Chapter 13

The balloon driftedto a stop on the street outside the Colosseum. It'd been cleared of people, but I could hear the roar of the crowd from inside.

Oliver Keates, along with three other people, ran out from an arch built into the Colosseum's exterior and grabbed onto the balloon basket, reaching for the ropes that lay coiled inside.

I didn't spare him a glance as I climbed out, ready to be away from that damned balloon. My mind raced with memories of the witches. Why had they driven the snakes off? What was their end game?

I wasn't naive enough to think it was good.

"You'll want to reach the main arena as quickly as you can," he said. "Godspeed."

I just nodded and hurried forward, not bothering to speak. Maximus kept pace with me, and I glanced over at his pale features.

"You okay?"

"Fine." His words were curt.

"You don't have to do this, you know." I couldn't imagine the horrible memories he was reliving.

"It's fine." We ducked under the arched entrance into the cool darkness. "Really, it is. I can face my demons."

He was right. If anyone could, it was him. I'd never met anyone stronger.

The Colosseum was shaped like any other stadium I'd ever seen, just super old. We were deep in the bowels of it, with thousands of spectators on the benches that were above us. We stood in some kind of darkened entrance, the old stone illuminated by torches.

"Do you know how to get into the main arena?" I asked.

"From here? No. Let's head right, and I'll get my bearings."

I turned to the right, entering a long hall with tiny rooms on either side. I looked at Maximus, who nodded, his expression dire.

"Holding cells," he said. "We'll keep going through, then to the left. Should be an entrance around there."

My skin prickled as we walked through the darkened corridor. Faint light gleamed from a few torches, but the whole place was cast in shadow and misery.

There were a few benches against the walls, and I spotted some shackles.

"Fuck this place," I muttered. Too much death here. Too much misery.

"Fuck it." Maximus's voice was grim.

I picked up the pace, nearly running through the darkened corridor, not daring to look inside the cells. They were empty—the whole energy of this place was empty and dead—but I wondered if I'd see ghosts if I looked closer.

I didn't want to see Maximus's ghosts.

The next room was actually another corridor, but it had no little rooms off the sides. Just benches with more shackles. Every time I saw a set of them, more rage rose within me. I was starting to feel like one of the storm clouds I'd created outside.

How had Maximus survived this and come out even a little bit normal?

Fates, he had to be strong.

We were halfway down the narrow hall when magic prickled on the air. The white wisps that followed us began to vibrate, almost as if they were excited.

"Something's coming," Maximus said.

My heart thundered. He was right.

The sound of stone scraping against stone made me look up.

The ceiling was dropping.

My skin iced. "The ceiling!"

"Run!"

We sprinted for the end of the hall. As we neared, torchlight flickered on iron bars.

Oh, hell.

I dug into my potion sack, searching for the familiar shape of my disintegration potion. Please, please be in there.

Dust and crumbled rock fell down the sides of the walls as the ceiling lowered. I couldn't find the potion I needed! My legs burned as I sprinted full-out, but the bouncing made it hard to find the proper potion bomb.

We were nearly to the door, but the ceiling was so low that Maximus was running in a crouched position. We were about five feet away when he stopped, pressing his hands to the ceiling above. It groaned to a halt.

I spun, catching sight of Maximus's red face and straining muscles.

"I can't hold it long." His voice was rough.

The white lights vibrated around him, the wisps excited by the show. The crowd had to be eating this up.

The thought just enraged me more. Maximus was trapped in the Colosseum again, maybe about to die. All for these people's entertainment.

Death had been a far-off concept when we'd first started this. People talked about those who'd died during the Intermagic Games, but it didn't feel real.

This, though?

This felt real. We were trapped in this temple to misery and pain, where people came to cheer as other people died.

I'd never felt such rage before. It threatened to overwhelm me—like I could just fall over and be consumed by it.

No way in hell.

I had the potion bomb that would get us out of here. Expiring in a fit of rage was literally the worst idea ever. I sucked in a breath and turned, leaving Maximus to hold up the ceiling and praying that he could.

I dug back into my potion bag, my fingertips finally closing around the proper shape.

"Down!" Maximus's grunt was the only warning I got.

I dropped to my knees just as the ceiling creaked and fell lower. A glance back showed that Maximus had been forced to his knees. Veins stood out along his arms and neck, and I realized that he was literally holding up the weight of the whole Colosseum. Like Atlas held up the world.

My heart thundered as I hurled the potion bomb at the metal gate. It disintegrated the metal bars immediately, and I lunged through, turning back to gesture for Maximus. "Come on!"

He let go of the ceiling and leapt, moving so quickly that I almost didn't have time to get out of the way. He hurtled past me, skidding on the stone floor, and the ceiling slammed down in the room behind us.

I turned toward Maximus, shaking. "That was close."

He dragged an arm over his sweaty brow. "Too close."

I stood, inspecting the new room that we were in. Weapons hung off the wall, axes and swords and pikes. Maximus shuddered, and I reached out to squeeze his arm.

"Miserable place," he muttered, striding through. "We're almost there."

I hurried to catch up, my soul turning blacker with every minute. It was a dark anger, one that filled me up.

When the first weapon on the wall vibrated, I stiffened. "You see that?"

"What?"

I pointed toward the wall, where a sword was vibrating, clattering against the stone.

Maximus cursed, and his magic swelled on the air. A massive shield appeared on his arm, and he shoved it at me. I grabbed it just in time. The sword disconnected from the wall and hurtled toward me. Fast as I could, I held up the shield, which covered me from head to toe.

The sword slammed into the shield, making the metal vibrate and my arm sing. Maximus conjured another shield, and we huddled together, each holding a shield on the side of us that faced the wall.

The weapons began to fly in earnest, swords and pikes and axes hurtling toward us. The white wisps zipped around as the weapons thudded against my shield. Soon, my arm was numb.

When an ax hit my shield with enough force to pierce it, a surprised squeak escaped me. "Let's run!"

We picked up our pace as the weapons continued their assault. One nearly hit my foot, slicing off the very tip of the toe of my boot.

By the time we reached the edge of the room, every inch of me was vibrating from the blows. My ears rang from the sound of metal against metal.

As soon as we passed through the door, the weapons stopped flying. We stopped, dropping our shields in unison and panting. I leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath.

"Fuck this place," I muttered.

Maximus squeezed my arm, and the human connection grounded me. I opened my eyes and looked around. We were in a wide room with four darkened arches, one on each wall.

Like a horrible gameshow, we had to pick which door. I was certain they were all bad. And if we were delayed much longer, the others would beat us to the arena.

"Do you know which way?" I asked.

Maximus nodded grimly. "To the left. The one across from us also leads to the arena eventually, but it's a longer way. I'd bet it has another deadly obstacle in it."

"Let's skip that."

"My thoughts exactly." He approached the arch on the left, and as he neared it, the gate rose up. Light shined through.

The arena.

We'd made it.

The prize was in there.

But all I could think about were the thousands of people and animals who'd died in this horrible arena over the years. Died so other people could cheer and clap. Disgust welled within me. I didn't know if we'd be walking out into a death battle, but there was no freaking way I was participating.

I looked at Maximus. "Whatever we face out there, I'm not killing the other competitors. And I'm not going to hang around to get killed either. If it's a one-on-one competition, I'm out."

He nodded, his gaze hard.

I reached for his hand, and he gripped mine. Together, we walked through the arch and into the light. It blinded me at first, and all I could hear was the sound of screaming. The crowd, and someone closer. I blinked, my vision adjusting.

There was a fountain in the middle, glowing with blue light that poured out of it like water. The sun had set while we were trapped inside the corridors of the Colosseum, and I realized that I didn't know how much time had passed. The light that I'd seen when we had first entered came from great torches, which only made this feel like a macabre theatre.

Floating right above the water in the glowing fountain was a golden orb. The pale blue light shined around it, highlighting it.

My gaze darted around the arena, barely processing the full crowd. I only had eyes for the monsters. Three giant ones stood on the far side of the arena. Two were human-shaped, and the other stood on all fours, looking vaguely like a lizard. All vibrated with dark magic, and I'd bet they were straight from hell. Demon monsters.

It was a death trap.

But it was the fourth demon, the one closest to us, that really caught my attention.

He was twenty feet tall if he was an inch. His massive horns speared the night sky, and his arms bulged with muscles. He had one of the blonde illusionists gripped in his fists, just like freaking King Kong. Her blonde hair flew as he shook her.

At the giant's feet, the illusionist's sister beat at his legs with her sword, but it did no good. The blade wasn't strong enough—not against his reinforced skin, at least—and she wasn't a great fighter. She'd relied on her illusions too much. She was either panicking or there was nothing she could show the monster that would make him drop her sister.

I didn't even bother looking back at the fountain and the Truth Teller. We had a straight shot to it. The other contestants hadn't even arrived yet, and the monsters were all the way on the other side of the arena. We could probably race over there and grab the thing right away, but screw that.

I glanced at Maximus, and from the look on his face, he clearly read my thoughts.

"Let's get him," he said.

Together, we sprinted toward the giant.

"I'll take out his legs!" I shouted, drawing my electric sword from the ether. I didn't even bother with potion bombs. This guy was probably too big for any of mine.

"I'll take the neck." Maximus slowed slightly as I sprinted ahead, clearly getting into position.

"Move!" I shouted at the illusionist.

Shocked, she looked up at me, her white eyes widening. I raised my electric sword, and she got the drift, stumbling back.

I sprinted the last few steps toward the demon, who was so obsessed with his King Kong prize that he didn't even notice me. I swung right for his ankle, my sword crackling with power. It severed the foot right off, the electric blade cauterizing the wound.

Maximus roared, and I looked up just in time to see him sail overhead. He jumped so high I gasped, his feet hitting the giant right in the middle. The beast was already wobbly, given that I'd cut off his freaking foot. Maximus's strike sent him flying onto his back.

The gladiator followed him down, stabbing his sword straight into his throat. The giant gasped and gurgled, and his big palm loosened. The trapped illusionist rolled out onto the ground, coughing and gasping.

Maximus jumped off of the dying demon, wiping his sword on the creature's clothes. Any minute now, the bastard would wake up back in hell where he belonged.

Natalia helped Olga to her feet—or maybe it was the other way around, I couldn't tell—and then turned to us. Her white eyes gleamed, and it was impossible to say if it was with suspicion or gratitude. "Why did you help us?"

"I don't want any of us to die. It's a freaking game. No prize is worth that." I looked around at the Colosseum, at the roaring crowd and the three giant monsters who remained. One of them fought the fae, who'd just arrived. The wolves entered the arena next, and one of the giants turned to them. The third giant started to lumber toward us. "If we don't fight together, some of us will die."

That snake oil salesman who'd been the announcer had kept saying some of us would bite it. Apparently, they'd planned to ensure it.

"It's bullshit," I said. "Death isn't a spectator sport, and this isn't fair. Not against these giants." I looked at Maximus. "Let's go."

I sprinted for the fae, not waiting to hear the illusionists' response.

I didn't need to wait, though.

Natalia's voice echoed after me. "We'll help!"

She and her sister sprinted up to join Maximus and me. Together, the four of us ran toward the fae. They were pinned against the wall of the arena, a huge demon looming over them. He was even bigger than the one who'd gotten ahold of the illusionist, and he wore armor from neck to feet. A massive helmet covered his head but allowed his horns to poke through, piercing the sky.

The demon threw fire at the fae, who darted left and right, avoiding the blasts with their quick speed. They wouldn't manage it forever, though. Even now, they were slowing.

Imani, the woman, raised her hands, and a blue, glittering cloud burst forth. Birds flew amongst the cloud, their beaks sharp and eyes bright. They charged the demon, flying up toward his head and going straight for the eyes. They were quick, their aim good.

The demon roared, raising his hands to cover his eyes and swat at the birds.

Hell yeah!

Another demon appeared. The third one—the one who'd been coming toward us earlier. Human-shaped, also wearing massive armor. He raised a hand and hurled fire at the fae, seeming to enjoy ganging up on the little guy.

Bastard.

Jabari, the male fae, created another cloud of glittering devil birds. But the giant was ready. His helmet came equipped with a visor, and he snapped it down over his eyes.

"We'll shield you!" Natalia shouted.

Ahead, a dozen fae appeared. Jabari and Imani replicated over and over again. The giants roared, clearly confused. They didn't know which ones to strike. They might not even realize that they were illusions. They were way more brawn than brains, definitely.

We were nearly to the demons, and I searched for a weak spot. Somewhere that wasn't covered by armor. My gaze snagged on the giant's neck where a piece of leather connected the helmet to the breastplate.

There.

I pointed. "Maximus! Can you boost me up there? Then you can take the other one out."

He nodded and put on some speed, racing ahead of me. The demon was still swatting at the birds and didn't notice Maximus kneel behind him, making a cupped shape with his hands.

I stashed my electric sword in the ether and sprinted ahead, then placed my foot in Maximus's palms. He heaved me upward, and I flew through the air and grabbed onto the demon's waist. He was huge, and the armor was covered in scales, giving me good handholds.

Below, Maximus disappeared into thin air.

The illusionists. It had to be. They'd made him invisible. Hopefully I had the same treatment.

I began to climb up the giant's back. He thrashed and roared, clearly realizing that I was there.

When his big hand slapped backward, I didn't even see it coming. I felt it, though, when it crushed me against his armor.

Pain flared in my middle. I gasped, agony shooting through me. Broken ribs? I clung tight to the demon's back, pain radiating as I tried to breathe shallowly. Breathe through the pain.

The giant continued to thrash, trying to throw me off him, but I started climbing, trying to move as quickly as I could. My ribs ached with every movement, but I focused on the job.

Finally, I reached the giant's neck where the leather was creased and soft. I held on with my left hand and reared back, calling my electric sword from the ether. It appeared in my right hand, and I stabbed, sending the blade right into the giant's neck. He roared, stumbling.

Oh fates, I hoped he fell on his front.

From below, the faes' magic surged. I caught sight of the blue sparkles out of the corner of my eye and looked down. They slammed their magic into the demon's back, sending him careening onto his front.

Heck yeah. They kept me from becoming a pancake on his back.

The giant slammed to the ground, and I bounced, my ribs aching.

As quickly as I could, I scrambled to my feet, searching for Maximus. I couldn't see him, but the giant demon that he'd presumably jumped onto was thrashing in the air, blood spurting from his neck.

Maximus had to be landing a killing blow, and a big part of me was satisfied to know that because of the illusionists' invisibility magic, the bloodthirsty crowd had missed most of the action.

A second later, Maximus appeared, hanging on to the giant's back just like I had. The fae raced forward, hitting the giant in the back with their magic so he fell onto his front and didn't crush Maximus.

I sprinted over.

Jabari and Imani turned to me.

"Thanks," they said in unison.

I nodded. Maximus climbed to his feet, looking pretty whole. I was having a hard time breathing with my ribs, but at least I was standing.

In the distance, the two wolves fought the giant lizard. They were doing pretty well—considering that they weren't yet dead—but their thick brown coats were covered with slices that leaked blood. The lizard had mean claws, long and sharp. Clearly, he knew how to use them.

I sprinted for the lizard, Maximus joining me. Footsteps thundered behind us, and I glanced back to see that the fae and the illusionists were coming to help.

Everyone ignored the stupid Truth Teller and the fountain. I didn't know how the crowd was taking this development, but they could go screw themselves.

We reached the lizard just as he swatted one of the wolves with his front limb, sending the wolf flying straight into the arena wall. The other wolf crouched low, growling, getting between his fallen brother and the lizard.

Once again, the fae pulled their multiplication trick. A dozen wolves appeared, then a wall of flame, separating the growling wolf from the lizard. Through the flickering fire, I caught sight of the main wolf—at least, I thought it was him—turn and lope toward his fallen brother.

I sprinted toward the lizard, running side by side with a glittery cloud of the blue birds. The fae sent their attack birds toward the lizard's face while I leapt onto its back and stabbed my sword deep.

The lizard reared up on hind legs, hissing wildly. I fell off and slammed to the ground. The beast stepped on me, one razor-sharp claw slicing through my left forearm. Pain flared.

I screamed, unable to help myself, then scrambled upright. The lizard had fallen back down, and Maximus had leapt onto its back. He stabbed the creature through the back of the neck, but it didn't go down.

Crap.

Imani, who stood closer to the Colosseum wall, hurled a blast of magic at the lizard's back legs. The cloud slammed into his limbs, and the right one went limp.

The same trick that had frozen that poor butler and my arm.

I wasted no time in climbing up onto the lizard's back again, though my movements were slow and awkward. Blood dripped from my wounded arm. I raised my blade and plunged it down. The beast shrieked and reared up on his only good leg, throwing me toward the center of the arena.

I hit hard, pain flaring in my ribs, and skidded in the dirt.

When he fell, he slammed to the ground and lay still.

I must have hit his heart. It was hard to tell on a demon, but the monster was definitely dead.

Maximus had been thrown off toward the Colosseum wall, but he was rising to his feet. Imani and Jabari stood near the body. The illusionists were only about fifteen feet from me, their hands outstretched and their magic flowing toward the fight. They let their fire die. The wolves had both stood.

The monsters were gone.

The fight was over.

Everyone looked alive. Beaten up, but definitely alive.

I looked back at the fountain and the Truth Teller.

I was the closest one. Not by a lot, but with the battle over…

Before I could even turn, the other contestants sprinted toward me, their eyes on the prize that was about thirty yards behind me.

I turned and raced for it as well, my chest aching like I was being stabbed by a dozen knives. I called upon the cloud magic within me, commanding the fluffy white things to fill the arena. I wouldn't bring down the lightning or the winds—no way would I hurt the other competitors—but making it hard to find the fountain didn't sit too wrong with me.

The illusionists were fast, though. I caught sight of them out of the corner of my eye. Ahead of me, six fountains appeared.

The damned multiplication trick. But I'd been running right toward the proper fountain, and it was still the one that was right in front of me. If I just kept on course, it'd be the right one. I hoped.

I pushed myself, running faster than I ever had in my life.

This competition was a whole load of bullshit, but I still wanted the prize. The Undercover Protectorate could do so much good with it. The idea was heady. And I wanted to know what pantheon I represented. What kind of Dragon God I was.

The thought gave me strength, and I ran faster. The white clouds filled the stadium, blocking us from the viewers. My lungs burned and sweat poured as I ran.

Somehow, despite the pain that raced through every inch of me, I pulled ahead of the illusionists. They hissed, but I kept going, giving it everything I had. When my hand pushed through the glowing blue light that surrounded the golden Truth Teller, I felt a prickle of protective magic. Then my fist closed around the golden orb, and I pulled it free.

Victory surged through me.

I'd won.

From overhead, dark magic swelled. Confused, I looked up, just in time to see one of the witches swooping down toward me in her bird form, her huge claws outstretched for me.

Horror welled in my chest.

She reached me a half second later, scooping me up in her massive claws but never piercing any of my skin. She swooped high, heading for the sky with me gripped in her claws. Wind tore through my hair as I watched the Colosseum disappear into the distance down below.

Holy fates, I was screwed.