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Chapter Nine

RUNA

This was all his fault. I glared holes into the back of Victor’s arrogant head as our guards led us through a wide underground corridor, deep into the belly of the keep.

Glowing torches illuminated our way along the darkened path.

Rough stone scuffed beneath our feet. The air, damp and musty.

Voices of the condemned echoed in the cavernous space.

Kronk and Drazen followed at my back. Six armed guards led the four of us past the general population cells and into the high-security units used for those destined for the pit.

During processing, we’d been forced to change into course tunics, animal-hide leggings, and soft-soled boots.

Around each of our necks were four very active suppression torques.

The guy who owed me was nowhere to be found.

Not that we were left unsupervised for even a moment.

The urge to claw at my throat was a nest of stinging ants marching up and down my spine.

The lack of control I held over the situation, over my own body, threatened to send me screaming down the corridor, tearing at my hair .

“We are the Blood River Bandits. No one can defeat us,” Kronk murmured in a failed attempt to lift my spirits.

“We’ve been through worse.” Drazen’s fake words of comfort were almost as effective as Kronk’s.

“Have we?” I snapped. “Because by my estimations, this is the worst of the worst.”

“At least your sister is alive,” Kronk contributed in a bright tone.

My insides shriveled. I’d led my brothers to believe Raelynn was dead. The truth was too much to bear.

“Did she look alive to you?” Her arms were completely black up to her shoulders—the effects of her crimes against the realm threatening to consume her.

Served her right. I steeled my heart against the anguish and betrayal threatening to overwhelm me. Seeing Raelynn again after her treachery, adorned in jewels and silks, sharing the king’s bed after what his rule had cost us made my head want to explode.

“She didn’t look dead,” Kronk grumbled, sounding hurt. He always was the sensitive one.

For a moment, my heart squeezed. If anything happened to my brothers, I wouldn’t survive the loss. Somehow, I would find a way to get us out of this mess. Surrender wasn’t an option. Too many depended on us. White Bridge would not fall as the village of my birth had.

We paused beside a wall of metal bars, the surface glowing with an eerie green light. Beyond the door was a vast room.

“Athos, creature of stone, you’re in Alpha cell,” one of the guards said.

“Wait. You’re separating us?” Placing my brothers beyond my reach, far from where I could keep an eye on them?

“Challengers are sorted based on individual containment needs.”

Behind the bars, I spotted a beast with massive shoulders, heavy muscles, and enormous tusks jutting between its thick lips.

Apparently, this cell held the strongest and most powerful of Carcerem’s fallen.

Kronk was a formidable opponent, even without his ability to turn to stone.

Problem was, despite all the muscle, he possessed a childlike naivety that was at odds with his strength. What if someone took advantage of him?

Before entering the cell, Kronk pressed his thick forehead to mine. “I will see you soon.”

“Trust nobody,” I whispered. “And watch your back.”

Before leaving, Kronk paused before Victor. “For any injury she receives, know I will inflict the same on you tenfold.”

Warning delivered, he turned and entered Alpha cell.

“This stinks like bula dung,” Drazen growled as we proceeded down the corridor. “If we would have just let the gallspawn eat the leech, we wouldn’t even be here.”

When we reached the next set of doors, the guard grunted. “You, infernus, creature of fire, Beta cell.”

“Beta?” Drazen scoffed. “Do I look like a beta to you?”

From within the large space, a curvy female demon approached. Delicate horns curled back from her forehead. She held her cat-like tail in her hand, twirling the silky length. “Hey, Snodd,” she said to the guard. “You bring me something fresh to play with?”

At this, Drazen straightened, puffing smoke from his nostrils. “Go, team Beta.”

While Snodd unlocked the door, Drazen kissed my cheek. “Stay safe.”

“Don’t get distracted,” I said before he could withdraw. “Remember, just because something is pretty doesn’t mean it isn’t deadly.”

Snorting a huff of derision, he confronted Victor. “Know that if any harm comes to her, once Kronk has ripped off your arms, I will burn the rest of you to ash.”

Why did it feel as though my brothers were entrusting my safety to the leech? Idiots. Yet another reason why I didn’t trust their judgment outside of my supervision.

Again, Victor refused to comment, heaving a sigh, his expression bored. I watched my brother enter the cell, my chest tight. The three of us hadn’t been separated like this since before our time with Yaga.

We proceeded along the corridor. To my dismay, only one unit remained.

No. No way was I going to share a prison cell with the bastard who’d gotten us into this mess in the first place.

“You two. Gamma cell.” Snodd confirmed my suspicions.

I eyed the bars, noting they didn’t glow like the others we’d passed. “No enchantment?”

“No point with your kind.” Standing toe to toe with Victor, he sneered, cupping himself between his legs. “What you going to do, vamp? Suck me to death?”

The guards behind him snickered.

“And you.” Snodd crowded me, backing me into the metal door. “Without your sorcery, you’re practically human.”

Sure, I understood the vampire wasn’t a threat, but me?

The stench of Snodd’s sour breath dusted my face, and I turned my head, nearly gagging.

“Pretty, though. Perhaps we could come to some kind of arrangement.” He grazed his knuckle along my cheek, and bile painted my tongue.

“Get your hands off of me.” I stepped back, prepared to punt the bastard’s testicles up into his throat. His buddies would probably beat me to a bloody pulp. Still, it would be worth it.

Before I could commit to my attack, Victor moved closer, a strange energy charging the air. “Perhaps you haven’t heard. This one is related to the queen. Can’t imagine King Idris will appreciate the sorceress being defiled before the games.”

“You’re lying,” the slimeball said without looking away from me .

“No, he ain’t,” one of the other milky-eyed guards muttered behind him. “Heard as much myself.”

Seeming reluctant to admit defeat, the miscreant wound his blunted finger around one of my lavender curls. “Explains the purple hair, I suppose.”

At his harsh tug, I winced, gritting my teeth.

Finally, he released me, backing away and unlocking the door. “Into the cell with you then. Any trouble from either of you, and I’ll deal with you personally.”

I sensed the last part he meant for me. I stifled a shiver of revulsion, entering the space.

Behind us, the heavy door slammed, and the lock hammered into place.

The minute the guard’s footsteps faded, I shoved my hands into Victor’s chest, knocking him back a step. “Stay out of my business, vampire. You’ve done enough damage for one span.”

Lips pressed into a thin line of irritation, Custodis took several steps back from me. “As you wish.”

I scanned our surroundings, Victor doing the same.

Along opposite walls were a multitude of open rooms. Two small cots in each.

At the back was a large pit filled with sand where a pair of grunting women grappled.

In the center of the communal space were several long tables.

Seated on the matching benches were a handful of prisoners.

Among them were a mix of males and females, all various races.

At our appearance, their heads swiveled, calculating eyes taking our measure.

“Greetings, contestants,” said a gentle voice.

I shifted to face a woman, who, unlike my cell mates, wore a simple, homespun shift. Two thick braids, the color of wheat, hung over her shoulders. Also, unlike the others, her smile was welcoming. In her hands was a tray with bread, cheese, and meat. My stomach growled at the sight.

“My name is Milani. I will be your servant for the duration of the games. I’m here to answer any questions you may have. Of which, I’m sure you have many.”

I suspected Milani was a brownie , a race of beings who thrived in the service of others. Essentially, they needed to be needed. Without that need, they often withered and died.

“Prisoners get servants?” Unable to resist, I stole a piece of bread and stuffed it into my mouth.

“Yes, all contestants receive a servant to assist them.” She led us to the closest table, setting down her tray.

“Meals are served here twice a span. I brought you a snack since you missed the last one. King Idris wants his competitors in top form. I’ve also prepared your sleeping quarters.

You’re both in the third room on the right. ”

“Together?” I coughed, breadcrumbs sweeping into my lungs.

“Yes, cell blocks are communal. The others are full.”

“Of course they are,” I grumbled, catching Victor’s raised brow and scowling in return.

“Each morning and night, a bell will ring, signaling when it’s time to rise or sleep. The guards reprimand those who do not comply.”

No doubt, Snodd would be all too eager to put me in my place. “What else?”

“Engaging in violence outside of the trials is forbidden.” She glanced over her shoulder at the others, whispering, “However, you should exercise caution, as there are those who sometimes break the rules.”

Great. Threats surrounded me on all sides.

I met the vampire’s unreadable expression, having little confidence in whose side he would fight on. Likely his own. Bula-hole.

“What can you tell me about the trials?” I’d heard rumors but never witnessed one.

“First, you will attend a demonstration to display your skills. That done, each challenger receives a score so that wagers may be placed.”

I feared asking but… “What sort of wagers?”