Page 115 of Moonmarked

That’s all it took—a single moment, and a man was dead.

The crowd shrieked in delight, a rain of golden coins following the impact.

My heart all but broke my ribcage, but I didn’t scream. Couldn’t if I tried.

Two others flanked the giant—both wearing armor, too, the woman silver, the man gold. They darted in opposite directions as if they’d trained to attack the giant together, and they, too, were fast as lightning, their synchronized attacks aimed at the giant’s knees instead of his face.

The giant roared with both heads, though it could have also been laughter. I was too focused on the players to tell the difference.

When he moved, I did see him with perfect clarity, though. He slammed his fists down, cracking obsidian shards in the process, and a shockwave rippled through the arena. The man with the golden armor lost balance and fell. The woman lunged forward—but the giant's foot came down faster, crushing her into the ground.

My God, this wasmadness. I could not look away for a second even though the view made me sick.

The other fae woman was next, holding two knives thatLyall called daggers as she circled the giant in search for an opening. She had a small frame so when she ran through the rubble while the giant fought against a player with a large hammer in his hand, she was almost invisible. She did manage to slash the back of the giant’s leg before he turned and swatted her into the wall like she was a fucking bug. That’s all he did, just swatted her into the wall. Just like that, and she was gone.

But then the guy with the hammer, a brute of a man taller and bigger than Rune, struck the giant on the side of his left head.

Right before my eyes, the giant moved back, lost his footing, and fell on one knee on the shards. One particularly big and sharp shard that he couldn’t break.

Instead, the obsidian went through his thigh.

The way he wailed at the darkening sky. The way the magic that came from the remaining fae who attacked him all at once almost made him fall all the way to the ground.

My eyes moved to Rune—I couldn’t watch. Too much blood. Too many bodies already. Far too much death while the people cheered for more.

I thought now was the time. While the giant was vulnerable, I thought now was the time for Rune to strike, to win, but instead he stayed back, and shadows spun around his legs, shielding them from us. No weapons on him, no nothing.

A moment passed, and the guy with the hammer jumped over a shard with a loud shout and aimed for the top of the giant’s left head.

My eyes closed when the giant moved his arm, and I didn’t see how the fae with the hammer died, only heard the cheering of the crowd when he did. Only found his bodya few feet away with a large shard sticking out of his chest.Dead.

Four bodies lay broken in the Hollow. The crowd was still screaming in glee. Raw energy buzzed like a live wire, and still Rune didn’t move.

The giant made it to his feet again, roaring, both in pain and in triumph. One of the heads let out a booming laugh, while the other snarled.

The other two remaining players wore silver armor and helmets and swords and chains that weren’t going to help them any, but they screamed as they charged for the giant anyway, like they really thought they might stand a chance.

Golden magic attacked the two heads, slamming against them, pushing them back, but it was useless. The players were either not very powerful or the giant was a lot more than I had thought.

Rune still wasn’t moving.

He stood at the edge of the arena, wrapped in shadows, so still he almost didn’t look real. It wasn’t fear that had locked his body so tightly—it was focus. I’d bet a limb on it. I’d seen him in the face of danger before.

But even so I tried to fucking stick my nails into the stone of the railing as I watched.

“He’s not moving,” I whispered to myself. “Why the hell isn’t he moving?”

Move, Rune!The other two were attacking the giant left and right with magic and with weapons—now was the time!

Except Lyall spoke, and when he did, it almost surprised me that he was still there. “Because he’s planning, Nilah. That’s what he does.”

Spoken like a man who knew another from the inside out.

Except one of the fae was already dead, his body caught on the roots that covered the stone edge of the arena, and the other was lunging forward, aiming for the giant’s side.

The giant who wasn’t smiling anymore, or laughing, or roaring in triumph. The magic had worked, even if only a little, and he looked tired, too.Pissed off.His movements weren’t as fast so the fae actually managed to stab him with two knives on the side of his waist when he raised an arm to try to stop him, and the crowd lost their fucking minds.

Until the giant roared in pain, then grabbed the fae in his large fist, and slammed him against the obsidian shards.

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