directly in front of me as I push off the ground and swing. My axe connects with the back of its leg, releasing a thin ribbon of blood, and I laugh.
The demon does bleed.
The Skugga turns, but I’m already in the air, swinging my axe towards the creature’s head, ready to end this fight.
But I have made an error. A horrible error. Everything happens in slow motion, like watching a kinetic dart descend towards a planet at relativistic speed. I cannot change the trajectory or result; all I can do is brace for the inevitable as the Skugga’s powerful arm barrels towards me.
My muscles tense just before impact. Then it hits. Bones rattle. Pain spreads. The arena spins around me. I try to control my fall. No use. I hit the ground. Try to roll. But I tumble instead, and my vision blots out.I have to get up. Have to move.Pain becomes my entire existence as I push myself to my feet.Where is the beast?I glance up as something blocks the sun, and a second later, I am slammed into the sand with impossible force. A sharp metallic taste coats the inside of my mouth. And pressure, unimaginable pressure, pushes down on my chest.
The Skugga has me trapped beneath its foot.
My fingers dig into the furry flesh, and I push with every ounce of strength I have.
Nothing. No movement. Can’t breathe.
Let go.
I am running out of options.
Axe. I need my axe.
A glint of metal catches my eye, more than an arm’s length away. I claw at the sand, desperate to feel the smooth wood in my palm, but I cannot reach it. It is too far. I am failing her again. My Queen. They will rip her apart. They will…
I want to scream, but without air, I can’t even clear the blood from my throat. I am trapped. There is no winning this. No getting free. Blood pounds beneath my skin. My head feels like it might burst. Hot sand glides between my fingers as I try again and again to reach the one thing that will save me.
But there is no use.
My eyes burn as I turn them upwards, towards the expanse of unfamiliar faces, searching for the woman whose heart is a panicked bird in my chest.
36
HE KNOWS
AMARA
MY BREATH HITCHES as a twenty-foot monster comes crashing into the arena.
That’s not a gladiator… It doesn’t even have a face. Just a skull on a body.
Gaius’s voice cracks through the speakers. “For our final fight, I introduce a creature …” I lose focus until he shouts the final word, “... Skugga.”
Skugga.
The vibration of the creature’s colossal steps rolls through the metal bars I cling to as Vexar stares the creature down. Somehow, he seems unfazed. Maybe even calm?
My tongue roams the chalky roof of my mouth. Teeth dig into my cheek. This is wrong. Everything about today has been wrong. The bath. The brutalized women. The disco-ball outfit. The conversation with Gaius. Yuxta’s admission. This fucking monster.
I turn towards Gaius, a perverted grin splitting his face, and I feel the sharp points of some invisible trap closing in around me. My pulse quickens.
“What the hell is that?” I shout. “What did you do?” The roarof the crowd is so loud I can’t hear my own voice, but Gaius stands and stalks towards me anyway.
