5. Ohara

The door slammed in my face and I just stood there, motionless.

The female might be blocked from my view but I could still see her curled up on the bed, the wounds flaring bright and strong on her skin. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were wide with fear.

I knew the champions could pick their Prizes from the Pool and could do whatever they wished with them… but I had never seen that terrified look in one of their eyes before.

I should have known it wasn't beyond Druin to treat his females that way… and it made my blood boil.

For ten long years, I had kept it bottled up, had avoided any kind of confrontation — not because I was scared or afraid (I wasn't), but because of the reputation I would gain. And if anything was true at Ikmal prison, it was that those with the biggest reputations ended up with the biggest challenges.

Before I knew what I was doing, my hand curled into a fist and I raised it to bang on the door. I hesitated only a moment as I realized what this could do to my remaining time in the prison…

Just one week remaining. If the guards caught me, I'd serve another month at least.

But the look on the female curled on the bed, imploring for aid in her eyes… It was too much to bear.

I banged on the door.

When there was no answer, I banged again. And when there was no answer that time either, I banged and banged and banged and didn't stop. Finally, the door opened and Druin glared at me, the evidence of his having taken the Quet-Dreai clear from his new physique.

"What the fuck is it now?" he roared. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

The female lay on the bed, still semi-covered by the blanket, only now she wore an even deeper expression of fear.

"Step outside," I said calmly. "I wish to challenge you."

The jjizzik looked me over and let out a laugh that shook his entire wobbly frame.

He snorted. "You, the delivery boy, want to challenge me, the champion? Get out of here. You wouldn't stand a chance."

I stepped closer to him, getting in his face. "You'll step outside so everyone can see me beat you. You'd only cry foul play if I did it inside your room. And I'm not a helpless female you can beat with a belt."

Druin's jaw tightened. I'd hit a nerve.

"Have it your way." Druin turned back to the female. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be back in five minutes while I teach this punk a lesson."

We back out onto the walkway, our footsteps clanging on the metal grating floor. Already, a small gathering of onlookers had begun to amass.

I squared off against the jjizzik.

"You're going to regret this," Druin said.

I said nothing in response as Druin bellowed and swung an enormous fist at me.

I ducked it and threw a fist into his gut, then swung an elbow up, striking his chin hard.

Druin grunted hard with the blow and staggered back.

I pressed my advantage, striking him hard in the gut and chin in quick succession.

He swung at me again and I barely managed to avoid it.

He snapped out with his short leg and I swung around and swept his remaining foot out from under him.

Now was the time to shut him down.

I leaped on top of him and rained one blow after another into his fat, flabby face. Blood spurted from his lips and he struck out at me in shocked outrage.

I grabbed the belt that he'd lost his grip on and brought it down on him. I flailed as hard as I could. It seared his flesh with each strike. And now he was the one defending himself with his arms above his head.

His blood sprayed across my chest and arms and I could taste it on my lips… and it only drove me to beat at him harder, faster.

The belt could hand out pain but it couldn't deliver the knock-out blow. I stamped on Druin's fat belly with my heels and used it to rise into the air.

I pulled my arm back and bellowed with a ferocious roar as I buried my fist hard into the soft flesh of his chin with a loud and thunderous crack!

The jjizzik let out a high-pitched squeal and his body went limp.

I panted with the exertion and backed away from the useless lump of lard I'd just pulverized into oblivion. I saw the blood on my hands and arms and dropped the belt to the floor.

The crowd had grown but the fight was over so fast that it only consisted of a handful of prisoners. They stared at me, dumbstruck.

No one had beaten a champion in an open challenge like this, not one-on-one and without a blade buried in his back.

They moved aside as I passed through them and returned to Druin's cell.

Lying on the cot, eyes even wider than when I had first seen her — only this time it was with wonder or awe, not fear.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

The female only nodded. She opened her mouth to speak when another figure entered the room.

It was Cayggod.

He looked me over, saw the blood on my hands, and his expression immediately turned hard. "Thillak wants a word."

Oh, shit.