The world is mad, and I’m beginning to think that if it hadn't been for Finn’s life on the line, I would have ended it all on my own terms. Hector’s hold on me can’t be strong enough to prevent that, at least not yet. But Finn is here, and every few days, I’m taken to see him, reminded that this is no longer just about me. By risking his life to find me, he has granted Hector even more leverage over me. As frustrating as it is, I would have done the same for him.
Elijah calls for me when I’m done taking a shower after training. I’m starving, but there’s better food in his house. The guards let me in, watching me warily.
Elijah sits by the fireplace, reading an old book. I’m glad to see food waiting on the table. I sit on the couch to eat as he watches me in silence. I don’t mind since I’ve grown comfortable with his presence.
I finish eating and lean back on the couch, but Elijah points at the armchair in front of him, so I move to sit close to the dancing flames.
“What are you reading?” I ask.
“History. The things humans can achieve with enough time and commitment. It’s both fascinating and frustrating, but maybe we’ll achieve greatness again someday.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Not with fuckers like Father and Hector who insist on tearing down what little we were able to rebuild.
“I’m not. Give me your foot.”
“Why?”
“So I can massage it.”
I’m not about to pass on such an offer. I take off my shoes and place my right foot in his lap. The second he begins to press his fingers into my muscles, I melt in the chair, letting out a satisfied moan. We don’t talk for a long time, and I allow myself to doze off as the warmth of the flames strokes my face.
I wake up when he asks for my other foot. “Is there something you wanted to talk about?” I ask.
“Yes. Hector’s troops are attacking settlements to the south and to the east. They used to focus on the north, but that’s changing.”
I pull back my foot and sit straighter. “Are they killing everyone?”
“Officially, yes, but my sources share a different story. They are bringing captives through a secret entrance to Denver, then they disappear. My guess is that they’re taking them to the sewers.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, but thereissomething happening down there. Other than that, there are more drones in the sky and more armed guards patrolling the streets and the outer borders. The city is preparing for an attack, and people are growing nervous.”
If you don’t think that Dino is moving things at the speed of light with both you and me captives, then you don’t know him at all.
Before I can ask to hear more, I feel the need to say, “You’re playing with fire. If he finds out how much you’ve been snooping, he’ll come after you.”
“It’s quite a compliment to have the next champion of Denver worried about me.”
I narrow my eyes. I never mentioned Hector’s plan to him.
He snorts. “Oh, didn’t you know? Everyone’s talking about your upcoming fight with the giant. No single human has ever fought him directly, and here you are, about to fight him this weekend.”
It’s a good thing I’m sitting. “Thisweekend?”
“It was announced yesterday. There are billboards all over the city.The fight between the giant and the ex-Defender forDenver’s championship. Hector has been preparing you to be his champion from the moment he captured you, hasn’t he?”
I rub my face, still processing. “Yes.”
“To lead his troops?”
“Yes.”
“To conquer?”
I sigh. “Yes.”
“And why the fuck are you playing along, you horrible man?”
