Chapter Thirty

C HAPTER T HIRTY

Darius lunges for me and I instinctively slide to the ground, evading his grasp. Twisting onto my back, I see him rise from the sand, and my gaze shifts to my brother.

‘Illias, run!’ I shout, but he remains rooted to the spot. ‘Illias!’

Darius conjures up a fireball, aiming it directly at my head. It misses me as Illias hits him from the side, landing on the ground. My heart is pounding against my chest like a relentless drum as I get up, watching my brother try to help me, but I can see Darius about to overpower him, and I run to them, hearing Darius say to my brother, ‘Get away!’ He’s trying not to fight him, suppressing every bit of puppeteering power Aurum drills into him.

Yanking Illias off Darius by the waist, I tumble backwards. The arena emits a forceful whoop as Darius slowly stands, sand dusting his hair and his eyes fixating on me with deadly intent. Shadows encase him, shrouding him completely before deep claws sink into the ground, and a roar reverberates through the arena. Illias covers his ears, and I catch a glimpse of Aurum leaning back with a sinister grin. He’s loving every second of this.

As I glance back at Darius, hesitation grips me. His dragon form is the epitome of powers I have always thought it to be. And though usually when I have seen his complete dragon shape, he’s given me mischievous looks, played with me and flown across the skies, now he bares his teeth, a groan resonating from his chest. Slit golden eyes lock on to me and Illias, his silver scales gleaming like a full moon. Just then, my heart shatters as a fiery glow illuminates his throat.

I rush to get Illias and myself up just as Darius’s mouth opens wide, unleashing a torrent of searing flames. I’m running with my brother along the arena’s edges as Darius’s flames roar and twist in pursuit.

‘On the other side, there’s a trap door that leads to a cage where everyone is!’ I say to Illias as we slide to a stop once Darius ceases fire, leaving behind a scorched trail on the ground. I can see from the corner of my eyes as Illias looks at me, our legs stretched and bending at the knees, ready to run again at any moment. ‘Try what you can to open it!’

‘Are you crazy?’ he yells over the cheers from the crowd.

‘He’s under control to hurt me ,’ I explain, keeping my eyes locked with Darius’s. ‘I can handle him, but if you get in the way, Aurum will use him to hurt you too.’ I finally look at my brother, my voice betraying my outward composure. ‘I can’t let that happen.’

Darius is already turning to me.

The air crackles with smoke and ash. Illias’s eyes glisten with tears just as the ground quivers with another rumble of Darius’s roar.

‘Go!’ I order Illias, slamming my dagger into his hands. He falters, stumbling back before he turns and takes off.

With no weapon in my hand, I glance at where the Elf threw the others. They are at the centre of the arena, but Darius is already charging at me before I can think of it. The gap between his torso and legs looks promising as he gets closer. I slide underneath him, sand and gravel scraping my arms before I escape beneath his tail.

I don’t look back as I sprint towards the few daggers left. I can almost feel them in my reach when Darius intersects, landing in front of me, and I slip onto the hard ground.

I’m gagging and sputtering as sand gets in my mouth, and I groan, trying to stand. It’s a hopeless act because as I twist on my back, Darius’s claws come slamming down on me. They’re so big that none of them slice through me, but the weight of his leg crashes against me, holding me down in place.

‘Darius!’ I shriek, flailing my arms out at each side, trying to escape. I wheeze as I struggle to breathe beneath him, but he doesn’t listen to me call out for him. His eyes are on me, lethal and beautiful at the same time, as he bares those razor-sharp teeth with a growl.

I can hear the distant cries of children, but I can only focus on Darius right now. The hold he has on me won’t let me move an inch except for my arms.

Searching the ground for something, my neck strains and the tendons in my arms ache. The tips of my fingers finally touch the end of a hilt, and though it’s a bit far out of reach, I don’t stop trying to grab it.

There’s a chant from the crowd. ‘Burn her! Burn her!’

I don’t have to look at Darius to know that fiery glow is already rushing up his throat, ready to burn me alive.

I’m squirming, desperation clinging on to the remnants of my chafing breaths.

There’s a yelp.

The blade meets hard skin and bone, making Darius roar in his dragon form. He lifts his leg off me, and I cough, grabbing on to my chest as I try to regain my strength. By the time I’m stumbling on my feet, I turn, and Darius has shifted back into his human form. Blood streams down his arm as he clutches it tightly with the other.

We’re both breathing heavily and audibly as we look at one another. The look he is giving me is devastating enough. He knew he was hurting me, and it hurt him all the same.

A sudden wince from him cuts our stare off as he presses his hands to the sides of his head, and I whip my head back at Aurum. He’s watching us with perverse satisfaction gleaming off his features.

Beside him, Sarilyn’s brows are drawn, her fingers nervously twitching in the air as she rests her elbow on the arm of her chair.

When I fix my gaze back on Darius, he’s shaking with fury, his fists again clenched before our eyes dart to the other two blades left.

I shake my head, but that doesn’t stop him as he rushes to grab one.

Immediately, Darius strikes, skilfully weaving the jagged blade between his fingers as he turns and slices. I try to deflect as much as I can, and with every backward movement, I look at him with an anguished plea.

‘Please!’ My voice is lost in the chaos of the arena, and before I know it, my back hits the edge of the enclosure, and I raise my blade to counteract his coming down on me.

Metal sparks fly as the blades connect, forming an X between us.

We push against each other, my knuckles whitening against the grip of my hilt. It doesn’t take him much effort; he’s too strong for me, and the blades are nearing my neck.

I grit my teeth, sweat loosening my grip on the weapon. I’m whispering Darius’s name again, a last effort to get him to hear me.

Agony contorts his features as a searing jolt of pain slashes across my collarbone, the dagger now cutting through my flesh. A cry escapes my lips, hoarse and strained, until I can no longer feel the cold blade against my skin.

Before the blade can do more harm, Darius grunts, stumbling back as he presses his hand to the left side of his chest. Blood seeps between the crevices of his fingers as he falls to his knees, and Illias stands at my side with the dagger he used on Darius in his hand.

‘Illias, no!’

He looks down at the weapon in his hand like he is unfamiliar with it; his two fingers latch on to the hilt as he stammers, ‘I’m sorry.’

Guilt claws at the cavity of my chest.

‘Nara, kill me,’ Darius croaks.

My world crumbles before me.

Eyes wide and frantic, I look at him. He’s pale and weak, and Aurum might as well have already killed me, making me see him like this. ‘No,’ I say, stumbling with each backward step I take. ‘ No .’

‘You have to.’ Darius groans in pain, digging his fingers into the sand as he’s overcome with Aurum’s manipulations.

Through blurry eyes, I shake my head once more. ‘You can fight him off, Darius, you can—’

‘Nara, please .’ He’s crying. I don’t think I have ever seen him cry like this. It’s as if his soul is cleaving in two.

I sob, looking towards my brother for help.

The Galgr’s vision is coming to life right before my eyes, and I can’t do anything about it.

My hesitation leads Darius to charge at me. I push Illias with all the force that is left in me as I’m tackled to the ground.

Darius is on top as he captures my wrists, slamming them down until I release the blade in my hands.

We’re both still crying even as Illias attempts to get up. Darius sees him and fires a coil of shadow around Illias’s legs, like a ball and chain, so he cannot move.

With one hand now released, I manage to elbow Darius across the face, knocking him off me as I rise, picking up Darius’s dagger and placing it behind the waistband of my trousers while holding the other in front of me.

My legs weaken second by second as I square off with Darius. Shadows curve and shape into a sword at the edge of his fingertips.

Glancing at Aurum, I see he’s still grinning. He knows how this will end. With me dying. He will cheat. He will use Darius all he likes and have fun while doing it.

My eyes quickly jump to Sarilyn. She gives me a fierce stare, clenching her fist. Her chest heaves with deep and fast breaths; it’s odd, it’s unfamiliar, like she doesn’t want me to lose.

Tell me. I remember her saying. If it means saving Zerathion, is the Golden Thief worth dying for?

I keep my gaze fixated on her, knowing every second I stand here can cost me my life.

I tilt my head to the side, and something triggers my memory.

The night in Terranos. When we captured the Galgr.

When the deities of Solaris and Crello created this world, they couldn’t stay in it for ever. The skies needed them for the world to survive and knew they had to eventually sacrifice something.

What did they sacrifice?

Their lives.

The reminder tunnels out of me like a rush, and I gasp, almost tripping on my feet.

I drop my dagger and glance back at Darius. He’s frowning at me like he knows I have thought of something but can’t help the twitch of his hands, readying to attack.

My chin tips up as I look at Aurum one last time and throw him a smile.

He doesn’t like that one bit. All amusement fades from his one eye as he leans forward, anger twisting his lips into a frown. He flicks his fingertips, and at that, Darius winces, edging towards me with the makeshift blade at his side.

I take a step back at each swing, my composure calm, yet my heart bucks wildly.

‘Nara, what are you doing!’ Illias yells, fear and worry potent in his voice as he pulls at his leg to try to free himself.

‘Goldie,’ Darius whispers painfully as he strikes again, and I take another step, knowing we are nearing the edge of the arena again.

I don’t say a word. Instead, I map out his features, the hard contours of his face, the stubble along his jaw, the pout of his full lips. His eyes.

In that final sweep of my gaze, my back collides with the wall, and in tandem with Darius’s blade thrusting into my abdomen, I swiftly draw the other dagger from my waistband, digging it deep into his heart.

We go still. It doesn’t register at first. The impact is so quick, so shocking, that I don’t feel anything. The crowd around us fall into stunned silence. A chilling numbness creeps along the sides of my stomach as my breath mirrors Darius’s, both laboured.

Darius lowers his gaze to the dagger embedded in his heart, the blade sinking all the way to the hilt. Exhaustion seeps deeper into my consciousness, and my breath remains heavy as Darius slowly lifts his head, locking eyes with me. Tears trace down his face, yet amidst it all, an unexpected sense of liberation emanates from him.

‘It’s okay,’ I whisper, choking back on a mouthful of blood. I delicately touch his chest; his eyelids are getting heavier. ‘It doesn’t hurt.’ I’m not lying. I feel nothing.

As he yanks out the dagger from his chest, he lets out a sob that breaks me to pieces, unable to hold myself together. I watch as he collapses to the ground, knees first, then the side of his body.

Time slows as consciousness slips away, and my brother’s frantic cries become distant echoes. I fall beside Darius, lying on my back with my head turning towards him. I observe his still form. He’s no longer breathing, no longer here with me. ‘Until next time, thief,’ I whisper, giving him a watery smile.

And then . . . I draw one last gasp of air before it vanishes, leaving nothing but silence.