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Caryn wore a look Onnika had rarely ever seen outside of a mirror. It was equal parts certainty, determination, and stubborn righteousness. “We won’t make it in time without these vouchers.”
Another shudder ran through her. The idea of Caryn’s life forever doused made her want to scream at the universe.
Echoing her thoughts, violent roars sounded from outside, horrendous, screeching sounds that vibrated throughout the room.Aidan. And probably Lear. Caryn bit her lip, and Onnika got the sense she was more worried about their reprimand than she was of losing her own life. Onnika scanned Caryn’s intentions and found there was no way she could talk Caryn out of doing this. Still… “They’ll bring this building down before we ever finish.” Aidan was probably going insane. Empathy and guilt stormed her system. So much for staying out of trouble.
“Then we’d better hurry.” Caryn tossed away what looked like a white handkerchief. As it fluttered through the air, time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Onnika watched the fabric parachute down, down, down, and barely kiss a tile piece before it was incinerated by another fountain of flames. She looked at her sister, awestruck. “What did you just do?”
“I’m finally trusting myself.”
Onnika studied her for a long moment. She almost appeared taller. Leaner. And though the evidence of poison hovered around the creases of her face, there was a newfound confidence there, too. “All right. Tell me what to do.”
Roaring with frustration, Aidan hammered the barrier with his claw-tipped paws, gnawed at it with his razor-sharp fangs, blasted hot molten flame at it from deep within his belly. Rage and terror had overtaken every cell in his dragon form, making him wild in his panic.
Yet The Gauntlet barely had a scratch.
The roof was an impenetrable force field. The metal casing was some kind of indestructible alloy. Even the glass that ran along the sides, revealing small rooms to onlookers, would not shatter. Likely it was protected by the same force field as the top.
Lear dove from his perch on the seventh floor, joining him in his desperation to tear open the structure with claws and teeth and fire, slithering along the surface, seeing a way to breech it. His desolate roar cut through the air, mirroring the wretched pain in Aidan’s heart. They were not strong enough. He felt hopeless and helpless. Impotent.
Even Asher was gaining no headway, slamming those iron-hard fists of his into the slab of stone that covered the doorway over and over, a war cry ripping through his lungs each time. Aidan knew the mighty power in those fists, had seen him render boulders to dust in a matter of minutes, knew he could wallop a bloody dragon into unconsciousness with a single blow. He always had to temper his strength, being scrupulously careful to keep constant control lest he shake a man’s hand and grind the bones to dust, or open a door and pull the handle clean off. He’d once confided in Aidan, over many, many strong drinks, how he sometimes feared his own strength.
And now all that aggression was being aimed at The Gauntlet’s impervious outer shell.
Still, the structure held.
From his position, Aidan could see through the clear surface to the vestibule where Onnika and Caryn stood, both tediously studying a tiled floor. With the racket he, Lear, and Asher were making, they had only glanced around a couple of times and looked up once, giving him the impression that they could neither hear—at least not very well—what was going on outside, nor could they see through the protected ceiling. They couldn’t see the utter madness clawing at the brains of the three frantic males desperate to save them.
Why had they entered this infernal device? What would drive them to such madness? Aidan knew the answer. Onnika would do anything to save Caryn. She would die for her if need be, even if it meant leaving him behind in tatters. More than ever, he cursed himself for not trusting Onnika sooner. For not protecting her from Tag in the first place. He put the blame on himself and let the pain of his failure slice through him like an icepick through the chest. If either of them died, Aidan would forever carry the sin as his own. Another black spot on his soul that could never be washed away.
That is, if he could bring himself to go on living at all.
While they grappled to reach the girls, flying contraptions approached, surrounding them. Some were undoubtedly cameras, while others were meant for defense, simultaneously blasting Lear, Asher, and Aidan with explosive force. But this ammunition was not made for the likes of them, with their thick skin and hard, scaly armor. Each blast was an insect’s bite. A nuisance…at first. Hidden compartments along the perimeter of the arena slid open, and from those dark, hidden depths, larger machines rolled in, cannon-like and bloodthirsty.
Aidan felt the first blast on his hindquarters. It knocked him sideways. The second landed on his vulnerable gut, punching the wind out of him and burning a black mark onto his belly. Lear was bombarded next, and an agonized wail thundered out of him. When Asher was hit, the force flung his body up against the door he’d been battering only moments ago. Aidan thought he spotted a crack in the slab, but before he could take a closer look, another blast caught him in the jaw. Sparks raided his vision. He shook his head, and then narrowed his gaze on the offending machines, no doubt controlled by some underpaid lackey who was finally seeing a little action.
Letting loose a prolonged, prehistoric growl, Lear crawled up beside Aidan, eyes flashing death. Asher slowly stood, turned toward their faceless attackers, and then cracked his knuckles. They made quick work of the offending machines, tearing them apart with a base rage that had no other outlet. Ripped wires, metal hinges, and splatters of oil made up the remains of their carcasses.
Everyone had evacuated to the higher floors of the arena, feverishly watching the gruesome scene play out. Cameras still hovered about, but they weren’t a threat.
Desperate to see what was happening within The Gauntlet, Aidan returned to his position atop it and could only observe as Onnika stepped forward onto a sinister square tile that began to glow the moment it felt the pressure of her weight.
