Page 54 of Gladiator's Captive
“No.” His eyes went to me one final time before he opened his palm and let his sword fall down in the sand at his feet. “I am done killing.”
A ripple of shock, then anger traveled through the crowd. People shouted, threw their fists up in the air. They were angry and Wylder took his time. His lips pursed in an ugly smirk as the crowd grew more and more restless.
Then Wylder threw his arms up in the air and got to his feet. He walked into the center of the arena with a theatrical, appeasing expression on his weathered face.
“You agreed to this, Rager, the Breath of Death.” Wylder’s cold gaze covered the crowd who now stood eerily silent. “The breaking of an agreement is something we take seriously in Tartarus.”
“I agreed to a fight. I didn’t agree to a slaughter.”
Rager straightened, shoving his defeated opponent to the sand. The man lost no time, crawling to the edge of the crowd where a crying woman grabbed him, dragging him away with the help of others. They both wore tattered, dirty clothing.
Tartarus was no different than Villea, when all was said and done. The strong preyed on the weak and the poor sold out their lives for the amusement of the wealthy.
And Wylder was responsible for it.
“Fair enough.” But Wylder’s eyes said otherwise. Wylder’s eyes were those of a man who didn’t take a slight lightly and who never forgot, much less forgave. “But do not expect me to pay you a cent for ruining my people’s entertainment.”
A wave of whispers ran amok in the crowd, curious, hungry eyes setting on Rager, expecting more violence. Fear squeezed my insides again as I stared at Sayk, standing high at attention behind Wylder. Men who I hadn’t noticed before were slipping to the forefront.
Wylder’s men or Sayk’s enforcers, I didn’t know. All I knew was that they were too many for Rager to fight.
His gaze wandered the crowd and his shoulders tensed, the musculature bulging around his thick frame. My heart stopped beating and my face became numb.
“Your judgment is fair, Wylder. I will accept no payment.”
Rager inclined his head slightly, but his shoulders remained tense and his eyes were still vigilant. Behind Wylder, Sayk made a small gesture with his head and the men I noticed a few seconds ago slipped back into the crowd.
Wylder pursed his lips, but I could see on his face he was disappointed. He had expected Rager to argue for his payment, had hoped to be justified in killing him in front of the crowd.
“Go away, then, Muharib.” Wylder’s eyes scanned the crowd before returning to Rager. “You are banned from this arena forever.”
Then Wylder was gone and Rager’s wrath-filled eyes turned to me.
And fear squeezed my guts again.
Chapter Twenty-Six
