The ground rumbled.
Thunder cracked, drowning the crowd’s anticipation. Screams tore through the stands as the arena shuddered beneath us. In The Pit, sand rippled like ocean waves, dust rising like fog.
I clutched Victor’s arm, my knees wobbling.
“Did you do that?” I gasped.
His noble features tightened with alarm. “I did not.” He gripped the railing and closed his eyes as he reached outward. “Do you feel it?”
I set my hand on top of his, and our bond surged. Oily blackness coated the back of my tongue. Shadows scraped the edges of my senses, cold and gnawing.
“It feels hollow. Dead. Yet, hungry. So hungry.”
“It’s him,” Victor snarled. “The Dark One. Sooner than I expected.”
“No.” Jagged stones sank into my stomach. “We’re not ready.”
Drazen and Kronk had warned us about the horde ofwendigos they’d discovered. We’d considered canceling the games, but needed the funds to fortify our army.
It was a gamble that wouldn’t pay off.
“Sound the alarm,” Victor snapped, voice thundering. “Protect your queen.”
Steel clanged at our backs, our elite guard forming a semicircle.
Below, shouts erupted.
The sand rumbled with fissures that gaped like wormholes in Hell’s underbelly. Clawed hands burst free—scrabbling, tearing. Skeletal shapes wrapped in blackened flesh hauled themselves into the open. Teeth gnashed. Shrieks cut the air like glass. The sound scraped over my skin, leaving gooseflesh in its wake.
“Drazen described them.” I swallowed. “I didn’t believe him.”
“Wendigos,” Victor said grimly, his grip denting the railing.
“And they brought friends.” More figures crawled out behind them—half-rotten bodies with glazed eyes and torn clothes. The stench of decay carried even to our platform.
“Ghouls,” Victor spat. “They’ve tunneled under the wall.”
Magic sparked in my palms, responding to my panic. “With the entire kingdom in attendance, we can’t save them all.”
“This attack is a diversion.” Victor scanned the commotion with keen eyes. “It’s the sacred arbor he really desires. I left a small contingent of soldiers at the castle. We’ll fall back and defend the tree while our army protects the villagers.”
Below, our champions barked commands, organizing the competitors to fight. True, this gathering had placed thousands in danger. It had also brought the strongest and bravest in Carcerem together. We may not be at full strength yet, but those monsters would not find us easy prey.
I hated to withdraw, but Victor was right. It was our sacred duty to protect the arbor. Without it, Carcerem was doomed.
The decision steadied me. We had a plan. Our odds ofdefeating The Dark One were good. All wasn’t lost. Not yet. If we acted swiftly, we might stand a chance. “Let’s hurry, if we—”
Darkness fell.
The colosseum held its breath.
Wings, vast and black, smothered the sky.
I gasped, “Is that—”
Flames streaked through the sky in a deluge. They exploded against the walls of the colosseum with the fury of a meteor. Stone cracked, fire screamed across the stands as civilians wailed.
The beast’s scales flashed emerald in the inferno.
