Chapter 48 Bayn
BAYN
“Wake up!” As frustrated as I was, I restrained myself from slapping the unconscious angel too hard. Hana had knocked the man out when Saldrea had come for Izzy that morning, so he wouldn’t put up a fuss. But she must have stunned him well, since I was having trouble rousing him.
And we didn’t have time for me to linger here.
I’d received the call that my sister was safe as Saldrea had dragged Izzy — by the hair — into the arena.
It was too early, even with a campus wide announcement, barely any crowd had gathered to watch.
But Saldrea had been spooked when the prison called, telling her someone had escaped.
She didn’t know who, not yet, there had been too much chaos at the prison for them to be certain who’d been liberated.
Still, it had infuriated Saldrea, who’d pulled Izzy into the arena to start her deathmatch.
The little shifter the others had wanted me to rescue from Saldrea’s dungeons had been brought to the arena as well, unconscious and well-guarded. I couldn’t get to him, nor Izzy, not without help.
So, I’d slipped away to get this angel. Even with my titan friends we wouldn’t be able to overpower Saldrea’s minions and the guards at the arena. Though how much one little angel would help, I didn’t know. I’d hoped he still had a few friends here on campus to join us.
I slapped him again, harder.
The man roused and groaned. I shook him till his eyes focused on me.
“They’ve taken Izzy. Can you fight?”
Instantly his eyes snapped open. He looked around, frantic, then returned his gaze to me.
“Yes, where is she?”
“In the arena. We need to take out the guards and Saldrea’s cronies. I have four other titans who will aid me. Your friends, the incubi, the dragon, and the nymph are all off campus. Is there anyone else you know who can fight?”
The man blinked as I set him on his feet. I could see him assimilating what I told him.
“A shifter… maybe.”
One shifter?
That was it?
“Call him,” I said as we began to run across campus. As soon as we were out of the admin buildings the angel brought out his wings and flew, calling his shifter friend. I sprinted, enhancing my speed and the two of us reached the arena at about the same time.
An old man met us.
“I know what’s happened, how do you need me to help?” the man asked.
This was the shifter friend? He looked ancient.
We made our way inside and joined up with my friends.
“It’s us seven against Saldrea’s friends and… how many guards?” the angel asked me.
“Ten dragons.”
“Fucking hell,” the shifter swore.
“Heavens!” the angel said at the same time. “And Myel?”
“The shifter? He’s in there too, well-guarded by Golana, behind all the rest.”
More swearing.
Yeah, I didn’t like this either.
“I hope you’re ready for the fight of your life,” I said, heading deeper into the bowels of the arena.
The old man squared his jaw. “If I die so that Izzy can live, so be it!”
Ah… a fanatic. Great. Though perhaps that was what we needed right now.
Someone willing to face death head on, because we didn’t stand a chance.
Still, I’d promised the others I’d fight to free their friends if they liberated my sister and they had.
So, the seven of us marched into the well-guarded marshalling area in the arena.
I had to give credit to that angel and the ancient shifter.
The angel instantly blinded our foes, then rose up on his wings and began a barrage of light rays so intense it seemed to fill the room.
The shifter surprised a dragon and nearly took the big man down with one attack, his half-tiger form quick and agile as he slashed with claws and tore with teeth.
One on one, titan versus dragon wasn’t much of a contest, but two dragons each was a challenge. We all fought with everything we had, but I didn’t think it would be enough.
Cheers erupted from outside, in the arena proper.
I didn’t know how long Izzy — bound by a collar — could last against Saldrea going all out on her.
And if Izzy died, my life was forfeit. Izzy’s grandmother had been clear about that.
I didn’t fear the nymph on her own, but given how savagely those around me fought, I had a feeling Izzy’s allies would indeed tear me apart if I didn’t save her now.
And a part of me didn’t want to let that strange, intoxicating woman perish either. I wanted to know more about her. She defied Saldrea at every turn, even while being tortured. Her strength and determination was unlike anything I’d ever seen.
I had to hope those qualities would keep her alive now, because the foes before us, despite outnumbering us, were digging in to fortify their position.
All they had to do was wait. They had the luxury of time.
We didn’t. We’d taken down three dragons, but that still left seven, not to mention a powerful dwarf, a fiendish sylph, and a nasty undine.
We fought with stone and light, and shifter’s claws, but they matched us move for move with ice and wind, mental attacks, and swirling pools around our heads to drown us, all while dragons blasted fire, safe behind walls of stone.
We titans should have been able to tear down those walls, with five of us earth-wielders to Golana’s one, but with the other attacks on us, it was everything we could do to defend and attack at the same time, distracted enough that Golana could rebuild their defenses quick enough if one of us did manage to tear them down.
And trying to reach past them with my earth magic was useless, the arena floor was protected by a powerful binding to ensure no one outside could help those within.
Izzy was on her own.