Turning in circles, he parades me around the ring, hollering to the crowd.
Dropping to his good knee, he brings me down over his bent leg. The crack of my back splinters through me like shards of glass attacking my body from the inside. I scream and choke on the blood being pushed into my throat. My spine feels shattered even though I know it’s not. I can still move my legs—though painfully.
I roll to the dirt and cough, the thick black of the earth coating my lips as I drag air into my stinging lungs.
His shadow covers me as he looms over. “Next time we fight, you won’t crawl your way out of this cage.”
Lifting his leg to land a drop kick, he shouts—and I sweep my arm from beneath my body. I latch on to his planted foot. He teeters and howls as I twist his ankle. I roll onto my side and kick my leg straight up into his groin.
He falls back, landing with a hard thud. Before he has time to recover, I race to my feet and drop another kick into his rib cage. And then his head. And his head again. Again.
Blood pools on the ground underneath his face. His head wobbles back and forth as he loses consciousness.
I stand there, breathing in and out, looking down at Carnage. He’s alive, but my insides twist into a sickening knot. I’ve never fought anyone for sport before, and next the time, one of us will be dead. This realization brings me back with a sudden jolt as the crowd cheers from the risers, banging against the stands and stomping their feet.
An Otherworlder wearing a black leather jacket and pants, his short dreads spiked straight up on top of his head, walks to the center of the Cage. He wears a vissa display over his eye, and a mic rests beside his pale lips.
He raises my arm above my head. “Colossal!” he announces.
I crane an eyebrow, confused as to how he can rank me something so ridiculous. The rankings must have nothing to do with the actual size of the contenders. I’ve beaten a Colossal, and Crew said that was the highest rank.
He tries to lift my arm again in a show of victory, but I yank it free, wincing at the sharp pain the action sends to my back. Then I slug toward the closed door, where I wait, swaying on my feet.
As it begins to slide open, I hobble over the plank, and stop when Bax steps in front of my path.
He cracks a lopsided smile. “I knew you’d be worth the risk.”
I squint, but don’t have time to question his words as I spot Prince Caben a few feet away, getting ready for his match. Queasiness roils my insides, and I sidestep Bax to get to the prince.
Grabbing my arm and halting me, Bax says, “Rest, protector. Nothing you can do for lover boy.” He croaks a horse laugh, and backs me into a wooden chair.
Alyah, protect the stubborn prince who’s about to get his head knocked off.
As Prince Caben approaches the opening, he glances over his shoulder at me. His blue eyes reflect the black lights, and his face is twisted, cast in a dark void.
I can feel his fear. It creeps inside me and grips my soul. I recognize the look he’s giving me—I have to stop this fight. I have to protect him.
Before he’s pushed into the Cage, his lips curl into a knowing smile and—
He winks.
“Now ranking our last contender of the season,” the announcer says, waving Prince Caben into the center of the Cage.
I spring from my seat with a wince and grab my back as I stumble over to the giant, barred door.
The prince stands deathly still in the middle of the ring. My heart lurches in my chest when the door on the other side of the Cage grinds open. I wipe the dried dirt from my face, clearing it from my brow and eyes to get a better look at the monster entering the ring.
He’s nearly seven feet tall, and thin, his long limbs extending from his torso like knotted tree branches. But he’s solid. And as well-defined as the prince is, I can tell this contender spends hours working out. Not being pampered by maids and women. The tall contender doesn’t have a lot of flesh, but he’s all hard muscle.
I bow my head for a moment, praying to the goddesses to help the prince. He’s not going to win, but I pray he’s not beaten so badly that he’ll never walk again. He just has to go down—throw the
fight, and not get back up.
Only, I’m not sure his pride will allow him do so.
As I look back into the Cage, they’re already circling each other. Tree Man grins, staring the prince down. I have no clue as to why Arnik chose Prince Caben to be a cage fighter. Bax should’ve taken one look at him and fought his master’s orders. But I have to trust that the goddesses kept the prince with me for a reason, and that they won’t let him be killed.
Tree Man takes off in a run, black dirt kicking up behind him, and crashes into the prince. Prince Caben cries out, and I move my head back and forth, trying to get a better angle to see what’s happening.