“Proceed,” was all Arild drawled, gaze never leaving the arena.
Anika leaned back, saying nothing more as a second door opened and Gideon held his breath.
She was dressed in soft, brown boots and miles of beautiful, pale skin barely hidden beneath the straps over her chest that tied around her neck and waist and skimpy bottoms that were nothing more than undergarments. Any other time, Gideon would have moaned in delight at the sight of her with so little on, but this was not one of those times.
She was wounded. Badly. Streams of blood were trickling down her sides, running along her arms to drop like rain onto the floor. Her stance was shaky and she was a frightening shade of gray. Her blue eyes were bright pools against the tense contours of her face. They widened as they took in the monsters watching her. They darted to the podium where Gideon and her father sat, the question in them clear.
Arild rose from his throne and stood looming over the room. “Welcome to yet another sorting. We have a treat for you. My daughter, Valkyrie is vying for her first mark today and as such must prove herself worthy.” He looked to the demons with cool, flat eyes. “You wish to leave hell? You must first kill her.”
“What?” Gideon’s exclamation of horror was swallowed by the roar of exhilaration.
Arild sat once more as the crowd shrieked. The doors were sealed shut, locking Valkyrie in with the beasts hell bent on freedom.
Gideon watched in numb terror as Valkyrie shuffled deeper over the mound of sand. She was unarmed and weak. But she stood with her shoulders squared and her head held high.
The creatures circled her, using a pack mentality to corner their prey. Valkyrie pivoted carefully on the ball of her left foot, leaving her right foot free to strike. Her hands were tight fists and her focus was sharp. But there was pain cutting along the length of her jaw. He could see it in the way her nostrils flared and, as she turned her back to him, he could see why.
The entire length of her spine was a maze of open wounds. The welts ran in haphazard crosses that were split open and bleeding in some places. The clear signs of a whipping. The back of her legs were no better. Red bracelets were cut into her wrists as though she’d been suspended by her arms for a good length of time. The sight of them clenched white hot anger in the pit of his stomach.
The bull charged first. Valkyrie dove out of its path. She rolled over before lunging to her feet. She snarled, low and deep between clenched teeth as she came up, covered in blood, sweat and sand. Her body heaved and shuddered as though she had been skinned alive. She swayed and slammed into the wall, breathing hard.
“Salt,” Arild said when Gideon leaned in to see what was wrong.
Salt. On open wounds. He would have sworn profusely if Valkyrie wasn’t moving, dodging the meaty fist of the dironous trying to mash her into the ground. The arena wasn’t made for too much maneuvering. It was made even smaller when two of the three occupants were enormous beasts over twenty feet tall and weighing clear over thousands of pounds. Valkyrie barely came to the dironous’s hip. But that was also to her advantage. They were too big, too bulky, and there were two of them. Their speed was slow, made slower by constantly bumping into the other. Valkyrie seemed to realize this as well as she took a running leap and slid beneath the wide stance of the dironous. She came up behind him, spun around and landed a solid kick to the back of its knee, sending him forward onto his hands and knees with a screech of metal grinding. Gideon’s heart leapt the same moment Valkyrie did, using the dironous’s stooped body as a platform to dive off and throw herself onto the bull’s back.
The beast reared back. Its massive head swung wildly from side to side. Valkyrie seized the horns, hoisted one leg over and positioned herself upright. The bull snarled. It kicked out its legs, slamming its hooves into the side of the stadium right beneath the platform where Gideon sat. The whole thing shuddered, but remained intact.
The dironous climbed awkwardly to his feet and swung around. It spotted Valkyrie, barely clinging on to the back of the bull. He raised a fist. Valkyrie seemed to be waiting for it, because the moment it came down, she threw herself off and rolled out of the way. The fist slammed into the bull’s back, knocking its feet out from under it.
Gideon whooped in triumph. But his victory came too soon.
The bull ambled gracelessly upright and rounded on the dironous. It tossed its head, narrowly skewering the other creature with its horns. The dironous caught each horn in his hand and shoved the bull back. It slid, still unsteady on its feet and nearly trampled Valkyrie. Gideon’s heart gave a jolt of panic. He nearly lunged out of his seat; rules be damned, he wasn’t going to let her die.
Valkyrie shot to the left, rolling beneath the stomping hooves and landing out of harm’s way. She was caked in salt now. It was in her hair, on her skin, and mixing with the blood trickling from the lashes on her back. She was still trembling, but he suspected it wasn’t all from pain.
“Interfering will not help,” Arild stated simply.
Gideon shot him a sidelong glance. “Will you really let her die in there?”
Arild shrugged. “Perhaps. I have no use for a weak warrior.”
“She is your daughter!”
Arild waved a careless hand over his shoulder. “And I have four more to take her place.”
Nerves on the verge of frying, Gideon turned away from the man before he did something profoundly just, like tossing the man into the ring in Valkyrie’s place. He doubted anyone would thank him for it if he did.
Below, Valkyrie was edging along the walls, away from the two too busy with each other to notice her. He wasn’t sure how long that ploy would last, but it was giving her a chance to catch her breath and get the pain under control.
“If you two are finished, perhaps you could return to the task at hand,” Arild shot down.
The two below ceased their scuffling and rounded on Valkyrie.
She was cornered. They had her completely pinned.
Gideon’s hands clenched on his thighs. It was taking all his willpower not to leap to her defense. He knew, from years of fighting side by side, that they could take these creatures easily together. They were a strong, formidable team. But he knew she wouldn’t thank him for it. She would consider it an embarrassment. Plus he didn’t know what Arild would do if he interfered. It could only make things worse for Valkyrie.
So he sat, useless and numb as Valkyrie fought for her life.
The bull charged with a shriek that was more human than beast. Gideon felt his heart slam into his back a moment before the bull crashed into the spot Valkyrie stood. Smoke issued from its nostrils, momentarily obscuring her from view before it cleared and Gideon could breathe again.
In its madness, the bull had not calculated its attack. Its horns had pierced the paneling on either side of Valkyrie’s shoulders, embedding deep into the wood. It thrashed and jerked, but its initial assault had pinned him.
Without missing a beat, Valkyrie moved into action. She dove under and caught the bull in the throat with a punch. While it howled in hoarse fury, Valkyrie grabbed it by the snout with both hands and hauled herself up and onto its head. The creature roared and swung wildly to get free.
The dironous shuffled a step forward. Gideon couldn’t fathom what he was waiting for. But he seemed in no hurry to end the fight, even though Valkyrie was in a perfect position to get killed. Whatever his reasoning, Gideon was grateful for it. It gave Valkyrie time to focus on one at a time.
A sickening crack splintered through the chamber. The crowd quieted just enough to lean forward in their chairs. Below, the bull had ceased his thrashing and had become all but a statue. One horn was still deep in the wall. The other was gripped in Valkyrie’s hand as she rolled off him and tumbled to the ground.
The beast came out of its shock with a shriek that made everyone in the room wince. Fine fractures cracked up the length of the wall, spider webbing across the wood. His horn burst free and he reared back on his hind legs. The front ones kicke
d viciously at the air before slamming down inches from where Valkyrie lay, ivory horn in hand. She barely managed to twist her torso to the side when the first hoof smashed into the ground.
Now! Gideon growled in his head.
As though hearing him, Valkyrie rolled right under the belly of the beast and thrust up between the slits of impenetrable armor to skewer the tender meat exposed. Blood the sticky black of tar rained down the makeshift weapon and oozed down her hands. The creature shrieked and scrambled away, crashing into the dironous. It was shoved away and left to stumble weakly to one side and collapse. Its massive frame shuddered once. Then nothing.
The crowd, who had up until that moment forgotten to breathe, came to life in a frenzy of delight that was muffled only by the unsteady gallop of Gideon’s heart between his ears. A weak laugh escaped him.
“She did it!”
“I suppose she has,” Arild mumbled lazily. “But there is still time.”
Gideon slanted him a glance from the corner of his eye, wondering how any father could be so unconcerned about their daughter’s life. His own father would have jumped into the hole with Gideon, would risk his own life to protect his children and maybe that was what had Gideon so confused. Valkyrie’s family wasn’t a family. Aside from her mother who had seemed genuinely broken over the thought of her daughter’s death, no one else seemed to care. Would they even have a funeral for her? Would they care? Or would they simply toss her into a hole and walk away to never think of her again?
He turned his head back down to watch Valkyrie push to her feet, bloody horn in hand.
He would care, he thought with a deep ache in his chest. God he’d die if anything happened to her.
As though sensing his thoughts, Valkyrie’s gaze flicked up to his. Their eyes met and locked for those few seconds and it took all of Gideon’s willpower not to leap over the barrier and take her into his arms.
“I can see you will be a problem.”
Arild’s dry drawl pulled Gideon’s attention away from the arena and Valkyrie. He twisted his head in the other man’s direction.
“Sir?”
Arild said nothing. He didn’t even glance in Gideon’s direction. It didn’t matter. Valkyrie was struggling to keep one step away from the dironous. The salt mound was wet with blood and caked to her feet, making them slippery. She dodged the first swing of his meaty fist, but the second one caught her in the side. The momentum of it sent her sailing as though she were nothing more than a doll and she slammed into the wall with such force Gideon could have sworn he heard the crunch of bones. Then she crumpled to the ground, a small, ashen figure encased in salt and blood. Her dark hair spilled in waves across the floor.
She didn’t move.
“Valkyrie!”
Gideon had no recognition of lunging to his feet until his arms were being restrained by two warriors. They hauled him away from the wall as though they had anticipated he would try to jump in.
The dironous loomed over his victory, giant hands squeezed into massive fists that could pulverize granite to dust. His metal plates resonated with a metallic screech that echoed louder than the whole stadium. His knee joints creaked with the lifting of one leg. His desire was clear.
“No!”
Gideon fought against the hands. There was a brief moment of clarity where he slammed his fist into the face of one warrior and kicked the other in the gut. For those few seconds, he was free. He dove for the wooden beams keeping him from Valkyrie. He started to heft himself over.
No less than six pairs of hands grabbed him. He was dragged back and shoved to the ground.
“Don’t!” one hissed into his ear. “She is not dead. But Father will have you watch as she is beheaded if you interfere.”
The warning sang through him as sharp and metallic as the dironous’s armor. It stole every ounce of his fight and he lay panting.
The hands fell away and he was released to scramble to his own feet. He rushed to the barrier just as the dironous dropped his iron foot.
It came down with a booming crack that sent a cloud of salt into the air. Gideon may have screamed. The whole world had become a muddled buzz of chaos between his ears. It took everything in him not to fall to his knees and vomit on the spot as the pain and terror lanced through him with a violent punch. But it was also sheer terror that kept him upright, kept him rigidly in place as the dust settled and it all came back into view.
The creature lay sprawled facedown in the salt, the bull horn protruding from its throat. Valkyrie stood over him, half stooped as she gasped for breath. The room took a full minute to recover. It took Gideon less time than that. It was solely the wooden beams keeping him up. He didn’t even care how she managed to do it, only that she had and she’d lived.
“Isn’t that a surprise?” Arild murmured as he rose to stand next to Gideon by the barrier. “I suppose I will have to try harder.”
“You son of a—” Gideon’s snarl was swallowed by the honk of a conch shell.
The stadium immediately fell silent. All eyes went to the king, waiting for his final say.
Arild was peering down the length of his nose at Valkyrie the way one might a spider on their shoe.
“You have succeeded,” he remarked with just a hint of aggravation no father should ever portray when their daughter just nearly died.
The doors behind Valkyrie groaned open and Serinda walked in accompanied by four other warriors. One carried a dagger, the other two a deep, cast iron pan balanced on a wooden board. The base blazed an angry red and steam rose off the metal in waves. The fourth warrior lifted a hand encased in thick hide and removed the lid. Smoke puffed out in a balloon of white. Inside, hot coals shimmered. Serinda gouged the blade into the embers and released the hilt. While the blade heated, she turned to Valkyrie. The two exchanged glances that must have meant something to them, because it came off completely blank to everyone else. Serinda took her sister’s arm and held it firmly down. She took the dagger with the other.
The billowing stench of burnt flesh and hair perfumed the already rancid aroma of blood when the white-hot blade kissed the toned flesh of Valkyrie’s bicep. What little color the fight had brought to her cheeks vanished and there was a slight sway in her body, but she remained firm, not pulling away until Serinda did.
There was only a trickle of blood, but the wound had already been cauterized, closed against infections and dirt, not that it made much difference. Nothing short of decapitation and fire killed a veil creature. Nevertheless, Gideon was relieved that at least it was over.
“Take her below.” Arild’s command spun Valkyrie around so fast, she nearly impaled herself on Serinda’s blade.
“Father?”
But Arild had already turned away.
Gideon shot bemused glances between Valkyrie’s wide-eyed terror and the man making his way to the edge of the platform. It was evident from the shock on Serinda’s face and the panic on Valkyrie’s that this was not a usual fate for a victor.
“What’s below?” Gideon hurried after the king.
“That is none of your concern,” Arild retorted, climbing regally down the steps.
“Where are you taking her?” Gideon pressed, dogging his steps, but with less grace.
Arild stopped at the base and turned to face him. “You should return home, Caster. You have caused enough damage here.”
With that, he strode off.
Gideon spun back to the arena, but Valkyrie had already been taken away.
Chapter Ten
Octavian hadn't been exaggerating; Riley looked horrible. Her already pale complexion held an almost ashen tinge like someone a toe away from death's doorstep. Her lips were white and her hair hung dull and limp around her face. She was half sitting, half slumped on the sofa in the parlor. Octavian sat next to her, cradling her to him. He was stroking her arm lovingly while he murmured quietly into her ear.
Imogen sat on the sofa across from the pair, watching them with concern and curiosity. Gi
deon hovered by the window, watching his twin as Magnus paced. The longer it took for the rest of their group to arrive, the more agitated he seemed to get.
Freshly showered and clad in black jeans and a soft, tight sweater the color of freshly fallen snow, Valkyrie strode into the room. She deliberately avoided looking in Gideon's direction as she claimed the spot next to Imogen, careful to keep the entire sofa between them when she sat. The only ones missing were Reggie and their parents, but Gideon had a feeling his youngest brother would not be making an appearance.
“Where are they?” Magnus snapped.
Octavian raised his head from where he was nuzzling the back of Riley’s head to peer at his brother from over the back of the sofa.
“Mom and Dad said they’d be here.”
“Where’s Reggie?” Magnus tossed an angry glare over the room as though he suspected Reggie was hiding in some dark corner just to piss Magnus off.
“I haven’t seen him,” Octavian said.
Gideon pressed a shoulder to the window frame and twisted his body to study his brother. “He’s at Daphne’s.”
“Daphne?” Riley looked from Magnus to Gideon, brows furrowed. “What’s wrong with Daphne? She okay?”
“She’s fine!” Magnus snapped.
“Reggie worries,” Gideon explained. “He’s a lot like our mother in that aspect.”
“Who is like me?” The woman in question stepped into the room, followed closely by their father.
“Reggie,” Gideon answered. “He likes to worry, a lot like another person I know.”
His mother cast him a glower filled with feigned annoyance. “Can you blame me? I sometimes wonder if you don’t all go out of your way to...” Her gaze fell on Riley and her eyes widened. “Riley!” His mother hurried across the room and all but lunged at the redhead.
“I’m okay,” Riley promised with a forced smile.
His mother took Riley’s face between her hands, tipping it this way and that. “How long have you been like this?”
Gideon's Promise (Sons of Judgment Book 2) Page 15
