CHAPTER 16
“A huntress shall be a true born killer. The huntress shall have no fear. The huntress shall have a heart of stone, forbidding her to love.” - Book of Azure
I CAUTIOUSLY TAKE A STEP and the narrow bridge of a gleaming, onyx metal awaits me, stretching as far as I can see.
With each step, my boot thuds against it, echoing in the silence as I move across it.
The sun glares down, forcing my eyes into a squint, but I can still make out the burnt-orange gravel scattered beneath the bridge like a fiery carpet.
Straight ahead, the fifty-seven other men stand in rows, their chests thrusting forward with pride and their hands clasped tightly behind their backs, all facing… the damn Queen.
My boot grazes the rough edge of the bridge, nearly slipping off, but with a swift move, I regain my balance.
I have no idea how the men with their massive sizes managed to walk this, because I feel as if I could slip off any second.
With my heart racing, I stride forward, counting every step I take as I emerge into the open where thousands of people packed into the arena's wooden stands come into view.
All eyes on me. I am no longer invisible.
With the men, they all cheered. I could hear the roaring of people vibrate throughout the tunnel, but with me, dead silence.
My eyes stare at my boots, watching as my heel touches before my toes while I cautiously step forward.
I fear if I look up towards them as I walk, I will lose balance.
Steel clashes violently against steel, the chains echoing as if a ferocious beast is desperate to escape.
I freeze, holding my breath, my heart pounding as I slowly tilt my neck up to see what awaits me.
That's when my heart plummets down to my feet—two enormous dragons, much larger than the ones in the desert, are directly ahead.
One on each side of the bridge, staring at me with their dark eyes.
Chains are cruelly wrapped around their massive necks and limbs, their mouths clamped shut.
Their wings, a pitiful sight which makes my heart pound with rage, appear to have been savagely slashed thousands of times, leaving them shredded. They will never be able to fly again.
With a shaky hand, I extend my arm toward the golden one, its scales glimmering with a turquoise tint that shines brightly in the sunlight.
I should fear them, yet I don’t. The dragon appears exhausted, its eyes dull and lifeless as it slumps forward.
My fingers reach out to touch its nose. “I am so sorry they did this to you,” I whisper, unsure if a dragon can even understand me.
“Serene.” The woman who announces the names of the contestants speaks through a pearly shell with a large opening for her sound to bellow out like a microphone. “Please continue to move forward.”
My nostrils flare as I lower my hand. I wipe my forehead and sweat smears along my palm as my eyes burn with pure rage. How dare they do this.
I snap my glare towards the Queen, my brows narrowing deep as I take deliberate and powerful strides across the bridge. She sees me as she lifts her chin up, her brows raising as she takes a sip of her drink. But I continue to walk and as I do so, my eyes stay locked on her.
My boots reach the edge of the bridge, and I take the wooden stairs down to the pit.
I land on the rust gravel, dust clouding around me as I walk to my spot.
The lady continues the announcements. Theon is called, and the crowd goes wild.
Flags whip in the air, horns are blown, and the yells I swear reach the angels above.
Theon must be a crowd favorite, more than likely from him being the son of the Queen who rules all of the Realms. Which aggravates the shit out of me, because I should hate him, despise him, yet… I don’t.
I could consider Theon, just thinking of the word tightens my throat, a friend. It's hard to believe how kind and free spirited he is, when his mother is an insane Queen that I want dead. As the sun beats at my skin, Kaine’s name is called and many more after him.
My shoulders ache as I stand in formation, the heat beating against my open wound from the guard who stabbed me.
However I know with time, the pain will fade.
As the sun travels down, creating a golden soft glow across the horizon, I lose count of the men, but I’m pretty sure we are towards the end from the pit being almost completely filled.
I catch the announcer’s eyes widen as she glances towards the Queen, who gives a stern nod for her to continue. She clears her throat. “Koen Fallyn.”
My neck and face begin to burn, my cheeks reddening by the pure rage that is now coursing through my veins. I whip my glare from the Queen over to watch him walk that damn bridge. New plan, stay alive and kill Koen.
His chestnut waves bounce as he walks, the crowd is… silent. Good.
He deserves that silence.
As he walks, he sees me. I mouth out, “You're dead.” And instead of a shrug or a sarcastic move back, he grins, his white teeth biting against his bottom lip as he looks away. His head shakes as if my threat isn’t a damn threat.
But it is. Just wait till we get back in the dormitory.
He arrives on the gravel and makes his way to the back of the row.
“Thank you all for being here for this year's battle games!” The woman applauds, the crowd cheering and roaring, most shouting the name of the hopeful victorian.
“The written way of the last Deskyiara King to keep the Realms at peace! We shall one day become a land where no curse shall haunt us anymore!”
“By this time of the next blue moon, one Realm will have a champion and their Realm will be gifted the Light Stone, breaking the champion’s Realm’s curse for a year!
” she hollers in the shell before raising it up to the sky.
Suddenly, a deafening rush of wind rips through the air, a powerful whoosh that makes the trees that tower behind the arena sway and leaves rustle violently.
Remembrance of the time Florian and I were chased flashes before me, and I panic.
I duck, feeling the rush of wind ripple across my skin and grab at my chest as the man to the right looks at me with a pathetic look.
“I’m fine,” I hiss at him, standing up again.
“The gift of our Light Stone protects the people of Azure, we honor the gift from our Gods by the bloodshed of our games! Only those brave enough join the games and fight for what they believe in! That one day, we shall take down the Wailing Queen and destroy the curses for good!”
I deeply exhale and look to the sky. My eyes widen, taking a step back as a white horse with feather-like wings soars in the sky.
A woman, gowned in a pearly-white dress, rides, yanking the golden reins in her hands before diving near us and then back up to the blue sky.
The men start to part, creating a pathway in the middle.
I pause, glancing nervously from left to right, my mind racing as I try to determine which direction to take.
An arm tugs me, a man with ash-brown twisted hair, braided up top and shaved on the sides, pulls me to the right.
A scar is slashed across his face, turning my insides into knots imagining how he got it.
His firm grip tightens as he pulls me into his body, and a scent of the salty sea radiates off of him.
“Get it together, woman.” He hovers over me, scuffing before releasing me and heading into formation.
I grab my wrist after he lets go, grinding my teeth to not say a word. Red, raw finger marks burn against the beating sun. My body might break but the rage inside me for revenge on Koen, won’t.
The woman and the horse dive down, straight for the pathway we have created.
The horse’s hooves hit against the gravel, creating clouds of red dust, and we cover our eyes as some rocks fly our way.
She elegantly steers the majestic horse, galloping across until she reaches the middle.
She dismounts, dusting her dress and fixing her golden, twisted crown before grabbing the reins to stand in front of the Queen.
My body flinches as a wooden door slams against the metal walls of the arena to the right of us, and everyone’s attention turns toward it.
. Then, Florian walks out. The crowd cheers as he throws his hand up to wave back, his smile radiating off of him but when he sees me, in the front row directly in the middle, he does a double take and his smile fades.
His brows narrow in as he picks up speed, walking swiftly right up to… shit. Me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He grabs my shoulder, scanning my face as if I have been hurt. “Are you okay? Who did this?”
I grab his hand, removing it after seeing the announcer’s furious glare. “Your mother… as well as Koen.” I clear my throat. “You also just made a huge mistake, because now all the men know we know each other. I already have their attention… now I really have it.”
My eyes narrow into slits, my skin burning as heat flushes up my neck.
“I’ll fix this,” he growls. “I’ll get you out. Has anyone hurt you?”
My eyes soften, and I shake my head no but his gaze drops to my arm where the material has been ripped by a blade.
His eyes darken as he meets mine. My heart melts, my body relaxing now that I know he wasn’t a part of this.
He didn’t help throw me in here. His jaw ticks, and I know he is pissed.
But the woman behind him might have him beat.
“Florian?” she speaks, her voice tinged with irritation towards him. “What are you doing?”
He pulls away from me. “Don’t die.”
His boots dig into the gravel as he turns on his heels and reaches his arm out towards her to cup her back as they walk. They arrive in front of the Queen, bowing towards her before standing tall. As I watch them, the corner of my eyes burn. Could he really get me out of this?