Page 119 of A Drop of Anguish
“This is a special event,” an echoey male voice calls from the platform above. “We cannot begin our official game without our final contestant. Your name seems to be incomplete, Candice.”
I flinch.
“Anyone who comes for her will die,” Jarron says, his tone promising violence.
“So,” the voice continues, ignoring Jarron, “we are going to play a preliminary game. Just for fun.”
“Who will win? Who will fight?” a female voice says delightfully. “Who will piss themselves with fright?”
“My money is on the wolf,” a deeper female voice purrs.
Janet inches closer to us, watching the scaled demon holding me warily. Lola is on her shoulder, shivering into Janet’s neck. Are they regretting their life choices yet?
“What is the point?” I spit at the evil fucks standing on that platform. “Why not just kill us and be done with it.”
“You don’t need to give them ideas,” Lola singsongs quietly.
“Entertainment, dear,” one of the female voices say. “Just pure entertainment. You can end it now, though, if you wish.” A contract appears in front of my face, my incomplete name on the dotted line.
Jarron swipes at the parchment with his talons, and it flutters to the floor in jagged pieces. “I’m going to kill you all.”
“Oh good, the Crown Prince of Oriziah has decided to show up.” The male in the center is speaking now, I can tell because his canvas mask puffs out slightly with each word. “What better way to test a future ruler than make him fight for his life. Will he protect himself? Or his chosen? But wait, is she truly his chosen? Or will another sway his affections?” He speaks like this is a reality TV show. It might just be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard.
The others on the platform chuckle.
“The ultimate competition. We cannot wait to see how it all plays out.”
Again, darkness drops over the arena, and an inhuman roar sounds from deeper in the pit.
That was not Jarron.
A screeching sound comes next, almost like a squealing door. I have no idea what that could be. There’s a hissing sound like… like steaming liquid. The cauldron?
“Can you just kill them?” Thompson whispers. I can’t see him in the darkness, but he’s nearby. All my friends are terrified out of their wits and in very real danger, all because of me and my thirst for vengeance.
“There’s a force field,” Jarron answers. “We’d have to break it first. I could do it, but—”
“I’ll protect her,” Thompson answers quickly. “I swear it.”
Jarron pulls in a long breath and looks down. I can’t make out much more than the silhouette of his face and the voids of those eyes so deep they never stop astounding me. I wish I could read those depths, but they are entirely foreign to me. Finally, he nods.
“I need to know who they are,” Jarron whispers. “Their entire worlds will be wiped out by morning if I uncover their identities.”
My eyebrows rise. That sounds a bit extreme, but I also don’t think arguing with him right now is wise.
“Unmask the assholes, survive, get out of here. Got it,” Thompson says.
Shadowy magic explodes from Jarron’s hand and slams into an invisible force just feet from the masked beings. His power crackles and explodes in quick succession, but the beings behind the shield don’t so much as wince. I shift back and find another hard chest. Out of the embrace of one monster and into another.
Thompson doesn’t hold on to me though. He shifts to the side and then transforms into a massive black wolf and crouches in front of me.
Get to the center, that familiar voice whispers to only me.I’ll get you out of here.
Before I can even think through the voice sending me messages about the trap I’ve walked into, light blasts into the clearing so hot it burns. I duck away from the attack.
A swarm of birds screeches above us. They soar up, away from a blast of Jarron’s magic. Thompson leaps at them the moment they come close, but whatever these white squawking birds are, they have magic that can shoot at us from afar. He can’t get them from down here.
Jarron can, though. He alternates shots of magic at the birds and the force field.
