Chapter Nine
Nina
My sweaty hands gripped the locket at my throat.
One relic down.
Five to go.
I skirted back to the mouth of the cavern, and left the damned souls behind, physically and in thought. I couldn’t let distractions take hold.
I didn’t find myself in the same corridors as before.
This time, the narrow passage had only one door at the end of it.
I cracked it open and stared into a dark alley, the kind you’d find in a big city, where timber homes leaned together and the wrong sort of people prowled after dark.
I had been familiar with these types of places, once upon a time.
The smell fit the part, too: piss and vomit.
My nose wrinkled. The only difference was the ten inches of water flooding the ground.
Still, I had no choice but to wade through.
After rounding the first corner, I spotted a woman half-concealed in shadow, as if she’d been waiting for me.
I recognised her as the same one I’d seen before facing Dimitri.
Her hair was cut in a sleek bob that framed her angular face, and she wore a sleeveless, green leather tunic that fell into a short, fitted skirt.
Metal spirals decorated her chest, and matching leather bracers wrapped her forearms.
The woman met my gaze, and I cocked a brow at her, ready for whatever came next.
“I’m glad you beat that monster.”
She seemed a little friendlier now. Marginally.
“So, you’re Selene. You’re Dimitri’s Champion.”
“He mentioned me, then.”
The thought of Dimitri and the Domain of Fear closed in – exhaustion, fear, sadness pressing against my chest like a volcano on the verge of eruption. My fingers curled around the golden locket at my neck, and I froze. Tobias had been here, then he wasn’t, and it hadn’t been my brother at all.
This wasn’t the time to spiral, not here, not now.
“What domain are you from?” she asked.
I blinked the sting from my eyes. “Temptation.”
Selene’s eyes widened slightly. Maybe she didn’t know what awaited her beyond Fear. Mother’s mercy, I didn’t either . . .
“So, what do you know about The Cycle?” I said. “And the other demons?”
“Only what Dimitri has told me,” she said with a shrug. “There are six domains and six relics to collect.”
I waited, hoping she’d say more, but the silence stretched awkwardly.
“Anything else?” I pressed.
She scowled. “It’s not for lack of trying if that’s what you’re implying.” Her voice was fierce and full of anger. “There’s no one here to talk to. No allies, no information, nothing but Dimitri’s riddles.” She glared at me before turning away and wading through the water.
None of us Champions knew a great deal, it seemed.
“Wait,” I called after her, the word escaping before I could think better of it.
Selene stopped, her shoulders stiffening. Then she glanced back, her ochre eyes narrowing. “What?”
“Can you show me the way out?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady but firm.
She stared at me, as though battling her own decision whether to help me or not. Then she sighed and said, “Fine.” Her tone made it clear she wasn’t thrilled about it. Without another word, she motioned for me to follow her unhurried steps.
“Did he offer you a bargain?” I asked.
Her jaw tightened. “Yes,” she said finally, her voice clipped.
“They’d rather make bargains with us than have us compete in The Cycle. It doesn’t make sense . . .”
She shrugged. “None of this does.”
It was true . . . and we all had to play the game and claw our way to the top, hoping to get out of Hell, if that was even possible.
We turned a final corner, and the streets opened to the drowned city again, where half-submerged buildings swelled beneath the murky water. The ivory walkway was a few paces away, disappearing behind that shimmering veil.
“The Heart of Hell is through there,” I said. “You can get to the other domains that way.” A little kindness in return for her leading me out.
Her gaze was fixed on the shimmering veil.
“You should be able to go through and come right back.”
“I’d like to test that theory.”
I gave her a slight nod, and we walked along the ivory walkway and through the shimmering veil. Darkness gave way to the Heart of Hell, and I heard Selene’s gasp beside me.
It was impressive. But when I glanced at Selene, she wasn’t looking at the towering arches or the twisting column of fire at the centre. Her gaze was fixed on two figures standing near the fiery pillar.
“Who are they?” she asked, her tone low and guarded.
The pair noticed us almost immediately. A man in his early forties, broad-shouldered, with a hawkish face and a shrewd glint in his eye.
He wore black and red tailored trousers and a matching shirt with laced leather boots.
Beside him stood a woman, a decade his junior, and her smile was all teeth.
Her golden-blonde hair was pinned back, and she wore a gold-threaded cloak with embroidery at the cuffs and hem.
Under the cloak, polished black thigh-high boots and a purple floral waistcoat.
I recognised both their faces from the turning hexagon of portraits in the Betting Hall.
“Other Champions,” I said.
My competitors.
The man scrutinised us as we approached. “Fresh from Fear.”
Selene’s expression hardened, but she didn’t answer.
I nodded. “That’s right.”
“The name’s Ronan,” the man said, his tone clipped.
“And I’m Amabel.” The woman gave us a slight dip of her head, and her smile widened as she stepped closer to Selene.
“Nina,” I offered.
“What’s your name, kitten?”
“Does it matter?” Selene’s voice was low, disinterested.
“Aren’t you both adorable? Let me guess,” Amabel said, her gaze raking over Selene with something close to disdain. “You’re the one who can’t let go of your fear . . .” She glanced at me. “And you’re the one fumbling her way through.”
“We’ve both made it through Fear, so I wouldn’t say we’re fumbling,” I said.
Amabel scowled.
“How about you both?” I asked.
Ronan smirked. “Not yet. We’re sharing information first.”
“What do you know?” Selene pressed.
“Between the pair of us, not much,” he grunted, and folded his arms. He seemed quite the threatening man.
“Surely the demons in your domains have told you something?” Selene said.
“They’ve not told us anything,” Ronan snapped.
Amabel laughed and flashed her teeth. “We’re all scrambling for scraps.”
I gave her a slight nod.
Amabel twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger. “So, what do you all think?” she chirped. “What’s the point of all this?”
Selene gave her a flat look. “The point?”
“Yeah. What’s the meaning behind The Cycle?” Amabel leaned back on her heels, smiling like she was all innocence. “Why a game? Why make us march through each domain chasing after relics?”
Ronan snorted. “They’re demons. Why does there have to be a reason?”
Her grin was sweet, but her eyes swept over each of us, weighing and calculating. There seemed to be more to Amabel than what met the eye.
And she was right. Why pit us against demons who could kill us, then hand us relics when we won? The piece around my neck wasn’t random, reminding me of a past I’d rather forget. It was too authentic to be a coincidence, and too deliberate to mean nothing.
“She’s not wrong,” I said slowly. “I’ve been wondering the same thing.”
Amabel tilted her head again, that glint still in her eyes. “Go on, then. What do you think?”
I hesitated. I shouldn’t tell them. But the words came out anyway, low and certain. “For starters, I think we can die again. Not metaphorical, not poetic. The demons can actually end us, and we’ll be gone. Forever.”
The silence was immediate. Even Ronan’s scowl faltered.
“So it’s not just a game,” Amabel said, voice stripped of its sing-song lilt. “It’s a cull.”
No one argued with her.
“Could be,” I said. “But there could also be a prize. That’s what they’ve told me in Temptation.”
“What kind of prize?” Ronan asked.
“I don’t know.”
We all glanced at one another, the same thought in every face: information was a weapon, and none of us could afford to give away too much. Still, I was again speaking up and trying to help, just like Tobias would’ve pushed me to do.
“Is it just one prize?” Selene asked. “One winner?”
Ronan scowled at us. "If there's only one winner, it's going to be me.”
“You don’t even know what prize you’ll win,” Selene snapped.
He shrugged. “Don’t need to. I’ll find out when I beat you cretins to the finish line.”
With that, he turned and stalked towards the veil of Fear. Amabel followed soon after, her steps quick, but careful to keep her distance from Ronan.
Selene’s eyes tracked them both until they vanished.
“Thanks again,” I told her quietly. “For showing me the way out. I owe you.”
She gave a curt nod, then slipped into Fear as well.