Page 52 of Gilded Curses

“I’m sure you enjoy hunting too, Zeth,” Desmond continued.

“I do.”

The low grumble of Zeth’s voice caused the hair on Sahira’s nape to rise. The tone of his voice left no doubt he’d enjoy hunting Desmond the most.

What would happen if they all went out there, Zeth’s inherent demon instincts took control, and he lost it on them? He’d managed to keep them suppressed for years so he didn’t end up in the pit; he wouldn’t take the chance of not returning home to his wife and son.

But would he recall his wife and son if Desmond continued to push at him, or would he try to destroy the monsters who had kept him from his family? And would it get him and Orin killed?

Sahira didn’t know the answer, but strawberry jam didn’t taste so good when it burned its way back up her throat. She gulped it back down but still tasted it.

When they came to the end of the hall, they took a right and walked past more doors before stopping in front of a white one at the end. “Here we are!” Desmond said brightly.

Sahira was really regretting eating anything when Zeth’s claws clicked behind her. Pip shifted on Orin’s shoulder while Fath remained unmoving on hers.

She had no idea where they were but didn’t doubt she wouldn’t like it.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Orin braced his legs a little further apart as he sought to shield Sahira while Desmond produced a key, unlocked the door, and swung it open.

He didn’t expect anything to rush out at them unless they’d trained it to avoid the Golden Ones, but he still expected something to happen. When nothing did, he didn’t relax.

They’d been brought here for a reason, and it wasn’t a good one.

Sheree went through the door first. Desmond stepped out of the way and waved his arm for them to enter ahead of him.

“Guests first,” the man said.

Orin smiled while his hands fisted with the impulse to beat the man to death. It would be such a satisfying, fun thing to do.

Instead, he moved toward the light spilling out of the open doorway. A low murmur of voices came from inside, but he couldn’t make out what they said.

When he crossed the threshold, he hesitated enough that Sahira walked into him before catching herself. Orin compelled himself to keep moving into the giant amphitheater.

From where they stood at the top, it was at least fifty feet down to the center of the white brick structure. Stone benches spread out beside him and down toward the center, where a figure eight, or an hourglass, was etched into the white floor.

Orin couldn’t stop himself from sneering when he spotted the symbol. He hated it.

On the level where he’d entered, a set of stairs ran down ten feet before stopping at a wall. That wall rose nearly to the ceiling in front of the benches.

Only his position on the stairs and his ability to look down allowed him to see more benches branching off the stairs on lower levels, as they also had walls in front of them. Having barriers to block the view of an amphitheater made no sense, but there they were.

To his left, in front of the wall, a guard sat across from the symbol etched into the wall. It looked exactly like the one they saw in the last town... an hourglass with two of the three arrows making an X while the third was a bull’s-eye straight into the center. The bottom half of the hourglass was shaded in.

The Golden One in front of the symbol sat with his shoulders back and his eyes focused on the hourglass, though nothing was happening with it.

When the others were all in the room, Desmond entered and again took the lead. “This level is always the most boring, or at least it was until you all entered our lives,” Desmond said.

Orin’s nostrils flared as understanding dawned on him. This was where they came to listen to the conversations of the Cursed Realm.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Desmond led them to the next level, where another Golden One sat in front of an hourglass symbol with an arrow still at the bottom of it. The middle part of the hourglass was shaded in, while two other arrows made an X beside the symbol.

They descended to the next level, which was the same, except for the slightly altered hourglass with only one arrow beside it. They made their way lower until they arrived at the bottom level, where the symbol was completely intact.

Dozens of Golden Ones sat before the symbol to his left. The low murmur of voices he’d heard came from that symbol. When he listened carefully, he detected Belda’s more strident tone and the clatter of alcohol bottles, glasses, and laughter.