Page 56 of House of Serpents and Slaves

"Watch the tail!" Antonius shouted as the beast spun with impossible speed. I caught its lashing tail on my shield, the impact jarring my arm to the shoulder. The force of it drove me back two steps, feet sliding in the sand. But before it could press its advantage, Antonius was there, his massive frame barreling into its side, throwing it off balance.

We'd fought together so long we barely needed words. I knew when to duck as his axe swept over my head, knew exactly how to position myself to force the cat into his reach. Through it all, I kept track of Livia. She was working well with her partners, using the tactics we'd practiced. The three of them had one of the cats cornered against the arena wall. I saw her duck under a swipe of its claws, saw her blade flash in the sunlight as she struck at its hamstring.

"Livia's doing well," Antonius said as we pressed our attack. I grunted, trying not to sound bothered, but my heart swelled with pride. She was doing well. I focused on my own attack. One, two, three strikes - each one probing for weakness. The fourth foundit, my blade sliding between its ribs while Antonius's axe caught it in the throat. But these beasts didn't die easily. It caught my leg as it fell, claws tearing through leather and flesh.

Pain shot up my thigh. I stumbled, but Antonius's strong hand caught my arm, keeping me upright. Blood soaked my leg wrappings, but there was no time to assess the damage. The dying cat's screech had drawn its mate's attention. The second beast turned from where it had been harassing Marcus's group, its metallic eyes fixing on us.

"Just like old times," Antonius said with a grim smile, shifting to compensate for my injured leg. I spat blood from where I'd bitten my cheek and reset my stance. Even wounded, with Antonius beside me, I liked our odds.

The new cat prowled toward us, but a scream split the air before it could attack. My heart stopped.

The scream cut off in a wet gurgle. I spun toward the sound, my heart already knowing what I'd find. The third mirage cat had Rena pinned, its metallic fangs buried deep in her throat. Her eyes were wide with shock, hands clutching uselessly at its massive head as her blood soaked into the sand.

But it was Livia's face that shattered me.

I'd seen that expression before, eleven storms ago, when she'd stood in the ashes of our village. That same raw devastation, that same moment when another piece of her world crumbled. She'd known Rena barely a season, but I'd watched their friendship grow, watched how the older woman had taken Livia under her wing the last couple of weeks, sharing meals and secrets and quiet laughs during training.

Now I watched that friendship die with Rena.

"Livia, don't-" I started, but she was already moving. Rage replaced the shock on her face - not the cold, controlled anger of a seasoned fighter, but the wild fury of someone who'd lost toomuch, too often. She charged the cat with a scream that held all the grief she'd never let herself show.

"Cover me!" Antonius shouted, already running to intercept the second cat before it could take advantage of my distraction. I wanted to run to Livia, to pull her back from her reckless charge, but I couldn't leave Antonius to face two opponents alone. The conflict tore at me as I parried the first cat's renewed attack.

Through the chaos of my own fight, I saw Livia duck under the beast's claws, saw her blade flash again and again, striking wildly at its flanks. She was leaving herself open, forgetting everything we'd taught her about control, about precision. The crowd was roaring - they loved displays of vengeance, of raw emotion. They didn't care that her fury was going to get her killed.

"Livia!" I shouted again, my voice lost in the din. The cat's tail whipped around, barely missing her. She didn't even seem to notice. All I could do was watch, helpless, as she threw herself at the creature that had killed her friend. Watch as tears streaked clean lines through the arena dust on her face. Watch as she fought with the desperate abandon of someone who'd forgotten they were mortal.

The beast that killed Rena was playing with Livia now, taunting her with its inhuman intelligence. Each time she lunged, it danced away, leading her further from the others. I saw what it was doing even if she didn't - separating her, making her vulnerable. My injured leg screamed as I tried to maneuver closer, but the cat Antonius and I fought kept forcing us back.

"Go!" Antonius growled, reading my mind as always. "I'll hold this one!" He swept his axe in a mighty arc, driving our opponent back to give me space.

I broke into a limping run, my heart pounding against my ribs. The cat attacking Livia had stopped retreating. Now it crouched, muscles bunching for the killing leap. Livia was still fighting with blind rage, still not seeing the trap she'd walked into.

I wouldn't make it. I knew I wouldn't make it. But I ran anyway, ignoring the fire in my leg, ignoring everything except the need to reach her.

The cat pounced. Time seemed to slow. I saw Livia's eyes widen as she finally recognized the danger, but it was too late to dodge. Without thinking, I hurled myself forward, slamming into her with my shield. The impact knocked her clear, but left me in her place.

Pain exploded across my back as the beast's weight crashed into me. We went down hard in the sand. Its claws raked for my throat, but I managed to get my shield arm up. Teeth designed to shear through bone crunched into the metal instead. The force of it sent shocks down my arm, but I'd bought myself seconds.

I heard Livia cry out then silence as the cat's tail caught her temple, sending her sprawling unconscious. The sight of her lying still in the sand sent a surge of desperate strength through me. I drove my sword up blindly, feeling it scrape against the beast's ribs.

Then Tarshi was there, his curved blade sweeping in from the side. The cat had to release my shield to dodge, giving me room to roll. We came up together, the half-breed and I, instinctively falling into position to protect Livia's prone form.

No words passed between us. None were needed. Whatever else he was, whatever else he might want, in this moment we had the same purpose. When I went high, he went low. When he drew the cat's attention, I struck at its flanks. We drove it back step by step, our blades probing for weakness.

The opening came when it tried to leap past us toward Livia. My sword caught it in the throat while Tarshi's blade found its heart. It fell between us, those strange metallic eyes dulling to simple glass.

I didn't wait to see it die. I was already turning to Livia, my heart stuttering at how still she lay in the blood-stained sand.Her face was so pale, too pale. Blood trickled from her temple where the beast's tail had struck her.

"Livia!" My hands shook as I checked for breath, for a pulse. Found both, but too weak. Too shallow. "Open the gates!" I roared, gathering her into my arms. Her head lolled against my shoulder, lifeless as a broken doll. "Open them now!"

Behind me, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers - Marcus must have finished the skorpi. I heard him calling Livia's name, his voice tight with fear. But I couldn't wait. Couldn't trust anyone else with her life, not even if it were her own brother.

The gates groaned open and I pushed through before they'd fully risen, nearly running into the guards. They tried to stop me - protocol demanded all fighters remain in the arena until the contest was officially ended. I shouldered past them, snarling like a wild thing.

"Get out of my way or die."

Something in my voice, in my eyes, made them step back. Blood dripped from my wounded leg with each stride, leaving a trail through the torch-lit corridors. Livia's breathing seemed to grow fainter with each step. The weight of her in my arms wasn't nearly as heavy as the terror crushing my chest.

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