Page 67 of A World of Ruins

‘Darius, don’t listen to him!’ I demand, but flames lick their way up his forearms.

As I look up one final time at Aurum, he leans forward in his seat. A smile slices across his vile mouth.

‘One.’ Aurum’s sadistic whisper is aimed at me, and at that moment, the trumpet sounds, setting everything in motion.

CHAPTERTHIRTY

Darius lunges for me and I instinctively slide to the ground, evading his grasp. Twisting onto my back, I see him rise from the sand, and my gaze shifts to my brother.

‘Illias, run!’ I shout, but he remains rooted to the spot. ‘Illias!’

Darius conjures up a fireball, aiming it directly at my head. It misses me as Illias hits him from the side, landing on the ground. My heart is pounding against my chest like a relentless drum as I get up, watching my brother try to help me, but I can see Darius about to overpower him, and I run to them, hearing Darius say to my brother, ‘Get away!’ He’s trying not to fight him, suppressing every bit of puppeteering power Aurum drills into him.

Yanking Illias off Darius by the waist, I tumble backwards. The arena emits a forceful whoop as Darius slowly stands, sand dusting his hair and his eyes fixating on me with deadly intent. Shadows encase him, shrouding him completely before deep claws sink into the ground, and a roar reverberates through the arena. Illias covers his ears, and I catch a glimpse of Aurum leaning back with a sinister grin. He’s loving every second of this.

As I glance back at Darius, hesitation grips me. His dragon form is the epitome of powers I have always thought it to be. And though usually when I have seen his complete dragon shape, he’s given me mischievous looks, played with me and flown across the skies, now he bares his teeth, a groan resonating from hischest. Slit golden eyes lock on to me and Illias, his silver scales gleaming like a full moon. Just then, my heart shatters as a fiery glow illuminates his throat.

I rush to get Illias and myself up just as Darius’s mouth opens wide, unleashing a torrent of searing flames. I’m running with my brother along the arena’s edges as Darius’s flames roar and twist in pursuit.

‘On the other side, there’s a trap door that leads to a cage where everyone is!’ I say to Illias as we slide to a stop once Darius ceases fire, leaving behind a scorched trail on the ground. I can see from the corner of my eyes as Illias looks at me, our legs stretched and bending at the knees, ready to run again at any moment. ‘Try what you can to open it!’

‘Are you crazy?’ he yells over the cheers from the crowd.

‘He’s under control to hurtme,’ I explain, keeping my eyes locked with Darius’s. ‘I can handle him, but if you get in the way, Aurum will use him to hurt you too.’ I finally look at my brother, my voice betraying my outward composure. ‘I can’t let that happen.’

Darius is already turning to me.

The air crackles with smoke and ash. Illias’s eyes glisten with tears just as the ground quivers with another rumble of Darius’s roar.

‘Go!’ I order Illias, slamming my dagger into his hands. He falters, stumbling back before he turns and takes off.

With no weapon in my hand, I glance at where the Elf threw the others. They are at the centre of the arena, but Darius is already charging at me before I can think of it. The gap between his torso and legs looks promising as he gets closer. I slide underneath him, sand and gravel scraping my arms before I escape beneath his tail.

I don’t look back as I sprint towards the few daggers left. I can almost feel them in my reach when Darius intersects, landing in front of me, and I slip onto the hard ground.

I’m gagging and sputtering as sand gets in my mouth, and I groan, trying to stand. It’s a hopeless act because as I twist on my back, Darius’s claws come slamming down on me. They’re so big that none of them slice through me, but the weight of his leg crashes against me, holding me down in place.

‘Darius!’ I shriek, flailing my arms out at each side, trying to escape. I wheeze as I struggle to breathe beneath him, but he doesn’t listen to me call out for him. His eyes are on me, lethal and beautiful at the same time, as he bares those razor-sharp teeth with a growl.

I can hear the distant cries of children, but I can only focus on Darius right now. The hold he has on me won’t let me move an inch except for my arms.

Searching the ground for something, my neck strains and the tendons in my arms ache. The tips of my fingers finally touch the end of a hilt, and though it’s a bit far out of reach, I don’t stop trying to grab it.

There’s a chant from the crowd. ‘Burn her! Burn her!’

I don’t have to look at Darius to know that fiery glow is already rushing up his throat, ready to burn me alive.

I’m squirming, desperation clinging on to the remnants of my chafing breaths.

There’s a yelp.

The blade meets hard skin and bone, making Darius roar in his dragon form. He lifts his leg off me, and I cough, grabbing on to my chest as I try to regain my strength. By the time I’m stumbling on my feet, I turn, and Darius has shifted back into his human form. Blood streams down his arm as he clutches it tightly with the other.

We’re both breathing heavily and audibly as we look at one another. The look he is giving me is devastating enough. He knew he was hurting me, and it hurt him all the same.

A sudden wince from him cuts our stare off as he presses his hands to the sides of his head, and I whip my head back at Aurum. He’s watching us with perverse satisfaction gleaming off his features.

Beside him, Sarilyn’s brows are drawn, her fingers nervously twitching in the air as she rests her elbow on the arm of her chair.

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