Page 43 of Gladiator Moon

I consider dropping the prince somewhere safe, but no more. He is a bit too handy to have around. Looks like the kid is going to have to rough it with me. I’ll do my best to make sure he doesn’t get his head blasted off or impaled by an arrow. I’m nice like that.

Is there a path to the armory that would avoid any guards? I ask Azul.

Doubtful, but we can lessen our presence. Let’s try this: do you see a flight of stairs coming up?

I do, yes.

Is there enough room inside for you to fly?

If not I can run.

What about us?

You guys can run up the stairs behind me.

Fair enough.

Okay, here goes... yes, there’s enough room to fly.

Oh, thank goodness. I’m not much of a runner. Wizards are notoriously nonathletic.

Guess nerds are universal. Where to now?

Keep going up.

As I fly up, I pass door after door onto what I assume are different floors or levels. Yes, this is a big arena. So far, we haven’t passed anyone using the stairs.

You might want to soon start slowing down, Samantha. The stairs will culminate at another set of wooden doors.

I soon alight on a platform before the double doors. My inner alarm, thus far, remains silent. So far, so good.

I crack open the door and peek out. There is a short hallway beyond.

At the end of the hallway is an anti-gravitational pit that only the royals use.

Say again?

An anti-gravitational pit. It allows them to descend to the lower levels smoothly and quickly without falling.

Weird, but okay.

The royals, in case you didn’t know, live here on the seventh floor.

The Arena is also their palace?

And their library and dungeon and Great Hall and ballroom.

All the better for the Dark One to keep its eye on them?

I believe so.

Is this thing aware of us now?

Surely.

What’s it going to do about it?

So far, nothing.