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“Shit!” She sprinted after them. She could find her own way to the arena, but the Xerocle were good protection. She also worried they’d harm the wrong people.

After several yards she came to a halt, gripped her cramping sides as she choked on the cloud of dust the flock kicked up. There was no possible way she could keep up. Something bumped her hip, nearly knocking her to the ground. She turned and discovered Momma had been trotting behind her. The massive raptor lowered her head to the ground.

“Thank you, although I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

Despite her reticence, she climbed up on Momma’s back, like she’d seen the chick do, and wrapped her arms around the bird’s armor-plated neck.

“Fuck!” she shouted as Momma took off at an ungodly pace.

Thirty

Ride of the Valkyries

Aculus

The crowd groaned as he beat the third candidate. The female was more tenacious than the last two. He barely had time to take a breath before another candidate fought her way into the inner circle.

“I am your weakness, yield to me.” The female eyed him intently.

“You are not my weakness,” he screwed up his line and didn’t even realize it.

He was supposed to say ‘I have no weakness,’ but was preoccupied by the four candidates fighting on the ring and the three more squabbling to reach the first bridge.

Where is she?He’d hung on as long as he could, but could no longer stomach this charade. The risk was too great.

He growled in frustration as he evaded his opponent’s first strike. He was tempted to quickly force the candidate into submission but another would only replace her. And this close combat was the only means he had of checking each candidate. The assassins had yet to reveal themselves and he was starting to fear they’d sorely underestimated the abhorrent reptiles.

Aculus’ fist froze as he was about to land a blow. His opponent wasn’t even paying attention, her gaze frozen on the refuge behind him. His brow furrowed as he panned the eerily quiet arena, then spun to see what had them so enthralled.

“This Trial may get more interesting, there’s a storm brewing in the blind zone,” one announcer declared while the projection screen displayed the building cloud of dust.

That’s not a dust storm or a whirlwind.

He squinted, trying to make out what was heading toward the arena, then his eyes widened as he caught snippets of large white bodies amidst the haze.

“Are those?” one announcer asked, voicing what everyone was thinking.

“They can’t be Xerocle,” the other announcer commented, more to herself than to the crowd, shock evident in her voice.

Murmurs grew in the arena as the horde of rare creatures approached. He’d seen a pair of Xerocle recently, and that was shocking enough, but a whole herd was inconceivable. The raptors running along the ground in a wedge hunting formation mirrored the ones flying several meters above. Daunting didn’t begin to describe the sight. The formation was efficient and lethal, hinting at the disturbing intelligence of the formidable beasts. It was no wonder the ancients hunted these raptors nearly to extinction.

No,he thought incredulously, seeing the Xerocle in the lead.

“Is that the human candidate?” “Riding a Xerocle?” the broadcast announcers asked.

It is. How is she riding…? Where did she find so many…? Is that how she…?The questions flitting through his mind were swiftly shoved to the background.

He always thought Nadzia was a goddess, but swooping in on the back of a Xerocle with her hair whipping in the breeze, she was truly ethereal. And only a goddess could lead a horde of Xerocle.

Thank you,he sighed in relief as he watched her, totally mesmerized.

The moment the Xerocle she rode speared one of the candidates, he snapped out of his delirium.

Torment!Aculus cringed, knowing how painful that was.

Horrified screams filled his ears and the stands collapsed into utter chaos. The guards and candidates took aim at the horde.

“Wait!” he roared before the situation devolved any further, his voice echoing through the sound system.