AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I said, choke me out!”
I shifted my arms around his neck and squeezed harder. He flapped his arms out to either side, struggling to catch me and deal a final blow.
So, it was all just a show after all…
“You didn’t need to put so much effort into it,” I snapped.
“It had to look real.”
“Why… Why are you doing this?” I said, catching his arms and folding them out of the way.
“Because… I am under orders.”
“Orders?” I said, suddenly fearful that it was part of a plan Druin had conjured up, although why Cayggod would suddenly follow him was anyone’s guess.
“The key to the lock…” Cayggod said, really struggling now as I choked the air out of him. “In my pocket… Front breast pocket…”
That meant I had to slide my hand under his armor. I couldn’t do it now — there were too many eyes on me.
“Sorry about this,” I said, pressing harder on his throat.
“No… No problem,” he snorted around his final few gasps of oxygen.
“By the way, thank you for opening my cell door.”
Cayggod looked at me and cocked his head to one side. “Open your… cell door?”
“That wasn’t you?”
“I’m… blacking out,” he grunted. “I bet on you to… to win. Don’t let… me down.”
And he went limp, his limps flopping out to either side.
The fight was done and the crowd erupted into applause. The side doors to the pit opened and the staff came running in.
Now was my chance — before they reached us. For now, I could maintain that I was trapped, pinned beneath Cayggod and I couldn’t get up. I needed to hurry to search his front pockets for the key to my iron mask.
I reached down the front of his armor, my hand flat, searching for a lump. It wasn’t on the left side, so I moved over to the right and felt… nothing.
Nothing!
Had it fallen out during our fight? I hastily peered around for it, something metallic that might glint in the overhead lights… but I couldn’t make anything out. Already the staff began raking over the dust, smoothing it out for the final battle between Druin and me.
The staff approached and bent under Cayggod to heave him up off me. They counted under their breath… and that’s when I recalled the kind of shirts the secretary liked to wear.
They were multi-breast pocketed. The key could be in any one of them. And without it, and the chance to use my ability, I stood no chance of defeating Druin.
I shoved my arm back down the front of his armor and reached for a lower pocket. Nope, not on the left side…
The staff heaved again to lift Cayggod’s massive frame and I tugged on it, holding it down. Now they had to lift both of us!
Come on, come on…
I leaned over to the right-hand side and…
There it was. Something hard and flat. I slipped my fingers into the pocket, hooked my fingers around it, and fiddled with it until it was firmly in the palm of my hand.
The staff yanked me back, pulling my arm free from Cayggod’s weight. Now they were free to carry him away.
