Chapter 10 #3
Iryana frowned and nodded, noting the large one in Vaneshta’s other hand. It was a three-pronged beast spear that she’d seen in their room last night.
“You’ll want this then.” She handed it over.
Iryana hesitated. This wasn’t one of the brigade’s weapons; it was Vaneshta’s personal spear.
Especially with the way the world was, one didn’t just hand over their weapons like that.
She didn’t want to be in debt to her roommate, but ultimately decided it would be stupid to refuse.
A spear was much better up close than a falchion or bow—especially her bow which was better suited for longer-ranged shooting.
When she took the offered spear, the subtle thrum suggested it was imbued with metal magic. Iryana tested the spear’s weight and found it heavy but well balanced. It was tall enough, had thick crossbars, and the long, leaf-shaped blades looked well honed.
“Thanks, Sena,” she said awkwardly. Vaneshta smiled weakly at her, pushing her shoulder-length hair back nervously.
Iryana turned, realizing the crowd had stopped. They left a path for her to walk toward the front, watching her with humor, bloodlust, or worry in their eyes. Iryana followed, with the distinct feeling of being on display. She tried to ignore the attention, but her skin crawled.
When she made it to the front, she realized what they had stopped for. The pit.
Now that she could see it, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had miscalculated.
The pit was really just a massive hole in the ground.
It looked like they had dismantled a few of the townhouses near the fortress, then deepened the holes that had once been cellars and storage.
There was a wooden walkway around the outside of the pit, and ledges carved or built into the surrounding buildings for spectators.
Fighting a dakya in the open was a death wish; everyone knew that. Any time she took one on, she tried to keep as much distance as she could. Using the forest, relying on her bow; that was how she killed them. Trapped with one in a large, open pit? She was going to die.
The soldiers had mostly filled the various ledges, and there seemed to be far more of them than had been in the barracks. Darish, Antar, and Pyetar stood on a small stage right at the edge of the pit, a perfect viewing spot.
“Shit, shit, shit,” she cursed under her breath. She couldn’t look away from the pit as she tried to come up with a plan.
Darish walked up to the edge with a pile of rope and wooden planks in his arms. With a heave, he tossed it over the edge, a ladder unfurling.
“Right this way.” He gestured grandly.
Iryana realized she was staring at him and snapped herself out of it, sauntering up to the edge like she had no worries in the world. She peered over the edge.
She was so screwed.
It sounded like people were taking bets as Iryana climbed down, her heart running wildly in her chest.
Once on the surprisingly dry dirt ground, she could see there was a wide, sturdy-looking reinforced wooden door on one end of the pit, muted sounds coming from behind it. Thuds and something deeper, like a growl rumbling beneath her feet.
What would Karvek think of this? Would he approve?
Would he be impressed if she survived? She looked up.
Darish was grinning wildly and whispering to Antar, who seemed unaffected.
Pyetar ignored them both, his hands gripping the railing tightly.
His face was a mask she couldn’t see through. Did he want her blood too?
The door in the pit had a pole threaded through the front that seemed able to open it from above.
One of the soldiers leaned over and grasped the top, giving it a big yank.
The door started to open. She heard the groan of metal and saw two others at the top turning a large wheel wrapped in chains.
It looked like the mechanics for opening a portcullis.
She expected fear to flood through her: fear of abandoning her family and what they would face.
But if she died here, at least she’d never lose them.
Anger flooded through her instead. Anger at herself for failing so soon, anger at the soldiers for being so heartless.
Anger at Pyetar for knowing she couldn’t do it.
As the door swung open, she could see a large metal grate behind it being raised. The area behind the grate was thoroughly wrapped in shadow, but she knew what it hid.
The clatter of the ladder being pulled up momentarily distracted her, her hands shaking as she fumbled with the load of weapons on her body. She could hear Darish talking to the crowd, but she couldn’t focus on him. Steeling herself, she turned back to the shadowed cave.
She might be moments from being ripped apart, but she settled into her training.
She jumped up and down, shaking her arms a few times to warm them up.
It was easy now to focus, to ignore the crowd above her.
Iryana drove the spear into the ground a few paces to her left, then pulled the bow off her body and nocked an arrow. Everything seemed to slow down.
Bit by bit, the beast emerged. First came the snout and exposed black teeth, then its strong gray head and black eyes that looked around in confusion. She held her breath waiting for the horns.
Nestled in the waving sky-colored mane was a single set of horns. She let out a sigh of relief. A younger dakya, then.
It slunk into the pit, shoulder blades sinking and rising with each step. Its eyes finally locked with hers.
Iryana waited to draw her bow back fully, hoping for a few more moments to watch the dakya. She slowly stepped to the side to get a better look. It growled, but Iryana could see how bulky the dakya was. It was probably a male, stronger but less agile.
She rocked a little between her feet, tensing her muscles to keep them warm. This was good. Her only advantages in this pit would be her agility and her magic.
Iryana didn’t wait for the beast to attack or give her a better angle.
Aiming right above its nostrils, she quickly drew the bow and released an arrow.
It sank into the dakya’s face, but didn’t penetrate deep enough.
Their skulls were thick, less weak spots than something like a deer or wolf.
As the dakya roared and pounded toward her, she took another shot instead of diving out of the way.
She pushed out her magic at the last moment; the bow cracked and was thrown out of her hands as the beast slammed into her.
Iryana went flying, but the dakii’s teeth and claws didn’t penetrate her shield. She could feel the pressure, though, where it tried to clamp down on her neck.
A cry from the crowd above broke through her concentration.
The moment she hit the ground, Iryana rolled to avoid being pinned down. A cloud of dust spun around her as she leaped up and raced for the spear.
She could hear the beast recovering behind her.
Grabbing the spear and yanking it out of the ground, Iryana spun to face the dakya that was once again tearing after her.
It was strong—too strong for her to get a direct kill shot in.
Taking advantage of its momentum, Iryana dodged out of the way at the last minute, slashing across the front of the dakya’s leg. One cut wouldn’t slow it down, but inky blood slithered down its leg.
Every time the beast charged at her, trying for different angles as if trying to find her weak spot, Iryana thrust with her spear.
She pierced its thick flesh a few times, though shallowly, before it could knock her spear out of the way, forcing her to dodge.
The few times she didn’t dodge quickly enough, her shield kept her whole.
Until the dakya caught her head-on, her skull bashing into the back of her shield too fast for it to adjust. She was airborne, her vision spinning, her stomach clenching with the need to vomit.
Iryana crashed onto the ground, her shield blinking as her head spun. Her shoulder and hip ached where nothing had braced her fall.
She looked up from the blood-stained dirt, arms shaking as she braced herself against the ground.