Chapter 41

RED

M y heart thuds in my chest. A beat with a shadow that aches and whines and pleads with me to turn back. To undo what I've done. But I won't.

Not after what Octavia's done.

I thought hurting her would make me feel better, but all I feel is sick. I don't even want to fight any more.

I step up to the ringside, as night mist curls around my feet. The moon is bright tonight, and the stars twinkle with the weight of a millennia's secrets.

"Good evening, hunters, vampires, I see we are one missing," Cordelia says.

"Octavia has opted out of the proceedings tonight. I will fight on behalf of our team," I say.

Dahlia sneers on the other side of the ring. She folds her arms like this is a done deal. Like she's already won. But if I lay down and let her beat me, is it really winning at all?

The Chief, Eleanor, I don't think I'm ever getting used to that, steps up. "Fighters, please enter the ring."

Around the ring, Keir, Talulla, and Lincoln all remain motionless. A crowd of people builds. Vampire nobles, hunter elders all pour into the woods surrounding the ring. The chatter and hubbub of noise is enough to drown out the thudding in my chest. For now. Xavier glances at me, his eyes boring into me as if his stare alone is enough to pull the truth out of me.

He zips around the ring, pushing and shoving people out of the way. He reaches me and grips my elbow. "Where is she?"

"Safe."

"What is going on?"

"I'm sure she'll explain. I'll tell you where she is when this is over."

But he's already speeding through the forest looking for her. It's too late though. The woods are heaving with spectators and guards. Even if he finds her, she's still wearing silver cuffs, and he doesn't have gloves. By the time he gets her out of those restraints, the fight will be over.

Sadie steps into the ring. Then me. And last, Dahlia enters.

"Only three fighters?" Cordelia says, a nervous laugh bubbling out as she welcomes the audience. A poor showing for this trial. An embarrassment for Cordelia. She's losing control of the trials. Losing control of me.

She glances at the Chief, a flicker of worry threading through her forehead. But the Chief shakes her head.

"Fine. Welcome, vampire nobles, hunter elders, humans, friends. Tonight is the trial of strength."

There's a stilted round of applause that smatters around the audience. I glance at the faceless crowd, too many expressions, too many faces to determine one from another. But what they do all share is tension.

Even the people recognise this city is falling apart and these trials are all a ruse that's failing.

Cordelia claps her hands. Her black gown is elegant this evening. It matches the colour of her hair, a silver bustle at the back matching the swipe of grey in her bangs. "Sadie and Dahlia. You will fight first. Xavier and Talulla, Keir and Gabriel you score zero for this trial. Red, out of the ring while they spar it out."

I hop out of the ring and watch. Sadie is going to lose, though she will put up more of a fight than I will.

Around the ring, more spectators arrive. Dozens of vampire nobles appear from the shrubs and darkness of the forest. They're followed by hunter elders. More spectators pack into this tiny clearing and spill into the depths of the forest. And then, to my surprise, a veritable selection of blood monks from the church arrives. I spot the lovely monk who helped me and made me laugh away the nerves before the trial of spirit. He catches my eye and inclines his head.

It makes me uneasy, but I can't quite put my finger on why.

The Chief raises her hand for silence. "The rules are two-fold. There will be no death. If you knock your partner unconscious, that signals the end of the fight. Two, there will be no weapons save your fists, feet and fangs. Do not pick up a weapon or you will be disqualified. Understand?" the Chief says.

Sadie and Dahlia both nod and then draw back into fighting stances.

"Fight in three. Two. One. GO." The Chief leaps out of the ring and to the ground as Dahlia launches at Sadie.

Sadie dives out of the way. She's lightning quick as she spins in the air like a ribbon. She dives onto Dahlia's back, pummelling her head with savage blows.

But Dahlia is up and screaming as she hurls Sadie off and kicks her leg out, knocking Sadie over.

It goes on like this. One minute passes, then another. By minute three, I would be struggling. But on they fight. Blow after blow until the pair of them are panting and slick with sweat.

Sadie glances at me, and that moment of hesitation on her behalf is the instant Dahlia takes the upper hand. She lands a fist against Sadie's jaw that cracks through the night like a gunshot.

The crowd hisses and cringes as Sadie flies backward.

She staggers to her feet, albeit stumbling and dazed. Dahlia is relentless. She speeds across the ring, landing blow after blow on Sadie. Dahlia lurches forward and swings an uppercut with such force that it throws Sadie from the ring. She smashes into a tree, her head crunching against the trunk.

She slides to the ground with a squelch, part of her skull left embedded in the bark. If Dahlia did that to me, I wouldn't be getting back up. But Sadie will awaken in a few minutes.

I swallow hard, knowing that I'm not getting out of this without serious damage. But perhaps that's the best thing for everyone.

Dahlia roars in the centre of the ring and then she rounds on me, beckoning me to join her in the ring.

Cordelia steps up to the rope. "Dahlia, do you not need a rest?"

"For this pathetic scrap of a human? Not likely, Mother."

"So be it." Cordelia glances at the Chief again, those same worry lines carving deep ridges through her face. It ages her in a way I haven't seen before.

Not that I care. The only reason she's worried about me is because she doesn't want me to cop it before I open that fucking door for her. She's just another fucking person trying to control me.

"Then let the fight begin in three. Two. One," the Chief says.

Even though I knew it was coming, the speed with which Dahlia moves at me takes my breath away.

Despite what I said, I don't want to die. Not in this moment, anyway. I duck, leap and scramble out of her way. But she is unyielding. She thunders across the ring, her boots hammering into the ground as she stalks me like prey.

I laugh maniacally. Is this what Amelia experienced? Being Dahlia's prey? Gods, maybe I should have been more sympathetic.

I spin on my heel and jerk up, landing quite the blow to Dahlia's chin. It takes her by surprise, and she stumbles, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, Dahlia. I'm not going down without a fight," I snarl.

"I do hope so. I like it when my victims put up a fight."

She swings her leg at lightning speed, and it connects with my shoulder, knocking me off balance. I fly back, skidding to the floor. A good fighter would dive after me and make the most of me on the ground. But I've trained to fight, so I predict her movement and use the force of my momentum to roll out of the way. Then I spin around and kick my leg up and at her leg.

Her calf tears, her knee dislocating with a crunching pop that makes me want to gag.

"You little cunt," she bellows and then drags her floppy leg across the ring like a childhood horror. Her eyes are all wide and frenetic, her teeth bared.

I scramble until my back hits the rope. But I should have got up. That was my mistake. Suddenly, I don't want to lose. I don't want to get mashed to a pulp by Dahlia, but if I don't, all of this, hurting Octavia, was for nothing. So I close my eyes and wait for the blow to land.

Even though I know it's coming, the force with which her fist collides with my skull makes the world shudder.

I see black. Then I'm wrenched off the rope as another blow makes my jaw crunch against itself.

Blow after blow, she pummels me until my vision is bloody. Her teeth sink into my arms and tear chunks of flesh.

Her foot, now healed, stamps on my legs, shattering them in multiple places. And all I do is lie there taking it, knowing that this is how I die.

Colours fade to grey behind my eyelids. Octavia broke my heart, but now my body matches. Blood pools beneath me. I fade in and out of consciousness. I'm not sure whether I can take any more.

I am certain I am bleeding internally. Most of my bones are broken. It would take draining an entire vampire to survive this.

I am going to die.

"ENOUGH," the Chief's voice booms around the ring, as both she and Cordelia pull Dahlia back.

"Strength trial is awarded to Dahlia St Clair."

Dahlia whoops and fist pumps into the air. But the crowd is silent. I can just about make out the sea of slack jaws as they gaze upon me.

"COME ON," Dahlia jeers at the crowd. "I WON." She reaches out to Lincoln to pull him on stage, but he shrinks back, his eyes flitting between Dahlia and me.

I must be in bad shape because he wears the same slack, horrified expression as the rest of the crowd.

"Lincoln," Dahlia snaps. "We won…"

But the only response she gets is a silent crowd and the bubbling, haggard breaths of her dying victim.