Page 25 of Gladiator Moon

“In case one of the royal subjects accidentally falls into the pit. That’s what we call it. It happened once, long ago, and my cousin was forced to fight.”

“Why?”

“Once in the pit, there is no leaving it except through combat and except by winning. Death or winning are the only ways out of pit.”

“So Baltazar fixed the problem?”

“Yes. Now, if a royal accidentally falls into or wanders onto the pit, they can escape without fighting.”

“So the shield that surrounds the pit, above and around...”

“Doesn’t affect me.”

“What about me?” I ask.

“Not sure. I guess we’ll have to see.”

“Do you still want me to drop you on those rocks over there?”

“Hold up, hold up. Let’s not be too rash here, lady. I don’t want to die. I assumed you would kill me.”

“Why?”

“That’s kind of what we do here. Everyone dies, the bloodier the better.”

“Because your Dark One loves blood?”

“Yes, of course. I don’t care for it myself. But my dad sure loves it! It makes him happy to please the Dark One.”

“Why?”

“The Dark One is kind of like our god here. He can answer prayers and grant wishes. But for a price.”

“Blood is the price?”

“But of course.”

“And your dad provides a lot of it.”

“So much blood!”

“Not his, of course,” I say.

“Of course not, silly goose! Never his.”

Though I don’t have any intention of dropping the kid on the rocks or anywhere else, for that matter, I use him as my ticket out of the stadium just as the net rushes up at me. I angle up and away, and with a pop, fly out through the opaque, crackling magical energy dome. I appear over what might qualify as a parking lot, though this space is packed with horse-and-donkey drawn wagons, chariots, and animals of all shapes and sizes, and numbers of legs and heads!

“What will happen to the wood sprite?” I ask the royal teenager.

“She will be killed very publicly. Probably beheaded.”

I cringe. “Why?”

“Rules are rules. To advance, she must kill her opponent. You are not dead, so she failed.”

“You guys suck,” I grumble and turn back toward the arena.

“Wait! Where are you going? You just escaped! Why are we going back?”