Page 149 of Forcing Fate

He glanced at me and shook his head, then pointed to the far side of the pit where Korzak’s towering figure loomed. The behemoth pulled off his tunic and rolled his shoulders. He was a giant, and though he wasn’t weak, he didn’t have the well-defined muscles I’d seen on General Rafe.

Nor did any other man.

Not like I made a study of General Rafe’s muscles.

I blinked away from the mountain of a man and studied the victor in the pit. He stood with his arms raised and the loser collapsed on the ground, passed out cold and covered in blood. I grimaced, disgusted, as others jumped in and hauled his body up. The winner climbed out of the pit and took a bag of coins from a man standing to the side with a piece of parchment.

“I don’t want to–”

General Rafe ignored my protest. “Watch,” he growled, nodding back to the pit.

I followed his gaze and sighed as Korzak leapt into the hole. Landing in a crouch, he stood and trotted over. He jumped up, his head lifting above the ground level, flashing me the goofiest smile. I scoffed as he did it again, thinking he resembled a gopher sticking its head out of a hole. He turned away as another fighter dropped opposite of him. His opponent seemed average, with nothing much to note concerning his physique.

“Watch.” General Rafe was close, his mouth next to my ear as he spoke over the roar of the crowd. “Korzak used to be a poor fighter. He’s too big to fight alongside other men.”

Korzak lumbered toward his opponent.

“He is strong and big, but he doesn’t use that to his advantage. He failed at the simplest tasks.”

In a few moves, Korzak caught a well-timed kick and hefted his opponent in the air. A count was sounded, and the crowd cheered as he set the man back down.

“I taught him to harness his strength and use his head, not just his body. I chose him for my Tennan because he’s different.”

I frowned at General Rafe, and his dark eye met mine. I wondered if this was all a ploy to get me to join.

“Watch.”

Next came one of the men who shared a face. “That’s Blain. He and Dane are inseparable. They’re a pair that can’t be matched. They know what the other is thinking, even while separated.”

“What are they?” I called back over the roars as a much larger man climbed into the pit.

“Twins. Theirs is a kind that shares the soul. They’ll do poorly on a battlefield where they’re used as fodder. They’re more valuable than that.”

“Is that why they look alike?” I asked, watching Dane at the top of the pit, looking bored.

“Aye. Watch.”

Blain and the other man fought. It seemed an even match, but oftentimes Blain deflected a blow from behind when he had no way of seeing it. I peered over at Dane, who had his eyes tracking every movement of his twin’s opponent.

In a few moments, Blain won as well.

“Are you just going to show me how good your men are?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest.

He smirked. “Watch.” He motioned toward the far side again and I saw the thin boy, Collins, strip off his tunic.

“Oh, no,” I moaned.

He was as frail as a twig—even smaller than me, I’d assume. He had no muscle and was barely taller than me.

“Just wait,” General Rafe murmured.

Collins dropped into the pit and rubbed his ankle. The crowd laughed and spat jokes at him. He searched the crowd, locking eyes on General Rafe. He nodded once and straightened. An older, muscular man jumped in. He was far larger and more intimidating. His biceps were as thick as Collins’ waist. He lunged, and Collins dodged.

“I don’t need to tell you about Collins. He was a lot like you.”

I glanced up at General Rafe for a quick moment before looking back at the fight. “But I’m far prettier,” I muttered.

A deep chuckle came from him, and I smiled to myself.

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