“Nightmares will join the Devils as demons and face off against the Tormentors for their second round. Severely wounded, go to the healers’ wing. The rest of you, ready yourselves.”
The Nightmares? They were one squad beneath the Dreads. I don’t even think anyone defeated a Nightmare during challenge week.
“Why us?” Oliver groaned.
I glared at Ronen as he stood on the dais like a cruel king observing his subjects, hoping he felt my anger and frustration. He crossed his arms and stared back. What was this? Revenge?
“He may be taking the Shard Field incident out on me.”
Why else would he do this?
“I mean, you did stab him,” Oliver pointed out.
“I wasn’t going to let Aspen die. With or without our bond influencing me.”
“True. But do you think he’d make you leader as punishment for protecting him?”
“I don’t know! Maybe!”
Ronen’s mind was closed off from me. He kept everything to himself: his emotions, his past, his motives. He remained an unsolvable puzzle. As soon as I thought I’d solved a portion, I had to pull it all apart and start over again.
“I think Ronen has something else up his sleeve,” Oliver said thoughtfully.
“Like what?” I snapped as Ichi touched my shoulder, taking my attention from Oliver to her solemn, patient face.
“It’s about to start. Direct me in any way you wish, Tormentors Leader.”
I wanted to tell her that wasn’t my title. That wasn’t me. But a faithI didn’t deserve shone in her eyes, and the small bow she gave me held back my bitter remarks. This was my reality. This was Hell’s way.
The rest—the suffering, my squad’s hatred, their disobedience—it all came with the title I didn’t want but couldn’t get rid of. But maybe I should want it… Maybe I should care. Wasn’t I Hell’s princess?
I glanced at Ichi, trying not to look like a wide-eyed, sweaty wannabe.
“What do I do?” I whispered.
“Learn the mistakes of the past to help the future,” she replied.
“You don’t have something a little more straightforward?” Oliver inquired.
“Learn the mistakes of the past to help the future,” I repeated softly to myself.
What mistakes did we make?
Well, disobedience for one. No one wanted to listen to my strategy.
Second, Enora got bitten, and we lost. Why?
I surveyed my squad. They all looked exhausted and had injuries, some superficial and others—like the gash in Zera’s side—not so much. But at least she had Valarus to lean on, like Dusty had Matt. Enora, on the other hand, stood alone, fought alone.
“She had nobody to help her.”
“There is more to fighting than power and strength,” Ichi said.
Right. Well, that was an easy fix.
“I need you to watch out for Enora this round,” I told her.
She bowed low. “Your word is my purpose.” Then she unsheathed the sword at her hip. The wide red blade looked almost unmanageable in her dainty hands, yet it matched the steel in her spine, and the blue dragon stretching up the blade mirrored the one morphing through the air beside her.
