18. Crash

18

Crash

I swear. If that white-haired asshole touches me again, I'm going to kill him. I don't give a fuck what the guards and Enwiss threatened earlier.

I blink my eyes open and see nothing but blackness all around.

But the sibilant sound of a threat—make that sound s —is too close to ignore.

The mark on my arm prevents me from calling up fire, but I think I can work around it. I imagine the bonfire inside me coming to life, that part of me that's always there.

I stir it with my ever-present anger and spit a tiny piece of it—my energy in its purest form—into the air.

It's not much, but it's enough to light up the cave we've landed in.

There are several people around from other groups. The uniform colors are all different, with Asrai and Godtown among us.

Unfortunately, several of the Godtown assholes are here because I imprisoned them. I had no idea they'd be used for tributes, though.

Not that it matters. I don't care one way or the other if anyone lives or dies.

There's no sign of Ries or Malkar, but I spot Oz struggling not to be eaten by a monstrous yellow snake twice as big as he is.

Shit.

That's not just any snake. It's got a streak of orange and another of purple along its spine with small purple wings on either side of its head.

We've landed in a feathered naga den. They're known to be favored by deities who crave chaos.

Because they're difficult to predict.

Oz is shouting something, and it takes me a moment to realize he's pointing at a naga next to him.

"What?" I dodge a strike from one that bites through a shifter behind me and scurries away to feed.

There are screams and yells as the nagas attack, with some of the tributes fighting back and winning. But most close by seem to be losing.

The naga devour their prey in a multitude of ways—bites, constriction, lashing with the spines on their tails.

I don't have the strength of an orc to resist constriction, but if I'm careful I might be fast enough to avoid getting eaten.

"She's in there," Oz yells.

"What—? Oh shit." I see the swollen belly of the naga next to him coiling on itself, forcing whatever's inside it down.

Except its meal isn't going down easily.

The dryad is in there?

Then the belly bursts open as a dark blade—no, a tree branch, explodes into sight before disappearing .

As much as the dryad disturbs me, we made a deal to protect each other. All of us did.

As soon as I know I can handle myself without a team at my back, I'm out of this partnership. But it would be stupid not to take advantage of the strengths of my companions.

I need to truly see what they're capable of.

Especially if I'll have to kill any of them to survive the trials.

I hurry to the dryad trying to push her way through the naga's belly. But the naga isn't willing to give up its meal so easily and is rearing back to bite Kami into submission despite its wounds.

"Get back," I yell at her and grab the nearest thing I can.

An arm.

A shifter's arm, by the look of it.

The naga strikes fast, but I'm faster. I shove the arm in its mouth, and it gets stuck on a fang.

While the giant snake tries to clear the impediment, I yank Kami free.

She's tiny but fierce, even covered in goo. She screams and throws her stick at the serpent.

My firelight wavers, but when it comes back, I see the stick landed right below the naga's mouth, piercing its throat.

"Come on." I grab her hand and drag her with me, doing my best to ignore the slick ooze covering her from top to bottom.

Torchlight suddenly flares from the sconces along the tall cavern walls, making my dim light unnoticeable.

The area all around us is dark and dirty, filled with blood, bodies, and nagas everywhere.

I spot Oz still fighting a naga and yell, "I've got her."

I yank her into my arms and duck as a serpent flies over us.

It hits another, and the nagas turn on each other. In the corner is a growing nest of eggs. Nearby, a pile of bodies grows, stacked there by nagas working to feed their breeding stock.

More tributes are falling, but those who are teaming up are surviving, using whatever they can find on the ground to defend themselves.

Knowing it makes sense even though I hate being a team player, I head back to Oz.

"Wait here." I shove the dryad behind a pile of corpses and join the orc.

I grab a rock the size of my head. Oz sees me and with a mighty burst of strength yanks the naga's head down, where I smash it until the creature stops moving.

Oz pushes himself free from its coils and rushes past me to the dryad, who is doing her best to look even smaller than usual.

A tinge of pity strikes me. She looks so tiny and scared, covered in blood and digestive muck.

I've never been eaten by anything before. I have to wonder if the experience is as awful as it would seem to be.

I join them, and we hustle to the rock walls, where I spy a series of small doorways appearing.

"There."

Oz nods. He goes to lift Kami, but she pushes his hand away.

"I c-can walk."

He nods and gently nudges her toward me. "Hurry."

Others have seen the doorways in the rock wall and are rushing through.

I don't wait for my companions to join me before entering. I walk down a dark tunnel into a lit room, where I see a bunch of tributes, bloodied and bruised, muddling together.

This room is man-made and large, with a marble floor and glass walls looking out at the lake's waters .

There is no way we're near enough to the lake, so I realize we must have passed through a magical portal to reach this place.

An image of the monarch floats above us all, transparent yet highlighting a light elf in all his glory.

He's got the fine features of an elf, his hair long and lustrous, golden with the blessings of the sun. His skin is a burnished golden brown as well.

He smiles, beautiful as most high fae are.

I want to punch him so hard he swallows teeth.

"Well done, survivors," he booms, as if he's really with us. "You may use this time to clean up, see to your wounds, and get ready to pay tribute to Beyrthnel."

"We already paid, dickhead," someone yells.

The monarch scowls but says, "You are forgiven your disrespect. I'm sure your blood is still pumping after that little introduction to the Radiant Trials."

Introduction?

I glance around and see the room filling with the rest of the tributes.

Malkar, unfortunately, is across the room with Ries. Both of them look fine.

The white-haired bastard sees me and waves, as if we're best friends.

I flip him off.

He turns and says something to Ries, who looks at me and laughs.

Assholes.

Kami is shivering, and Oz tugs her closer. Brave guy, letting that naga's guts get all over him.

A glance around shows our numbers look larger than they should be, considering how many died in that naga pit.

"Now that we've shaved off some unnecessary burdens, you are advised to make use of this brief time. The real battle begins in an hour." The monarch disappears, and that white-haired priest from the temple takes his place.

Another image projected into our space.

Wherever the hell this is.

"Make haste, survivors. Time is not your friend." The priest laughs. "But then, in this place, nothing is."

I study everyone in this room and know the priest is right.

I have no friends, only temporary allies.

A glance at the dryad shows her practically useless.

Although…she did manage to stab that naga.

She looks up and meets my gaze.

I'm surprised to see so much life there. So much anger.

That emotion calls to me, and I'm not sure I like this pull I keep having toward her.

I'm almost glad Malkar knocked me out last night. From what I heard from him on the boat ride, Ries gave it to her good. Sexed her up, sexed himself up, and majorly boosted Malkar.

I don't know that I could have handled hearing the merman bone her.

Despite my desire to be alone, I have needs. And the dryad is just my type.

Pretty, helpless, sexy.

Angry.

I respect the rage but wish I didn't keep thinking about how I get a piece of her at some point in return for protecting her.

I smile.

She narrows her eyes, the fury in her firing my blood.

I don't have to like her to fuck her. I don't have to like any of the others to play nice.

For now .

Because at the end of this thing, I'm walking away to get the revenge I'm due on Rilitar. Folas too if he pisses me off enough.

Nothing is going to stop me. I'll do whatever I have to in order to succeed.

I've learned the hard way that second best is nothing more than failing to win. Failing to die.

So I'll take out anyone who gets in my way.

No matter how pretty they might be.