Chapter Twenty-Nine

C HAPTER T WENTY-NINE

I wake up with a smile on my face and turn to face Darius.

Except he is not there.

And I’m not where we were last night.

I jerk upright with a gasp, rising to my feet and pivoting in a slow circle as I scan the cramped cell. Four stone walls envelop me, their surfaces shrouded in darkness and grime. Above, a rhythmic dripping sound echoes, and I lift my head to see where it is coming from, yet the absence of light makes it impossible.

My chest tightens, and each breath I take starts to feel like a struggle as I search aimlessly for a way out.

I shout Darius’s name, but my voice cracks and I yell in frustration.

Until a mechanical creak reverberates through the cell, drawing my attention. I turn, witnessing a cascade of light seeping beneath the wall as it gradually rises.

Sand is the first thing I see, accompanied by the pungent odour of decay lingering in the air as the wall grinds to a halt.

Nails dig into my skin as I clench my fist, and I let out a shaky breath as I move towards the arena. I hiss as the sun burns through the sky and onto my skin. Raising my arm to my forehead, I can finally see how the arena surrounds us as the crowd’s cheers and jeers blur in a less enthusiastic cacophony. When I look at some of them – children, families, men and women – I notice most are crying, as if they are here against their will.

I shake my head, and the nightmare of being here before crashes against my chest, chipping away at the last chance to breathe.

The same sound I heard when my cell opened comes from my right. Darius steps out, but this time, our eyes meet in a different way. He looks tormented – tormented by himself. My gaze slides to his hands, and I notice how he rubs his thumb against his ring finger before the flash of a chain around his ankle catches my attention.

Aurum must have done something last night – he must have come in and seen us together and—

‘Nara!’ His voice causes a spurt of nausea to rush up my throat.

The crowd settles and I glance up at where he and Sarilyn are seated – the same place Sarilyn once sat with the General, watching us and dragons fight each other, just for their sick pleasure.

‘I’m sure you’ve missed this place as much as the rest,’ he gloats, grinning as he leans back against his seat. ‘Sarilyn tells me you never completed your Venator trials. A pity. I’m certain you would have made an excellent dragon hunter.’

I hate how he looks down at me as if he knows I can’t do anything. It makes me wonder how a man so cruel as him can sleep so soundly at night.

‘So,’ he continues, ‘being the generous man that I am, I am allowing you to fix that.’

Every muscle in my face tightens as I stare at him, dreading what he is implying.

‘You and Darius,’ he drawls. ‘Will fight to the death.’

My lungs stop working.

I look over at Darius whose murderous gaze is set on Aurum.

‘Oh, don’t look at me like that.’ Aurum grins. ‘Today is a special day. I’m allowing you to use your powers. Isn’t that exciting?’

‘Darius and I would never fight each other if it meant death!’

Aurum’s gaze is calculating as it meets mine. ‘ He does not have a choice.’ His one eye cuts to Darius before he flicks his fingers and Darius clenches his eyes shut, wincing.

I feel helpless as ever. ‘Stop!’ I say, but even my voice betrays me.

‘Oh, come on, Nara.’ Aurum chuckles. ‘We will make things interesting. We will even give you a few knives to make it fair.’

An Elf on one of the stands tosses a few jagged-shaped daggers into the pit, not caring if they hit me or Darius. Luckily, they fall in front of us.

‘I won’t do it,’ I say, baring my teeth at Aurum. ‘Just kill me already!’

‘Nara—’ Darius’s low warning voice captures my attention but only for a short second.

‘I’m afraid you must,’ Aurum says, and my head lifts towards the balcony. ‘You wouldn’t want anything to happen to your family, would you?’

A weighty, painful sensation almost anchors me to the floor as I absorb Aurum’s threat. At that very moment, his gaze shifts towards Sarilyn, and a fleeting struggle flickers in her eyes enough for me to notice. She reaches to her side when she locks eyes with me, yanking at a hidden lever.

The arena beneath us trembles and sand scatters and dances as up ahead, the ground opens. From the depths, a cage rises, containing Gus, Freya, Link, Rydan, Idris and Iker, but no Illias.

My emotions surge and crash into me as they cry out my name – Idris ferociously slamming his arm against the bars. I’m about to run for them when Aurum’s laugh booms across the stands, and the cage is swallowed up by the ground once more.

‘ Or ,’ he says, motioning to my left. ‘To Illias?’

Another hatch opens on the left beside the one I came out from. All I see are brown curls and drabs completely ripped and dusty from the arena, before my heart sinks as Illias lifts his head.

My name slips from his lips in a half-whisper, but I’m already running towards him. I clutch his face between my hands, tears flooding down my cheeks as I take in the dark circles beneath his brown eyes. He looks at me, muttering how sorry he is we were all caught, and I shake my head, furious and broken that he can even think of that right now.

‘So, Nara,’ Aurum says coolly. I don’t need to look at him to know he’s grinning. ‘Are you going to protect your brother by fighting against Darius, or let him die alongside you and everyone you love?’

Darius and I turn to each other. The answer is clearly written across his face as his eyes flit over to the daggers and then to me.

I shake my head at him, which fuels his determination as he stalks towards me, but not before picking up a dagger. When he’s centimetres away from me, he pushes the blade into my hands and raises it to my chest.

‘Don’t,’ I whisper, my voice cracking at the same time.

‘It’s not a choice.’

‘You told me we would get out of this, and we will .’

He doesn’t respond to that. ‘You get your brothers out of here.’ He gives me a stern look. ‘Understood?’

‘Don’t be the one to self-sacrifice now, Darius.’ I grab his hand and press it against my heart. He stares at our hands intertwined, my grip tight enough to not let go. ‘You can fight Aurum’s control; you did it in Aeris; you can do it now.’

He focuses solely on our hands, his eyes like fire burning through them. There’s a gloss in his gaze, and each breath he takes is as if it pains him.

‘When it hurts,’ he whispers, but it’s not to me. He is saying it as if he is trying to remind himself.

Aurum’s irritated scoff can be heard from the balcony. ‘This romantic goodbye is getting rather tedious, don’t you think?’

Without wanting to, both Darius and I raise our heads to look at him.

From here, I can see the half-grin on his lips as he says, ‘Shall we begin?’

There’s no time to protest, no time to fight, even if it is impossible right now.

My head swivels to where everyone is by the stands, then to Illias behind me and finally to Darius, balling his fists as he closes his eyes.

I say his name, but Aurum already has that tight hold on him.

‘Three,’ Aurum calls out, and I start panting in panic.

Ruvyn is beside Sarilyn now with a trumpet in his hand and a look of guilt on his face.

‘Two.’

‘Darius, don’t listen to him!’ I demand, but flames lick their way up his forearms.

As I look up one final time at Aurum, he leans forward in his seat. A smile slices across his vile mouth.

‘One.’ Aurum’s sadistic whisper is aimed at me, and at that moment, the trumpet sounds, setting everything in motion.