The arena exploded in shouts of anger, anguish, and, to my complete disgust, vicious glee.
Harpyn pivoted on his heel and strode with a brisk yet unhurried pace toward Grelkin and Jaelin while the stone hand crumbled into a pile of rubble, half burying Lanset’s broken corpse.
I checked to see if my father shared even an ounce of my revulsion, but he merely watched the fight unfold, not phased in the slightest. He had expected this. They gave the fighters a license to kill knowing full well which ones would abuse it.
As attention across the arena shifted back to Jaelin, a buzz of excitement flitted through the crowd when she struggled to sit up.
Harpyn approached the behemoth from behind and plunged his arm into its back, ripping Grelkin from the stone confines.
“This pretty little thing is all mine,” he roared then tossed his partner to the ground where Grelkin meekly rolled onto his back and lifted a C-shaped hand in the air.
Dragging herself backward, Jaelin slumped against the edge of the arena, one arm wrapped tightly against her middle, while her other hand formed into the same yield symbol. Not that it had done Lanset any good against Harpyn’s bloodthirstiness.
The brutal Silver Court male stalked over to Jaelin, and at first it appeared like he might help her up.
I should have known better than to have any altruistic thoughts about Harpyn.
The ground around him rippled as the stone hand crawled forth once more. It scooped Jaelin up, and I closed my eyes, refusing to watch helplessly while Harpyn murdered another person.
“Harpyn!” The loud booming voice cut through my fear, and my eyes snapped open to see the Silver King on his feet, bullhorn conch grasped with his white-knuckled fist. Harpyn hesitated, glancing back at his king who just shook his head.
A collective breath was held by all as Harpyn glared at his ruler before finally flicking his wrist, and the stone hand grasping Jaelin tossed her twenty feet into the stands. Three of the guards positioned around the arena lifted their arms, and her body halted in midair before slowly lowering to the ground.
Harpyn strutted toward the center of the arena and tossed his arms up in victory.
The eruption of cheers from the crowd made me sick, and it fully hit me then exactly how much danger Sin was facing. If the other Silver Court casters were even half as deranged, they would not hesitate to murder him in cold blood and smile while doing it.
I couldn’t let that happen. Not when I just found him.
I didn’t need to fake my sickly pallor, clammy skin, or shaking body. “I’m going to be sick,” I said to my father. “I need to leave for a bit.”
He frowned. “Raynella, it is most important that you remain here where everyone can see you. A true Rivellan would support the games.”
I shook my head furiously, fighting an urge to vomit that was all too quickly becoming a viable possibility. “If I don’t leave, I’m going to puke in front of the entire Diamond Court.”
He assessed my distress then nodded. “Compose yourself and return with haste. You do not want to miss the rest of the games.”
Actually, that was exactly what I wanted to do, but I gave him a grateful smile and jogged out of the stadium.
Hurrying toward the courtyard that would lead me to the arena's tunnel, I slid to a stop outside the portcullis whenHarpyn’s cruel voice reached my ears. Ducking behind the wall, I peered around the corner.
I found Harpyn tucked into an alcove, locked in a confrontation with Ram.
“You don’t think I forgot, did you?” Harpyn snarled into Ram’s face. “What he did? How you helped? I’ve waited years for my revenge, and I think I’ll start with you.”
Ram laughed, and it was a bitter sound that I couldn’t imagine came out of my friend. “Unlike your Silver lackeys, I’m not afraid of you, Harp. And you can’t lay a finger on me before the games.”
Harpyn grinned maliciously. “Who’s going to stop me? It’s just you and me, little fire bug. Besides, I don’t need to kill you. All I need to do is make sure that you don’t make it to your battle. Your king will take care of the rest. Seeing him behead his favorite general while Sin and Cam are forced to watch will provide me with years of joy.”
Ram's carefree smirk faded, his eyes darting around the courtyard.
“What’s wrong?” Harpyn taunted. “No flames around to defend yourself with? Pity. I was hoping for a challenge.”
Apparently Ram’s boasting that he could pull fire down from the sun was not entirely accurate because he didn't even defend himself as Harpyn slammed both of his hands together and a massive chunk of the wall above Ram’s head exploded, burying my friend under a pile of diamond-studded rocks.
I choked back my sobs, petrified of what the brute would do if he heard me. It nearly killed me to remain hidden in the shadows while Harpyn snapped his fingers, and every boulder and loose diamond merged back into the wall. All that was left was Ram’s crushed body, and not a single trace of evidence that might implicate the terriservian.
Harpyn whistled as he strolled out of the courtyard, and if I thought I even stood the slightest chance at surviving it, I would have roasted him alive for what he’d done.
