“Let’s just get this over with.”
She gives me a final once over, then nods, leading the way into the Arena.
The roar at my arrival is deafening. The crowd—which has been waiting impatiently for the fight to start—is on their feet, yelling. The only ones still seated are the males, who remain kneeling at their women’s feet, and the handful of people in the gilded box at the far end of the Arena.
The wooden floor has been covered in sand, and it wastes no time in finding its way into my boots, rubbing and chafing as I stride across the stadium to where Adella already waits, standing below the Empress’s box with her back to me. Off to the left, her three chosen warriors are waiting, heads bowed. They’re huge, clearly chosen to intimidate me, but I just grin.
The bigger they are, the larger my target.
I lift my head and instantly pick out Klaus. He’s kneeling at his mother’s feet, wearing a plain white toga and nothing else. His whole body is practically buzzing with tension as he waits for his mother to get this stupid fight started.
The box is high enough that, even with his head bowed, he and all the other males will be able to watch the fight.
Empress Athena doesn’t look in any hurry. She’s stroking the face of a male on her other side. The sly grin on her face makes me certain she has plans for him later, and the star-struck look in his eyes makes it clear he wants everything she’ll give him and more. Behind them, a whole group of males wait on cushions; presumably, they’re the rest of her harem.
Damn, there must be over two dozen males there. How does she find time for them all?
There are a handful of other warriors in the box. Most of them stare at me impassively; but the woman sitting on a smaller chair beside the Empress is a redhead who must be related to Adella somehow. She’s giving the whole Arena a bored look, as if this entire thing is beneath her, but there’s a glint in her eyes as she looks at Klaus.
Greedy. Assessing.
I don’t like that look.
“Warriors, and assassin.” Athena sneers the last word. “Welcome to the first royal mate challenge in thirty years. The victor claims my son, Niklaus, as their mate.” Her eyes harden as she looks down at us. “The rules are simple: you fight until death or the other yields. Take your places.”
Adella bows deeply and moves across to the middle of her half of the arena, her three warriors taking their place behind her. It’s only thanks to Lexi’s explanation yesterday that I’m saved from looking like an idiot.
I turn on my heel and cross the sand until I’m opposite her. Opal slips from my shoulders, stretching as her paws hit sand.
“Ugh, there’s alreadysandin myfur.”Her tone couldn’t sound any more unimpressed if she tried.“Stupid fish people and their damned sand.”
“Save it for the sirens who are going to try to kill us,” I mutter.
Adella and her warriors are carrying long spears; the serrated ends are wicked sharp and glint in the sunlight. If I get anywhere close to those, I’m dead.
Of course, staying away doesn’t guarantee my safety. They’re sirens for a reason.
Every time they open their mouths is a chance for them to hurt me. No earplugs in the world will stand up against the raw power of a siren’s voice, so I’m going to have to get creative.
“Begin.”
The sirens drop their stance, spears lowering in a choreographed movement that screams years of warrior training. As one, they press forward, battling the give of the sand beneath their feet.
I don’t move. Waiting.
When they cross the invisible line that marks the centre of the Arena, I react.
I’ve got six blades on me. Each one is no more than a throwing knife. Tiny. Insignificant.
Unless they happen to be pressed against a major organ or vein.
The sigils on my arms burn as I pull magic from Opal. The six blades strapped across my thighs lift from their sheaths in a glow of silver magic that brings an eerie hush to the crowd.
None of them have seen a witch in years. The sirens are so isolated that they have no idea what I can do.
That’s their mistake.
With a flick of my wrists, six streaks of silver fly across the sand. My sigils ensure my aim is perfect. Each one finding their target.
