Page 103 of Game on Askole

Tihar’s anger rolled across my mind.“What you have done?”

“Me? The bartender started it, and you’re the one letting the floozy feel you up.”Dodging flying chairs, liquor bottles, and fists, I scurried into the cage and quickly shut the door. I watched the carnage. Most of the warriors were moving faster than the eye could follow, and bodies flew every which way.

Detja, Kaylee, Bree, and Zoey joined me.

“Great distraction, huh?”

They all glared at me.

The bartender did a Wile E. Coyote face-plant against the cage and slowly slid down the metal.

“That’s gotta hurt,” Kaylee murmured.

Zoey surveyed the fighting warriors. “I could swear Voss is nearby.”

“I can sense Jaylan too,” Bree said.

Kaylee frowned. “It’d be just my luck they tracked Diar here.”

Fuck. I turned to Detja. “Getting any psychic vibes?”

“The Overlord is in the building.”

“So basically, we’re in a shitload of trouble?”

Detja nodded. “Our mates are very angry.”

Yay, not only did the Ditrim crystals screw up other people’s psychic abilities, they screwed with ours too.

God, I needed a drink. I grabbed a bottle of green liquid and took a cautious taste. I immediately spat it back out. “This shit tastes like turpentine.”

“It is called Akpeteshi or the ‘kill me quick’ drink. After you imbibe it, you want to die. Only the Askole can tolerate it. They consume it to prove their strength and virility,” Detja replied.

The tavern suddenly got way too quiet. I peered over the counter. Unconscious combatants littered the floor. Only six warriors remained standing. One was Tihar, and I’d bet the others were Zarek and his crew. Wonder if they used the same nifty illusion device as the Legionnaires?

Taking a deep breath, I opened the cage door and walked up to the warriors.“This is all my fault. I wanted my life back. If you’re going to punish someone, punish me.”

The air shimmered, and one by one, the warlords and Sariel appeared. The expressions on their faces were terrifying.

Detja popped in next to me.“No, the responsibility is mine. Tihar’s actions dishonored Sarah, and I agreed to help her.”

Tihar loomed over me.“How did I dishonor you?”

“You left me, you jackass.”I punched him in the stomach. Damn, that hurt. Rubbing my throbbing knuckles, I met Tihar’s furious gaze and said,“I thought we had something special until you dumped me on Detja’s doorstep and cut our mental bond. God, did you realize how badly you hurt me?”

“I did it to keep you safe.”

I snorted.“Kissing that floozy kept me safe?”

“My mission was to stop Snoor.”Annoyance filled Tihar’s voice.

“Oh, I got it, you’re a male Mata Hari.”

“Who is this Mata Hari?”

“She was a promiscuous spy who got her information by seducing the enemy.”

Tihar’s tentacles knotted.“I did not have sex with Krila the floozy or anyone else.”

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