18. The Crimson Shade

CHAPTER 18

The Crimson Shade

W hy did these types of things always happen to Brynleigh? Why couldn't she live a regular life where she wasn't constantly being thrown into dangerous situations?

Granted, she had put herself in this situation, but still. This didn't really seem fair. And Brynleigh knew all about unfairness. After all, that had landed her here in the first place.

Just because she was a vampire didn't mean she enjoyed fighting others. Especially not in an arena for other people's enjoyment.

She briefly considered slipping into the Void, but when she tried to pull on her shadows and step into the darkness, she realized she couldn't. The gods-damned wards surrounding the warehouse must have ensured that no one could shadow in and out.

Damn it all.

"Well, Miss de la Point?" Dimitri stood on the edge of the stage and stared at Brynleigh, his orange eyes twinkling with what she was sure was amusement. "Your Maker said you were eager to show off your talents."

Wishing she had a stake to shove into Jelisette's cold, black heart, Brynleigh clenched her fists. Unfortunately for her, there was only one clear path forward. Dread mixed with anger as she moved through the crowd towards the stage.

Even though she didn't want to participate in this, her inner vampire yearned for her to spill blood. Her fangs burned, and though bloodlust seemed worlds away, her shadows throbbed in her veins. A reminder of the darkness in her soul.

She would have to be careful not to give in to the bloodthirsty monster living within her.

Brynleigh still wasn't sure what the witch had done to her to stave it off in The Pit, but she knew that falling into her Fledgling need for blood in a packed place like this would only result in copious amounts of bloodshed and probable death.

Jelisette had undoubtedly already thought about that. Maybe that was the reason for this test. It was just like the older vampire to throw her progeny headfirst into a situation where she could only sink or swim.

As Brynleigh approached the platform, whispers rippled through the crowd.

"Is that…"

"Is she one of us?"

"Wasn't she in the Choosing?"

Brynleigh felt the weight of hundreds of eyes on her back. She hated being the center of attention, hated being in this place, hated being used as a pawn.

With every step she took, Brynleigh cursed her Maker.

The whispers continued as she drew closer to the stage.

"I know her."

"What the fuck is she doing here?"

"Her husband is a snack."

That last comment caused a snarl to rise in Brynleigh's throat. She wanted to dive into the crowd and punch the person who dared comment on Ryker's physique. True, he was handsome, but he was hers. Not theirs.

Unfortunately, she was already at the stairs leading up to the wooden platform .

Dimitri smiled down at her, but there was no warmth in his expression. This was a cold, violent man.

As a bringer of death, Brynleigh recognized darkness when she saw it. And darkness clung to the Alpha.

This is for me and Ryker.

If passing this test would bring Brynleigh one step closer to fixing things with her water fae, then she would do it. She would do anything for her husband.

"Welcome, Miss de la Point."

Dimitri extended a hand to Brynleigh to help her onto the stage, but she didn't take it. The last thing she needed was for someone to perceive her as weak. She climbed on the platform, wincing at the full force of the blinding lights.

From here, the crowd was barely more than a black blob. If the excitement in the air was any indication, they were bloodthirsty.

The Alpha turned to Brynleigh. "Would you like to know who your opponent is?"

Sensing that it didn't matter whether she said no or not, Brynleigh shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

After all, how bad could it be? She was a powerful, doubly blessed vampire. She could take someone on in a fight and win. Besides, the sooner she completed this test, the better. She was already over this.

The Alpha smirked and turned to the crowd. Someone turned off the music.

"What do you think?" Dimitri yelled. "Should she battle The Champion?"

Brynleigh's eyes widened, and she swallowed. She was all for bravado, but this didn't sound good. If she'd had time to prepare for this fight, it would be a different story. But she'd come here expecting a meeting, not… this.

A thousand curses ran to the tip of her tongue, and she wished she was anywhere but here.

The crowd screamed their approval .

Brynleigh's heart raced in her chest, and dread swirled in her gut.

"Wonderful." The werewolf grinned, and the sight would have frightened most children. "Join me in welcoming our Champion, The Crimson Shade."

If the crowd's cheers had been loud before, now they were deafening. Screams of delight, catcalls, and roars of approval echoed off the steel warehouse walls.

Brynleigh's gaze swiveled around the crowd, but even with her vampire-blessed sight, she couldn't make out any faces. All she could see was the crowd parting as someone approached the stage. The people stepped aside, letting the man move through unencumbered.

Whoever this Champion was, he was taking his time. That was fine.

Brynleigh used the opportunity to harden her heart and prepare herself as best she could. She would win this fight, pass the test, and get one step closer to getting the information Ryker needed.

Her resolve was firm enough that even when her opponent finally came into view, she didn't shake. Much.

A slight tremor ran through her because, come on .

This man was barely a man. He was a mountainous elf who made the bulky guard from the back entrance look like a child. He had to be at least seven feet tall. Naked from the waist up, his muscular, sun-kissed chest was mottled with scars. Swirling crimson markings ran from his waistband to his neck. Between his red tattoos and pointed elf ears, his Death Elf heritage was apparent.

Gods damn it all.

Brynleigh's chest tightened as unbidden memories of Preston, the Death Elf who'd participated in her torture, rushed back to her. She recalled the way he had pulled red threads of magic from his palms, molding them into various instruments of torture .

Death Elf magic was malleable, painful, and a tool for ending lives.

Famously, the Crimson King had used his Death Elf magic to terrorize Ithenmyr during the time of the Four Kingdoms. He'd destroyed the balance and thrown the entire continent into darkness. It was only because the High Ladies of Life and Death had restored the balance that the Republic existed today.

Breathe . Fucking breathe.

This wasn't Preston, Brynleigh wasn't in The Pit, and she would win this fight because she had no other choice.

The Crimson Shade clambered onto the stage and stood on Dimitri's other side.

Brynleigh's heart thundered as she stared at the mountainous man. Isvana help her, this would fucking hurt. Even if she won, there was no way she'd be able to leave without experiencing at least a bit of pain.

Brynleigh was about to grab Dimitri's sleeve and tell him she'd changed her mind when a familiar head of chestnut hair caught her eye.

Jelisette stood at the foot of the stairs, a cruel smile painted on her face. She caught Brynleigh's eye and raised a brow as if to say, I'm watching you.

The warning was clear.

There was no backing out.

Dropping her arm, Brynleigh swallowed. This definitely hadn't been her brightest idea, but it was too late now.

Dimitri strolled to the edge of the stage and extended his arms.

"The rules are simple." The Alpha's voice boomed. "No fangs. No wings. No blades. The first one to knock out their opponent wins."

Oh, gods, this was even worse than Brynleigh had initially thought.

Dimitri stepped onto the first stair and yelled, "Begin."

Bile rose in Brynleigh's throat, but she forced it down. She could panic later. Right now, she had a fight to win.

The Crimson Shade turned to her. He held her gaze, cracking his neck to the right and then to the left. His movements were slow, almost lazy, as his eyes crawled over her.

"Ready, Little One?"

First of all, that name was horrible. Brynleigh was not little, nor did she appreciate the elf's tone. Second, and perhaps more importantly, she was not ready.

But she was out of options.

Reminding herself of the reasons she was doing this, Brynleigh made a beckoning motion with her fingers. "Bring it on."

The Crimson Shade was built like a mountain, but he fought like he was made of water. His movements were fluid, almost graceful. It was like he was one with the magic swirling from his fingers.

A quarter of an hour had passed since the fight had begun, and both fighters sported several cuts along their bodies.

Brynleigh's breaths were labored, pressure was building in her head, and her heart was beating so fast she was worried it might explode.

For every strike she'd achieved, the Champion hit her back twice as hard.

Despite her resolve to win, Brynleigh's limbs were dragging. Even lacking Isvana's blessings, the Death Elf was almost as fast as her.

He ran across the stage, a war cry echoing through the warehouse as he raised his fist.

Brynleigh leaped out of the way, barely avoiding his punch. Drawing shadows from her palms, she sent them slamming into the back of his legs.

He barely trembled at the impact.

The crowd roared as Brynleigh hurried to put space between her and her opponent. Every noise the audience made was tinged with violence. They were rooting for the Champion to take Brynleigh down.

In their defense, she was the clear underdog.

The Death Elf hadn't even broken a sweat. Even now, as he danced on the other end of the stage, he looked like he was taking a walk in the park. A bloody walk, but still, a walk.

Not Brynleigh.

Standing upright took far more effort than it should have as she gathered shadows in her palms. She had begun this fight on the defensive, and she'd been there ever since.

She couldn't win like this.

Every part of her hurt, and even though she was still firmly in control, this needed to end.

Brynleigh looked down, glimpsing Jelisette at the base of the stage. A reminder of her purpose.

The Crimson Shade moved to the right. Brynleigh took a few steps to the left, maintaining the space between them.

He lunged; she ducked. He kicked; she rolled away.

The crowd's bloodthirsty chants continued in the background.

"Finish her!"

"Champion! Champion! Champion!"

"Knock that vampire out!"

Darkness glinted in the Death Elf's eyes, and Brynleigh swallowed. She knew that look. He was done playing and meant to finish her off.

The Champion's fists curled again, but instead of lunging towards her, he drew red ribbons into his palms.

"Crimson Shade! Crimson Shade!" the crowd chanted frantically.

Brynleigh reached within herself and frowned. Her shadows were still present, but she was weakening. She was still a fairly young vampire, and it hadn't been that long since she'd been being tortured daily.

No fangs, no wings.

The rules seemed unfairly biased against her, especially as the Champion twisted his fingers and formed a long, barbed whip out of his crimson magic.

He snapped the whip in the air, and before Brynleigh could move, the tail end slashed across her cheek.

Sharp pain bloomed in her face, and she hissed.

Behind the Champion, Jelisette's black eyes gleamed in the darkness. Put an end to this, she seemed to say.

Closing her eyes briefly, Brynleigh drew in a deep breath. She could do this. Even tired, she was still a gods-damned powerful vampire.

She would defeat this man if it was the last thing she did.

Imagining Ryker's voice encouraging her forward, Brynleigh drew on strength buried deep within her. She ignored the Champion's whip, moving as quickly as possible. Her arms pumped, and her legs pounded as she raced across the stage.

She charged the Death Elf head-on. His eyes widened as she drew near, and he coiled his whip to attack her again.

He wasn't fast enough.

This time, Brynleigh avoided that painful slash of magic and leaped in the air.

A cry slipped from her lips as she landed on the Champion's back, clinging to him like a monkey. Sweat ran down his back in rivulets, and it took everything Brynleigh had not to cry out at the disgusting feeling of his slick skin against her hands.

The Champion roared and swung around, trying to buck Brynleigh off. She held on tight. Directing her shadows to wrap around his middle, they secured her to the Death Elf's back like a harness.

The rules banned fangs and wings but said nothing about vampiric strength.

She would have one shot at this.

She wrapped her arms around his throat, said a little prayer to Isvana, and squeezed .

Brynleigh didn't want to kill him. She just needed him unconscious .

Winning was the only thing on her mind.

Everything was too loud. The roaring crowd, the bellowing Death Elf, the thrumming of her shadows, and the pounding of her heart.

The Champion contorted his arm and yelled. The whip slashed across her back, and a flash of red filled her vision.

It burned, and yet, she held on. She squeezed tighter and tighter, calling on all her strength.

Everything blurred.

Finally, after what felt like far too long, the Champion stumbled to his knees. The wooden platform trembled beneath the weight of his gigantic frame, and he thrashed wildly in a final attempt to dislodge her.

Brynleigh didn't let go. She needed this victory.

"Come on," she gritted through clenched teeth. "Just pass out already."

In response, the Death Elf roared.

She constricted his throat harder.

He kept struggling, but she refused to let go. She couldn't.

And then she felt it.

The Death Elf slumped forward. His head slammed into the wooden platform. The crowd's cheers tapered off into an uneasy silence.

Brynleigh drew in heavy, gasping breaths. Each thundering heartbeat rang in her ears, echoing the call of her shadows.

That had been too fucking close for comfort.

The Crimson Shade stopped moving, and Brynleigh's shadows confirmed the man was unconscious.

She didn't move until a hand pried her arm away from the elf's throat and raised it in the air.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your new Champion!" Dimitri proclaimed.

Three silent seconds passed before the crowd roared. Their cheers seemed even louder than before.

It was over .

Relief coursed through Brynleigh, and she exhaled. She looked up, and sure enough, Jelisette was staring at her. Something akin to pride shimmered in her Maker's eyes, and Brynleigh knew she'd passed the test.

Later that night, Jelisette took Brynleigh to a back room. She introduced Dimitri as someone who could help her find vengeance against the Representatives.

Thank Isvana, it had all been worth it.