Page 66 of Dance of the Phoenix
It was the Atalon League.
“Bastard,” Logan murmured, glowering at the Atalon League members. “I never liked Lord Atalon, but even I didn’t think he would be so petty as to take his rivalry with our Lord this far.”
For a moment, I thought he was talking to Oberon, who sat on Logan’s other side, but when he glanced at me, anger in his eyes that, for once, wasn’t directed at me, I realized he was actually making conversation withme.
Clearing my throat to hide my surprise, I said, “Atalon is fickle and cunning. He was biding his time until the right occasion presented itself.”
Logantsked and returned his angry glare to the Atalon League gallery. “Fuck him.”
I couldn’t agree more.
The crowd suddenly cheered, and when I scanned the arena, I saw a familiar figure, accompanied by two more I recognized, entering to the sound of celebratory music. As if the Hecatomb were a frat party rather than an actual fight to the death between two Leagues.
Lord Renaldi, along with his two Lieutenants, looked like he took his role as Hecatomb moderator and, apparently, a host, to the extreme. He wore a loincloth that seemed like a miniskirt, which barely hid his essentials and only emphasized how thick, long, and muscular his legs were. His wide, overtly toned chest was completely naked, and he wore a deep red cloak tied around his broad shoulders. His dark, tousled hair seemed to be in even more disarray than I remembered, and his feet, sporting golden sandals, walked steadily on the marble floor until he reached the middle of the arena.
Zoey, who sat to my right, scoffed. “I can’t believe he dressed like a fucking gladiator.”
“Not even a historically accurate one,” I murmured in response. He looked as if he’d tried to mimic the look of the warriors in300or something.
When the cheers died down, Renaldi’s Lieutenant, whose name was Stefan, handed him a cordless mic. “Welcome to North America’s twenty-second Hecatomb!” Renaldi called into the mic, grinning toothily. “The first one to occur in over twenty years!”
Everyone cheered again. I didn’t, and neither did the other Rayne League participants. Because in truth, there was nothing to cheer about.
Renaldi spread his mic-less arm and slowly turned to face the other side of the arena. “This Hecatomb is going to be between the oldest League in North America—the Rayne League—and the most illustrious League in the United States—the Atalon League!”
A large spotlight suddenly shone over our gallery, and the two large screens at the top of the arena blinked to life, with the right one showing our League’s gallery and the left, the Atalon League’s.
“Now give your grand applause to this Hecatomb’s participants!”
The spotlight now shone solely on the first row. I squinted at the blinding light, while the cheers in the arena grew deafening. The Rayne League’s screen showed the participants, and I couldn’t help but think that I looked almost constipated on that screen.
“Today, we’ll finally uncover the five battles that will take place tomorrow!” Renaldi said with an abundance of excitement I couldn’t for the life of me relate to. “But before that—let’s introduce the participants!”
I stilled, feeling a wave of anxiousness go over me. With everything that had been going on in the past several weeks, I hadn’t given any consideration as to who Atalon League’s participants would be. I thought of Eleanor, Oz, and Fareez, the three vampires who’d been purchased by Atalon along with Isora and me during the Auction four months ago. I wondered if they were here, about to spectate this clusterfuck, and hoped not.
“From the Rayne League, we have ... Oberon Grimes, Sulien Salvador, Neisha Barnes, CJ Maron, Cassidy Jones, Zoey Rittman, Aileen Henderson, Logan Kazar, Haneul Kang, and Yelene Yarnikova!”
It almost felt like we were players in a football game being called one by one. It was even more unnerving that the spotlight moved from each one of us to the next as our names were called. We all looked quite stoic and somber on the screen, which, I believed, was the appropriate response on this occasion.
“And now, from the Atalon League, we have ...” Renaldi said as a drumroll echoed in the arena. “Fareez Goshenan, Demetria Holsten, Eleanor Simmons, Jebediah Ackerman, Oz, Laurenia Olivers ...”
I stopped listening, feeling sick to my stomach.
Because all I could hear echoing in my head were the namesFareez,Eleanor,Oz.
And when I saw their faces on the screen, my heart dropped, and I realized I had heard right.
The three vampires, other than Isora, whom I’d been on good terms with, maybe even friends with, while being at the Atalon League, were put here to be pitted against me.
Chapter 35
Aileen
Dancers filled the floor of the arena for an intermission, but I hardly watched any of their routines.
Because on the other side of the arena, I was watching my former League mates, a feeling of dreadful terror filling up my stomach.
How did Eleanor, Fareez, and Oz end up participating in the Hecatomb? That made zero sense to me. They were relatively new members of the Atalon League. There was no reason for them to be chosen as participants to represent the Atalon League as a whole.
