Page 5 of Insanium
Hael added with his usual nonchalance, “I heard voices.”
“Ah, like I did. Sorta,” I mused, hands resting on my hips as I scanned the ornate room, pondering who else might be arriving. Just as the thought crossed my mind, the heavy doors swung open once more, revealing a figure who was comparable to every imaginable sin on two legs.
Eryx Draven.
He was like a storm personified—dark, dangerous, and irresistibly captivating. Tall and commanding, he moved with a predatory grace that held a hint of danger. His piercing gaze swept the room, missing nothing, his sharp eyes assessing each of us in a heartbeat. Then, that almost devilish grin flashed across his features as his attention fixed on Kristy and her entourage, who were soon to be corpses. At least, in my humble opinion. Seeing him again, especially here amid this elaborate charade, had a surge of excitement tinged with a healthy doseof suspicion coursing through my veins as I observed him navigating the room.
Eryx was no ordinary participant; he was the wild card; the joker whose very presence was one big question mark. Many made the mistake of chalkingJudiciumup as just a fun game of survival that would lead to bigger and better opportunities. In truth, it was so much more than that. It was a complex tango of deceit, alliances, and backstabbing. Charon’s advice had been pretty spot on, as expected of my big brother. The room was thick with potential betrayers, individuals whose loyalties were dictated not by friendship but by family directives.
It was no secret that within the sprawling web of the Infernal Syndicate, fractures were emerging.
I knew all too well that the power struggle could turn savage in a heartbeat. It was crucial to pick your side and get your hands bloody to ensure it won.
As Eryx reached Kristy, the room suddenly plunged into darkness, the overhead lights snapping off to leave only a sinister glow from the floor lighting. The dramatic shift couldn’t have been more perfectly timed, adding an element of theatrical suspense that I couldn’t help but appreciate.
“I think he was our final contestant,” Aisha murmured next to me, her voice carrying a hint of excitement that echoed my own penchant for dramatics.
One of the metal grates began to rise, and three striking figures stepped into the room. Each was decked out like a ringleader of a particularly wicked circus, radiating an aura of eerie command. But it was their masks that really drew my eye, a different animal guise. One wore the fierce, predatory mask of a wolf; another, the cunning face of a fox. The third bore the stoic, unyielding expression of a bear. I straightened up, fixing them with a keen gaze, feeling a thrill of wild anticipation curling in my gut.
The white fox gave us a slow, deliberate wave, his mask etched in a sly grin. With a flourish, he gestured to the wolf, who shook his head and stepped back, passing the focus to the bear with a dismissive wave of his hand. The bear bowed solemnly to his companions, then turned to us. His movements were precise, laden with silent importance as he gestured towards the doorway they had come from.
The message was clear even without words: it was time to move.
Some of the more eager players darted forward. I hung back a moment, placing a gentle hand on Hael and Aisha’s arms. “Hold up a sec,” I whispered, not ready to let them or myself charge ahead blindly. While I usually thrived at the front of the pack, playing it strategically seemed the smarter move this time. “Let’s not rush. For now, it’s smarter to blend into the middle of these flesh sacks.”
“Flesh sacks?” Hael repeated, a smirk playing on his lips.
I shrugged. “Well, isn’t that what we all are? Just a collection of charmingly arranged organic materials, a dash of blood, temporarily animated and wandering around?”
Aisha snickered, giving me a playful nudge. “Only you, Kennedy, could turn existential angst into banter.”
“I suppose when you put it that way, it does add a bit of perspective,” Hael agreed.
I surveyed the motley crew of contestants once more.
More than half had their own strategies for how they planned to advance. I was fairly certain, as was my habit of being right, that everyone here understood the stakes. Yet, I had overheard murmurs that some, let’s say, less judicious families of the Infernal Syndicate had naively thrown their heirs into the fray without a clue of the ordeal awaiting them. They thought it added a thrill and upped what could be earned via the betting system. Clearly, they hadn’t learned from past disasters, one ofwhich had taken Ciaran’s brother, my unfortunate older cousin, out for good. History was poised to repeat that grisly lesson.
Catching sight of Eryx again, I saw he was still with Kristy and a couple of unfamiliar faces who seemed to deliberately hang back with them. I noted it all with a twinge of disappointment.
Kristy wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, but then again, I wasn’t here to judge relationships—even if Eryx’s choice of women seemed as palatable as spoiled milk. I tucked away this nugget of information with all the rest for later use. My gaze then flitted across the room, seeking another particular head of hair.
Right … there!
Raphael was making his way forward with … Darrel?
Fucking. Darrel.
Oh, the fates could jest indeed. How had I overlooked him? A low groan escaped me. Surely, he hadn’t missed my spectacular entrance.
“Shit. I should have mentioned he was here,” Aisha whispered, quickly catching on to my dismay, her voice laced with regret.
“It’s fine. He’s not going to ruin my day. Probably. Hopefully,” I replied, maintaining a veneer of nonchalance.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle him before he has the chance to try anything,” Hael assured me.
“You’d handle my light work?” I questioned him playfully.
He gazed down at me with a serious intensity. “For you, I’d do anything.”
