Page 90 of The Orc Queen

His gaze now turns to the dignitaries and he smiles stiffly. Turning to me with fake confidence, he says. “You can try to earn the woman but you won’t defeat our best warriors of this and the next land. But we must even the playing field. You won’t use any weapons.”

“I have another I want in the ring.” I say.

Shamus smirks, knowing exactly who I mean before his eyes flint to my treacherous friend.

“Accepted.” Shamus says.

“Accepted.”

Hanser made a mistake not running from here when he was supposed to. Did he think I wouldn’t come back for him?

Chapter thirty-four

You Wasted Your Life

Igor

Mysoldiersstandbehindthe iron gate to the arena so they can’t come in and I kneel in the middle. My armor as well as my weapons have been taken and my hands are bound behind me per my request. I don’t want this to end quickly. I am looking for blood and I don’t need weapons for that.

My eyes are on one. Only one.Hanser.

I just stare at him, letting my mind flow with all the fantasies I had about what I would do to him. My lips rub against my tusks as I try to resist the urge to not jump to him now.

“Citizens of Gango Kingdom and Prime Minister of Obu Kingdom, welcome to today’s spectacle. An enemy of the Kingdom against our best. Today is the day we finally spear the sword through the beast that took from us our King. Today the blood of our fallen speaks!” Shamus roars and the crowd responds in kind, stomping their feet and making the arena tremble under my knees.

As they do, I wonder, do they believe what he says? Does he?

The three men move in quick. The one at the back stomps his boots too loudly and I roll to my side. I am on my feet next, towering over two of them but the last one is tall too. Definitely big for a human. He must be from Obu.

They surround me like a caged animal. Two of them are competent warriors as they swipe at me, aiming to cut where I will bleed faster and be weakened quickly. With nothing to protect myself, I duck Hanser’s sword, kicking him easily. The bigger guy lunges at me from the front, I go low, aiming my shoulder just right so he falls on his back. The other one stabs my shoulder blade. I roar and jump on him.

I need these binds off me.

I duck his attacks and slip from his hits. I face both him and Hanser but they get me on my back and I fall on my shoulder, dislocating it and my wrist twisting painfully.

I grunt.

Hanser moves quickly with his sword seeing me hurt. I move at the last second as he aims for my neck.

The restrains are looser. I try to get free, but I may need to twist my wrists more to be free, so I do.

At the last second when all the men are charging to finish me, I use my now-free hands to catch the sword that was coming to my face.

The crowd gasps. But I don’t waste time, kicking the other soldiers.

Sharp pain emanates from my side when Hanser stabs me. Roars of glee flows through the crowd. I kick the big man before I turn to Hanser. Before I can, the other man tries. Standing no chance, I take his sword when he tries to strike me and sever his head in one swoop.

Seeing that, the big man hesitates but he charges at me with Hanser on his side. I run towards them, slipping out of the way at the last-minute, slashing him on his side. He roars and his knees buckle under him. Blood dirtying his armor. I go for him while in my peripheral I see Hanser retreating.

The big one tries to get up but I nail him to the ground with the sword. I fish him from the ground and hold his head in my hand. My eyes see Hanser standing at a distance, and our eyes connect.

I grab the man’s lower and upper jaws and I pull them apart.

An instant quiet falls on the arena and the man’s body falls with a thud that reverberates in the whole arena.

But I don’t dwell on that, and begin walking towards Hanser. He looks on all sides frantically and when he doesn’t see any way, he starts running to the gate where my kin is.

I scoop him as he bangs the gate. The arena is quiet. Like none of them can believe what they see. Like none of them wants to move in case I come for them too.

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