Page 58 of To Dwell in Shadows
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He threaded his fingers through hers. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
King Asmodeus stamped his hooves excitedly before continuing. “As you know, I am searching for someone very special, and tonight marks the beginning of a series of challenges. Trials of skill, cunning, and brutality—all carried out to find the demon most worthy of serving this realm…” He paused dramatically. “As my champion!”
The stadium erupted in a chaotic roar. Sam wondered what favors they assumed the king’s champion would receive. Riches, certainly, but the promise of power was more alluring. The demons of Greed were visibly salivating, and several demons of Pride had already began to preen.
Asmodeus raised his palm to the darkening sky in a beckoning motion. “Now, I summon all who hunger for my favor to step forward. For tonight, at this moment, the Infernal Combat Trial begins!”
“They’re really doing this now?” Selene squeaked. “Do you have to?”
“I’ll be fine,” Sam said, cupping her face to kiss her. “You forget I once spent every day battling for survival. This will be easy for me.”
He motioned to Queen Thema, who sat near Lamia, a few seats away. “Will you sit with her?”
“Of course,” Queen Thema said, sliding across the rock to link arms with Selene. “Don’t be nervous, dear girl. How glorious to watch your beloved dominate all the other demons! Let us cheer him on—hurrah!”
Sam joined the other demons descending the terraces to gather in the center of the arena. His strategy for this trial was to surreptitiously observe any demons who stood out to him—while fighting for his own self-preservation, of course. He knew the price might be a few bruises, maybe even some broken bones, but securing his future with Selene in Snowmelt was worth every bit of pain.
Ghar, who had traded his usual master of ceremonies duties to administer the trials, stood waiting on one side of the stadium. He drew a line in the gravel with a long, sharpened bone.
“May all who wish to compete stand behind this line.”
The demons complied, and Sam sized up the contenders. He estimated hundreds had gathered, mainly hailing from the Legion of Ruin and Legion of Punishment. He studied their faces, searching for some inkling of Dark Sovereign potential, but he saw only expressions of arrogance, bloodlust, or avarice. Some were already jostling for position, elbowing one another or exchanging threats.
When all the competitors had assembled, Ghar addressed them with solemn authority.
“To compete in the next trials, you must heed these rules.” He produced a large hourglass from thin air. “Combat will last as long as it takes for the sand to run from the top of the hourglass to the bottom. Once the last grain falls, any demons who remain standing are declared victors. Any weapons on your person are permitted, excluding fire.”
Ghar signaled his readiness to the king. Asmodeus looked down at the contenders with satisfaction. When he caught Sam’s eye, he winked.
Rearing back on his hoofed feet, Asmodeus shouted, “Begin!”
Chapter 29
Demons began to pile on Sam the moment Asmodeus’s command left his lips, surging toward him in a wave of claws, teeth, and aggression. They came from all sides, each one vying to be the first to draw blood. But this was no surprise. Sam had known from the start that he’d be an obvious target. To the others, he was a pampered prince. An outsider with an unfair advantage and the one most likely to win the king’s favor.
He didn’t flinch. Instead, he drew himself inward, gathering his energy like a snake coiling before the strike. He let the demons believe they were overwhelming him, that he was caving beneath their assault. In truth, he was conserving strength, building power, waiting for the perfect moment.
His movements became smaller, tighter, more deliberate. For a heartbeat, doubt flickered in his mind. What if Selene, watching from the stands, thought he’d already fallen? He pushed the thought aside
Survive the onslaught. Then strike when they least expected it.
A small, spry demon yanked clumps of Sam’s hair with gleeful malice, while another raked his claws down his bare arms, leavingtrails of blood. A demon with a bull-like head was butting him in the stomach while simultaneously kicking at one trying to bind his feet. Each wanted the glory of taking down the lost Prince of Vengeance. But none of them knew what he was capable of.
In Aurelia, he had to temper his strength and restrain his inclinations for violence. But here, there was no reason to hold back.
He let them brutalize him for one second longer, then exploded out of his defensive crouch in a wild burst of aggression. First, he grabbed the demon near his feet by the throat and flung him across the stadium, where his body crashed into a cluster of rocks with a sickeningthud.
Then, he seized the bull-headed demon by the horns. With a flick of his wrists, Sam bent the demon’s horns toward each other at a 90-degree angle. The demon collapsed, letting out a long, guttural low of pain.
The one clutching fistfuls of his hair began chanting a curse, his voice rising in manic glee. Green pustules erupted across Sam’s skin, oozing with dark magick. But Sam wasn’t fazed. He reached up and with a single, punch, shattered the demon’s jaw. The demon’s teeth scattered across ground like broken glass, breaking the curse instantly.
Suddenly, an enormously tall demon grabbed Sam around the middle and hoisted him off the ground. As he hung in the air, Sam quickly scanned the stadium, now a whirlwind of chaos. Bodies of fallen demons lay scattered, while most continued to clash in fierce combat. A moment later, the demon slammed Sam into the ground, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air.
But the demon didn’t realize Sam had long since learned how to soften such impacts. He went limp as his body hit the ground, letting the force disperse through his body.
He sprang back to his feet and in the next instant, the towering demon found himself airborne as Sam wrenchedhimoff his feet, then drove him into the ground. The demon lay there, staring up at the sky in disbelief.
