Page 99 of The Mating Games

I always feared that the Malquarans might change the rules once more and condemn me to the eternal black that I so clearly sought.

And my life would be over.

But the monster, breathing heavily from its recent fight and pursuing me, left me no choice.

The beast’s footsteps pounded toward me, its shadow looming ever larger.

Drawing in a deep breath, I sprinted toward the edge and flung myself over it.

The ground beneath my feet disappeared.

The sensation was both terrifying and exhilarating.

The wind whipped past me, tousling my hair and causing tears to form in my eyes.

For a fleeting moment, it felt like freedom.

That was until a rough hand wrapped around my ankle.

Panic welled up, replacing the fleeting sensation of freedom with terror.

I was caught!

Looking up, I saw the beast’s sinister face, eyes wild with conviction.

It had reached out for me, snatching me from the air.

It now held onto me with one arm while clutching onto the side of the arena with the other.

The monster’s grip was strong, but its hold on the ledge was slipping.

The weight of our combined bodies pulled at it, straining its hold on the arena’s edge.

Frantic thoughts whirled in my mind.

How could I free myself?

The cold, hard reality was that if the beast fell, it was taking me with it.

My eyes darted around, desperately searching for something I could use to leverage against it.

As I kicked and flailed, my hand brushed against a sharp piece of metal lodged in my belt — a fragment from the pod I’d fashioned earlier.

Desperation gave me strength.

I gripped it tightly and drove the shard into the creature’s hand.

The beast howled in pain, but its grip on me remained vice-like.

I jabbed again, harder, and felt the creature’s grasp on me loosen just a bit.

The monster’s roar of agony reverberated around us.

Using all the strength I could muster, I kicked up, driving my heel into its face.

I felt its fingers slip off my ankle, and for a heart-stopping moment, I was free, weightless in the void.

But that sensation was short-lived.

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