Page 119 of Immortal Origins
She couldn’t stop.
No matter how badly she wanted to, no matter how much her body protested, she couldn’t stop.
Hand splayed out on the rough wall to help keep her steady, she only tripped over a dead body once.
Wherever she was in the tunnel system seemed to be far away from anything else. The sounds of commotion long gone as she pressed on in silence.
There was no way of knowing how many Trial Champions were left or how much longer the tournament would last. They’d continue until someone won, or they were all dead. Whichever happened first. The latter being the more likely choice in the torture chamber they were all trapped inside.
How long had it been?
An hour? Four hours? Twelve?
This could easily go for days or weeks if the rest of them were still alive.
She hadn’t heard any new screams or voices for a while which left her alone with nothing but her thoughts for company. Thoughts she didn’t want to think, so she focused on one step at a time.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
One step, then the next, until the nightmare was over. That’s all she had to do. Or until something ended it for her.
The tunnels grew shorter, twists and turns coming sooner than they had been. She had to curl around corners and it was becoming increasingly harder to tell where she was.
Her shoulder throbbed and protested, still sore from her fall and having to use it when swinging her sword and combined with the searing pain from Eurus’ bite, it was a miracle she hadn’t collapsed yet.
Ambrose bent around a corner and was greeted by a blood-soaked fighter standing victorious over the body of a fallen one—his sword still buried deep into the chest of his now dead rival. When he heard her coming, he twisted his body around, armor glinting under the firelight.
“Lucky me.” He wiped blood from his face as he stared at her. “It makes it so much easier when they come to me.”
Ambrose wasn’t afraid.
She was pissed.
The knight pulled his sword from the dead man’s chest and squared his stance to face her.
A charge settled under her skin, nipping at her to release it.
She wasn’t in the mood to keep playing this deadly game, and she definitely wasn’t in the mood to deal with a blood-thirsty Trial Champion.
“Get out of my way,” she said coldly, the charge inside her burning her skin as it filled her bones.
“You think you can talk to me like that?” he sneered. “You’re a servant.”
Was.
She’d show them all what she’d become.
The servant who just couldn’t handle her place was long gone.
Somethingfardeadlier had replaced her.
And she was ready to embrace it.
He wasn’t much taller than her. Wearing what appeared to be every piece of armor he owned—an arrogant choice. His movements were restricted in the stone passage. She couldn’t help but think how much of a fool he was to come down there with such protections. They’d only be useful when it came to hand-to-hand combat, they were pointless against more than half the monsters Ernaline had found. Covered head to toe, though it shielded him, it only hindered his mobility. He must’ve believed he wouldn’t need his speed as long as his protections were strong enough.
“I said—” Ambrose let the charge inside her grow, let it churn as she felt the pressure build and pointed a finger at the warrior. Purple-white lightning exploded inside of him. His body convulsed as the metal cage he wore carried that lightning to every part of his body. Bloody saliva foamed from his mouth and nose as his eyes rolled back and his body slumped to the ground, skin singed and smoking. “Get out of my way.”
She refused to die.
