“No one can harm the harphantom!” At his sides, his hands fisted again and again. “That was our deal, and our deal still stands.”
“He’s right,” Tonka announced to one and all, so smug it grated on Blythe’s every nerve. “Our deal still stands. His female is a combatant, plain and simple. As he agreed, he cannot interfere with the outcome of the tournament in any way, shape, or form. In the ring, you may do whatever you wish to the phantom.”
Yeah. Exactly what Blythe had figured.
She rolled back her shoulders, denying the urge to rub the ruby entrenched so firmly at the base of her throat. No doubt the wraith planned to drain her the second the battle began.
“Today is a free-for-all,” the harpy continued, again speaking to the masses. “When the horn blows, you’ll have ten minutes to take out as many of your competitors as possible.”
Every other combatant focused on Blythe, target number one.
Determination stiffened her spine and aggression filled her wings. “Bring it,” she snapped. Somehow, some way, she would survive this. Then oversee her vengeance as planned.
No other option was acceptable.
16
THE PROBLEM
The horn blasted, echoing from the cavern’s rocky walls. Roux reeled. Blythe had been drafted into the battle. She must fight to the death to become Ation’s queen. As soon as she wore that cursed crown, Roux must kill her.
Horror deluged him.
The battle whipped into a swift frenzy, and there was no way to stop it. A ten-minute countdown had commenced.
As hundreds of immortals converged on each other, a good percentage of them aimed their menace at a stalwart Blythe. He returned to the dais. At the edge of the dais, he drove his claws into a stone pillar.Will not flash down there. But I want to. But I won’t.
The harphantom disappeared in the masses. Dead bodies piled around her. Strain coiled through Roux. The escaped prisoner screamed in his head. Easy to ignore. He didn’t care who the escapee was or why the being reacted to Blythe and only Blythe. Roux cared only about the harpy’s survival and well-being.Will not flash.
“I told you this would happen, Astra, and I never, ever lie.” The recognizable feminine voice sent a tide of fury crashing down his spine. Penelope the wraith appeared at his side. “Well, except for the times I do, in fact, lie. But only then, I promise.”
“You did this to her,” he snarled, never turning from the fray.
“Oh, I did indeed. Quite well, actually.” How smug the wraith sounded. “Thank you for noticing.”
Nine minutes, five seconds remained. Swords swung. Whips lashed. Spears flew—along with body parts. Streams of scarlet sprayed and flowed. Grunts, groans, and curses filled the death-scented air. The injured and the dead toppled in every direction.
Roux leaned forward, attempting to get a closer look.Come on, come on.How was Blythe? If she were harmed...
The screaming grew louder.
“Why so glum?” Penelope simmered, as if she felt sorry for him. “I did warn you that I would strike, and you all but demanded I do my worst.”
Where was Blythe?
The wraith floated in front of him, blocking his view. “If you haven’t guessed, I’m draining your female this very second. Who knows how long she’ll last out there? Oh, that’s right. I do. I know. The answer is not much longer.”
How he wished to choke the life from this spectral being. How he wished to think! But the screams. Images of Blythe being bombarded with injuries assailed him. In these flashes, he saw open wounds. Missing limbs. Hemorrhaging organs.
Not knowing what else to do, he focused on Penelope and gritted out, “You want your meals. Very well. I’ll provide them. Now cease draining her.”
With a satisfied grin, she returned to his side. “Question. How can you provide me with two hundred meals when nearly everyone in this realm is scheduled to die within the next ten days?”
Eight minutes. “Before, you expected only one hundred meals.” Was that a head of sleek black hair he spied, rising from beneath two of the fallen? Yes! Though unsteady, Blythe made it to her feet with someone else’s daggers in hand.
“The price is double for my trouble, darling. You know how it goes. Inflation, and all that.”
Roux winced as a gorgon plowed into Blythe. The gorgon’s hair-snakes sank their fangs into the harphantom’s face. Despite her weakness, she managed to work a dagger between their bodies and gut her opponent. But her wobbling worsened when she climbed to her feet. Compliments of an opponent’s venom?