Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121339 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
“And you kill with this gift.”
He called it a gift. That was good news. “Yes, when I need to. That predator was—”
“And you trap spirits with this gift.” It noticed Mia and John. Frank must’ve taken off running.
“They are not trapped, as you must know. They—”
“They are mine for safekeeping.” It ripped their souls from the lands, tucking them deeply into the veil behind it.
“No!” She stood, reaching out to them. “This isn’t their home. That isn’t where they belong.”
“You should’ve thought of that when you brought them into this realm.”
She breathed heavily, feeling its power. Its resolve. She didn’t have the ability to go through it. She’d have to wait until it was distracted and go around, sneak in and grab Mia and John when it wasn’t paying attention.
The being smiled for the first time. It took on a male vibe. “You care for them. That is good. I will look forward to this warfare you plan. Now go. Stop disturbing my domain.”
“But I need—”
The veil closed, trapping Mia and John within it. Emotion welled up. Lexi was worried on their behalf, frustrated she couldn’t do more. But she hadn’t felt fear within that domain. She hadn’t seen anything to make her think that god abused the souls it collected. They’d be okay until Lexi could get them back.
And she would get them back. First, she had to get the living. She had to get Daisy. And now, she couldn’t use spirit to check on her. They were flying blind.
28
Daisy
Murmured voices tore Daisy away from her thoughts. She had spent hours sitting on the cold floor, without food or water. Without a bathroom. Thankfully she didn’t have to go, but others weren’t so lucky. The healers had come and gone, most of them barely keeping an eye on their charges. Most of those chained weren’t held in high esteem, and the healers didn’t want to trouble themselves.
Faelynn sat quietly, not talking to anyone. Her gaze was never far from Daisy.
A door opened at the side. Wheels squealed as they rolled along the tracks. Darkness waited beyond, occasionally interrupted by a wavering voice in the distance. A singer, perhaps.
They are getting ready to bring out the first champions, Daisy heard. Tarian, mentally speaking through the magical knife. Each of you will compete against a prisoner. The fight is to the death.
A stocky female walked through the wide doorway. She unrolled a scroll and looked around, spying a male at the edges and pointing. Two guards stepped forward from the walls to grab him, and a healer stood from the tables. She then chose another. They’d go first.
After that, in various increments of time, a dozen others followed. Only half of them returned. Of those, only three hadn’t been gruesomely injured.
From his seat, Tarian had a great view of the fighting arena. He played for her what he saw, allowing her to get a glimpse no one else would get. It would give her an edge.
It also jangled her nerves. She’d anticipated prisoners like she’d seen in the cells: starved, weak, and frail. Instead, muscled mammoths swung huge arms as they walked onto the floor, teeth missing and gums black. Full of rage and hate and fire.
They usually bring the frail and weak prisoners out first, yes, Tarian replied to her observation. The games have never started this viciously before. Serious contenders have been taken down. Nobles are shifting in their seats, either from anger or surprise. I’m not sure what’s going on.
The king had places to be. In the human realm, specifically. He’d been hurrying Tarian and Eldric along to get those chalices set, tested, and ready. They had all they needed. They just had to put them in the right order. The king wouldn’t want this taking up Tarian’s valuable time.
Very likely, Tarian murmured.
They still didn’t have an exit plan. Tarian didn’t have the right information to free himself from his shackles. Their time was running out, especially now, assuming the king was hurrying this along.
“You.”
Daisy looked up, finding herself at the end of the guard’s pointed finger. Her turn.
The butterflies in her belly turned ravenous.
I’ve done this before, she thought as the guards undid her manacles and Faelynn stood from her seat. I’ve trained with huge guys before. Magical guys. Skilled guys. This is not new, and their magic cannot hurt me. I’m fast. I’m agile. I’ve got this.
She took deep breaths as she stood. The guards’ grip on her upper arms was bruising, a warning that she should not try to run. No one had. Not yet.
She siphoned off a little magic from them for no other reason than to give her something to focus on. They tensed but didn’t otherwise react. It was, honestly, a perfect magic for her, rooted in thievery. As morally gray as a magic could be.