No sooner does it come than he sucks it back in and hits his knees.
“No!”
My vision doubles and I slap my hand against my chest. I can’t fucking breathe through the turmoil, and I stagger back. Kyzen and Amick react much of the same, but I can’t hear anything over Creed’s bellowing.
What the fuck is…
“Her soul is screaming out,
My heart can feel her shout.
If someone touched my angel’s wings,
I’ll make their bones our rings.”
Thayla
17
I try to avoid the puddles of blood, yet the crimson mud clings to my shoes.
I never turned back forward after watching that man get his neck snapped, but at some point, the bodies of those killed were cleaned up.
The evidence of their deaths is still everywhere, though.
The salty tang of blood coats the air. It seeps into the back of my throat with every deep breath I take.
Energy flows through the center in a mix of the crowd’s bloodthirsty anticipation and our opponents’ desperate desire to set their powers free.
I scan the beings, watching as they froth at the mouth for more bloodshed. It’s a stark reminder that this isn’t a cute little event like we’d host in Oddian where the kids would gather and play games in the empty fields after a harvest. These aren’t supportive parents cheering them on.
These are ruthless beings who’ve been sent to this secret part of our realm for crimes committed. The worst of the worst sit in the stands, calling for death but also cheering for freedom for someone who has no business being released into the region.
They chant Dimitri’s name with sickening enthusiasm.
No part of them cares that he murdered an entire family because he was caught cheating and his woman wanted to leave him.
It’s as though they don’t believe those lives he took then, or those he’s taken to get this close to freedom, matter.
That woman’s life matters, though.
My glare finally catches on the god in charge.
The God of Judgment sits on a throne with the best view of us below him. Long white hair disappears down his broad shoulders, but that color doesn’t define his youth. His amber skin is smooth, unblemished. His piercing marigold eyes are as sharp as daggers.
Like every powerful god I’ve met, there’s a grace about him but also superiority.
A coin of some kind tumbles through his fingers in precise, coordinated rotations. He doesn’t watch it to make sure it doesn’t fall. He keeps his eyes trained on us.
“Hellveilious!” A voice to the right of the God of Judgment shouts, gaining my attention. “We have a very special treat for you tonight. Our reigning champions return with only one fight left before they find their freedom.”
The sand that’s lucky enough to still be dry ripples from the thundering crowd. Their roar is powerful enough to shake the walls around them. The quakes vibrate through my bones, rattling my heart around in my ribcage.
Gods.
No wonder the fighting is so savage. Despite not wanting to be here in this situation, I can’t help but be swept up in this energy.
My chest pounds with anticipation and readiness. Not to take a life, probably multiple, but to do everything I have to, to survive.
