A groan rumbles from his chest, and he tries to buck me off. I say a quick prayer for forgiveness as the mercury fires through my veins. I latch on to his face and twist. His neck breaks with an audible crunch.
Lena dusts herself off. “There’s my girl.”
I toss her a seething glare, then search the Cage for Carnage. Kaide and Caben have him backed near the electrified bars. I release a relieved breath. Taking a fast glance around, I spot the priest’s chamber. Bax has opened the gate and is now trading forceful blows with his father as he works his way up the risers.
The guards are locked in place, frozen. A thin coat of ice covers their armor.
What the goddess has Bax done?
I thank the goddesses for whatever power they’ve bestowed on him, and quickly glance at the contenders fighting Krewl and Collar to the mercury-covered ground. They’ve made their stand. Only Carnage and Metal Mouth are fighting for the freedom ring. Carnage will soon be defeated, and Metal Mouth—I know Lilly will save him.
The crowd has stopped cheering. The stadium is motionless as the Otherworlders’ vacant eyes stare at the Cage. The silence fills me, and the darkness seeps into my head. Once the priest falls, I pray their minds will be released from Bale’s control.
And that Bale’s voice will be permanently severed from mine.
Before I take off toward the priest’s chamber, I catch Caben’s sword coming down on Carnage from the corner of my eye. “Caben! Don’t kill—”
The words die on my tongue as Caben slices Carnage’s neck. Crimson runs down the blade, drips onto Caben’s forearm. His chest heaves, and he drives his sword into the earth near the slain body. A sickness wells in my stomach. I choke it back.
Caben wipes the blood from his face and turns toward me. He’s shaking, and I reach out across the Cage as if I can touch him. Two glowing blue moonstones light his cuff. I have to end this now.
He clears the rest of the blood and sweat from his brow and starts in my direction, but I hold my hand up. He halts.
I grab a discarded sword and stake the ground. Reaching into my tunic, I pull out his ring. His eyes widen, hurt and confusion crossing his face, as I set it atop the pommel of the sword.
My lips form the words that I never thought I’d say to a man: I love you.
Then I race toward the dark priest’s chamber.
The priest holds Bax suspended above the risers with an invisible clutch, his robed arm held high, his eyes hollow black sockets. He looks down at the defiant contenders in the Cage. “You will bow to Bale!”
Bax flails in the air, his eyes flickering with the lightning and black lights as he struggles to overpower his father.
Lifting his free hand, the dark priest presses his pale palm flat and chants under his breath. The ground rumbles. The black dirt sinks into a corner of the Cage as the earth slides away and the ground yawns open.
A piercing shriek cracks the silence.
From the opening, a black talon spikes the ground, and a beast enters the Cage.
The Grimmal.
Its wiry legs bend at odd angles as it pulls its scaly body free of the void. It stomps the ground, kicking beads of silver up into the air with sharp claws, as its body slithers against the wet earth.
“Bax!” I shout. I sprint toward the middle of the risers, my feet taking two bleachers at a time. Before I reach the chamber, I glance behind me once, just long enough to see the contenders gathering against the Grimmal.
The mutated monster fills a quarter of the Cage, its black hairy legs built like a devil spider, its face a silver snake’s. Scaled flesh curves around its massive, narrow head. It flicks a forked tongue at Whip, and she swipes her sword and nicks the beast, but it’s not enough to harm it.
Lilly and Kai take up the back, their weapons coming down and lashing at the serpent tail as it sweeps the ground.
Goddesses, save them.
Then my eyes are back on the power match happening in the priest’s chamber not feet before me. I try to process what the Grimmal might mean—I didn’t factor the monster into our plan. I’m running out of time.
The Grimmal is drawing blood. It’s feeding the ground and Bale, mixing with the conduit. I don’t know if ending the priest will count as a win. I can’t think past my goal. If the Goddesses are truly with me, then Bale will not be summoned once I stop the dark priest.
But Caben . . . damn his pride! Why did he do this? I pray that if he makes the killing blow to the Grimmal, it won’t summon Bale. That the monster will not count. But my heart tells me it doesn’t matter what type of death . . . Bale just needs death—a sacrifice. Caben’s two lights flash before my eyes as I come up behind the dark priest.
“Protector,” Bax chokes out.