The god’s hands came together in a loud clap, sending shockwaves over us, the world around us morphing. Suddenly, the mountain and castle were gone, and instead, I found myself at the bottom of a large, stone arena, staring up and up and up, the stands stretching as far as the eye could see. Incorporeal figures made of various forms of water and ice filled the seemingly endless stands as I turned around slowly. The echoing booms of their loud cheers and shouts overwhelmed me as I struggled to understand what was going to happen now.
Kaida growled at my side before suddenly disappearing. Panic once more filled my being, leaving me with a racing heart and quickened breaths.
“Sia!”
My heart fluttered at the sound of Theo’s voice. It was so faint, the noises of the fake crowd drowning him out, but I scanned and scanned until I spotted him standing next to the god at the very top of the arena. They stood near a platform thatjutted out beyond the stands, like an observation area that sat directly above a large gate in the arena. His hands and feet were bound with a pulsating energy that reminded me of the ley line itself, glowing a vibrant shade of blue, beating in a rhythm that made it seem alive. I watched as the restraint grew to cover his mouth, forcing itself between his lips and wrapping around to the back of his head.
Wisps of his white hair flew around his head as he thrashed in the constraints.
He seemed unharmed from what I could tell, and relief took root within my chest, growing into a wild, uncontrollable thing when I spotted Kaida next to him. A cage of the same magic trapped him as well.
“Please don’t do anything to risk yourselves,”I begged them both, staring up at them imploringly. I was met with silence in return, the path between our minds feeling severed in some way.
The god strode forward, and a long, billowing cape made of what looked to be blue silk glided behind him, long enough that it reached the floor. For an awful moment, I found myself wishing his legs would get caught in the material, twisting and twisting until he fell and met his end on the stone floor of the arena. He raised a hand, and suddenly all of the spectators quieted, leaving an eerie calm in the noise’s wake.
“The rules of today’s challenge are simple,” he began, but the creaking sound of heaving metal met my ears, pulling my eyes to the iron gate on the arena floor. “If you can defeat the beast, I will give you what you seek and release you.”
What beast was I expected to fight?
“Should the drackya king decide to intervene to protect you once the battle begins, the magic binding him will dissipate, allowing him to come to your rescue.”
Theo stilled at those words, head craning in the god’s direction. Hope fluttered to life in my chest before meeting a premature end. My blood ran cold at the god’s next ones.
“The cost of his intervention will be his dragon. Should the drackya come to your aid, he will forfeit the magic from within him, leaving him a human.”
Chapter Thirty
SIYANA
My breath caughtin my throat, and my hand tightened around the hilt of my sword until my knuckles hurt.
Forfeit his dragon.
Tightness clawed at my throat as the rules played in my head over and over. The undine god being unable to resist a new form of entertainment was what I had taken a bet on. I hadn’t doubted he would pull some sort of trickery, but the stakes of my bet were nothing at all like I could have imagined. The cost was too high, and I was afraid Theo would willingly pay it.
I refused to look at Theo or Kaida, dropping my eyes to the arena floor instead. I couldn’t think of them. They were safe for as long as I had my life and the fight left within my heart. I was thankful now that we couldn’t speak to each other mentally, needing the silence of my mind to carry me through this trial.
I had to do this for them.For us.
Chains rattled as the gate groaned open, the sound of it locking into place echoing through the air. It was as ominous as it was unsettling, sending chills of fear down my spine. I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end as I stared into the dark depths beyond the gate that led from the arena floor.
Acid filled my stomach as the ground began to shake, a tremor running through it to my boots.
Whatever was coming was much larger than myself. I slid a foot back as I fell into a battle-ready stance, shifting my hips to allow my knees to bend and hover slightly forward. Pulling the hilt of my sword between both of my palms, I took a deep breath, trying with all my might to dispel my nerves.
They had no room in this battle. I couldn’t put myself at a disadvantage before the fight even began.
“I am nothing if not fair,” the elemental called out as from the depths of the shadowed hall now, a blood-red dragon’s head emerged, orange eyes burning like their magic had eternal flames in their depths.
My pulse spiked. Was this an ember dragon?
“I created a dragon for you to fight, though I didn’t imbue any extra magic into him. He is a standard ember dragon, with the simple ability to breathe fire. That is his one weapon, as your sword is yours.”
I couldn’t help the snort of incredulity that came from me. This was fair to him? Fascinating.
Perhaps I would have taken that as a compliment, if there wasn’t so much at stake.
I kept my gaze trained on the dragon that had stepped fully into the arena. Bouncing lightly on the balls of my feet, I was prepared to launch myself in any direction to avoid an attack. His large head swung around, slitted eyes taking stock of our surroundings as steam poured from his snout.
