Page 61 of Shadows of Ruin

Almost twenty additional hopefuls lined up along the rim of the fighting ring, waiting for their turn to duel.

“And finally…” Cassandra waved her hand over the cauldron once more. This time she paused and tilted her head, frowning before she looked at the crowd.

“Illiana Dresden.”

Chapter 18

Lana

My heartbeat thundered in my ears as the sounds of the colosseum faded.

I stared down at Cassandra, who watched me carefully, no expression on her face to indicate what the hell might be going on.

So much for Kade trusting her.

Why? Why would my name be called?

Kade strode forward. “She cannot compete, she?—”

“Silence,” the king commanded. “The magic of our land has spoken.” He grabbed my arm roughly, forcing me to stand, and leaned close, whispering in my ear. “I wonder, would you have an interest in a position as consort now?”

He pulled away, standing in front of me, as he ran his hand up my arm.

“Excuse me?” I snapped, immediately attempting to pull away from him, but he didn’t relent.

“I wouldn’t have my consort compete to be a Guardian, you see,” he said. “Care to save yourself? I’d hate to see such a beautiful face bloodied, or worse—dead.”

I inhaled sharply as a deep-seated rage boiled in my veins. “As you’ve said, the magic of the land has spoken.”

His eyes darkened, the green suddenly changing, transforming into a smoky black. I’d seen that before.

In Kade’s eyes.

I startled, and this time when I stepped back, the king brought his hands down to his side. “I look forward to seeing how long you last.”

My body trembled as I fisted my hands, walking toward the aisles leading me down to the arena. Determined to survive, I hoped I could make it out unscathed.

I wondered what the group of hopefuls would do to become Guardians. Killing a woman who looked like she didn’t belong might not be a far stretch. Little did they know I could fight too.

I held my head high as I walked through the entrance into the arena. A man with a gash all the way down his arm, splitting his black tunic into two long strands, handed me his blade. “With blood may you reign,” he said.

I heard the king’s shout to begin. This fight took place in the same way the initial fight had. A free-for-all.

A blade came toward me, and I blocked it. No sooner did I twirl to meet my attacker than a black tendril came and whipped his sword away, slicing him three times across the chest in such rapid movements, I barely had time to blink.

I whipped my head to the side, but Kade fought his own battle.

Idiot. The king would have no doubts now that I meant more to Kade than he’d originally revealed.

“I can fight my own battles,” I hissed at the tendril as if it was sentient and could fucking understand me.

The tendrils of shadows retreated, shocking me by obeying, as another attacker came forward. I fought, parrying him with greater ease than I’d assumed I’d have to. Many of these men were untrained. I hit him twice in the arm, drawing blood, before he yelped, falling to his knees. Raya stood from a crouched position on the dirty floor.

“I had him,” I said, glaring at her.

“I figured pissing you off would help me pass the time.” She shrugged. “It has.”

Then we were fighting back-to-back. None of the people I battled seemed eager to deliver more than minor injuries. After knocking two more men out of the battle with shallow cuts, my confidence swelled.

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