Page 45 of The King of Frost and Shadows

My feet tangled underneath me, but I caught myself and remained upright to follow him. He hovered off the ground just enough to pull my arm slightly from my shoulder, and I had to run to keep up with him. Was he purposely trying to injure me and tire me out before the games began?

Mouth drying, I realized I didn’t know much about what would happen. I understood it was prisoner against prisoner, but beyond that, I had no idea how the gauntlet worked. Between the drama of last night and training with Finnian, I hadn’t thought to ask. Now, it was too late.

My side ached, but I couldn’t slow down as Eldrin flew faster. My chest heaved, and my legs struggled to keep up. How the hell was I supposed to survive against Unseelie prisoners who had access to their magic and wings?

We passed the holding cell I’d stayed in the one night and headed deeper into the prison. The stench of feces andpiss filled my nose, and I wanted to gag. Between the exertion, stench, and pain in my side, vomit inched up my throat.

I swallowed it down and ignored the way it lumped in my stomach. I would be enough of a target without throwing up in front of everyone.

The cells came into view. Each had a mattress that looked in better condition than the one I’d had in the holding cell, but that was the only thing that seemed nicer. Rodents ran across the floor, and some sort of odd, furry creature stuck its head from under one of the covers.

Ten feet ahead waited a group of people. Several wore standard guard armor while the rest wore tattered tunics and leather pants, their wings chained so they couldn’t fly.

“Everyone is here!” Eldrin called out, slowing down and shoving me in front of him.

My chest heaved, and sweat dripped down from my brow as everyone focused on me. As if they wouldn’t have figured out who I was on their own, but Eldrin offered me to them like they were dogs and I was their bone.

A familiar growl sounded from the front, and a few of the prisoners moved out of the way as dark fur headed my way.

Nightbane.

A woman with hair the color of dusk tilted her head at me. Her face, like the others here, was streaked with dirt, and her frame was very thin. “Ah, at least a Seelie has to live in our disgusting world for a time. Seems right, especially before she dies.”

“If anyone gets to kill her, it’sme,” a man with pale-blue hair who was close to Finnian’s size boomed. “She’s the reason we all wound up here … why we thought we had no choice but to rebel against King Tavish. We need to rough her up first and get her dirty. She shouldn’t die resembling a princess. Let’s return her looking like one of us.”

The rest of the people cheered in agreement.

If I’d thought the guards held animosity toward me, it was nothing compared to the people I would be fighting against.

I lifted my chin high, refusing to cower. Maybe that was a mistake, but I suspected whichever way I reacted wouldn’t change my fate. I had to survive against hardened prisoners who’d lived rough while I stood here in clean leathers and a shirt, courtesy of the king.

“Is everyone ready?” Eldrin asked.

The guard closest to the door on the left opened it a crack and shut it. “Yes. The stadium is full, and King Tavish and Finnian just took their seats in the front row with Caelan.”

Eldrin chuckled. “Perfect.” Eldrin flew overhead to the front. When he reached the door, he hovered and turned toward us. “The rules are simple. Because we don’t want the spectacle to end quickly, we are keeping your wings and magic bound by your chains. You are not allowed to strike another prisoner until you have claimed a weapon.” He stared at everyone in the group as if to make sure we all understood. “Enter the arena only enough so that you all fit inside. No one should move beyond the entry point until we blow the horn. You’ll have one hour to survive.”

An hour.

That wasn’t as bad as I’d expected, but the length of time didn’t matter. Every single one of them would work together to kill me.

Eldrin landed and opened the door. “Let them enter.” As he walked out, the guards used the hilts of their swordsand their wings to move the prisoners along. From what I could tell, I’d be up against fifty competitors.

Fifty people who wanted me dead more than anything else in their world.

The odds weren’t stacked in my favor.

The group in front of me thinned, and strong arms shoved me forward. I fell, landing on my hands and knees as my body jerked from the impact. Pain exploded through me, and before I could stand back up, someone kicked me in the side.

Nightbane snarled and raced toward me.

“Get up, Seelie trash.” A guard with dark, silver hair chuckled. “Though I do like you at this angle.”

Not wanting him to get any additional ideas, I rolled to the side, ignoring the liquid on the stones. I feared I knew what it was.

As I pushed the awful thought aside, Nightbane rushed past me and leaped.

The guard yelped. “Get off me, mutt.”

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