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“Did you miss me?”
“What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t think I would abandon you, did you?”
“No.” She glanced toward the dome above their heads. Several minotaurs had crawled onto the magical shield, banging it with their large fists. “But I did hope you wouldn’t be reckless enough to walk into a trap.”
“Oh ye of little faith,” Ryshi chided. “I’m the greatest thief of all time. There is no trap I can’t escape.”
She made a sound of exasperation. “You didn’t escape me.”
“Maybe I didn’t want to.” He flashed a wicked smile even as he heard the sound of a male bellowing over the crowd.
“Guards. Capture him.”
On that command, a dozen minotaurs stepped through the arched openings. All of them wearing thick armor and all of them carrying heavy spears.
“Now what?” Sofie demanded.
“Follow me.” Waiting until the guards had committed to entering the arena, Ryshi turned and raced in the opposite direction. “There’s a weak spot in the shield.”
Ryshi felt a surge of satisfaction as he sensed Sofie just inches behind him. She might not be willing to admit that she trusted him, but her actions spoke louder than any words.
Moving with a speed the minotaurs couldn’t match, they reached the wall that surrounded the arena. Ryshi ignored the heavy double doors and angled toward the small square cut in the thick stone that was covered with an iron grate. A few feet away, he leaped in the air so he could hit the grate with the bottom of his boots. His fey blood was allergic to iron. He didn’t want to touch it with his bare skin.
Crashing into the metal, he felt it bend beneath the impact of his weight, and with an ear-piercing wrench, was knocked out of the brackets that anchored it to the stone. Ryshi soared through the hole, ripping through the thin layer of magic so Sofie could easily follow.
He heard her sound of surprise as they tumbled down a long ramp coated in moss and a slime that Ryshi was trying hard not to notice. The arena had to dispose of blood and gore and bodies between fights. Not all of the carnage made it to the tunnels below. And worse, the ramp ended several feet above the floor, leaving them plummeting through the darkness to hit the ground at a bone-jarring speed.
With an elegance only a vampire could achieve, Sofie rolled to her feet, her dagger held out as she turned in a slow circle. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she took in the barren tunnel with the stained walls and trickle of brackish water that flowed down the center of the paved floor.
“The sewers?”
“It’s no worse than any other area of this place,” Ryshi said, taking the lead as he headed toward the distant light.
“True,” she dryly agreed, wisely keeping a few feet between them. If they were attacked they would both need space to fight.
They walked in silence, both on full alert as they moved through the thick, pungent darkness. The roar of the crowd above them was muffled, but it echoed loud enough to remind them that they were still in danger.
As they came to a side tunnel, Sofie slowed as she caught sight of the lump sprawled in the muck. Ryshi didn’t bother to glance at the guard he’d killed before entering the arena.
“I assume that’s your handiwork,” she said, quickly catching up to his swift pace.
Ryshi grimaced. He was usually more skillful in his kills. He liked to take pride in his work. Whether it was creating the Oasis, stealing rare artifacts, or ending the life of a demon.
“Sloppy, but I was in a hurry.” He waited for her to walk beside him before he continued. “I didn’t realize you would have such an easy time demolishing the gladiators.”
She shrugged. “They shouldn’t have given me back my dagger.”
“It wasn’t just the dagger,” he murmured. “You are a very dangerous female, my love.”
She jerked, as if shocked by his words, then hastily pretended that she was indifferent to the casual endearment.
“Do you have a plan beyond running away?”
“Not really.”
“If the minotaurs are banished to this place, there has to be a gateway to the homeland, right?”
