Page 35

Mira

Kerry led us toward the industrial docks.

The stench of barnacles and dead fish hit me while we were still a coupla blocks away from the water, and I imagined it was even worse for Rome.

Dogs smelled things a thousand times better than humans, and that was without taking his warrior talent into consideration.

He didn’t flinch from it, though, and neither did Kerry.

So pull up your big girl panties and deal with it, girl.

The roar of a large crowd had been steadily growing louder. I turned to ask Kerry, but he had his game face on, so I bit my tongue. I’d find out soon enough in a minute.

Rome’s soft muzzle pushed into my hand, and I looked down at him. His fuzzy face squinched up in a frown, and his dark eyes bore into mine.

“Too late to back out now.”

He answered with a soft woof , which made me smile. I petted his ears and wasn’t sure if I’d done so to comfort him or myself.

The wharf Kerry led us to looked as if humans had abandoned it decades ago.

A brick building squatted in front of us.

Most of its windows were missing at least one pane of glass and white and yellow stains streaked the roof.

A corroded offloading crane sat in one corner with its boom up and the hook block dangling high above our heads.

The rest of the area was a mess of flattened wet cardboard, torn up planking, stringy weeds, cracked and pitted concrete, piles of black ash, and metal barrels shaggy with rust.

The noise of the crowd was almost deafening as it let out a chorus of oohs and aahs. As Kerry led us around the brick building, I was shocked to see we were on the ground floor of an arena. All around us, stands rose several stories high and were packed with many large bodies.

Very many, very large bodies.

“Who are the spectators?” I had to holler for Kerry to hear me.

“Rephaim.”

Rome whined and leaned his bulk against me. I didn’t have to hear him to know he was furious with Kerry for bringing me here and with me for putting myself in danger.

“Are they evil?”

“They have free will. They never make good choices, though.”

He jerked his chin forward, and my eyes followed the movement to the center of the arena where two figures circled each other.

One looked like a human or neph, but the other was nothing I’d ever seen in this world.

If a kid made a man out of mud and baked it, it would look like this thing.

It moved in slow, jerky jolts, which gave its opponent plenty of time and space to maneuver, but when it brought its fist down, the impact shook the ground.

Kerry leaned closer to half-shout in my ear.

“See what I mean? They’re so blood-thirsty, they can’t stop doing these dumb games. That’s a golem, by the way.”

I kept my eyes on the neph as he struck and dodged as if his life depended on it.

And maybe it does.

“Is it a fight to the death?” I hollered.

“They all are. Like I said, dumb.”

And you’re going to challenge someone to the same, and either you or he will not be walking outta here.

I swallowed hard and ignored Rome as he butted his head against my hip.

The neph was getting tired. Sweat streaked his face and his chest rose and fell in short pants. His strikes did less damage and his dodges slowed. The golem’s fist hit the ground closer and closer to where he’d been standing a heartbeat earlier, and I suddenly knew how this contest was gonna end.

“The golem will win,” Kerry confirmed. “They don’t get tired. Come on. You probably don’t wanna watch the neph explode.”

Good luck getting that image outta my head tonight.

“Let’s get in line to fight.” Kerry wrapped his hand around my elbow. “You better wait with me until it’s my turn.”

Whether he understood I was in trouble or only wanted to get me moving, he tugged me with him. His stride lengthened, and Rome used his head to push me along faster. My eyes couldn’t leave the arena, though.

Sweat ran down the neph’s face, his chest heaved, and his strikes didn’t even dent the golem. He tried to maneuver away, but tripped, and fell on his face. He didn’t get up. The golem raised its fist, the crowd hushed—

And Kerry pulled me into a small room built under the stands.

I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the fluorescent lights. Reaching out a trembling hand, I found Rome and sank my fingers into the wrinkled folds of his neck. It was quieter here, but not so much that I couldn’t hear the sudden screaming of a crowd gone wild.

As if the home team had scored a goal.

“If it makes you feel better,” Kerry muttered, “the neph signed up for it. He knew what he was getting into. And he died quick.”

“I suppose so,” I said in a voice I didn’t recognize. “Like a deer that got clobbered by a semi doing ninety.”

“Yep.” Then he made an explosion noise.

I cringed, but he didn’t notice. Instead, he let go of my elbow and strode up to a glassed-in counter.

Crouching down, I wrapped my arms around Rome’s neck and buried my face in his wrinkles.

He woofed softly.

“I know.” I hated that my voice quavered. “I know. I’ll be tough again in a second. That was awful.”

He woofed again.

“I can’t leave him now. I told him I had his back.” I rattled the charm bracelet on my wrist. “But if it looks like we’re gonna get exploded, I’m ’porting us all outta here, and to the devil with Kerry’s vendetta.”

#

Kerry

A rephaim named Rock was the official that night, and he ran the arena with an iron fist. When it was my turn, I stepped out into the firelit arena, unaware Mira and Rome had followed me.

“Who do you challenge, Harker?” Rock called from his umpire chair.

“I’ll take Og.”

The crowd stirred and a wave of muttering swept through the stands.

Yeah, the king of the rephaim ain’t called out too often.

A giant vaulted over the low wall that separated the combat space from the audience. He didn’t come alone. Two rephaim joined him, one on either side.

“Well, well, well. Kerry Harker.” Og traced a sharp fingernail from the edge of his mouth to his ear. “I told you if I saw you again, I’d make it a matched set, or don’t you remember?”

“I remember,” I growled.

Rock called for quiet as he went over the rules as he did before each contest.

“Participants, you have entered the contest of your own accord. No one leaves now until one side is dead. Anything within the arena may be used as a weapon. Harker, as the challenger, it is your privilege to signal the start.” Rock raised his voice to stir up his audience.

“Rephaim versus nephilim, ladies and gentleman! May they entertain us well before they die!”

The people in the stands shrieked with excitement, and Og smirked at me.

“I see you still don’t fight your own battles.” I pointed to Droog and Greel.

“I’m just keeping the numbers even. Three on three is so much fairer than three on one.”

Three on three?

Turning, I saw Mira on my left and Rome on my right.

“What? No!” I snarled. “It was supposed to be just me!”

“I told you I got your back.” She didn’t seem fazed by my glare. “’Sides, it’s too late now. And just to be clear, everything inside the circle is fair game?”

Og overheard her. He laughed as he slugged Greel in the chest and cuffed Droog’s shoulder.

“Everyone and everything. Me, my brother, and my nephew against Harker, his whore, and his hound.”

While the audience laughed, Mira moved a little closer and asked, “How do you kill rephaim?”

“Same as any other animal. Be careful, though.” I tilted my head toward a pile of what looked like broken boulders. “They turn to stone when they die.”

I glanced at Rome, saw the rage in his doggie eyes, and knew I was gonna pay a hefty price for dragging Mira into this.

I deserve it, too, although I didn’t ask her to fight with me.

She stood close enough that I could feel her trembling and hear her short, sharp breaths. I hoped she didn’t hyperventilate. After seeing the golem fight, she was probably scared to death.

I should be shot.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Let’s do it.” She gave me a curt nod.

Rome sneezed and shook himself.

Taking that as yes, I gave the signal to Rock.

“Begin!” he shouted.

Two seconds later and Mira had Greenie wrapped in metal from his ankles to his eyeballs. Rome didn’t waste any time, either. He snapped and snarled at Droog, who looked panicked as he skittered back.

“One down, two to go.” I grinned as I called up my katana. “And Droog ain’t looking so good. Save yourself the embarrassment and yield.”

Og roared and, like the idiot he was, charged me. I rolled between his legs and sliced my katana through his left thigh, then his right. He howled, but didn’t go down.

“You’re lucky I didn’t take your balls!”

I pivoted and ran at his back. Leaping, I held my sword with both hands and went to drive the blade down into his spine, but he was fast for such a big, ole bull. He dodged, then jumped straight up. When he came down, a ton of rust and metal and other junk came with him.

I threw my diamond shield over me and Mira, but Rome had driven Droog too far back to be under the umbrella. Then again, crap wasn’t falling down over there. Nah, it stayed over my head like a little black rain cloud.

That was why it took me too long to realize Og had pulled the heavy chain hook off the overhead crane. Standing in the dead center of the arena, the son of a whore started to whip it around the floor. Now we all had to play jump rope.

“Watch out!” I shouted. I still wasn’t used to fighting with others, but I figured a warning was the least I could do.