16. Ohara

Iwas aware of the looks and hurried whispers from the other inmates when I passed. No doubt news of the beatdown I'd given Druin had spread to all four corners of the massive complex by now. It wasn't exactly in keeping with the quiet lifestyle I'd cultivated for the past ten years.

It didn't matter, I told myself. I had six days left to serve and then I would be out of here and I would never have to think of anything associated with this prison ever again.

Except for one thing…

Lily kept playing on my mind. I hissed through my teeth, chastising myself for not making the most of the time I had with her when I had the chance.

I passed the pits and saw the inmates enrolling for the day's competition.

Two inmates parted and the swollen, beaten face of Druin glared out from between them. He scowled at me, watching as I passed.

I didn't lock eyes on him and didn't need to look away. He was nothing to me but a minor inconvenience. Once I was gone, he would forget about me, the same way I would forget about him.

But not right now. Right now, he remembered me very, very well. He looked about ready to push through his buddies and approach me when he spotted something on my other side, hesitated, and returned to growling at me from a distance.

I bumped into someone but didn't offer apologies. Doing so labeled you as weak and I was not in the mood to be confronted again. I hastily moved around the figure.

"No morning greeting?" a deep voice that I instantly recognized said.

"Cayggod," I said, smiling up at him.

His smile reflected my own and he peered at me through his small spectacles. "You're not enrolling for the competition today?"

I glanced toward the inmates already heading into the armory where they would suit up for the day's events. I'd never entered the pits and I didn't intend on doing so now either.

"You know me," I said. "I prefer to stay out of trouble."

"And yet, you willingly exposed yourself to one last night," Cayggod said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "One might perhaps wonder why."

I didn't think I would ever get over Cayggod's obvious dichotomy: his massive, muscular broad shoulders and his obvious well-read and soft way of speaking.

His question of why I had decided to fight last night when I had avoided it so well for the past ten years had run through my mind ever since I took action. And I still, as yet, didn't have a good answer.

"I… couldn't stand by and let him beat her for no good reason," I said.

Cayggod didn't blink. "Is there ever a good reason for him to beat her?"

"There's always good reason for violence. Under certain circumstances."

Cayggod nodded. "You'll hear no argument from me on that front. But you didn't answer my question."

I know I didn't, and I didn't want to. The thought of anyone raising a hand against Lily made my stomach churn and my teeth grit harder than a trissic's jaws.

"There's a rumor going around," Cayggod said.

"About me kicking Druin's ass?" I said. "I heard them too."

"No, not that. That's not disputed. The rumor concerns the female Prize you rescued last night and Druin's intentions toward her."

My blood ran cold as I peered over at Druin. His chest was puffed out and his muscles bulged, fit to bursting from his armor plate.

Of course, I thought. He couldn't let the fact I had beaten him stand. He had to fight in the pits, and prove his mettle or he would never hear the end of it. That was why he had pumped himself full of poisonous Quet-Dreai when he should have been recovering.

If he didn't defend his crown, they would see him as weak and want to exploit it and take it for themselves. And after he beat them, he would go to the Prize Pool and…

I ran my hand through my hair and shook my head.

"You see the problem, don't you?" Cayggod said.

"Yes," I admitted. "He's going to Claim her again."

"And this time, he isn't going to be so kind," Cayggod pointed out.

I knew he was right. Still, I didn't want to believe it. I'd rescued Lily because I didn't want to see her beaten by that jjizzik krisk. I wanted to teach him a lesson so he wouldn't think to harm another Prize, or at the very least, prevent him from hurting Lily again.

Instead, I had achieved the opposite. If Druin got his hands on her again…

My blood burbled with red-hot anger but I pushed it down, controlling myself and calming the maelstrom that threatened to overtake me. "There must be something someone can do. Thillak, maybe. He has the power to sway fights, to make the inmates throw in the towel…"

"Does Druin look like he's in the mood to throw in the towel to you?" Cayggod asked.

I didn't need to look at the beast to see his pure hatred. It was practically branded on the inside of my eyelids. His eyes were bloodshot red, the lines of anger on his face might have been carved from granite, the veins on his artificially pumped-up muscles straining to contain the strength within.

"And with that much Quet-Dreai pumped into his system, there's not going to be anyone who can stand against him," Cayggod said. "Well, almost no one…"

He wasn't looking at me but I could feel the press of his eyes anyway.

"Last night was a fluke," I said.

"Last night was anything but a fluke. You know that, and so do I. And the best part of it all is…" He checked over his shoulders and lowered his voice so no one could hear us. "The best part is, you haven't even used your unique ability yet…"

I looked at him uncertainly. "I don't have a unique ability."

He met my eyes and they twinkled with some inner, unseen light. "Really?" he said. "Hm. Then I must be mistaken. I must be thinking of… another Nor."

But I could tell from the playful cadence of his voice that he knew the truth. I just looked at him, shocked, that he knew my great secret.

"But how…?" I said. "I've never told anyone about it. I've definitely never used it where anyone can see."

"Sometimes it's the things we can't see that tell us all we need to know," Cayggod said. "And besides, I'm a voracious reader. I doubt many inmates at Ikmal have the same breadth of interests that I do. Fear not, your secret remains with me. But I look forward to seeing it in action… If indeed the Nor who has such a skill comes forward…"

I continued staring at him incredulously. He could have used the knowledge, manipulated me into doing his bidding… and instead, he just kept it to himself all this time? If there was ever proof of Cayggod's innate goodness, this was it.

"You're going to have to hurry if you want to take part in the day's events," Cayggod said.

The line was shorter now and only two spaces remained on the roster. Another fighter began to edge toward the sign-up desk — he was smaller than the others and constantly scratched at his flaky scales.

Some were driven to the pits for the basic guaranteed payment — not a lot to get beaten to a pulp but when you needed money fast, there were few other options at Ikmal.

I glanced toward the Prize Pool and pictured Lily standing there, looking down and watching me…

And I knew I only really had one option.

With how deeply I cared for her — despite hardly knowing her — it had been enough to expose myself to the other inmates of Ikmal prison, so was there really any chance I could choose not to fight?

Especially since it was by my choices, my actions, that she would soon be exposed to one of the worst prisoners Ikmal had ever housed.

I wasn't sure, tough as she was, that even she could survive what Druin had in store for her.

I took a deep breath and turned to approach the sign-up booth when I noticed Cayggod leave first and approach another group of inmates in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To place my bet, of course," Cayggod said. "You're the longest shot in the history of the fighting pits and I'm not about to pass on the opportunity."

I watched as he approached the bookmaker and began haggling over the odds.

Hm, I thought. Maybe not so altruistic after all…