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“Fight,” I tell him, readying my stance.
“You’re injured.” He moves a step back, and the look in his eyes tells me he is about to forfeit and ruin everything.
“Fight me or lose and you willneverfind your sister,” I grit out, reminding him of our purpose here.
A spark of determination enters his eyes as he finally attacks. But I misjudge my stepping, foolishly letting my guard down with him, and he twists, sliding the blade straight through my stomach before yanking it out.
His eyes widen in horror as I drop to my knees and fall to the side, darkness quickly clouding my vision.
He drops the sword and starts toward me, but the guards come quick and pull him to the side to congratulate him. I watch on, no longer able to move as the guards drag my body carelessly back to my cell, my entire body blanketed in pain.
Slamming the cell door shut with a lock, they leave me to my torment and suffering.
Wave after wave of thick agony envelops my body. It slowly tries to drag me into its darkness, but I fight to stay above the surface.
A small glint of a light catches my eye, drawing me to it, and my eyes widen slightly when I spot the healing stone on the other side of the cell.
It must have fallen from my pocket when the guards attacked me earlier. If I can just reach it, I will soon be free of this agony.
I try to move a single finger, but no part of my body will listen. Everything is too painful, too sore. The numbness has completely left me, only to reveal the piercing slash and burn that radiates throughout every part of me.
My body grows heavy, and I know I need to move it, the warning thrumming through the air around me before crawling down my spine like ice.
Clawing my fingers through the dirt, I get one arm steady under me before doing the same to the other.
Using my arms to crawl, I slowly make my way over to the stone, my body giving out just a foot in front of it. Not ready to give up just yet, I reach out and push myself, my fingertips sliding off the stone before it moves toward me.
I wrap my fingers around it, drawing it closer to my body just as the darkness drags me under.
CHAPTER 18
Ijolt awake, my body still on the floor of the cell but now in a curled position. I should be aching from the awkward angle alone, but with the smooth healing stone still tightly encased in my hand, I’m completely painless, my injuries fully healed and my body well rested.
Unfurling from my spot, I place the healing stone in my pocket and sit up, testing my upper body before moving to a stand to inspect my injured foot.
No shooting pain begins when I put full pressure on it, and everything seems to have mended well and back to normal.
Untying the tape from my wrist, I twist it to ensure the tape wasn’t the thing that was making it feel better. But just like everything else, it is thoroughly healed.
Removing the rest of the tape from my ankle and upper stomach, I check my body over and find not one bruise, the only evidence of my previous injuries, the dry blood now caked all over my clothes and skin. That and the large hole in my shirt.
Oryn’s face flashes before me, his look of horror reminding me of our last match. I hope he knows that I take none of this personally, and it was only through my own foolish mistake that I managed to get hurt.
Pushing it to the side of my mind, I unlock my cell with my shadows and slip from it, heading straight for the small enclosed cell on the right side of the room. I listen for any other sound before pushing the door forward and pausing, my stomach dropping.
It is just a normal cell. There is no other door or way out. Just a simple dirty space similar to my own. I mentally curse myself for blindly trusting in Veles.
Moving into the cell room, I glance around it, making sure I thoroughly search everywhere before I assume my last piece of hope has completely gone.
I turn to check the side of the cell when my foot catches on something. Bending down, I wipe some of the dirt away, only to find a line of dark steel about an inch in width.
Swiping away more dirt, I follow it and it leads me to the back of the cell, where it meets the wall before disappearing.
Reaching out, I search the brick wall for any other steel lines or clues to what it is, when one of the bricks loosens and begins to move on its own.
A rumble sounds out as the bricks on the floor beneath it shudder and slightly shake. I jump back a step as they gather together and roll under to reveal a tight small passageway downward.
Relief seeps through me as I glance down into the passage and spot what looks to be the start of a tunnel.
