by Linsey Hall
“Why don’t fighters wear them?”
“Not enough, from what I heard. Valuable magic fuels the collars. There is a central source that powers them, but I don’t know where it is. Fighters are just kept locked up like dogs and monitored pretty much every second of every day.”
I nodded. “So you’re locked in at night like us?”
“Yes. In a huge roundhouse at the edge of town. Shoved in like cattle.”
“Then why did we get our own little place?” I asked.
She looked at me like I was stupid. “You can’t have the powerful ones milling with the rest. You’re the type of person with the skill to lead an uprising.”
I nodded. Just like Cade has said. “Would you ever think of revolting?”
Her eyes widened, then narrowed with interest. She glanced around to make sure the coast was clear, then nodded slightly. “But how? We have no way to organize a revolt. No way to get weapons. The slaves with collars can’t leave. And who would kill Cocidius? Only a god can kill another god.”
“I’ve got some good news for you.”
She leaned in.
My gaze traced over her face, searching for trustworthiness. I was putting a lot of faith in her now. She could blow this for us.
But I trusted her. Damned if I didn’t. She reminded me of Ana. “Cade is Belatucadros. He’s strong enough to take out Cocidius. And I’m a DragonGod. Strong enough to fight the soldiers and get you the weapons you need.”
She inhaled sharply. “Are you serious? I couldn’t feel his magic.”
“He’s got it locked up. So do I. We’re good at controlling our signatures.”
She nodded slowly, processing. “If that’s true, you could leave here any time. You’re too strong for them to contain. Why are you here?”
“Cocidius has my sister. We’re here to save her. But I don’t want to leave you or the others here. This is bullshit.”
“That it is.” She jerked her head decisively. “Okay, I’m in. What do we do?”
“I need some more info. Like where Cocidius sleeps, where's the armory, and what’s the central source of the magic that enchants the collars.”
She leaned toward me, and began to whisper.
Hours later, after Maira had told me everything she knew and we’d waited through countless fights, the guard stomped toward me. Maira had already fought and left, so it’d just been Cade and me, waiting.
The setting sun blazed behind his head, creating a red halo that made him glow like the devil.
“You’re up,” he growled.
I stood. Cade joined me.
The guard led us to the exit. The trainer gave us one look. “Try not to die.”
“Aw, you like us already?” I asked.
He spat. “Nah, you’re good entertainment. You piss off the Ring Master.”
True enough. I saluted, then stepped out into the middle of the arena, Cade at my side.
The crowd roared, sending adrenaline buzzing through me, followed by a bit of fear. That Dark Magic-Land octopus had nearly killed us last time. Hiding my magic was all well and good until it got me in a situation like that.
I scanned the crowd, looking for Cocidius and Rowan. I swore I could feel her presence.
“Into the middle!” the trainer shouted.
We strode across the dirt toward the middle of the ring as I kept searching the stands. On the far side, one of the great stone platforms was relatively empty. There were two chairs, one far larger than the other.
Cocidius slouched in the larger one, his golden horns gleaming in the light of the setting sun. Rage swelled in my chest, hot and fierce, but the sight of Rowan distracted me.
She looked the same.
My sister.
No longer covered in the black oil of the enchantment, she was pale as ever, with her mahogany hair and blue eyes. She didn’t look at me—not that she could recognize me with the glamour I’d used my illusion to create—but I ached to call out to her.
“She’s here,” Cade murmured.
“I need to get close. I want to see if she’s enchanted.” There might not even be visible signs, but I had to check.
“Maybe during the fight. I’ll do what I can to make it happen.”
“Thank—”
The Ring Master bellowed into the arena. “Welcome, one and all!”
The soldiers in the crowd howled. Cocidius sat silently, eyes glued to us. I shivered. If he saw through my glamour—or I dropped it—he’d know immediately who we were. He’d seen us during the fight at the Phoenician temple.
I glanced at Cade, pleased to see that he still looked different. His magic was tightly tamped down as well.
The Ring Master turned to us. “You have one job. Kill the monsters. There will be weapons.”
“What the heck?” I muttered.
Then the world exploded in a green flash. Something invisible grabbed me around the waist and yanked me backward, throwing me to the ground.
The air rushed from my lungs. My chest ached as I stared up at the slowly darkening sky. Grass waved above me, along with skinny tree branches and bushes.
Aching, I pushed myself upright. I was in some kind of forest, or jungle. Weird plants I’d never seen clogged my surroundings, making it impossible to see anything more than three feet away.
“Cade?”
Silence.
I’d been dragged away from him. And the Ring Master had created a weird jungle. I looked up, catching sight of the spectators looking down on us. From their higher vantage points, they could see us. But down here, I couldn’t see Cade. Or the monsters.
Understanding dawned. “Those bastards.”
They wanted me to kill Cade by mistake. They’d send monsters in here—I was sure of it—but I could hardly see anything around me. I was just as likely to kill Cade as I was a beast.
Oh man. That saying “look before you leap” had never been so serious. I couldn’t just throw myself into the fight now, attacking without thought. I could take out Cade.
That meant my lightning power was out of the question.
Anxiety rose in my chest, a prickly feeling that made my breath come short. I was helpless out here. I could draw my sword, but then they’d know I had that power.
They’d said there would be weapons.
Slowly, I climbed to my feet, my ears perked for any noise. The rustling of the leaves, the roar of the crowd, but nothing else.
How was I supposed to hear anything over those jerks?
I crept through the bushes, eyes alert.
I caught sight of a glint of metal lodged in a bush and hurried over, trying to keep my feet silent.
Please be a sword.
It was a bow and arrow.
“Bastards.” I grabbed the arrow, ignoring the bow. Of course they gave me a long distance weapon. Perfect for mistakenly shooting Cade.
A low growl sounded. I whirled, arrow raised.
The beast leapt at me from the bushes. It was the size of a large jungle cat, but looked like a massive reptile. A dinosaur, almost.
My heart jumped into my throat as I called on my lightning power—now that I could see him, I could strike. But the beast collided with me before I could get so much as a spark.
Its claws dug into my shoulders as it threw me to the ground. I grunted, raising my arrow spear and stabbing the creature in the neck.
It hissed and flailed, claws digging into my flesh. I pushed off the ground, trying to get on top, but the monster was too heavy.
I yanked my arrow free and aimed for the right eye, turning my head as the arrow thudded into the squishy orb.
The creature shrieked, its claws finally releasing from my shoulders as it exploded in a poof of black dust. Black magic, not a real animal. But its claws had been real enough. Pain surged through me as I heaved it off, then scrambled to my feet.
The monster’s shriek had given away my location.
I sprinted away, trying to stay silent on the forest floor. As I ran
, I glanced up, trying to find Cocidius’s platform. I needed to get to it. Needed to see Rowan up close.
I couldn’t see them anywhere.
They were behind me, damn it.
I slowed to a stop, panting, and crouched near a bush. As my breath heaved in and out, my lungs tightened. I tried to listen for oncoming monsters, but all I could hear was my breath.
My head buzzed with fear and anxiety, a potent and unfamiliar combo.
So unfamiliar. Too unfamiliar.
I wasn’t normally this freaked out.
I sniffed lightly, catching a scent of something strange on the air. A spell for paranoia? Maybe.
I sank lower against the bushes, hiding.
So not my usual style. I knew that, yet it was hard to help. I didn’t want to kill Cade in an accidental fit of magically induced fear, and I sure as heck didn’t want him to do the same to me.
My gaze darted around, landing on every fluttering leaf and waving grass.
It wasn’t smart to run right up to the dais where Cocidius and Rowan could get a good look at me. Even with my glamour, it was risky. What if she sensed me? What if she was enchanted like we thought she was and she turned me over to him?
I could use my illusion to become invisible and sneak up—I could even create an illusion of myself crouching here in fear—but as long as I couldn’t tell where the monsters were, they could attack my illusion and blow my cover.
My mind raced, trying to come up with a solution. Desperately trying to hear around me to figure out how many monsters were left.
I wanted to call out to Cade, but didn’t dare.
Tense minutes passed as I waited, trying to hear or see with anything other than my puny human eyes.
All around, the wind rustled leaves and footsteps cracked small twigs underfoot.
Wait, footsteps?
I tilted my head, focusing on my hearing.
Use it.
Oh crap!
I listened harder. The footsteps were sixty feet away. Four of them. A beast. A hundred feet away, there were different footsteps. Two of them, creeping through the brush.
Cade.
Use it.
Cade’s footsteps moved toward the creature’s deliberately.
Oh my fates, a new power was coming online.
Super Hearing.
And from the way I could see the different blades of grass in the distance, vision as well. Who had the power of sight and vision?
Heimdall. The guardian of Asgard, watcher of the Bifröst, the rainbow bridge.
I could totally use this. In my hour of need, the Norse gods had given me another useful power. I perked my ears again.
Cade was showing off with the monster sixty feet away, but there were two more on the other side of the arena.
Quickly, I put my original plan into action. I created an illusion of myself, still crouched in place, while turning my real body invisible.
It was weird to look at myself, silent and still in the shadow of the bush, and I turned away quickly, hurrying through the bushes toward Cocidius’s platform.
It was risky, I knew it. But I had to see Rowan. I had to know if some of my sister was still in there.
As I slipped through the bushes, I kept my hearing alert, tracking the monsters that hunted us. One was closing in on my fake self—I’d have to make her run soon—while another was near Cade.
I neared the platform with Cocidius and Rowan, slowing my steps and trying to avoid any of the bushes. I couldn’t make them rustle weirdly or people might notice.
I stopped about twenty feet from the dais, squinting through the dim light. It was nearly full dark now, making it hard to see, but the sight of Rowan caught my breath.
My sister.
She was really here, and she was really alive.
But her blue eyes were cloudy.
Shit. We’d expected a spell—nothing would make her stay willingly with Cocidius—but I hated having it confirmed. This meant we’d have to find a cure, and that could be impossible.
Please let there be a cure.
I eyed her for a moment more, my heart aching, feeling like it was reaching out to her and begging her to come to her senses. To shake off the effect of the evil enchantment.
Her gaze snapped to mine.
Briefly, the clouds in her eyes cleared. They were blue again. Confusion, then fear and longing.
Could she see me?
Not likely.
Then the clouds came back. Her face smoothed out, expressionless.
I wilted, grief racing through me.
Crunching branches sounded to the right.
Shit!
I’d lost track of the monsters. A quick survey revealed that the one who had been hunting my illusion had realized it wasn’t real—no smell, probably—and it’d come for me.
Invisibility only worked against the humans in the stands.
I hurried away from the dais, racing back toward my illusion. No way I could have a fight as an invisible person. It’d look really freaking weird if the dino-monsters were fighting with the air. And I needed my illusion power to stay a secret if we were to rescue Rowan and free the captives.
The monster began to pick up speed, its footsteps thundering behind me.
Shit, shit, shit.
It was still thirty feet away, but it was big. Bigger than the last, from the sound of it.
I used my illusion to make my fake self run toward me. That way, when I reappeared and made her disappear, at least it wouldn’t be super obvious. I had no idea if she was really running exactly toward me. I couldn’t hear an illusion that had no weight, and my understanding of the terrain in the arena was a bit off, but I prayed I’d find her before the monster caught me.
My heart thundered as I ran, sprinting across the ground. The monster gained on me, its every step closing in.
I clutched the arrow in my hand, my only weapon. I could strike with my lightning, but I’d wait. No need to let them know about my hearing.
A flash to my left caught my eye.
Myself!
The illusion was running toward me—sort of. I veered off, making her come toward me as I kept an ear out for the beast. It was harder to hear over my heaving breaths and pounding heart.
A large bush provided some cover, so I darted under it, making my illusion do the same. I pulled the switch quickly, making her disappear and my real self reappear.
The beast leapt out of the bushes a moment later, coming straight for me. I wasted no time, jumping for it instead of cowering, slamming my arrow up into its stomach.
It hissed and thrashed, jerking backward.
The arrow snapped off in its stomach.
No!
My only weapon, except my lightning. I called on it, charging it up and envisioning a great bolt striking down from the sky.
Before the lightning could shoot downward, the monster leapt on me again.
6
The monster threw me to the ground. My lightning died, shocked out of me by the jarring impact.
Up close, I could see every fang in the beast’s mouth. There was a double row. I thrashed beneath the creature, kneeing it in its wounded stomach.
It hissed, hot saliva dripping onto my face. I gagged as fear rose inside me, trying to call on the lightning with every bit of magic I had. Except it was hard—this was one I’d have to practice.
The lightning merely fizzled inside me.
I went for the monster’s eyes, my hand forming a claw. Before my fingers landed in the socket, the beast was yanked off of me.
I gasped, suddenly able to breathe, and watched Cade stab his arrow into the monster’s throat. The beast flopped and writhed, then exploded in a cloud of magical black dust.
Panting, I scrambled to my feet. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.” He crouched and turned, searching for more creatures.
I cocked my head, listening. There were no more footsteps. “We got them all.”
He turned and looked
at me. “How can you tell?”
I pointed to my ears. “New power.”
“Heimdall?”
“I think so.” I joined him, standing close as we looked around. “This has to be over, right? He said one challenge.”
“I would think—”
The jungle fell away from us, returning the arena to its normal barren ground. I glanced toward Cocidius, whose posture was slightly more alert, then toward the Ring Master.
Full dark had fallen, but torches had been lit around us. They illuminated his face, casting it in shades of red and orange that only highlighted the rage twisting his features.
“Whoo, boy, he’s pissed all right,” I said.
“He wanted us to kill each other.”
“I’m not going to oblige.”
The Ring Master raised his arms, and magic swirled on the air.
“Hey!” I shouted. “You said that was it for us!”
He said nothing, just gave me a look that could burn a person’s soul away, and jerked his arms down.
My stomach dropped as a great black swarm formed in the air, hopping over us. I squinted upward, trying to see what it was.
“Giant wasps,” Cade said. “Thousands.”
Panic leapt in my chest. “How do we fight a swarm?”
One monster, fine. But thousands? This was where Ana would create a shield. But we had no Ana.
Shit, shit, shit.
The wasps swarmed in the sky above, and I realized that the Ring Master was also moving his arms. Conducting them like an orchestra.
There was no water for me to call on—just the river nearby. It wasn’t enough to drown them all.
I called on the lightning again, reaching for it, praying that my previous failed attempts had been practice. It sparked and burned inside me, Thor’s gift reaching toward the heavens and commanding the lightning to strike.
But instead of going for the wasps—there was no way I could blast them all—I envisioned a cage of lightning surrounding us.
The light snapped down from the sky, arching over us like a dome. A cage of lightning crackled around us, nearly blinding me.
