Great Divine, where’s a hole in the ground when you need it?
“Oh. Well…” I clear my throat, try to muster up some dignity. “Carry on then. I’ll just...be on my way.”
Osrik sidesteps in front of me, eyes dancing, scruffy face pulled into a shit-eating grin. “Not so fast. You heard the rule. If you step into the fight circle, you have to fight.”
I glare at him. “I will knee you in your balls if you don’t move.”
Judd barks out a laugh. “Nowthatwould be entertainment.”
Osrik just continues to smirk at me. “Come on, then. I’dloveto see you try.”
The joined voices of the crowd go berserk, a roar from the jaws of a beast.
Osrik looks like he thoroughly enjoys cornering me like this in front of everyone. “You’re not in Sixth Kingdom anymore, little pet. If you want to toss around accusations and orders, then you better back up your shit. And rulesarerules.Youstepped into the circle.”
I shake my head, feeling strands of my hair come loose from my braid, sweat gathering at the nape of my neck.
He leans in, getting closer to my face, making me flinch back. “Aww, come on, show me your golden claws, pet. Let’s see what you got.”
The shouts of the crowd crash against my ears, yelling at me to fight. The sound, the veryenergybeats against my skin, against my resolve, pushing me from every direction. I can taste violence from their every exhale until it feels like I might burst from it.
I’m surrounded by noise and pressure, pressure and noise, and I just want it to stop.
“Stop,” I say, but my hands are shaking now, the bloodthirsty onlookers making my own mouth go dry.
“You walked in here, what did you think was going to happen?” he demands.
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead, to be honest,” I mumble. Judd tips his head back and laughs.
Osrik wouldloveif I tried to attack him, because we both know I wouldn’t stand a chance. And if I attacked him, he’d have free reign to attackme.No thanks.
“Come on, Midas’s pet. Where’s your fight?” Osrik goads, the taunt beating against my chest.
My entire body is tense, everything so loud that I can’t discern between my pulse and the stomping feet of the crowd.
I back up a step, two, three.
He eats up the space in a single stride. “What’s wrong? You’re notscared, are you?”
I am scared. But it’s not just of him. Not, really.
I’m here, but I’m also there. Cornered against a building, rough brick at my back, while men peck at me, plucking at my ribbons, ripping at my hair, tugging at my dress.
The crowd back then, even though it was only half a dozen or so, still sounded the same. That familiar clamor, with me caught in the swell of its crash.
I don’t want to get swept away again.
“Enough, Os.”
Somehow, that single steady voice pierces through all the noise. The sound makes everyone go quiet, the bubble of pressure suddenly popping.
I turn my head and see Rip standing there, and the shock of his presence is like a bucket of cold water dumped over my head.
Osrik, the bastard, has the audacity to chuckle. “Aww, but it was just starting to get interesting. I think I almost got her.”
Rip’s face is unreadable as his black eyes skate away to the soldiers standing around. “Everyone back to camp.” His command strikes down like lightning, and everyone scatters, trying to outrun a storm.
It’s shocking just how quickly they follow orders. No grumbling, no hesitation. In a split second, they go from a riled horde to a compliant regiment. Absolute obedience to their commander.
