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In fact, there was nothing else there but me.
I just looked ahead, seeing Druin but not really taking him in. He wasn’t even my problem. What he represented was the issue.
He and the other prisoners who thought they could do whatever they wanted with the Prizes and not have to pay for it.
I felt the anger begin to bubble up inside me at the memory of the lacerations left by this scum of the universe…
And I immediately tamped it down again. “I don’t care what they think.”
“You should. In this place, it’s all that matters. For ten long years, you’ve kept your head down, been a nobody. Now, you’ve been thrust into the limelight. But the limelight is not a warm and welcoming thing. It stings and burns and causes discomfort. And it follows you. It follows you wherever you go. That’s why, after I dispose of you in this fight, I will always be there, at your back, watching, waiting for a weakness to exploit. And when enough time passes and you begin to think everything is safe, that’s when I’ll strike.”
Then he grinned at me, revealing his missing teeth and his nostril that I must have split last night. “But that will happen later, long after I have scarred your Prize.”
My eyes snapped up and I glared at him.
His smile widened when he realized he’d hit just the right tone to provoke a response from me.
My anger seethed and bubbled, threatening to spill over, for me to ignore the etiquette that existed even within the fighting pits, and lash out at him right here, right now.
Stay calm, I screamed inwardly at myself. Stay calm. Don’t fall for his cheap tricks—
But they were working a charm and there was nothing I could do to prevent the emotions clawing at me.
“She will bear an ugly, ugly scar on her pretty face,” Druin said, eyes boring into me. “And each time you see it, it will be a reminder of how you failed her.”
I took a deep breath, fighting against the torrential flood that consumed me, body and soul, struggling to maintain my grip on my sanity.
“Before this is over,” I promised him, “you will be the one wearing the scar. No one will ever look at you without smirking again.”
Druin only snorted. “I have many scars,” he said, pointing to his face, arms, and legs. “I wear them like medallions and will add yours to them.”
I sneered at him. “Those aren’t the kind of scar I will give you, but shame and dishonor.”
The siren wailed and we were released from our invisible cages.
I had a plan, but it was buried beneath all the intense anger at the back of my mind, under all the frustration and desire to do Druin great harm.
I hated to admit it, but his words had gotten to me. I had seen the kind of marks he left on innocent females’ bodies and I raged at the scar he would leave on her if I failed.
I could not fail.
I flew into a frenzy, and Druin drew his sword fast and struck out. He wasn’t that dissimilar to the opponent I faced in the opening round of the competition. He was arrogant and wished to play to the crowd. He wanted a quick victory, which would put paid to the rumors of his defeat at my hands the night before.
He thrust his blade at me and swept it around in a powerful move that I felt passing through the air.
I immediately rolled in the opposite direction. As strong as he was, he wasn’t faster than me. My injuries from the other rounds fell by the wayside and I became unaware of them.
“Rrraagghhh!” Druin bellowed as he swung his blade around once again.
I sidestepped, ducked, and parried the final arch of his attack — I wouldn’t attempt to divert a full-on attack as it was much too strong for me and my sword.
I doubted a solid wall of concrete could withstand that kind of assault.
With each move, I inched closer… Closer… Closer still… But I did not lash out to attack him and instead maintained my distance.
Instead of him being the one to end this fight fast, it had to be me. And if he swung at me with all his strength one more time, I thought I might just have it.
“Rraagh!” he screamed as he brought the sword around, aiming to cleave my head from my shoulders.
