"The next time this happens, you will be spending more than a month in the cells…" Claire spoke authoritatively, and I watched, arms crossed over my chest, as the man nodded like a lamb before giving a bow and walking out of the circle, his head still bowed in shame, shoulders drooping.Surely, he wouldn't forget the grip of my magic around his balls, or the frightening knowledge that came with the almost disappearance of his shrunken useless penis. Useless, because he wouldn't be productive in using that again; his scrotum was already cursed. My lips twitched faintly. I wasn't as merciful as this Claire I was seeing, who was just as blonde as I remembered her—just as beautiful too.The crowd, however, which should have dispersed with the exit of the man, was yet as tight; they wanted to see what judgment I would collect. The fools. They would soon pay with their lives, their blood, their lands.Isla nudged me furtively as the three ladies approached us, curiosity and gentleness sh
"So what next?" Isla asked me, as we both came out of the hall after the announcements.Around us, fighters familiar with each other greeted with loud laughter and handshakes, while ignoring the others, as if keeping a certain hate alive would help them win their fights. Their camaraderie was loud, but it was selective.Jokers. If Rachel was any right about her facts-finding about the contests, then friends are usually pitted against each other first. It was foolish to show any form of camaraderie, as it would interest the contest managers to test the waters with the comrades, to make the combat more interesting.Before I could answer Isla's question, however, I noticed two ladies approaching us—the only other two females beside us who had been present in the hall. They were bulky, to an extent–probably why I had been a laughing stock, like bulkiness was a ticket to victory.Their footsteps carried a certain intention, their gazes sharp, sizing me up like I was meat tossed into a de
A knock on my door teased my drowsy senses, dragging me from the clutches of the sweet sleep ravaging me. Who dared interrupt my beauty sleep, after I had suffered long minutes to get it?"Sage, are you still sleeping? Get up, sleepy head!"Of course. Who else would have the effrontery? Another person would have dropped in a painful heap on the floor!"Go away, Isla," I commanded, letting myself sink deeper into the wells of dreamless sleep, clutching my pillow tighter.But the bitch kept knocking, like she couldn't hear the threat underlying my command. There was only so much a girl could take."Wake up, Sage…" she sang-sung, knocking in accordance with her cracked music which grated on my nerves. Did she want to lose a tooth?I grunted, cursed out loud, and sat up on the bed, glaring at the shut door, like I could somehow penetrate it and get to my offender. I could, but that's beside the point. Besides, she was my sidekick in this journey of mine."Why are you disturbing me this mo
A woman's despairing cry echoed in my soul, tearing at me, reprimanding me, reminding me that I was back in the godforsaken dream where I had no control over anything. And that I was starving for blood.Vampire much? Couldn't I hunger for something else? Maybe water or peppered noodles?The words echoed bitterly in my head, sardonic humor masking the hollow ache swelling in my chest.I burst through the rich layers of soil, into the air, my heart thundering in my ears, my mind screaming. And I landed in a crouch in the midst of dense shrubbery and thick vegetation, taking a slow, careful look around me, not in the least concerned about how I could jump out from the ground.I've never been concerned, and I should be. But I wasn't, and that was scary. What was I doing sleeping beneath the soil like the undead?The night was thick here. Dark, heavy, suffocating. My lungs filled with the scent of damp leaves, of earth clinging to my skin like a second layer. Moonlight filtered faintly t
We saw no one in the wide expanse of land, though it stretched far and was filled with neatly arranged structures of identical size and shape. At first glance, it gave the impression that Isla and I were the very first fighters to arrive, but I knew better. The others were here, hiding in their chambers, cooling their heels, conserving energy until they were called. This silence wasn't absence; it was strategy.Still, the sight of the field stopped me in my tracks.The place was magnificent in its own way, designed with ruthless practicality but touched with pride. This was no ordinary lodging ground—it had been built to house the flood of visitors who came each year for the combats and contests. The stone paths beneath our boots were laid with precision, smooth and wide enough to allow ten men to walk side by side. They gleamed faintly in the dimming light, polished by countless steps, yet untouched by grime. Whoever built this had ensured it would stand the test of time, unyieldin
"What's this barren existence?" Isla spoke through disgust and contempt, her nose wrinkling as she glared at the land before us. Bare, more than bare—barrenness personified.Although we had come from another area, another angle in the community that allowed the magic of teleportation so our identities remained concealed from the pack, we had still been met with this accursed earth.In the fading sunlight, it looked worse. Lifeless. Hopeless.I pitied the land now really; I could almost hear it groaning, grunting, wishing for an escape from the hands of death and nothingness, decay that clung like rot. "Something the entire pack will be like soon…" I muttered finally, cloaking our voices with magic in case any guard from the pack was loitering about.Isla's eyes dragged from the desolation, landing on me with a flicker of unease. "What happened here though? It's too…""Deathful.""Yes, that." Her lips twisted. "If that's an English word, I think it would best describe this place."She