Page 98 of Forging Darkness

Three Forsaken yank on one end of the cord. Steel jerks back, losing his balance and almost dropping to the ground. Lifting his hands to his throat, he pulls at the rope cutting off his airway as he works to free himself.

With a scream, I rip away from my guards and charge toward the edge of the balcony. The familiar pit opens inside of me and something deep within roarsmine. The new cuff wrapped around my wrist heats, and the gemstone flares bright red. An instant later, a wave of cold air washes not only over me, but through me as well, dousing the burning fire that heralds my transformation.

Wings or not, I’m prepared to plunge over that edge to reach Steel.

I make it a half step away from the drop before I’m tackled to the ground, my face squished against the dusty stones and my body crushed underneath the weight of Forsaken bodies. I squirm to catch a glimpse of Steel. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him fighting wildly in the pit below. He’s abandoned trying to free himself from the noose and is instead attacking Forsaken with his fists and feet. New wounds weep blood, but after only a few short moments, he’s defeated all four of his guards.

A gust of frosty wind picks up the red ends of my hair and tosses it everywhere as I’m yanked to my feet. I’m now restrained by four sets of hands instead of two. Seraphim steps in front of me, blocking my view of what is going on below.

She grasps a tendril of my wind-blown hair between her thumb and forefinger. Her eyes track down my body and back up again, noting every smudge and tear. Annoyance flares in her eyes, and I’m glad her pristine little vessel is dirtied.

With a flick of her wrist, she directs the guards to haul me to the side.

Craning my neck, I catch a new group of Forsaken closing in on Steel. They stop several body lengths away from him. After discarding the noose, he rolls his shoulders, readying himself for another battle. The Forsaken in the arena have their heads turned in our direction, and the crowd has quieted.

“Unleash him,” Seraphim orders.

Steel’s gaze snaps to her when she issues the command. A single Forsaken inches forward, and Steel’s attention is drawn back to the enemies circling him. The Forsaken moves steadily forward with her hands up in front in the universal sign for “I mean no harm.” I don’t trust her, and Steel’s body language says he doesn’t either. Her mouth moves around her elongated fangs, but there’s no way to tell what she’s saying.

I tense as she gets within two feet of Steel, but then he holds out his arm to her.

What is happening?

She removes something from her hip—it looks like a crystal shard—and then with a quick movement slams it into Steel’s wrist, sending red sparks flying. I don’t have time to be alarmed before Steel transforms in a burst of light. My mouth drops open when the brightness dims.

Steel was right; he doesn’t just transform into a cow. Stomping the dusty ground of the pit below is something much more than your ordinary farm animal.

Chapter Thirty

Iwill never make fun of him for this form again. The giant black-haired bull stomping in the arena and ringed by no less than ten Forsaken is terrifying. He’s easily three times the size of a regular bull. His horns stretch a body length in each direction and one of his hooves is the size of a single Forsaken skull.

A cloud of dust rises from where he paws the ground. A few of the Forsaken circling him back up a half-step.

Throwing his head into the air and shaking it, he lets out a bellow that vibrates throughout the arena. The noise rises above the cheers and screams of the Forsaken and Fallen crowd. As the roar tapers off, fire blasts from his muzzle.

I can do nothing but marvel at the spectacle as an unfortunate Forsaken gets charred before my eyes.

Steel dips his head and charges the other Forsaken. Some scatter as others hold their ground. They swipe and claw at Steel as he attacks, bowling over any and everything in his way. He sustains a few injuries, but he’s clearly coming out ahead. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was even enjoying himself.

The coliseum erupts in another round of ear-bleeding shrieks and screams when Steel stomps on one of their defeated comrades. The Forsaken’s guts splatter the ground as Steel moves on to another victim.

A guard tries to sneak up on him, but Steel’s reflexes—even in such a large form—are honed and lethal. With a jerk of his head he spears the Forsaken with a horn through his belly, lifting him off his feet. With a shake, the Forsaken is flung free of Steel’s horn. He slams into the arena wall and slumps onto the ground. It’s doubtful that killed the monster, but he’s at least knocked clean out.

Why in the world has Steel never transformed into this tank of an animal before? The Forsaken are no match for his size and strength, and he picks them off one by one with hardly any injuries to himself.

When at last all of the Forsaken in the arena are either dead or knocked out, another burst of light overtakes his body and he transforms into an eagle. With a powerful downstroke he’s airborne and torpedoing toward me.

For the first time in the last day, hope balloons in my chest. We may just make it out of this mess alive.

It’s time to fully unleash the energy I’ve been conserving, and with a series of quick movements, I maneuver out of my captors’ hold. It only takes a few seconds to deliver jabs and kicks to sensitive parts of their bodies and rip out of their loosened grips.

I’m primed for the short run off the edge—confident Steel will catch me and fly us away from this nightmare—when he crests the top of the balcony. He beats his wings and the flimsy canopy shakes with the force of the displaced air.

I don’t have time to be impressed; I need to get moving, STAT. Muscles fire as I sprint and launch myself off the edge and into the air, swan diving toward the arena floor below.

Coming up behind me, Steel’s talons curl around my biceps. He swoops down to cushion my fall—turning what could have been a jarring impact into a shallow swing. I hang awkwardly from his grasp, but if this is what it takes to escape, I’ll endure it.

Steel flaps his mighty wings twice and veers away from the balcony. The Forsaken and Fallen filling the coliseum are a blur as we bank left and gain altitude.

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