I felt Nellie nestle into my chest just a little bit more.
When we reached the inn, I left Nellie in Elida and Evander’s care after making sure her wrist was bound. Even injured, she’d put up a fight about staying behind that night. But injured or not, I wasn’t about to bring her to an underground fighting match. I’d grown to care deeply for that child, and Evander and Elida were about the only people I trusted to watch her while I fought.
We didn’t tell them that Nellie’s injury came from healing me. Instead, we said she’d tripped and fallen on it. By the time we got back to the inn, she could bend her wrist a little, but it was red and swollen. Elida, who seemed to know at least something about these things, didn’t think her wrist was broken, but she couldn’t be sure. I hoped she was right.
I already felt bad enough leaving Nellie with them instead of taking her to the healer immediately, but there was nothing I could do until I won the prize money to pay for his services. Nellie had smiled bravely at me before I left, saying her wrist hardly hurt at all, but I saw in her eyes the pain that she was trying to conceal. It made my chest feel like it was caving in.
That injury was meant for me, not her.
After leaving the inn, I made my way quickly to the treasury, where Mr. Donahue was waiting outside for me with a muscular fae I didn’t recognize who was holding an ornate wooden box. The unfamiliar man had black hair, pale skin, and ice-blue eyes. Donahue introduced him as Malek.
I glanced at the box in his hands, but neither of them offered an explanation. The prize winnings, perhaps? I’d learned that Donahue was one of the fight’s sponsors as well as the town treasurer, so it made sense that he was the one handling the prize money.
Donahue looked me up and down. “You look good. Feeling ready?”
I nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”
The pointy-nosed fae frowned at that but turned and walked down the street toward a side alley, beckoning me to follow.
“Aside from the prize money, there are a lot of side bets going on,” he warned. “Everyone saw how large you are while you walked around town today, and a lot of bets were placed on you. If you don’t win, a lot of fae are going to be angry.”
I chuckled. “Trust me. I’m going to win.”
There were clusters of fae loitering around the mouth of the alley—mostly men. They stared and whispered as we passed.
Ducking between an alterations shop and a shoe repair store, we turned the corner to find a long line that snaked further down the alley. We walked to the front of the line, where a burly male stood at a red door, checking tickets before letting anyone enter.
The large fae took one look at Donahue, then at me, andnodded, stepping aside to let us pass. We entered the building and immediately started descending a long set of dark stone steps.
Red-and-black damask wallpaper covered the walls, and a velvet carpet runner lined the center of the stairs. Despite its entrance being in an alleyway, the place was clearly well maintained—likely because it brought in a lot of money for the owners.
“Because you’re new, you’ll have to work your way to the top. Your first few fights will be easy, but after that, you’ll be up against Buttercup’s finest,” Donahue informed me.
“Watch out for Brunok,” Malek said, walking a few steps behind us.
Donahue nodded. “Brunok has been known to break the rules.”
“Break the rules, how?” I asked, wondering if Brunok was the same guy who had tried to shatter my wrist earlier. Because of that attack, Nellie was back at the inn, lying in pain. If it was Brunok, I’d make sure he paid.
“He likes to use his magic on his opponents,” Donahue replied. “But his magic is concealed, so no one can really tell when he’s doing it.”
That got my attention. “What’s his magic?”
We were nearing the bottom of the long staircase, and the noise of a bustling, lively crowd reached my ears.
“He can heat up your internal organs just enough to make you uncomfortable so you slip up,” Donahue explained. “Not enough that the Enforcer notices.”
Boil my organs? That was definitely something to watch out for.
“The Enforcer?” I asked, unfamiliar with the term.
Donahue nodded. “Judge, announcer, and rule maker all rolled into one. What he says goes down here.”
We reached the base of the stairs, and the space immediately opened into a massive circular room with a high, domed ceiling. At the very top was a circular glass window, perfectly framing the moon.
“What is this place?” I asked.
Donahue’s gaze cut to mine. “Used to be an underground dance hall and tavern. Years ago, one of the former Spring queens got it in her head to outlaw wine and spirits. Fae didn’t take too well to that, so they built this place to have somewhere to enjoy themselves away from prying eyes. In that sense, it’s still being used for the same purpose today.”
