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I couldn’t protect her, guide her, or be there for her.
The nurse, sensing my distress, laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. “You’re in no shape for the pits. And even if you were, they’re already over for the day.”
“What?” Panic surged through me. “Who won? Tell me!”
She hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting away.
When she finally spoke, her voice was soft, almost apologetic. “It was Fleth.”
A wave of nausea hit me, my head spinning.
Of all the fighters, it had to be him?
The creature that had put me in the hospital in the first place and who took pleasure in other people’s pain, who wore cruelty like a second skin.
Grace.
My heart hammered against my chest as images of her filled my mind.
Was she okay?
Had Fleth claimed her?
The thought was unbearable.
The world seemed to echo with a dull ache as realization dawned on me.
Fleth had played the game cunningly.
Knowing he couldn’t best me in fair combat, he had taken a more devious approach.
Take me out of the equation, win the pits, and claim Grace as his Prize.
It was a sickening game of chia’ick, and for the first time, I felt like a pawn.
Determined, I began to swing my legs over the side of the bed.
Every movement was a battle against the pain radiating from my injured leg, but the thought of Grace, held captive by that monster, spurred me forward.
As I attempted to stand, a weak, raspy voice caught my attention. “Tix…?”
I glanced to my left, and my heart caught in my throat.
There, in the next bed, lay Uhah, his once-bright yellow skin pale and waxy.
Tubes and monitors surrounded him, a mechanical symphony playing the final notes of his life.
His sunken eyes locked onto mine, holding a depth of pain and wisdom. “You shouldn’t be up,” he whispered, each word an effort.
“I… I have to go. I need to find Grace,” I replied urgently, the panic evident in my voice.
Seeing Uhah in such a state momentarily pushed aside my immediate concerns.
Uhah managed a weak smile. “Always running after girls, eh?”
I frowned in confusion at him.
It wasn’t like we were close and I wondered for a moment if he even knew who he was talking to.
