The guard didn’t meet my gaze as I stood before the gate.
“Mate-Intended,” he mumbled.
Not even a smirk for my outfit? I’d left my gloves and hood at the fortress, but otherwise, my fighting attire was similar. I’d tucked loose, coarse trousers into well-worn, leather boots, and opted for a leather vest that laced high on my chest and over each shoulder. If I was lucky, a few daggers would slide off instead of embedding in my kidneys.
The crowd was in a clamor, but they hushed altogether and at once.
When total silence reigned, Carmine’s cold voice filled the Crave Arena. “Let Tiers begin.”
The same words as always, and yet so much had changed. If his subjects hadn’t already heard from the servants in the fortress, then they’d soon learn their king had gone back on his declaration. His future queen and mate wonthatdiscussion.
That felt good.
If only he didn’t have his own reasons for allowing me to play.
The gate rolled up, and I took a breath.
This would be a blood bath from the second I entered.
I lifted a foot and heard the sudden shift of weapons and bodies at my back. I snorted.
Time to play.
I stepped inside, and obeyed my gut, tilting my head to allow an enormous blade to slice overhead. Boot to the stomach.Ouch.The lesser injury, however.
I spun and caught another blade between my hands. Rolling back on the slippery, sandy stone, I kicked the demon away. A scream did make me wonder where she’d landed.
Reds, purples, and blues—dotted with some terrified yellows and oranges—formed a wall between me and the gate. I’d kicked one away, so that must leave… fifty-nine?Shit.
I pushed fear back to the smallest corner of my mind.
“Could you give me a minute?” I asked.
The demons glanced at one another.
“Thank you.” I turned and walked into the jutting stones.
Did they really just do that?
I broke into a run once in better cover.Hide in the depths.
I had serious magic to work.
Footsteps pounded in my direction. They wouldn’t rest until they’d found me, and they wouldn’t kill each other until then either. I was the biggest threat, so this game would last until I reached the checkpoint or was killed.
I drew my smoke in tight, so it didn’t give away my location. As adrenaline-fueled as this situation was, the itch under my skin was immediate, but I shoved the urge to release aside.
My gut warmed, and I took the advice of my divination magic, crouching in the dip between four huge jutting rocks.Now for the plan that had seemedsomuch better before I got here.
I started to layer my demon magic. Creating discs and compressing each on top of the other in an attempt to turn gas into solid, I did my best to shape the growing form at the same time.
Two legs.
Pants and a leather tunic.
Arms. Head. Hair.
The other players would expect me to be covered with smoke or scales, so hopefully the darkness of what they looked at would pass their quick scrutiny.
