The king moved to the head of his pavilion, gesturing grandly.

“Good people of Carcerem. First, our competitors faced the worst of our kind. Next, they will face the best.” Again, the queen placed her hand on his shoulder.

Golden light blasted from his raised palms. Fiery sparks nipped at my flesh as the king’s power washed over me.

“What do you suppose he means by that?” Drazen asked, legs braced, ready to defend himself.

Before anyone could answer, the earth trembled.

Along the outer wall of the arena were a dozen statues of Carcerem’s fallen heroes.

Their chiseled forms stood three stories high.

Stone cracked like lightning striking overhead.

The towering giants broke free of their bases.

Their powerful bodies stormed into the pit.

Heavy footsteps trembled through the ground. Beside me, Drazen stared at the massive defenders, mouth gaping. “He’s got to be kidding.”

“Afraid not,” Runa groaned.

“How the hell are we going to defeat giants made of rock?” the infernus asked.

“We don’t,” I said. “All we need to do is to stay alive until the clock counts down.”

“Right.” She nodded. “Keep moving. Don’t get squished. This should be fun.”

Contestants raced around the pit, screaming as the beasts pounded their way across the sand. One of the giants raised its mighty boot, slamming it down on a horned male who wasn’t as fast as the others.

Gagging sounds parted Runa’s lips, and her complexion turned pale. One giant in particular fixed his stony gaze on us. His marble lips curled. The earth shook as his charging strides threatened to knock us off our feet.

Kronk narrowed his eyes at the statue. “Isn’t that—”

“Morpheus, champion of the Battle of Dorbron. Flark. Here he comes.” Drazen set off with Kronk at his side.

Runa and I kept pace with her brothers. Clouds of dust kicked up from our pounding heels.

I peered back at our assailant. The towering hero raised the mighty sword he held, swinging it as though he swatted flies.

“Duck!” I shouted, and the four of us hit the sand. Just in time. Stone swept over our heads. The massive blade whistled as it sliced the air.

Before the giant could right himself, Drazen popped back on his feet, hands flared, menace in his expression. Fireballs launched from his palms, exploding in the monster’s face.

Morpheus flinched, recoiling. Off balance, the giant lurched backward a step.

Bones crunched. Another contestant fell beneath the creature’s enormous foot. Once he righted himself, he leveled his furious glare at the infernus.

“You angered him,” Kronk stated the obvious.

“You think?” Drazen turned his frustration on his brother. “You think I angered him?”

“Guys?” Runa eyed the giant.

“If you shot fireballs up my nose, I too would be angry.” Kronk folded his thick arms while the giant took a pounding step.

“Guys?” Runa repeated.

I clutched her forearm, pulling her away from the approaching giant.

“Like you had a better plan,” Drazen sneered.

“Guys!” Runa shouted.

“Run, you fools!” I slung the sorceress over my shoulder.

“Victor, wait! What about my brothers?” Runa pounded my kidneys.

I ignored her concern. “Can’t help them if you’re dead.” Nor would she be able to help me.

The squabbling siblings finally glanced up and blanched.

Smiling an evil grin, our giant opponent raised his leg, eager to smash Runa’s kin.

We dove to safety as Morpheus’s mighty foot slammed down .

“No,” Runa cried out, peering at the cloud of dust behind us.

An image emerged from the sand, coughing and waving his hand. “Flark, that was close,” Drazen said.

“Do you see Kronk?” Runa shouted.

I peered through the fading cloud, seeing nothing. I grimaced. Kronk was powerful but slow. It was possible he hadn’t moved in time.

“Kronk?” Drazen turned a circle, panic in his tight expression. “Kronk!” he bellowed.

Morpheus snickered, his laughter booming throughout the arena.

Moisture gathered in Runa’s eyes, and she lurched to her feet.

“No. No. No. Not my brother,” she screamed, a dark gleam mixing with her unshed tears.

She stood before the former champion, hands raised, energy sparking in her palms. Before she could unleash whatever nightmare she’d conjured, the giant wobbled.

Peering down, the creature frowned. Cracks formed in the giant’s boot, spreading across his arch. Thunder cracked, stone splitting like two icebergs colliding. Craggy fractures splintered the warrior’s ankle, shooting up his calf. The beast threw back his head, roaring his fury at the sky.

“Look!” Runa pointed. Beneath the giant’s shattering instep, two much smaller yet sturdy legs rose from the sand.

“It’s Kronk!” Drazen jumped, punching the sky.

Hands pressed beneath the monster’s wobbling foot, Kronk powered through his deadlift like Atlas with the world perched on his shoulders.

With every inch he gained, more fractures shattered the giant’s leg, racing up his thigh to his hip.

I gaped at the athos’s strength. I knew they were strong, but this was incredible.

Cheering voices permeated my shock. The arena went wild with the athos’s achievement. “Kronk. Kronk. Kronk,” they shouted, stomping the stands .

With a mighty heave, Kronk stood upright, legs braced, Morpheus’s boot trapped in his grip. Then, with a final burst of strength, he shoved. Morpheus wobbled, flailing his arms.

Rearing back, Kronk slammed his powerful fist into the giant’s fractured foot, and the splinters that had stopped at the giant’s hip shot up his torso.

Great. Here we go again .

The stone giant was coming apart. Right on top of us.

Once more, I scooped Runa into my arms, barking at her brothers, “Out of the way!”

Chunks of broken granite rained down on our heads. Laying on the speed, I sprinted out of the path of the falling rubble. Near the edge of the pit, I skidded to a stop and set the sorceress on her feet, glancing over my shoulder at yet another cloud of dust.

As the cloud settled, an image materialized in the middle of the arena. Hands on his hips, glaring at the pile of rocks before him, was Kronk.

Seeming satisfied with his win, he spat on the debris, then dusted his hands.

The spectators went wild, tossing cups of ale, flowers, and lacy unmentionables into the pit.

Kronk gazed back at them with a bemused expression on his chiseled face. He fluttered a three-finger wave at his adoring fans.

Horns trumpeted, and my muscles tensed. Would it kill the king to give us a moment to breathe?

All around the arena, the stone giants froze, then broke into sparkling gold fragments. The king’s power dissipated.

Again, bodies littered the floor of the pit. Some little more than greasy smudges.

Idris approached his podium, clapping in an exaggerated fashion. “Well done. Well done. I’m happy to tell you that after this last challenge, only twenty-three competitors remain. Sadly, only twelve may compete in the final trial. ”

Beside me, Runa shivered, her expression bleak. “Milani told me we’d started with one-hundred and seven.”

“So far, our contestants faced both Carcerem’s criminals and her heroes.

Now, it only seems fair that they face Carcerem’s people.

After all, it is you, distinguished citizens, who are the backbone of our mighty kingdom.

Therefore, it is you who will judge the contestants most worthy of competing in the final round tomorrow. ”

“What the hell does he mean?” Drazen glanced at Runa.

The sorceress bit her lip. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound—”

Golden bands clasped our arms and chests. The grip was tight enough to cut off our oxygen. My head pounded as my ribs creaked in Idris’s magical grip. Around the arena, every competitor squirmed, trapped by the king’s golden magic.

Idris held out his cupped hand like he squeeze the life from our bodies. As his arm lifted, we lifted as well. Beneath my feet, the sand disappeared. My incapacitated frame floated above the ground, rising high above the pit.

Runa’s quiet whimper whipped my head in her direction. She and her brothers dangled above the sand. Violet eyes wide with terror, she peered at the circle of competitors.

“It is time to vote, good citizens. Today, each of you will be judge, jury, and executioner.” Golden light illuminated a muscular female with blood spatters on her furious face.

“Gaze upon this fierce competitor and tell me. Does she live to see the final challenge? After all you have seen, is she worthy of fighting for the realm’s forgiveness?

Or does she die, right here, right now, a deserving recipient of Carcerem’s justice? ”

At this, the crowd went wild. Booing and cheers filled the stadium. Many held their thumbs up while most stabbed theirs down, chanting for the woman’s death. Above us, a magical counter shimmered into view, tallying the votes.

It was barbaric. After all that we’d been through, the king would let the citizens decide our fate?

Nothing about Idris led me to believe he was a fair ruler who cared about the opinions of others.

To him, this was merely part of the game he played.

A roll of the dice to see who would make it to the next round.

I had little doubt he’d rigged the outcome and placed a hefty sum on the winner of this particular challenge. Hell, I would.

“Oh, too bad,” Idris said, tone laden with false sympathy. “Looks like this champion has reached the end of her journey.”

In grand fashion, Idris spread his arms wide, then slammed his palms together.

Golden light exploded, the fiery sparks nipping at my flesh.

The woman uttered an agonized roar, and the band surrounding her detonated.

Blood sprayed. The contestants nearest to her were blasted with a mixture of gore and rendered flesh.

Runa made gagging noises. I swallowed the bile burning my throat. It was a brutal way to go, even by my standards.