Page 127 of Warrior Revealed

But he didn’t take a drink, just recapped the flask and goaded them forward.

He obviously wants to get close to Aculus. But if he needs the water, he wants to get really close.She tried to tease out how the assassin’s planned to attack her man.

The fucker didn’t seem to be carrying any other weapon besides the disrupters they’d fought for at the beginning of the Trial, which were locked in the stun setting. To kill Aculus it would have to be fired repeatedly at close range, the way the asshole murdered Makissa.

But candidates have to discard their weapons before they can enter the circles.The final fight was hand-to-hand combat.They must have some other plan.She shook her head in frustration.Aculus had the arena and grounds swept for weapons. They must be carrying some other weapon. Something that made it past inspection, like their freaky biological disguise.

“You can forget using those weapons even if that water and disguise get you close. They make you drop your disrupter once you reach the arena,” she commented over her shoulder.

“I’m aware. Close your mouth and move. How far to the blind zone?” The reptile jabbed Costa in the back.

“Just beyond that hill,” Costa snapped.

No, you idiot!

The vile creature fired on Costa, dropping the woman instantly.

“Don’t!” The bastard aimed a disrupter at her when she took a step forward to intervene.

Nadzia closed her eyes as the piece of shit fired repeatedly at Costa’s head. She wasn’t the woman’s biggest fan, and Costa had unwittingly brought this on herself, but she didn’t deserve to die. Her shoulders slumped.

“You seem to know a lot about this Trial and are obviously important to the Osivoire, so you’re still of some use. But if you keep squawking, I’ll change my mind.” The assassin waved his gun uncomfortably close as he growled in her face.

Fuck!She clamped her mouth shut and started walking. For all hersquawkingshe hadn’t learned anything useful.

While dragging Costa’s body, the assassin swiftly herded her into the blind zone. The pace he was moving was tiring and she stumbled several times, nearly falling. No sooner had they passed the hill than the bastard dropped Costa. She cringed seeing Costa discarded in the desiccated wasteland like nothing more than garbage, then something caught her attention.

Feathers. She tilted her head at the smattering of white feathers here and there.They’re Xerocle feathers, and a lot of them.

“Move.” The scaly bastard jabbed her in the back.

She cried as she fell, slamming down on her already skinned knees.

“Get up.” Lizard Lips thrust the disrupter muzzle in her face.

She was exhausted and freaking the fuck out after the harrowing day she’d been through. And clearly suffering from heatstroke, because that was the only explanation for what she did next…

“Get that out of my face, you fucking asshole!” She smacked the disrupter aside as she screamed at the assassin. “I gave you my water and can get you close to Aculus. If that’s not enough then fine, murder me instead of just threatening it because I’m fucking tired of this shit!”

Despite the disguise the menace was apparent in the slimy bastard’s eyes as he again pointed the disrupter in her face.

Maybe I went too far.

Aculus

His comm pinged, but unfortunately he was too preoccupied to look at the message.

Time to finish this fight.

Aculus flipped the candidate onto her stomach, pinned her arm against her back and pressed hard, harder than he wanted.

“Relent. You are not my weakness,” he growled in her ear.

The candidate whimpered. He hated hearing it, but he didn’t let up, he couldn’t. Wisely she raised her hand, signaling capitulation. Instantly he leapt off her, and stepped back. He read the message as the defeated candidate exited the circle while the arena roared.

Unable to locate Nadzia or the candidate she was with, Umerus reported.

His heart raced faster. The drones hadn’t caught sight of Nadzia, and none of the other heathens had reported seeing her either.

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