But metal clanged against stone. Sharply. Emptily. The spear missed by mere inches, splintering against the rock beneath the parapet, like a child’s toy thrown in a tantrum, now broken and meaningless.
Silence.
A breathless silence formed from the stunned crowd.
Haldron’s silhouette loomed over the arena, his expression cold and distant, as if he were a god gazing down upon his broken creations.
Then he laughed.
It slithered through the air, smooth and mocking, sinking into my skin like poison. He tilted his head, watching me with amusement.
“You think this is over? All you’ve done is proven that you are not worthy of a pardon.” Haldron purred. “It will never be over for you, Seren Ragnall.”
With a snap of his fingers, a cage appeared, creaking and swaying over the water of the lake. My heart stopped.
Esme.
Her terrified face pressed against the bars, her wide eyes searching the arena until they found me.
Her hands curled around the iron, her eyes locking onto mine.
“Seren!” she sobbed, her voice barely carrying over the roaring crowd.
A raw, broken sound tore from my throat. I stumbled forward, my limbs moving before I could think, before I could process anything but the sight of my sister. Alive. Alive.
I could save her.
Haldron’s smile was cruel. “Let’s see how well you swim, little one.”
With a flick of his wrist, he released the cage.
“No,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “No, no, no?—”
The cage plummeted into the dark water, the splash swallowed by the roar that tore from my throat. I screamed until my voice gave out, until my knees hit the ground, until the world narrowed to the sight of that cage sinking beneath the moonlit surface.
Rykr’s arms wrapped around me, his grip ironclad as I thrashed against him, my screams muffled against his chest.
“We’ll get her,” he promised through the bond, his voice like steel, but all I could hear was Esme’s fading cries as the lake swallowed her whole.
Chapter 41
Rykr
Tara and Ciaran streaked toward the lake as Amahle reached Seren and me. “Let me go,” Seren gasped, pushing against me. “Let me go to her.”
“You’re not in any condition to get into the water,” I said as gently as possible, holding her by the shoulders. “Tara and Ciaran will get her out.”
Before she could protest further, the gates to the tunnels opened once again.
Two glowing eyes came from the darkness, the fiery white eyeshine of some animal. A vuk emerged, slowly stalking forward.
“Rykr Westhaven, you claim to have killed one of these mighty beasts,” Haldron taunted. “Or was it yet another lie? I suppose we’ll find out.”
Smite me.
My shoulders tensed at the memory of the last vuk I’d encountered. I wouldn’t have been able to kill the damned vuk if it wasn’t for my sword, and Seth still had it. I couldn’t help but wonder where the treacherous couple had gone, or if they were enjoying the spectacle of the Skorn from the luxury of the seats.
The gate swung closed and the vuk bared his teeth, growling.
