Page 59 of Gladiator Moon

“Then how does it work?”

“I’m coming for you, whether you want me to or not.”

The entity roars and attacks. I parry, blocking it, though its fiery sword nearly knocks the Devil Killer from my hands as I skid backward across the stone. It immediately strikes again, forcing me to defend myself on my back. Its next swipe nearly drives me into the ground. It moves far faster than the other demons, which doesn’t make a lot of sense, since it is twice as big.

I block blow after blow and finally find my feet between swings. I duck under its next overhead attack. Its fiery blade burns through a stone pillar behind me, turning the stone into instant magma. Immortal or not, that sword would probably kill me.

With incredible speed, it immediately slashes down, and I dart to the side. Heat blazes past me. I turn, and launch an attack of my own, swiping across its broad chest, but... nothing. The Devil Killer blade simply spits sparks against the black armor.

“Oh, come on.”

It backhands me with its free hand, sending me rolling head over butt until I slam into a wall hard enough to crack the stone and my head. My vision blurs as my inner alarm screams. Without thinking or seeing, I roll to the side as its blade crashes through the floor where I’d just been.

I kick upward, catching the demon beneath the chin before driving the Devil Killer deep beneath the edge of his breastplate. The blade slides home. The demon freezes.

“Gotcha.”

White-gold light bursts through the cracks in its armor. For an instant the entity glows from within, then its entire body explodes into a whorl of black smoke.

With the archway nearly closed, I rocket forward, flying hard. Behind me, the battle rages on. Baltazar’s voice echoes through the corridors as he directs fighters. Somewhere out there Salt Creek lets loose a tiny battle cry. Beasts roar. Demons scream. Prisoners shout. Pure chaos.

While the battle rages behind me, ahead awaits the monster who started it all.

Speaking of which, I tuck my wings in, turn slightly, and rocket through the narrowing slit in the wall just as it closes behind me. Immediately, the war cries are muted. I land lightly on black stone, the Devil Killer glowing softly in my hand. My inner alarm buzzes softly. Here be danger. The dark walls pulse like living flesh, which they just might be. Warmth rises through the soles of my boots. Somewhere deep within the darkness, a slow heartbeat echoes steadily toward.

A darker shadow awaits in a room of complete darkness.

I adjust my grip on the sword.

And walk toward the hulking shadow.

Chapter Twenty-seven

I find myself in a nearly pitch black passageway.

And yeah, it is a good thing I can see in the dark; at least, I used to be able to. The Stygian ink of this space is maybe the darkest I have ever moved through, nearly defeating my night vision.

That said, I can sense the walls around me. I can also make out the slabs of the stone floor, and I can definitely get a feel for the massive creature standing before me at the far end of the space.

If I wasn’t so tough, I would turn and run.

But I do pause and gather myself, reminding myself why I am here. It isn’t just about me going home. It is about all the kidnapped warriors going home, too. And, perhaps most importantly, it is about ending the Games and stopping the reckless killing.

Weirdly, the walls radiate warmth. Further down the room, I detect light coming from the walls themselves. Thin veins of red and gold move just under the stone surface, pulsing in time with a slow heartbeat that echoes all around.

I am reminded again that I am inside the Dark One. I adjust my grip on the Devil Killer and continue forward. The sword gently pulls me forward. It seems to know exactly where we are and what we need to do.

The passage slopes gradually downward. As I descend, the air grows warmer. No surprise there. It also smells of smoke and something sweet and nauseating that I don’t particularly care to identify.

Putrid flesh, methinks.

Meanwhile, the heartbeat continues, slow and steady. It neither quickens nor falters. There is nothing particularly frightening about the sound; it is just super obvious. Like, I get it, O Dark One. I’m inside your weird body... whatever that means. You can ease back on the theatrics.

The passage finally opens into what I think is a vast chamber, though I could be wrong. I stop just inside the threshold. No, I’m right. The glowing walls reach out to either side as far as the eye can see. Sweet mama, this place is huge. The more I stare, the more it comes into view, especially when I toss out a few fireballs for light.

As they burn, I see that the room stretches endlessly before me, still so black that it seems carved from darkness itself. The ceiling disappears high overhead as massive columns rise from the floor like stalagmites. Or ivory tusks. Or the Devil’s ribcage; indeed, each is threaded with molten veins of red and gold that pulse with the same steady rhythm I have been hearing since entering this godforsaken place.

The floor beneath my boots is smooth and black, but not entirely solid. No, there is the faintest hint of movement beneath, as though I am walking across something stretched tightly over a void. Channels of glowing crimson liquid wind between the slabs, not quite lava and not quite blood. They flow in slow viscous streams toward some sort of center.