Page 44 of Monster's Obsession

“Done,” Hopaka finally announced. “Let me look at you.”

She studied me, her tentacles adjusting things in my hair, when she finally said, “Absolutely remarkable.” She reached into the drawer under her seat and pulled out a handheld mirror, holding it up for me.

Three braids ran from my forehead and back over my head, while whole snippets of loose hair remained to frame my face. Amid the braids were tiny white bones, clipped in place. The rest of the pink hair tumbled over my shoulders in soft waves.

I might as well have just stepped out of a fantasy movie because even I had to admit, I was freaking stunning.

"Are they real bones?” I asked, reaching up to finger one, but she rapidly pushed my hand back down.

“Of course. Nothing but the best for you. No expense was spared.”

I didn’t have the stomach to ask what creature they came from but smiled at her anyway. “I love it, and you have extraordinary skills.” Especially considering she did all of it with tentacles.

“Oh, you wait until I finish with your makeup. Close your eyes and leave the rest to me. I do need to be quick. We are almost there.”

I instantly glanced outside, seeing only flat, open land, and nerves tightened in my gut. I closed my eyes, asking, “What can I expect at the Red Battle?”

“Well, the place will be full,” she began, and I felt the softness of her touch as she applied my makeup. “It’s been a long time since anyone held such an event, so everyone will try to cram close to watch.”

“And who is Steele battling?” My voice squeaked even as I said the words.

“It’s unknown. That’s the beauty of this place. There’s magic in the mountain itself from our ancestors, and every Red Battle is unique. We won’t know who he must defeat, but the accused will be proven innocent if he wins the fight, and guilty if he fails.”

My eyes snapped open to a makeup sponge in my face, then I quickly shut them again. “That sounds insane. How is that proving his real innocence? What if Steele faces someone four times his size? It’s a battle of the strongest then.” My hands were shaking as I pictured it in my head. “How different is it from the witch hunters in ancient times proving a female was a witch by throwing her into a river, while tied to a rock? She gets out, she’s a witch. She dies, she’s innocent. Utter madness.”

“I don’t know what a witch is, but it’s not that cut and dry. It’s said the first king and queen settled in the Cliffs of Doom when they created the city of Wyld, and the queen was known to carry magic in her veins. When she died, she was buried in the Grave Caves, a place steeped in magic minerals, which are often used during the Red Battle to ensure the truth always came out in the fight, one way or another.”

My head hurt, not really understanding how the battle was going to happen. But I still held onto the belief that Steele was innocent, so if the fight was as fair as Hopaka insinuated, then he should be safe, right?

But if I’d learned anything since arriving in the Shadowburn realm, it was that nothing was simple, or even made sense. I tightened my hands into a ball in my lap. Terror twisted in my chest. I hated having no idea what to expect.

When I felt the lurch of the carriage, my eyes shot open, my heart hitting the back of my throat.

Hopaka had just pulled back, studying me with a grin. “Done. Just in time too.” She lifted the mirror, and I stared at my reflection, not recognizing myself at first.

Thick red stripes had been drawn under my eyes, curling upward at the edges and decorated with what resembled studded rubies. Three more stones sat in a downward line on the bridge of my nose, while black makeup gave my eyes a smoky appearance. I batted my eyelashes which appeared longer than normal, and each strand was tipped with red glitter.

I pouted my ruby lips, the colors perfectly blending to match my cherry red dress and my bright pink hair. “Wow, I actually look beautiful.”

She laughed, placing a tentacle on my hand. “You have always been beautiful; the makeup has only brought out your female fierceness.”

Which it did, but the moment the door to the carriage swung open and steaming hot hair rushed inside, my anxiety went through the roof.

The driver stood there, holding the door, which I guessed was my cue, so I climbed out.

Hot air pressed down on me, my nostrils burning with each inhale as I glanced back to Hopaka, but she wasn’t getting out.

“Sorry, this is where my service ends. But remember, you are fierce. Go and impress them.”

“Impressthem?”

Suddenly, the driver shut the door, and climbed back onto his perch before leaving me behind.

My stomach dropped, and I called out, “Where are you going? Where do I go?” But they never stopped. They just left me in the middle of freaking nowhere.

That was when I glanced up and really took in my surroundings. At the ginormous stone mountains ahead of me, where the top of the cliffs had been carved to resemble a terrifying skull appearing to be mid-scream with a gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth and long fangs.

I trembled, my chest seeming to squeeze in on itself because I suddenly felt so lost, that I feared for my life. At the base of the mountain stood a gaping cave opening with two spider guards out front.

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