by Linsey Hall
I frowned.
Yeah, that guy didn’t want to be here.
Behind him, the round building was made of wood with a thatched roof.
“Iron Age,” Cade murmured. “A common type of dwelling.”
“It looks like Cocidius likes to live in the old style.” We’d gone back in time. Sort of. I didn’t know how.
“Or it’s all that his realm can manage.”
“More likely.” We rolled past more simple round structures. Smoke curled up from the center of the conical roof, glowing orange in the light of dozens of flickering torches.
All around, people stared at us. Those with iron rings around their necks looked dead-eyed. The bigger, heartier individuals—nearly all male—barely spared us a glance.
They were the warriors—the elite in this realm of the warrior god.
“This isn’t what your realm would look like, right?”
“If I had one?” Cade shook his head, which was a bit weird, since he looked different. “Hell no. I don’t mind rustic so much. But all these people in chains? The warriors stomping around like they’re the baddest jerks in the place? Not for me, thanks.”
“That’s what I figured.” I took it all in, searching for an escape route—searching for Rowan.
I should’ve felt her, right?
I had to assume so.
She was my sister.
But I hadn’t felt her before. I’d faced off against her—fighting to kill. I’d almost killed Rowan.
The thought made me shudder.
“You all right?” Cade murmured.
“Fine.” But I couldn’t help the gross nausea that pooled in my middle. I could have killed her and never realized.
But now I knew. And I could only hope that whatever curse they’d put on her, I could break it.
I just had to figure out what it was.
And find her.
I craned my neck to get a better look around, hoping to see her despite the fact that I couldn’t sense her here. It was really more of a war camp than a village. There were no families or children—just warriors and slaves. They were all either cleaning weapons, making weapons, or cooking.
Fighting and eating seemed to be all they did here. The dark night created a dome over the warmly lit camp, and it’d be cool to be witnessing history. If I weren’t tied up in the back of a cart about to be fitted with a metal collar of my own.
The cart rolled to a stop in front of a rustic, covered pavilion. A large table was spread with scrolls and small wooden figurines.
My breath caught for a half second before I realized that Cocidius wasn’t here.
“Where’s Cocidius?” I whispered. This was definitely the headquarters of his war camp.
“I can’t sense him here,” Cade said. “But these are definitely his men.”
A hulking bruiser of a guy stepped around the table. He was draped in rough leather, with a variety of wicked looking blades hanging from a wide belt. A scar sliced diagonally down the middle of his face. He’d nearly lost an eye, but had gotten lucky.
“Where did you find them?” His voice sounded like rocks grinding together.
“Edge of the eastern lands.” The voice came from the front of the cart. “Not sure what they are. Not our normal haul.”
The scarred man sniffed and spat, then kicked Cade’s foot where it hung off the edge of the cart.
Anger flared in Cade’s eyes. No doubt he could wipe the floor with the loser who was looking us over like prime cuts of beef. But that wouldn’t help us find Cocidius.
Cade glanced at me. I briefly shook my head. He nodded, then lay still, a bored expression on his face.
“Well, toss them in with the others,” the scarred man said. “We’ll see what they’re made of in the morning. Good to have fresh meat.”
Fresh meat?
I stifled a groan. I’d have happily gone all my life without being called fresh meat.
I made a mental note to punch this jerk if I got the chance. Apparently bad clichés were timeless. And the only fresh meat I wanted anything to do with came straight from the butcher.
The cart rolled away from the pavilion. We passed a fighting ring that looked like an old corral full of wounded men, all of them going at each other with a ferocity that belied the extent of their wounds. Next, we passed rows upon rows of tents. Then another fighting ring.
Finally, we stopped next to a large roundhouse. Two burly guards stood outside the door, their arms crossed over their chests and their faces set like cement. Their scowls didn’t budge as one pulled open the door and the other approached the cart.
He grabbed my ankle and hauled me out, then carried me into the roundhouse and tossed me on the hard ground.
I crashed down, pain singing through me. Cade landed hard next to me.
The door slammed shut.
I blinked, trying to adjust to the dark.
A glow from overhead lit our surroundings. People leaned against the walls, all of them staring at us with disinterest. I struggled, trying to escape my bonds, but they didn’t budge. More blank stares came our way.
“Well, this sucks,” I muttered.
“Seconded,” Cade said. “What a bastard.”
A low chuckle sounded from behind us. I craned my neck to catch sight of the person who had laughed.
A skinny red-haired girl leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at us. She was about my age, maybe a bit younger, and her hair was done in a messy crown of braids. Her leather pants were worn, and her tunic had a tear in the sleeve. Dirt streaked her pale skin, and her eyes looked far older than her years.
She met my gaze, but didn’t crack a smile, despite the previous chuckle.
But then, what was there to smile about?
I was as much a prisoner as she was.
Not that I’d be one for long. And there was no way in hell I’d be leaving these people behind either. I didn’t know why they were locked up in here like livestock, but I knew they didn’t deserve it.
I was going to save Rowan, and light this place up on the way out.
The girl glanced around, then sighed dramatically. “So it’s my turn, is it?”
“It’s always your turn,” grumbled the man next to her. He looked about a decade older than her, his face wearier.
“Alllll right.” She dusted off her palms and climbed to her feet, then strolled over to us.
I eyed her warily.
“Now, don’t look at me like that,” she said. “I’m not the one who trussed you up.”
“Sorry,” I said.
She reached toward my waist and grabbed the end of the enchanted rope, then pulled. It slipped away from me like it was nothing, and I hopped to my feet.
“Thanks.” I reached down and pulled on Cade’s rope. It came away easily.
She held up the rope and frowned at it. The rope no longer glinted silver and hung dull and limp.
“Piece of shit,” she muttered. “The magic always goes as soon as it’s used.”
I thought it was clever, but I could see how she might be annoyed if she spent her time locked up here with nothing but the floor and some grumpy companions.
“What is this place?” I asked.
Her brows rose. “You don’t know?”
I shook my head. “I mean, I have some ideas. But why are you locked up here?”
She chuckled, then strolled back to her spot on the wall. I glanced at Cade, who nodded. We followed her, and I sat next to her, leaning against the wood and inspecting my dismal surroundings.
She gestured to the room. “Now, you might think that I spend time here because I like it.” She tilted her head toward me, a deadpan expression on her face. “But you’d be wrong.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“Well, no. I imagine you are not.” She leaned her head back against the wall. “You’ve been captured by the war god Cocidius—or his lackeys, at least.”
A roar came from outs
ide of the roundhouse, a cacophonous sound created by dozens of people. Maybe even hundreds.
“What’s that?” I asked.
She smiled grimly. There was no joy on her face. “The reason you were abducted. Tomorrow, you’ll be tossed in that fight ring to prove yourself.”
My head whipped toward her. “What?”
Still leaning against the wall, she turned her head to look at me. “Never heard of Cocidius’s fight ring?”
“No.”
“Where are you from?”
“Um…” Did I say I was from the future? Was I from the future? Or was this currently the future, just totally old-school looking? Like, Iron Age old-school.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I understand.”
“So you don’t say where you’re from either?”
“Oh no, I have no problem with that. I’m Maira, from Pendock, little village at the edge of Cocidius’s realm. That’s where most of us are from—the outlying villages.”
“So you’re part of his godly realm?”
“Essentially, yes. Though we don’t worship him.” She scoffed. “Who would do that, I have no idea. Now, Belatucadros. That’s a real war god.”
I stiffened slightly, feeling Cade do the same where my arm was pressed against his. I glanced at her to see if she realized who she was sitting near.
She gave me a look that suggested I was stupid. “Belatucadros. You know of him, right?”
“Um, yes. I do.”
“He’s a real war god, right? Not some arse who kidnaps people and makes them fight in his fight rings.”
“He definitely doesn’t do that,” Cade said from beside me. “Not his style.”
I glanced at him. The glamour still concealed his true features, and he was suppressing his magic. If it helped to reveal himself, he would, I assumed.
Right now, we didn’t know if it would.
“So Cocidius captured you for his fight ring?”
“Or to be a slave. But I’m mean and scrappy, so I get a shot at the ring.”
“You say it like it’s a good thing.”
Her brows lowered. “I’d rather die fighting than wear a collar.”
“Amen.”
“Amen?”
Right. The ancient Celts probably didn’t say amen. “It just means I agree. Have you been in the ring?”
She nearly growled. “No. Been here a week and I’ve been stuck here. If I could win a fight, I might move to the training compound. Better accommodation. But I haven’t gotten my shot yet, so I’m here. Waiting.”
“Has anyone tried to escape?” Cade asked.
“Can’t. The guards are too strong. Cocidius gave them some of his power. We wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Do you have magic?” Normally, I’d assume yes. She knew about the ancient gods, who were real, and the magical rope.
“Some of us do. We use it in the ring. I’m a fire mage. What are you?”
I wasn’t about to say DragonGod, so I went with water mage, which seemed to satisfy her. “So no one even tries to use their magic to escape?”
“Most of us don’t have magic. Those who do…. Well, they manage us well. Some are in a special roundhouse where their magic is dampened. But not me. No need. I spend all my time in this wooden house. I can’t exactly light it up. They’d let us burn in here. And if I ever get to the fight ring, the escort will be so heavy it’d be a death wish to fight back.”
Bastards. I’d do something about this. No way I was leaving these people captive in here. But I’d have to take out the Rebel God to do it. “Have you seen Cocidius?”
She shook her head. “He shows up sometimes, I’ve heard.”
Hopefully he’d come soon.
She smacked her knee. “Right. I’m going to lie down and go to sleep. Tomorrow might be my big day.”
She stretched out on the floor, her hands crossed over her stomach. She looked almost content.
“How are you so happy?” I asked. She’d been locked up here a week. No doubt miserable and scared.
She slitted an eye open. “Things aren’t bad yet. Maybe one day they’ll get bad. Not today, though.”
I nodded. I thought this was actually pretty bad, but there was no need to say it. Whatever had made this girl so tough had to be a hell of a doozy.
I slouched down and leaned my head against Cade’s shoulder. I whispered low enough that only he could hear. Almost everyone was lying down to sleep, anyway. “Was this what you were expecting?”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect. But this doesn’t surprise me.”
“Me neither. What a bastard.”
“I don’t know what your plan is, but I’m thinking we play along for a little while. We could bust out of here now that the chain is off, but lying low is better. We’ll fight in the ring, get the lay of the land. When Cocidius shows up, we steal your sister, kill him, and then blast this place to hell and set all the prisoners free.”
I smiled against his shoulder. “You read my mind.”
4
“Wake up!”
The roar dragged me from a fitful slumber against Cade’s shoulder. I jerked upright, heart pounding.
Light streaming in through the door illuminated the round room. Groggy prisoners sat up, rubbing their eyes, and I suddenly remembered where I was.
Captive.
I shifted, the dried blood making my clothes stiff and my skin itchy. Next to me, Cade climbed to his feet, towering over me. I made sure that I used Loki’s power to keep the glamour on our faces. Illusion was turning out to be handy.
“You!” The guard pointed at Cade. “Don’t move!”
“Relax, man.” Cade reached a hand down and I took it, letting him haul me to my feet.
After a night on the cold, hard floor, everything ached.
“I’m warning you!” The guard raised a spear.
Cade lifted his hands. “Just standing up, pal.”
Maira, the red-haired girl, hopped to her feet next to us. “Don’t worry about him. He’s a right bastard, that one.”
I gave the burly guard a quick up and down. “I can see that.”
He stalked toward us, pointing his spear. “You two. The new ones. You’re up first.”
“Hey!” Maira said. “I’ve been waiting forever!”
The guard tried to backhand her, but she ducked, darting back toward the wall. The other prisoners snickered.
The guard’s face turned red, and he roared, “Shut up, or you’ll all be fed to the dogs.”
I wrinkled my nose. A diet of humans couldn’t be good for the dogs. Not to mention the humans.
The guard grabbed my arm and tugged me forward. Cade emitted a low growl.
I glanced back and gave him a look. “Chill out. It’s fine.”
The guard grabbed Cade’s arm, too. He was Cade’s size, but that didn’t mean much. Cade looked down at the guard’s hand as if he were looking at a fly.
He frowned, then looked up. “Let’s go, then.”
“You don’t give the orders. I do,” the guard snapped.
I grinned. As long as we weren’t wrapped in that magic lasso, Cade would wipe the floor with this guy. But better to let him have his sense of power. Easier for us to do our job.
Cade seemed to agree, because he nodded his head and tried to look contrite.
A tiny laugh almost escaped me. Cade looked more constipated than contrite. I got the feeling contrite wasn’t a thing he felt often, and he was a shit actor.
The guard hauled us from the room. I glanced back at Maira, who stared after us.
I’d get her out of here. No matter what it took. I’d get them all out.
The midmorning sun blazed as we stepped out into the little village. Most of the ground was pressed dirt, but some grass peaked up here and there. Clusters of roundhouses were surrounded by tents, and horses stamped in a corral nearby.
“Any chance we’re going to breakfast?” I asked the guard. “Maybe a bath?”
&nbs
p; He barked a laugh. “First, you fight. If you don’t die, then you eat.” He looked me up and down, his nose wrinkled in disgust. “Maybe they’ll throw you in the river after.”
I itched so badly from the dried blood that I actually wouldn’t mind.
He hauled us toward the edge of town. Most of the people we passed wore ragged cloth and leather, accented by a collar around their necks. Bile rose in my throat.
I sucked in a ragged breath and focused on the task at hand. We had to take out Cocidius if we were going to free these people.
“What are we fighting?” Cade asked.
“Depends on the Ring Master’s preference,” the man said.
Great. The Ring Master sounded like a freakin’ delight.
The guard dragged us up toward a strange-looking arena. The fight ring within was the size of a football field and roughly oval with massive stone platforms all around. They were at least twenty feet tall, forming a wall that would trap the fighters within. Warriors sat on the platforms, decked in leather armor and weapons, and cheered and raised their fists.
In the middle of the dirt arena, a man fought a huge, horned demon. Each was armed with a blade, but the man also seemed to be throwing out some kind of small sonic boom that drove the demon backward.
A bite of pain struck me, longing for my lost magic.
I sucked in a breath and used the pain to focus my will. I had to control my magic—show them only what I wanted them to see.
A water mage. That was all I was. No more, no less.
And certainly not a winged Valkyrie, the Dragon God of the Vikings. No siree.
“This way.” The guard pushed us into a smaller corral pressed up against the side of the fight ring. A gate led into the ring, and a burly man leaned against it, scowling as he watched the fight within.
Several people sat on benches along the sides—fighters, I thought. A few guards stood at the ready, their hands gripped lightly around their sword hilts.
“Got you the two new ones, Cedric.” Our guard shoved us toward the man who watched the fight.
He turned, looking us over. He wore leather armor and had long, straggly hair. His gaze was cunning, though, and I stiffened my spine, trying to control my magical signature and not give too much away.
