Page 61 of This Cruel Fate

Unlike when she’d come to the fights with Atlas, who had stopped at the main gates to open them, Adonis drove around the perimeter of the fencing, the SUV running over dirt. Near the back of the complex, the fencing had been removed, allowing for straightforward access to an old garage that had housed all the vans they’d used to drive around, to and from the city.

There were no more decrepit white vans, but instead, a multitude of cars that ranged in make, model, and price tag. Adonis parked in a reserved parking space, next to a car that rivaled his in expense. Xolia angled her head to get a better look at the car.

“It’s Helen’s,” Adonis said. Xolia tore her gaze away, embarrassed that he’d caught her staring. She didn’t respond, but she did allow herself to grip the corner of Adonis’s elbow a little tighter than normal once they started making their way to the main training center turned fighting ring.

Guards, overly muscled and hulking, stepped aside at the sight of Adonis. “She’s been wondering where you were,” the one on the right said.

“I’m here now,” Adonis answered, tugging Xolia through the open door. Rather than going down the hallway to the locker rooms, Adonis took her into the upper levels of the building. They had been gutted from the classrooms, which once had lined the main arena, to create open space that let in cold drafts of air. Xolia suppressed a chill.

“She’ll be through here,” Adonis said. One classroom had been left intact, with screens and monitors along the walls and a small group of people in the center. Pictures of the fighters with their numbers were lined up, and one of the men sitting on a metal folding chair was inputting information on a spreadsheet. Xolia peered closer through the window. Betting information.

Adonis opened the door, drawing everyone’s attention. Helen stood in the center of the room, her hair swept up into a tightly coiled bun. Dressed in clothes similar to Xolia’s, she looked ready to fight tooth and nail. Two familiar and identical people were conversing silently behind Helen. “Tanzin? Lilith?”

The twins locked eyes with Xolia with unnerving synchronicity. “Xolia,” Tanzin said. He looked much the same as he had during the rebellion, though now his black hair was completely shaved off. He was still thin and willowy like his identical twin sister, Lilith, whose hair was in a cropped bob that ended just below her ears.

They had been under Adonis’s command during the days of the Gornne Administration. Back in the days of the rebellion, the three of them had been inseparable, their friendship forged and strengthened by the constant fear of death. Adonis had never specified what went so wrong between them, and even though she knew their relationship was fraught, it was strange feeling the tension radiating from the three of them. Underneath her grip, he tensed.

“It’s been a long time,” Lilith said, sticking out a limp hand.

Xolia raised her eyebrow, while trying to decide whether the blasé handshake was a blatant sign of disrespect or just who Lilith was as a person. Xolia gripped the woman’s hand and shook. “Lilith. Helen.” Xolia nodded her head in Helen’s direction.

“Xolia Stone.” Helen sucked in through her teeth, a strained smile completed the disingenuine greeting. “How kind of Adonis to bring you tonight.”

“Tonight is going to be historic,” Adonis said. “No one will want to miss it.”

Helen’s smile didn’t falter, but she glanced between the two of them. “Can I steal Adonis from you?” she asked Xolia, grabbing at Adonis’s free arm.

He pulled away from Helen. “Let me escort Xolia to our seats.”

“Tanzin can take her,” Helen said.

“I won’t be long.” Despite the apprehension in the room, Adonis didn’t hide the contempt in his voice.

Xolia winced internally. “It’s fine. It’ll give me time to catch up with Tanzin.” She squeezed Adonis’s arm, trying to convey that everything would turn out alright. If the lingering essence of Sel was in her veins, it would have to turn out alright.

Adonis leaned down and brushed his lips against the shell of her ear. “Be careful. I’ll find you as soon as I’m done” he whispered.

Xolia nodded against him. If she had to immobilize Tanzin, she would. What was one more body in the pursuit of peace? From Xolia’s memory, the twins were at a disadvantage in one-on-one combat without the other to cover their weak spots. As if reminding her of how untrue that statement was, Xolia’s arm burned as her hand continued to repair itself under the tight bindings. She bit back a groan and adjusted the end of her arm in her pocket. “I’ll see you soon,” she said to Adonis and gave a cursory nod to Helen and Lilith.

Separated from Adonis by the thin door, Xolia gestured with her right hand for Tanzin to start walking. “Helen tells me you’ve gotten close to Adonis again,” Tanzin said.

“We got reacquainted with each other at FAR’s annual gala,” Xolia said. “I’m surprised I never ran into you or Lilith at one of them.”

Tanzin shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, well, FAR is not the only party for variants.”

He led Xolia into an elevator, which she was surprised still worked, to lead her to the third level. Xolia figured he was taking her to the room on the top level of the building which overlooked the arena. It was where Silas and other high-ranking and elder variants had supervised the younger generations during their sparring matches. The people who’d watched up there had made the decisions as to who would be grouped together and what assignments they were to receive. As far as seats for high-paying spectators went, it was one of the best places to be.

Having a decent enough memory of the layout, Xolia decided to pry into Tanzin’s loyalties. “You think Helen could lead a better party?”

Tanzin scoffed while they walked through the wide and empty hallway. It looked exactly the same as in Xolia’s memory, but now there were places where the white paint was faded and chipped against the cinder-block walls. “Something needs to change, Xolia. I’m not sure what Adonis has told you, but you’ll want to be on Helen’s side.” He said Adonis’s name like it disgusted him.

Xolia hummed, needing to know what had gone so wrong between them. “What does she know of being a variant?”

“It would help if you had a conversation with her rather than just listening to everyone else.” Tanzin rounded on her, blocking her. “Though I guess you were always better at listening than making your own decisions. Did you hear the news about Silas?”

Shame burned through her. With just a few barbed words, Xolia was transported back to that last day in Krista’s office. It wasn’t fair. She had only been a child during the war, but so had Tanzin, and it he wasn’t like he’d acted with any more autonomy. “I did. And I don’t recall you ever acting on your own orders back then.”

“I didn’t, but I also didn’t act like I was better than everyone else, either. You were always riding Silas’s authority, everyone could see through it.”

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