Page 103 of Rune

“Did you find a key?” Trig asked, his words coming fast. It was like walls were closing in around us and we hadn’t much time. If I didn’t think of something fast, my life would end.

But there was no way out of this arena. “I thought I had a key,” I said. I looked to Ve again. He set his jaw. The accusation was in his eyes,and it seared into me. I was heavily aware of the laurel on my head, and how meaningless it was. Unity. Now empty. “But I lost it.” I lost my everything.

This couldn’t be how it ended. I crossed the arena, begging at Odin’s feet. I almost regretting coming nearer, for the hatred in his eye shone clearer, and the hurt in Frigg’s. “Odin, I plead to you. I never set out to deceive you.”

“Did you not? Do you deny you renounced us? Cursed our names in our sacred vineyard? Came into Asgard as a mortal?”

I could deny none of those things. Trig bore witness to me renouncing the gods. Balder bore witness to me eating the sacred grapes and cursing the gods. Everyone else saw me flaunting around Asgard as a mortal. “Search my heart,” I begged him. “I caused no harm. I didn’t know what to believe when I was brought here, but I never once hurt anyone.”

“You didn’t know what to believe? You made me believe you were my granddaughter. I thought I had a piece of my daughter back.” His voice cracked, and I shivered.

Whatever my intent was, I had done harm, in giving them a part of their family then tearing it away. I should have never played that game.

Odin’s voice raised over the arena, commanding all attention to him, and I couldn’t move. From here, I could see how his knuckles whitened.

“My mind is decided. The Champion Games are not finished.” He stood. “Since the three of you mortals,” he said the word as if it were dirty, “are so determined to fight together in the games, you will finish the fight.”

The words fell over us like a deadly promise. I blanched.

Odin shouted our sentence into the night. “As punishment for masquerading as a god, for renouncing us, and for interfering with the games,” he looked to us all at the last part, “you are all sentenced to continue the Champion Games until a sole victor is named. You will share the testimony on Earth of how none can cross the gods and get away with it.”

In response, Tova took the axe from her back and threw it far away until it clattered against the bottom of the wall that held us captive.

Odin chuckled. “However long it takes,” he said as he sat down. “Only one of you is making it out alive.”

ThirtY-ThrEE

I SWUNG TO find Ve. “Please,” I shouted to him. “I didn’t know.”

His cold gaze told me everything.

“I never meant to lie,” I yelled. “I didn’t know what to believe.”

Behind, Tova was pulling at the barred door, but it held fast. Trig was searching the walls. Gods were watching with hands clutching their collars, wide eyed and soaking up every ounce of amusement. We were a show to them. An act to watch.

I paced toward Tova. “We don’t have to do this. They can’t force us to fight.”

“So we stand here forever?” Trig pressed.

I flung myself around to him. “Are you going to throw the first punch?”

“Of course not.” His hands were on his hips and he breathed fast. Sweat formed along his brow. “How do we take them?”

From the look on Ve’s face, I’d lost any allies here. We only had each other.

“I say we fight.”

“All of them?” I opened my arms wide. “We stand zero chance.”

“Then we die fighting! Together!”

I appreciated the sentiment, but I backed up all the same. “That’s not an option.” I crossed to yank on the doors. “None of us are dying tonight.” I would not let my death be a mere amusement for the gods who had turned their back on me, once again. My mind raced as my eyes darted around me, to the weapons we had, to the number of gods around us, and to any way to climb out. Some daggers might support our weight if we could find cracks in the stone. Or use our clothes to tie a rope. We hadn’t the time for any of that.

My gaze snagged on the wooden bars over the vent. It allowed air through to the cages below, the cages that were now empty. The door to the tunnel was locked, but if we could make it into the ventilation…

And we could. Because when Liv and I had trained in this arena before the mortals arrived, I damaged those bars.

They weren’t sealed.

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