Page 60 of To Dwell in Shadows
Sam looked up at his savior. It wasn’t a hulking beast, as he’d expected, but a slight, agile demon. Wrapped in head-to-toe leather armor, with a steel helmet crowning his head. A hinged visor bearing an image of a flame concealed his face, making it impossible to tell friend from foe.
Sam tensed, ready to defend himself against a new threat.
But then the figure lifted the visor and Sam’s breath caught.
It was Vanthee.
Strands of blonde hair clung to her sweat- and dirt-smeared face. She grinned, then raised a finger to her lips in a silentshhh. Extending a hand, she helped him to his feet.
“I have many skills,” she said.
“What are you—” Sam began, but blaring horns drowned out his words. Winged demons swooped overhead, blasting trumpets that left trails of fiery sparks across the sky.
Ghar stood beside the king and queen, raising the drained hourglass high. Sam stared, surprised the trial was already over. It felt as though it had barely begun.
King Asmodeus surveyed the stadium. “Cheers to an invigorating first trial! All of you fought bravely, but only those who remain upright will move to the next round. Look around, my contenders—these will be your opponents when we gather again.”
Sam turned, expecting to see Vanthee but she had vanished. Scanning the bloodstained ground, he counted around thirty demons of various shapes and sizes still standing. To his dismay, Drath had managed to pull himself up to his knees, swaying in pain with the hatchet still embedded in his head.
Sam narrowed his eyes, taking mental note of the other survivors. He didn’t know who they were, not yet, but he would. Names, allegiances, power levels, ambitions—he intended to uncover it all.
In the crowd, he spotted Selene clinging to Queen Thema. They both waved. Selene’s smile, so beautiful and full of relief, made some of the anguish Drath had left behind begin to fade.
How lucky he was to have something so precious to fight for.
Chapter 30
Selene sat on the Bloodstone Plateau for nearly an hour after the trial had ended, feeling deeply unsettled. Queen Thema had invited her to join a private post-trial celebration that Lamia had planned, but Selene declined, knowing she wouldn’t be welcome. Besides, the last thing she felt like doing was celebrating.
Although Sam seemed to have come out of the trial with no lasting damage, watching him get pummeled had been sheer torture. She had felt so alone, so out of place, wincing and gasping while everyone else cheered wildly with each punch thrown.
She brushed dirt from her dress, stirred up by the dust rising from the stadium floor. Clusters of demons still remained, some reenacting fights they had seen, others drinking heavily and singing songs of victory.
“Excuse me. You must be Lady Selene, the princess consort,” a deep voice said.
She looked up to see a huge demon with gray-scaled skin, short black hair, and the physique of a professional wrestler looming over her.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“My name is Borias. I’m a Vengeance demon who works in the Sanctum with Prince Samael. I just wanted to introduce myself.”
“Oh, hello Borias. It’s nice to meet you.” She was always guarded when meeting new demons, but Sam had spoken highly of Borias, and his dark eyes seemed kind. He was actually a bit handsome, in a rough-edged, brawler kind of way. “Did you enjoy the trial?”
Borias raised one eyebrow, but the rest of his face remained neutral. “I prefer celebrations that include cake.”
Selene couldn’t help but laugh. “So do I.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“To be honest, I hated it. I’m far too human for games like this, I guess.”
Borias smiled, flashing straight white teeth. “If I may also be honest, I didn’t enjoy it either. There’s a time and place for violence, but it shouldn’t be a qualifier to become the king’s champion.”
“I think you’re in the minority here,” Selene said, gesturing to a pair of demons who were simultaneously choking each other.
Borias rolled his eyes. “Being a demon isn’t just about cruelty. When I was in Gaia, there were many demons who left the Underworld because they’d grown tired of those who reveled in pain.”
“You lived in Gaia? When?”
