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Chapter Thirty-Three

MAYA

I stumble into blinding light, nearly tripping over my own feet in my haste. Of course, the massive arena would be lit up like it’s the middle of the day—can’t have the spectators miss any of the action after all. At least today they don’t have to strain their necks to see what’s happening. No, today the show’s not just happening in the sand-covered pit; the entire arena is absolute chaos as beasts rampage through every level.

The grandstands erupt in screams. Winged creatures swoop down at the crowds, some spectators ducking while others draw weapons that glitter in the bright lights.

“Next time someone asks to go on an adventure, I’m going to say no,” Melvall gasps as he tries to catch his breath at my side.

“I think this is my fault,” I mutter. My hack worked a little too well—I’d only meant to open our cell doors, but I must have triggered every electronic lock in the facility. I’m no longer freezing in terror, but my stomach twists with guilt at the pandemonium I’ve caused.

“It’s not your fault,” Zoran replies, throwing his arms in the air. As if mimicking him, each one of the birds attached to his body also flaps their wings, sending him reeling. I have to hand it to him, I’ve never seen someone fight while covered in birds that are using him as their personal perch. “It’s clearly all Melvall’s!”

“Mine?” Melvall asks, eyes darting around the arena, the blue spikes along his arms bristling.

“You kept insisting there had to be an easier way to get medicine!” Zoran reminds him as he bats off an overly excited rock bird. The creature’s wings scrape against his skin with a sound like sandpaper on stone. “I said we should just fight, but no… you wanted to go stalking about in dark tunnels like a… a stalker!”

My lungs feel like they are on fire, each breath scraping against my throat. The dusty scent of the arena sand, acrid and sharp, fills my nostrils as I drag in deep breaths. The last few days of continuous running are really starting to catch up with me. I’m definitely making my friends sign up with me for some sort of fitness class after this. “Maybe we should deal with your bird situation, Zoran?”

“Oh,” Zoran looks down at himself. He gives a little shake. None of his passengers budge. “Turns out they’ve got quite the strong grip.”

“I told you not to touch them, but did you listen to me? No,” Melvall shakes his head. The blue fins across his body stand upright, sharp edges bristling. “Just like you never listen to me about how it’s not a good idea to charge into a battle pit head first!”

Behind us, shrieks echo from the tunnel we’ve just emerged from. The sound sends vibrations rippling through my chest. I don’t have to look to know what’s chasing us—the shreem bear. A fluffy, cuddly-looking thing, bright as cotton candy, but nowhere near as sweet. It’s absolute nightmare fuel.

“Don’t you two ever stop bickering?” I ask with a rueful twist of my lips. I’m about to die, and I’m with companions who somehow are more focused on making digs at each other than their looming deaths. “We really should be having this discussion later. You know, like, when we aren’t being chased and there’s not a bear about to eat us?”

The ground literally trembles beneath my feet as if to emphasize my point. Small pebbles dance across the sand like tiny jumping beans. The arena wall above us casts a shadow, blocking some of the glare from the overhead lights. At least I can clearly see the massive gates that line the pit’s walls, and how each is now open wide, spilling all manner of creatures into the arena.

What a pleasant view; just what I’ve always wanted to see.

“Right,” Zoran declares, coming to attention. At least, as much attention as one can when covered in birds. “Time to fight our way out of here.”

I grit my teeth. “I don’t suppose you’ve gotten any ideas? Preferably one where we don’t all die?”

“I mean, I do usually just charge in,” Zoran says, his green cheeks darkening, “and it mostly works out.”

“Mostly?” Melvall scoffs. Then his eyes go wide. “I don’t think we are going to get much of a choice in this matter...”

I turn, stomach sinking to my toes. Across the other side of the fighting pits, a large gate screeches open. The heavy metal bars are being pushed by something large, the sound of metal grinding against stone setting my teeth on edge.

“Oh come on, just get it over with already!” I wheeze at the gate as it swings open, tauntingly slow. The damn thing is mocking my already strung nerves. Could it honestly go any faster? It’s like being stuck behind a hover car on the freeway going 60.

The ground rumbles. From behind the other side of the gate, a singular, long tentacle emerges. It lands upon the ground and unfolds with a sickening squelch. Hundreds of tiny little tentacles fan out from the main one, spreading across the ground like roots from a tree, but slick with mucus that glistens under the arena lights.

“Oh, gross,” I say. I mean, what else can be said? I’m beyond terrified now. Fear is just a dull hum at the back of my mind, persistent but no longer paralyzing. I’m beyond that point now.

And then a second tentacle appears. Then another. The appendages drag a massive worm-like body forward, tearing up the ground and sand in the process. The stench hits me—something between rotting meat and stagnant water, making my eyes water. Between each inching crawl forward, its fleshy body pulsates with sick, wet sounds.

The creature opens its mouth—and yes, those tentacles all emerge from it—revealing rows upon rows of teeth. Just thinking about those jaws closing around me makes my stomach heave. My mind instantly flashes to Volan’s warnings about the Tangler—this is what he feared, what he tried to describe. It’s so much worse than I imagined.

The birds that have held onto Zoran finally take off in a flutter of stone-colored wings. They scatter around us, heading for the highest points of the arena. At least someone has the right idea.

“Options?” I ask weakly.

“Run?” Melvall suggests.

“Fight,” Zoran growls, cracking his knuckles. “Together we might actually stand a chance.”

The tangler sways its massive head in the air, as if scenting for its prey. And, because the universe hates me, its eyeless face turns directly toward us. I don’t see any eyes or nose, but it’s a freaking giant worm thing. Who cares. It’s here to eat me, not admire my hair or clothing.

My brain keeps getting fixated on one thing: the gunk hanging between its teeth. I refuse to think of it as anything other than gunk. It’s definitely not a chunk of leather armor or something from some poor soul.

“I’m going to die,” I say aloud to the universe. “I’m going to die to a creature with more tentacles than I can poke a sword at, and it hasn’t even learned to use said sword to floss.”

I watch in stunned horror as Zoran charges straight at the Tangler with a roar. Of course he does. The male hasn’t met a single problem he doesn’t think can be solved by hitting it hard enough.

“Stay back,” Melvall shouts to me as he dashes after his friend. “We’ll handle this!”

The words have barely left his mouth when one of the Tangler’s massive tentacles whips through the air. The sound it makes is like a wet towel slapping against tile, but a hundred times louder. It catches Melvall mid-stride, slamming him into the arena wall with a sickening crunch. His body crumples to the ground and doesn’t move.

And all I can do is stare. It happened so fast.

“No!” Zoran bellows. He leaps toward his fallen friend, claws extended.

The Tangler’s smaller tentacles lash out like whips, wrapping around Zoran’s arms and legs. He thrashes against them, muscles straining, but more and more tentacles coil around him until he’s completely entangled.

My feet are already backing away. Every survival instinct screams at me to run. I could make it to one of the tunnels. I could escape while the monster is distracted with my companions. My heart hammers in my ears, drowning out everything else.

Just like I ran when my father made demands of me.

Just like I did nothing when Ariana needed me.

The thought hits me like a physical blow. All those weeks, wishing I had done more... And here I am again, about to abandon my friends to save myself.

“I stood by helplessly once,” I say through gritted teeth. “Never again.”

What I would do for a glittery dagger or sword right about now. Even my confiscated slingshot would be useless against this thing.

My fingers tighten around my tablet. It’s all I’ve got. The cool, familiar weight of it in my hands—the last physical connection I have to my mother. It’s all I’ve got. I remember her words as she pressed it into my hands: “This is for your protection, Maya. To help you build a life where you get to choose.” All these years, it’s been my security, my comfort, my shield against the world. But my mother wanted me to live, not just survive. She gave me this tablet so I could protect myself. Now I’m going to use it to protect others.

The Tangler drags Zoran closer to its gaping maw. Those rows of teeth gleam wetly in the arena lights.

I don’t have much time to act. I don’t have any time to think. I have a choice, and for once, I am going to choose right. My body still quakes, my hands still tremble, but I step forward anyway.

“Hey ugly!” I shout, my voice carrying across the arena. “Haven’t you heard of dental hygiene?”

I hurl my tablet as hard as I can at the creature’s face. It strikes one of those razor-sharp teeth with a crack that makes my heart ache. The sound reverberates through me like physical pain—a piece of my past, of my mother, shattered in an instant. But it works - the Tangler’s head rears back, momentarily releasing its hold on Zoran.

Then its eyeless face turns toward me.

“Oh hell.”

I barely have time to think ‘this was a terrible idea’ before a tentacle whips around my waist. The ground disappears beneath my feet as I’m yanked into the air. The pressure squeezes the air from my lungs, the slimy surface of the tentacle soaking through my clothes with its rancid smell.

In these precious moments before death, my brain decides to fixate on the most ridiculous things - like how for all his faults, and there are many, Volan would never have hesitated to fight this thing.

Only, he probably would have come up with a better plan than throw a breakable object at it.

Instead, Volan would have marched right up to it, probably giving it some lecture about how warriors should face their battles with honor. His skin would glow with that intense confidence of his, like he truly believed he could take on the universe and win. He’d put himself between others and danger without thought, protecting those around him even at the cost of his own safety.

Which makes his betrayal hurt all the more.

But was it really betrayal? The thought hits me as the Tangler draws me closer to its mouth. Suddenly I understand why Volan did what he did.

He was trying to protect his people, just like I’m trying to protect my friends. Just like I tried to protect Ariana and the people of Eve’s Rest. His position wasn’t so different from mine—trapped between duty and desire, forced to make impossible choices.

We’re the same, he and I. Two idiots who will sacrifice everything, even love, to keep others safe.

Because I do love him.

The realization hits me harder than the Tangler could ever strike. I love the way he pushed me to be stronger while always being there to catch me. I love how he makes me feel safe even when the world is chaos around us. I love his stupid smirk and his glowing skin and the way he looks at me like I’m something precious.

I was so caught up in my own pain that I couldn’t see his. So focused on being betrayed that I never considered he might be trapped too. I’d been angry at him for keeping secrets, but I’ve kept plenty of my own.

Damn him for making me fall in love with him anyway. And damn me for realizing it now, when I’ll never get the chance to tell him.

I squeeze my eyes shut as that horrifying mouth yawns open beneath me. The stench of rot and decay makes my stomach heave. At least I’ll die knowing I tried to save my friends. That has to count for something, right? Volan had told me that my dedication to others was honorable. He’d looked at me like he had admired me. He’d made me feel for just a moment that I was more than some cowering girl, a burden to others, but someone that had true value to those around them.

“I love…” I squeak, breath squeezing from my lungs as the Tangler’s sticky tentacle wraps tighter around my chest. I just want to tell Volan how I feel, even if it’s my last words… Even if he’s not here to hear them.

A familiar roar echoes through the arena. The sound sends a shock of electricity through my veins. My eyes snap open just in time to see a gray blur leap from the upper level, spear raised high...

My first thought is that I must be hallucinating, because there’s no way Volan just launched himself from the top of the arena like some action-vid hero. But no—that’s definitely him, his skin blazing so bright it hurts to look at, leaving trails of light in the air as he descends. His spear strikes deep into the tentacle holding me, and suddenly I’m falling.

Strong arms catch me before I hit the ground. The scent of him engulfs me—warm leather and something uniquely Volan, a scent I’d know anywhere.

“You came back for me,” I breathe.

“I’ll always come for you, Maya,” he replies. Volan’s fierce eyes meet mine, his skin pulsing with an intensity I’ve never seen before. The rhythm matches my hammering heart.

My warrior came for me, in the end.

Then he’s setting me down and spinning to face the Tangler, placing himself between me and danger without hesitation.

“Protect her!” he roars. Warriors pour into the arena from all sides, responding instantly to his command. The sound of their boots hitting the sand is like rainfall. They form a ring around me, weapons raised, moving with practiced precision. When did Volan become so...commanding?

Pain shoots through my leg as I try to stand. Definitely twisted—maybe worse. But I can’t focus on that because Volan is facing down the Tangler and it’s the most terrifying and magnificent thing I’ve ever seen.

He moves like he’s dancing with death itself, dodging tentacles while his spear flashes in deadly arcs. His skin pulses with each strike, lighting up the arena like lightning.

“Drive it back!” he shouts, voice carrying over the chaos. “Keep it away from the injured!”

I watch in awe as warriors respond to his commands, working in coordinated groups to slash at the creature’s tentacles. The sound of metal cutting through flesh, the growls of warriors, the shriek of the beast—it all blends into a battle symphony.

The warriors move together, never faltering.

They engage the beast, each looking to Volan for direction. He’s not just a prince by birth—he’s a true leader.

And I see it now, so clearly—this was always who he was. A protector. A leader. He wasn’t trying to capture me; he was trying to save me in the only way he knew how. His methods were flawed, but his heart never was. How could I have ever seen his protective nature as a betrayal when it’s so clearly part of who he is?

This is what it means to have protection, to be truly protected. This is what it means to have a hero risk everything, just for you.

Zoran appears through the ring of guards, half-carrying a dazed Melvall. They collapse beside me, both breathing heavily but alive. I want to check on them, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Volan.

He’s magnificent. There’s no other word for it. The Tangler lashes out with its remaining tentacles, but Volan seems to anticipate every move. He uses the creature’s own bulk against it, letting it tangle itself as it tries to strike him. His spear finds vulnerable spots with deadly precision while he continues shouting directions to the other warriors.

“Now!” he bellows. Multiple spears strike from different angles. The Tangler rears back, its horrible mouth opening in a shriek that makes the ground beneath us vibrate—and Volan takes his shot. His spear drives deep into the creature’s throat, his luminae flaring so bright I have to shield my eyes. The flash burns through my closed eyelids, turning the world momentarily white.

The Tangler’s death throes shake the arena. Sand billows up around us in choking clouds. When the light fades and dust settles, the massive beast lies still. And Volan... Volan is already running back to me, his eyes wild with concern, his skin pulsing in time with my racing heart.

I’ve lost my tablet, my last connection to my past. But watching Volan sprint toward me through the chaos, I realize I haven’t lost everything. Maybe, just maybe, I’ve found my future instead.