by Emily Rose
“Let’s go, you train with us now.” A Champion. She was tall and muscular, clearly she had been here for a while. Everything about her screamed fighter. Killer. The brand on her collarbone was completely healed, and the black ink had begun to fade. I threw my shoes on and mumbled a quick apology to Harvey, who was still laying in her bed. We both knew this was coming. I was in the League of Champions now. My life would have to change significantly.
The woman continued to talk as we approached the practice ring. “Prince Aiden will likely be assisting you today, he usually helps all the new Champions with their skills, fighting tactics and things like that.”
Great. The last thing I needed was more attention from Aiden. My brand burned where my shirt rubbed against it, a cruel reminder of the past few days.
“My name is Naomi. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other around here now.” Her voice wasn’t inviting, but it also wasn’t hateful in any way. We were all in the same boat. All of us were fighting to survive.
I nodded at Naomi. At least I knew one more person who didn’t absolutely hate my guts.
Now here we were. I had to train with them, the people I grew up despising. The people the entire City loved.
A small group of Champions had already gathered around the ring. I could tell they were close, I’m sure most of them had been here for years.
I was the newcomer. I did not belong. And that became clear as they all turned to glare at me.
“You better watch your back,” Opal said as I walked closer to the group. This was not the best time for me to engage in a fight, so I smiled back. I wondered if she could see the temper pulsing from my skin. The rest of the fighters just stared at me, sizing up their new competition like lions in the jungle. Naomi walked to the other side of the small crowd, whispering to one of the boys. I couldn’t blame her. Making friends with the new girl probably wasn’t a good look for any of them.
Part of me, a dark and evil side of my soul, loved being here. I wanted to prove myself to these killers. Here I was, a snake in the King’s castle. I wanted to infiltrate King Xavier’s favorite circle. I wanted to destroy each and every one of them.
But I couldn’t lose sight of my ultimate goal. I had to get Harvey and Riley out of here first, then work on my plan to kill the King.
As other fighters began to fill the Courtyard, I noticed myself tapping my foot and pacing back and forth. Every person who walked toward us attracted my gaze, and after a few minutes I gave up hope that Aiden would even be here to train.
Not like it mattered, anyway. Aiden couldn’t help me survive. My lack of fighting skills wasn’t the problem. My problem was my lack of control when it came to my gift.
“Okay, everyone,” the honeyed voice boomed through the yard. The same voice that made my palms sweat every time I heard it. “I’m sure you’ve all met Ruby by now. We’ll spend the next few days teaching her the basic moves of offense, and I would like you all to be supportive.”
He wanted these devils to be supportive of me? I almost laughed at the idea. Nobody wanted to kill me faster than these fighters, I could see it in their eyes. Even Naomi avoided looking at me.
“First up, basic combat. Everybody partner up.”
After a few groans and mumbles, the crew started pairing together and spreading out on the field. I stood there looking like a child on the first day of school. Pathetic.
“Opal, looks like you’re with Ruby.”
Gods above.
“Gladly, your highness,” she squeaked as she walked closer. I didn’t miss the sly wink she gave him, or the way she pulled her shirt up to expose more of her tan stomach.
My eyes nearly rolled out of my head.
With the rest of the Champions already sparring around us, Aiden focused on myself and Opal. The sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the air.
“Okay, keep strong fists and good posture. Let’s see what you’ve got,” he said.
The familiar flare of adrenaline rushed through my body immediately. Opal was a great opponent for me. We were about the same size, and she fought nasty. It would be good practice, at least. And I wouldn’t feel bad about hurting her.
I was preparing my fighting stance when a small fist hit me square in the nose. A sharp pain shot through my face. That was unexpected. A low growl escaped my mouth as she giggled. If she wanted to fight dirty, I would show her dirty.
The taste of copper filled my mouth within seconds, and I felt the warm fluid dripping from my chin. I didn’t try to suppress my tempter.
I ducked low and sent a fist into Opal’s ribcage, knocking the breath out of her lungs. The crunch of the blow was satisfying. I wanted more.
“Again,” Aiden demanded, now watching from just a few feet away.
Opal tried to swing again, but I blocked her punch with my forearm. She instantly tried again with her other fist, but I blocked that one, too. She was too predictable after our first fight together. Jax had taught me better.
We continued that way for a few minutes. Punches. Blocks. Every so often, one of us would land a satisfying hit. The one thing Opal had that I did not have was stamina, and it was beginning to show. My movements became sluggish. The snappy reactions I had just a few moments ago were dull. Lifeless.
A hard, shooting blow landed on my chest, right where my brand was. I sucked in a breath, exhausted from our few minutes of fighting. Pain spotted my vision.
“Keep going,” Aiden said again, arms crossed. Was he wanting me to get beat up? My breath came in short bursts as I shot him a glare. He merely crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
I hardly had time to stand up straight before Opal swept her foot behind my legs, knocking me to my back. A move she had picked up from me after our fight, no doubt.
My angry yell filled the air as I struggled with the girl who was on top of me. She held my fists to the ground while I thrashed.
“Get up, Ruby. Fight it.” Aiden’s voice only fueled my temper. This idiot. Anger filled my body. Blurred my vision. If anybody was going to pin me to the ground again, it wouldn’t be Opal.
One. Two. Three seconds passed. The fury I felt continued to increase. I was building inside of me, morphing into a red, hot fire. I could almost feel it on my skin until-
“Alright. Opal, take a walk. Ruby, you’re with me now.”
She huffed and scrambled off of me, shooting me a satisfying glare as she headed toward the perimeter of the yard. I quickly jumped to my feet, barely noticing the dozens of eyes quickly looking away. I guess Opal and I put on a good show.
“Seriously?” I asked. “I almost had her.”
“No, you almost lost control. Again.” His voice was strong and unrelenting. Red hot shame creeped up my cheeks as I realized what he was saying. My magic. I had almost lost control of my magic, right here during another practice fight.
Aiden took a step back. “Let’s go. Hit me,” he said.
“Are you serious?” I asked, but he was already unstrapping the sword from his hip. His demeanor was pressing. Intimidating. The hair on the back of my neck tickled me. I was about to fight Aiden, easily the strongest guy in this entire Courtyard.
I separated my feet and pulled my fists to my chin, like I had done hundreds of times. Only I hardly felt adrenaline. Looking at Aiden, I felt something different. It wasn’t quite fear, but it was something similar. I felt unease.
Seconds went by. A nervous tickle rushed to my stomach, but Aiden didn’t hesitate before punching me square in the stomach. I don’t know what I was expecting from him, but that was not it. My face flushed as I stood up, recovering from the blow.
“I said, hit me.” His face was blank. My arms felt so heavy as I lifted them again. I couldn’t show him weakness, that was what he wanted.
With all of the energy I had left, I struck him. This time, though, not only was my strike blocked, but Aiden grabbed my wrist and flipped me to the ground.
“Get up. Again.”
Anger. Resentment.
My temper flared, heat rushing through my body.
I made another attempt, aiming at his face. He blocked it easily.
“Again!” He was yelling now. I could almost sense the displeasure he was feeling. The disappointment.
Heads began to turn toward us again, watching what I could only assume was a ridiculous spectacle of my weakness.
My fists were bleeding now, exhausted from the blows. But I tried again. And again. Each one was easily swatted away, as if I was just some annoying fly in the presence of the Prince.
When I had absolutely no more strength, no more fight left, Aiden grabbed my shoulders and shoved me hastily to the ground. A rough act of dominance. I caught myself with my arms.
He lowered himself to my level. I could smell the tangy, metallic blood on my face. Sweat stung my eyes as I wiped my face with the back of my arm.
“How do you feel?” he whispered. His question was laced with malice. This was the side of Aiden I always knew existed but had yet to see. “Do you feel angry? Defenseless? Do you feel weak?”
I shut my eyes, willing away the burning sensation that had built up under my skin. Yes, I did feel angry. He had just embarrassed me in front of every single fighter here, including all of the Champions. And he knew it. Aiden grabbed my face with one hand, forcing me to look at him.
“Here’s a trick, Ruby. Never forget what the stakes are. You lose your temper in a match again, and you’ll die.” He released his grip with a swift movement of his wrist, pushing my head sideways. “I can feel your anger flare from a mile away.”
It wasn’t a threat. It was a warning. I opened my mouth to speak, to defend myself in some way, but nothing came out. He was right.
Aiden stood up without another word, dismissing me for the day. Everything in my body hurt. The skin on my fists were split open. My arms felt as if they were filled with water.
I felt defeat. Embarrassment. Shame. When I looked up, I saw the rest of the King’s Champions staring at me, watching with contentment. They saw everything that the Prince just saw.
Fortunately for me, I felt these things on a normal day. I didn’t usually care how stupid I had looked. Now, however, I was letting down Harvey. I was letting down Riley. Part of me even felt like I was letting down Aiden.
I hardly remembered walking back to my cage before I layed on my bed and passed out.
The familiar warm, golden light overwhelmed my senses.
I opened my eyes, expecting to see Ophine.
The person in front of me wasn’t the goddess of fire, though. Not even close. Aiden kneeled before, helpless. I looked at him but didn’t see the same person I knew. His perfect green eyes were now solid black, and his face was covered with panic.
“Help me, Ruby! I need you!” he called out to me but was quickly cut off by black tar seeping from his mouth. He was choking. He was dying.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t scream. Couldn’t help him.
“Ophine! Help us! Help him!” I called out.
Her soothing voice filled the air around us. “You have everything you need to save him, girl.”
Everything I need? I had nothing! I was nothing! I needed the power. Her power. The familiar creep of heat tickled at my fingers, but my icy fear washed it away in a blink. I willed for the flame to come back, for the anger to present itself, but it was no use.
I was panicking.
Aiden was dying. And there was nothing I could do to help.
I rushed toward him, horror flooding my limbs.
“Aiden! Wake up!” I yelled, wiping away the tar on his face. He coughed once. Twice. Weak attempts at air. At life.
A loud laugh boomed over the air, piercing the golden warmth with venom.
King Xavier.
“You cannot help the boy, Ruby.”
I was sobbing now, desperate for help.
“He’s your son!” I yelled. His own son, flesh and blood. And he was willing to stand there and watch as he died.
Not just watch. The horror I was feeling turned to outrage as the King drew his sword, lifting it over Aiden’s head.
The foul sound of my screams was the last thing I heard before I collapsed.
10 The Ghosts of the Past
The nightmares I had been having were changing now. Morphing. It was hard to tell if they were actually messages from Ophine or if the stress from the cages was affecting my sleep.
Either way, I couldn’t let them distract me.
My body ached from yesterday’s training.
And it was time for my next fight.
As a King’s Champion, I was expected to fight more. To fight better. I wasn’t afraid of dying. I was only afraid of failing. Of exposing my magic. Of betraying Harvey and Riley.
Over time, I quit remembering my fights. I remembered walking into the arena and walking out, usually covered in blood, but that was it. I preferred it that way, too. Every time my sword sliced my opponent’s flesh, some tiny piece of me chipped away. A piece of me that I didn’t even know existed. A piece of me that I couldn’t afford to remember.
The flame under my skin grew hotter every day. It was restless now, as if it enjoyed the kill. I tried to suppress it. I tried to keep it locked away, buried beneath me. But in all honesty, I wasn’t sure I could win every fight without it. There were times when a small flicker of heat would save me from a trapped position or a lack of focus. I never wanted to find out what would happen without it, anyway. I had a job to do.
I felt no regret. No sorrow for the opponents I had to kill. It was part of the path I had chosen.
Sometimes, though, I would see them. They would lurk in the shadows. The constant, haunting reminders of what I had done.
Harvey and I finished our workout for the day and headed to the showers. I could tell she was grateful for my presence in the cages, even if I attracted more attention than she had hoped. Most of the time, people left us alone.
We fell into a routine of protecting each other, or really just me protecting her. But having her here with me meant more to me than she could have known. She reminded me what was really important.
The showers were cold and dark. Most of the girls skipped the showers altogether, and I didn’t blame them. They were on the far side of the Courtyard, opposite of both the boy and girl cages. There were no guards. No one to help you if someone tried to attack.
We walked through the dark hallway, listening for any signs of conflict before reaching the showers. The walls echoed our wet, steady footsteps. After a few seconds, we turned the corner and headed for our usual room. It was the first one on the left, closest to the hallway. Most people avoid this room because it easily lacked privacy, but it made for a quick escape if we ever needed one. With the occasional screams we had heard from the back of the showers, we didn’t mind.
“Okay, you first,” I said as Harvey started her usual routine. She quickly undressed while I turned my back to her, watching the door. The sound of running water filled the dark room. My heart sped up a little. I hated this place. Being alone in the showers always seemed too good to be true.
About a minute had gone by, and I was about to tell Harvey to hurry up when I heard light footsteps running toward us.
Someone was coming.
Our visitor was clearly running, which was strange. Maybe they were trying to take a long shower and rush back before the cages locked? But that was just naive thinking.
A long, tall shadow filled the room. The fighter was walking slowly now, waiting. Adrenaline fueled my muscles.
I knew there would be a target on my back after coming out of nowhere to win a fight that was supposed to kill me, but I wasn’t about to get Harvey killed because of it.
The darkness of the shower hid my body as I crouched behind the shower wall. The shadow came closer, inching toward us. Every step made my heart beat faster.
I was about to yell for Harvey to run. I was about to tackle our attacker- until I saw him. Her. It. I wasn’t sure. Because what I saw wasn’t a
person.
It was just the shadow of a person.
Growing up, I never really believed in ghosts. The belief just didn’t make any sense to me. Why would someone choose to stay around in this realm? Unless they had unfinished business, that is.
Fear paralyzed my body. The shadow froze directly in front of me, too. Harvey continued with her shower, completely unaware. The shadow looked so familiar, something about was so common.
It moved in a way I had seen before. This shadow, this ghost. My mind brought me back to my first fight in the ring. The way my opponent paraded around the perimeter. Confident. Satisfied.
No, no, no. This was not possible. There was no way she was back here. I killed her. She was dead.
And she was back.
“Harvey,” I said, keeping my voice as steady as possible. “Do you see this?”
The water turned off with a squeak. I felt Harvey get closer behind me, fidgeting with her towel. “See what?” she responded in a whisper. But the shadow didn’t move. It just stood there, taunting me.
“She’s back.”
“What are you talking about, Ruby? Who’s back?”
The hair on the back of my neck prickled.
“What do you want from me?” I yelled at the shadow. It tilted its head sideways. A challenge.
“Ruby, what’s going on?”
“I’m being haunted. This is how I have to pay for my sins.” My voice was hardly a whisper. I blinked at the shadow and rubbed my hands over my face. This couldn’t be real. Harvey grabbed my hand from behind me, but the shadow stepped forward.
Once.
Twice.
I wasn’t about to let it harm us. I launched forward, arms stretched out to my shadow visitor. But as quickly as she showed up, she disappeared. I was left with an icy chill where she was standing just seconds ago, and a terrified Harvey looking at me as if I had lost it completely.
She didn’t say anything to me as I ushered us out of the showers, back toward the cages. She didn’t question why I had skipped my shower, or what I was staring at in the dark room. Her presence alone was comforting enough.
