She caught the direction of my gaze. “We’re not monsters. After Pablo heals them, he removes their light and kills them humanely. Too many bodies showing up with animal wounds would draw attention, and skilled Sensor detectives might be called in. We had someone cleaning for us, but when we found out where he was dumping them, we decided to find another way. It’s not as easy as you might think to get rid of a body. The Shifters are easier to manage because they die in animal form. We can drop them off in the woods and no one would look twice at their remains. I’m telling you this, Robin, because you need to know what’s at stake. You can’t afford to lose. If you lose, even if you live, you won’t leave alive. If you triumph, as I fully expect you to, then you will retire a very wealthy woman. By that point you’ll be in so deep that you won’t be able to report us without signing your own death warrant.”
I looked up at the archways, imagining the faces of a captive audience cheering for blood. Cheering for death. “Where do you get the Shifters from?”
When Audrey circled back to the doorway, she lifted a torch from the inside hall. “Come with me.”
I caught up and fell into step beside her. “I didn’t notice windows up there or private rooms.”
“This is an exclusive fellowship,” she replied as she led me through a narrow hall with a low ceiling. “We haven’t added new members for the past eighty years.”
“Aren’t you afraid someone might charm them and accidentally find out about this operation?”
“No. We have safeguards in place.” Audrey looked over her shoulder at me. “Most of the girls ask about the money first.”
My face flushed. I was treating this like an investigation more than a job offer, so it was time to switch gears. “I just like to know what I’m getting into first. Money makes people do stupid things.”
“And you find this offer… stupid?”
“Dangerous? Yes. Stupid? Only to someone who doesn’t know how to fight. Stupid would be accepting the job without understanding all the risks. That’s why I ask a lot of questions. The fighters aren’t the only ones I’m concerned about. I might survive the match, but if you haven’t covered all your bases, I could wind up in Breed jail.”
“I assure you that will never happen. So long as you meet all the qualifications, we shouldn’t have a problem.”
“I’ve gotten into more than one death match with a Shifter. I’m about as qualified as you can get.”
“How did you wind up working behind a bar, if I might ask? You would be better suited as a personal guard.”
I sighed. “Bad life choices.”
“I hope you exceed my expectations,” she said. “A good fighter can do this for many years before retiring.”
“How many are there?”
“One.”
I stopped in my tracks.
Audrey turned around, the flames illuminating her stunning features. “This isn’t a competition. There’s no other Mage competing for your spot. The longer you last, the greater enjoyment you bring my benefactors. Not all of them show up for every event. We reserve their membership even if they go away for thirty years. The idea is to draw in the largest crowd, and if you please them, you’ll be handsomely rewarded.”
“How did a woman like you become a pit boss? Sensors can make so much money the legal way. I always thought these fights were run by big men with small penises, not a gorgeous woman who can probably get whatever she wants.”
“And this is what I want. I was once married, you know. My husband bought and sold Shifters for profit. When it became illegal, we lost everything. Then one night a group of those Shifters returned to our home with torches. I escaped while my dear husband distracted them. I almost didn’t make it out alive. I fought a Shifter with my bare hands, and it brought out something in me I didn’t know existed. I suppose that’s always stayed with me.” She rubbed her arms from the slight chill. “When I met Pablo, he had smart ideas.”
Audrey continued her walk down the hall until we reached a narrow gate. When she pulled a lever, the gate lifted. “You aren’t permitted to bring any electronic devices such as a phone.”
That worried me. Audrey was probably concerned about a fighter recording things. Could cell phones even work down here? If not, where did that leave the video camera around my neck? Was I out of range?
We turned down a wide hall and neared a small gate with a room behind it. Audrey set the torch in an empty mount and said, “Open the door.”
A man greeted her with a timid bow, and he wasn’t a timid-looking man. His brown shirt was tattered and stained, and his large belly showed at the bottom. The dark bags under his eyes made him appear sickly, and his black mustache covered most of his teeth when he smiled. He unlocked the gate and let us in. Pillars secured the ceiling, and the torches mounted to them did little to brighten up this dungeon.
The hefty man plodded back to a wooden table and lifted an axe. I watched him hack into a large piece of meat and toss the scraps into buckets on the floor.
Ignoring him, Audrey reached for my hand. When she grasped it, I quickly pulled it away.
She gave me a beguiling smile. “Are you worried I’m going to sense your fear?”
“I don’t like people touching me without permission.”
“Have it your way.” She moved ahead of me. “This is where we keep them.”
