The moment they crossed, I roared. I tightened my tentacles with brutal precision, ripping my connection free and snapping the portal shut before the DF could trace it. The sigils flared, then faded, leaving the clearing silent and dark once again.
No one had detected them. And in my mind’s eye I saw four figures—three Aurathions, one Fellat—now on the other side, racing into hostile territory to reach Reverie.
Chapter 11
Reverie
The air in the lower hallways clung to me like a damp shroud—cold, heavy, and faintly humming with the old energies of the Ancestors buried in these stones. My fingers brushed the wall as I moved forward, torchlight flickering unevenly ahead. I wasn’t supposed to be here. If Selene found out, I didn’t want to imagine the punishment I’d face. But the thought of tomorrow’s match had wrapped around my ribs like a vise, and curiosity—reckless and persistent—had won over sleep.
I knew where the creatures were being held until our battles started tomorrow, and I had to find out what I was up against. I needed to see if I stood even the slightest chance of winning without using the abilities I had to keep hidden.
I passed through several cells filled with all kinds of nightmare creatures. Some I knew about; others I’d never heard of before. The Varruk’s cell was at the end of the long corridor, barred with iron so old it had fused with the stone. Strange runes were carved deeply into the walls, emitting a faint blue glow. This was no ordinary holding cell.
It was a cage for something dangerous.
Something ancient.
He crouched inside like a great beast carved from black stone. Broad shoulders hunched, powerful limbs coiled, thick hide glimmering with the faint oily sheen they were known for. His elongated muzzle rested on his folded arms; horns curved back from his head like a crown forged from darkness. Those ember-bright eyes burned steadily in the shadows.
Chains as thick as my arm wrapped his torso, etched with runes that dug deep. But he wasn’t thrashing or snarling.
He was waiting patiently.
My heartbeat quickened as I approached. I’d come here to study him, to gain the upper hand before tomorrow’s fight in the coliseum. But the moment his head lifted—slowly, deliberately—that illusion shattered.
His ember eyes found mine through the bars.
I froze.
It wasn’t the gaze of a beast spotting prey; it was sharp.
Knowledgeable.
Measured.
He inhaled slowly, chains creaking, and tilted his head. The gesture was subtle but oddly intentional—like a thought made physical. Then, in a fluid motion, he stood up to his full, imposing height.
The runes flared in protest as the chains strained, but he didn’t fight them. Instead, he crossed his massive forearms over his chest, dipped his head, and dragged one claw slowly down the center of his sternum—a clean, deliberate stroke that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
I didn’t know what it meant. But it meant something.
The sound that followed was deep and resonant, echoing from his chest like distant thunder. It wasn’t a growl or anything resembling speech, but something that caused the torches to flicker.
I swallowed hard, fingers tightening on the cold iron. “What does that mean?” The question slipped out, shaky and small.
He didn’t reply—of course, he didn’t—but his eyes gleamed more intensely, and in that moment, something changed. It wasn’t hostility or surrender. It was... recognition.
Of me.
Of somethinginme.
But I didn’t understand why.
I instinctively took a step back, confusion tightening in my chest. Tomorrow, I was supposed to fight him in the coliseum for my survival. But here, in the dim corridors, I felt like I’d stepped into someone else’s story—someone who this creature already knew.
And the way he watched me… it wasn’t like he’d just recognized an opponent.
It was like he’d recognized aqueen.
