My head pounds in time with every beating of my heart. Chills run up and down my spine, my mouth is dry, and my vision blurs at random. My withdrawal symptoms are becoming worse. I focus on each breath, inhaling deeply, then letting it out in a long slow exhale. It helps my focus.

“This is it,” Thrace is saying, his words coming through the fog of pain. “I’ve given you all I can. I hope it’s enough.”

“We will win,” Visidion says.

The crowd cheers above us and dirt sifts from the ceiling. As Second Tier of the arena competition’s ladder, we now have a private area to wait our turn. Winning has its perks. Visidion keeps an arm hooked under my shoulders. Outwardly it looks friendly, but he and I both know I need it to stay upright. How I’m going to fight today I don’t know. Right now, I’m taking each moment as it comes.

“You’d better,” Thrace says. “One more thing. Don’t trust Arcan.”

My heart stops, surely I didn’t hear him right. The pain must have made me confuse his words, he had to have said something else. We haven’t talked to him about Arcan.

“I don’t understand what you are saying,” Visidion says stiffly. He’s a terrible liar.

“Don’t play me for a fool,” Thrace snaps. “Nothing happens with my gladiators I don’t know about.”

No one meets his gaze as he looks at each of us in turn.

“Look—” Visidion says.

“No, you look,” Thrace cuts him off. “I get it and maybe, just maybe, it might work. More likely it won’t. You’re a cog in a very big game that you don’t even begin to understand. No one on this planet is your friend. Everyone wants something, either from you, or because of you. We both know what the hell it is you represent. The way I see it, there’s only two ways you’re good for the future of this galaxy. Gone or dead. Today is going to see which way that plays out.”

“Thrace, come with us,” Visidion says.

“Ha!” Mesto exclaims, and Todd gasps.

“Don’t be a fool,” Thrace says. “You can’t go around inviting half the damn planet to escape with you. Didn’t I just say trust no one?”

The crowd gasps loud enough that it echoes through the pit. Someone knocks on the door to our area.

“You’re next,” a voice calls through the door.

Visidion and Thrace stare at each other, neither appearing willing to bend.

“Fine,” I say, pushing off of Visidion. “We’ll be careful.”

“Good,” Thrace says, turning away from Visidion. “Now go out there and win this damn thing.”

“Good luck,” Todd says, shaking his head.

I grab the trident I’ve been training with. The hardened steel has three sharp prongs that catch the torchlight and gleam. Visidion slides his swords into their sheaths on his back. He goes to each of the other gladiators and clasps hands with them. It’s an effort of will to not only stand up straight, but to not weave. Dizziness comes and goes.

We step out at the base of the ramp to the arena. Side by side, we walk to the gate and wait. Visidion wraps an arm around my shoulders.

“Rosalind,” he says, voice so soft it’s hard to hear him.

“Yes?” I ask.

“All my life I’ve waited for one thing,” he says. “The thing that makes the universe make sense. That completes me.”

He stares straight ahead, hand gripping my shoulder tight. He swallows, and a subtle shudder runs down his spine.

“Yeah?” I ask, prompting him to finish his thought.

“You’re it,” he says, looking into my eyes.

My heart jumps into my throat, making it impossible for me to say anything in return. Unable to speak, I rise on my toes until we’re kissing. He turns into the kiss and returns it with a burning passion that absorbs and consumes me, pulling me fully into him and making us one. Dimly I hear a metal clank, but it doesn’t matter. This kiss, this moment, I give myself to him. All the reasons that I can’t don’t matter. He’s right, he makes my world better. Giving myself to him is all I want, all I need.

Sunlight stabs into my eyes, and the roar of the crowd washes over us. Only then am I aware that the gates have swung open. The arena waits before us, ready for our grand entrance. Our final entrance, one way or another, for after today we will no longer be gladiators. We’ll be free, in death or on our way home. Either way, this ends.

As we break our kiss, acceptance comes, bringing peace along with it. We hold hands as we walk into the arena, and in a strange display of bravado, Visidion raises his free hand into the air, pumping his fist up and down. I follow suit and the crowd responds, screaming and stomping as they mimic the gesture.

There are more guards around the arena today than I’ve seen before. Gleaming in gold- and red-tinted armor, there’s one every twenty feet, and today they have guns instead of their normal swords and staves. There are also guards on the stairs that lead up between sections of the bleachers. Strange. Do they do this for all Blood Games?

Stopping a few feet from the center, we await our opponents. Their gate swings open, and the crowd gasps as they storm into the arena. Brisong and his red-skinned partner, Rikon, are armored head to toe in gleaming steel. Visidion and I look naked in comparison. They’re ready for a death match, and we have come woefully under-dressed for the occasion.

They stop a few feet away. Brisong raises his fist in the air, slowly lowering it then pointing at Visidion. The crowd explodes with excitement and loud calls for death.

Brisong draws a sword that looks as big as me and half as wide. His red partner is wielding a club the size of a small tree, swinging it one-handed as if it weighs nothing. My thighs tremble, a bout of weakness threatening, but it subsides. Along with my trident I have a net, which will be my best bet against whichever of them comes after me.

“Begin!” a booming voice echoes, and it’s on.

Brisong roars, throwing his arms wide then leaning in and charging. His partner mimics him, almost as if he’s an extension of Brisong. Surprisingly, they both charge at Visidion, ignoring me. Visidion hisses, drawing both of his blades in a single smooth motion and whirling them in front of him. Dancing to one side, since they’ve chosen to ignore me I circle behind Rikon.

He gives me his back, but it’s fully armored as well, overlapping plates of shiny steel. Running after him in the wake of their charge, I stab with my trident, hoping to slide it between the plates of armor, but it deflects, skidding across the steel.

Damn it. Bringing the net to bear, I whirl it once then, holding onto one corner, let it fly towards his rushing feet. It wraps around his right leg, entangling him, and he trips, falling forward and landing with a loud thump a couple of feet short of Visidion. His massive club swings down, trailing his fall, and scores a glancing blow on Visidion, who fails to dodge it while also avoiding Brisong’s massive sword.

Visidion pops his wings out wide as he leaps backwards, using them to gain room between him and Brisong.

Brisong roars seeing his partner down, but it’s not for long. The red monster is pushing himself to his feet. Racing forward, I jump onto his back and slam the butt of my trident on either side of his helmeted head, hoping to disorient him. Rikon pushes up hard, and I lose my balance, flying back through the air. When I hit the ground, my breath is knocked out of me. I roll away. As long as I’m unsure where my opponent is, I don’t want to be a sitting target.

The ground jumps under me, and I’m thrown into the air only to slam back down again. I try to rise to my feet, but my left leg spasms, jerking out from under me, and I plant into the dirt face first. Rikon bears down on me, club raised over his head, ready to crush me in a single blow. I take a deep breath in—my timing has to be right—he swings, and the club casts shade on me as it passes over his head and descends to me.

I roll towards him, not away. He tries to shift his club but he’s committed to the move, and it has too much mass and inertia for him to affect its swing enough. Springing to my feet inside his reach, I drive my trident up into his face. The helmet he wears protects him from all but one tine of my trident, but that one draws first blood.

He screams in pain as I jerk the trident free, but only a trickle of blood rewards my effort. Arms spread wide, he whirls towards me, stomping the ground with his massive legs. Ducking, I dodge to the left, but it stomps again. A spasm hits my right thigh. I stumble, then fall, thrusting my shoulder forward and tucking my head as I perform a less-than-graceful roll.

Visidion and Brisong circle each other a few yards away. Rikon roars in my direction then turns away, heading for Visidion. Damn it.

My net drags along with him, stuck to his leg, no use to me.

Running forward, desperate to think of a plan, anything to help Visidion. He’s in trouble. I have to get one of them distracted, give him an opening. One desperate idea comes to me. Committing myself to it while knowing it’s insane, I run faster. My muscles tremble but I push them harder, willing them to do their job. Five feet behind Rikon, I kick my feet forward, dropping into a slide. Holding the trident at an angle in front of me, I skid between his legs.

I thrust the trident into its crotch. The armor covers this sensitive area too. I’m jerked to a stop when the tines catch on a seam. Then momentum drives them in, piercing his protection. He roars and leaps into the air.

Shit!

Two massive, armored legs drop towards me out of the sky. My heart leaps into my throat. They’re coming fast, too fast. I can’t get clear.

“Rosalind!” Visidion screams, the syllables of my name sounding drawn out into a long, drawling battle cry as time slows.

Bracing myself for the impact, I throw my arms up, flimsy protection for my head, and wait for him to land.

A massive crash, but no pain. I open my eyes to see the sky. Instinct kicks in, and I roll to the side, coming to my knees. Visidion is on top of Rikon, pounding his helmeted head with his fists. Blood is flying, but not from our opponent. Visidion’s fists are bleeding profusely, and he’s fighting in a rage. Brisong runs at him and again time slows.

Brisong raises his massive sword over his head, two handed, aiming as he runs. If his blow lands, it will likely split Visidion in half. Brisong is grinning, his helmet lost at some point. Cold ice forms in my stomach. Gripping the trident as I leap to my feet, I aim and throw in a single motion.

The trident flies through the air. My aim is true. It’s heading for Brisong’s head. This is it, I can end this, now. Hit, damn it, hit that bastard!

Brisong’s smile falters as his eyes dart to the side. He turns at the last possible instant and knocks the trident out of the air with a swing of his huge sword. Rage burns in his eyes, focused on me now. Turning his charge, he comes at me.

My knees tremble, and my heart is racing from more than exertion. Brisong bears down on me like a freight train coming. I have to time this just right. The ground vibrates beneath my feet. Closer . . . come on, you son of a bitch.

I dig my foot into the dirt, waiting. He leans into his charge, sword in right hand held out, ready to swing it. If my timing is off even a split second, I’ll lose my head.

His arm moves, swinging before I expect. I didn’t factor enough for his reach.

Abandoning my plan, I push off, flipping backwards. I do handsprings over and over, trying to get distance between us, but with each rotation he’s coming closer. My heart pounds, loud in my ears. My arms tremble with exertion, aches and pains forgotten in the adrenaline rush fueling me.

I’m running out of room and he’s closing. Flipping again, my feet hit the wall of the arena. Brisong rages forward, mighty sword swinging back and forth in front of him. I’m out of options. Something moves behind Brisong, pulling my attention.

Visidion is a few feet behind Brisong, too far to help, but my eyes widen and my mouth drops open. The red monster is in his arms. Screaming, he lifts Rikon, who has to be three times his size, over his head. Rikon struggles, roaring, but Visidion roars louder. Muscles rippling across his chest, he throws the beast at Brisong.

“ROSALIND!” Visidion screams, and Rikon screams too as he flies, helpless, through the air.

Brisong ignores the screams behind him, focused on my destruction. His hand pulls back and the sword swings, cutting towards me with a whistle through the air. I’m ducking low and dodging to my left when a tremor starts in both thighs. My legs give out and I collapse again to the dirt.

Rikon slams into Brisong with the loud clang of metal on metal. Brisong is knocked into the dirt too, his sword skittering away. Crawling, desperate to get out of his reach, I claw at the dirt, pulling myself forward, my legs suddenly useless. Pins and needles stab through them, life returning, but slow, too slow.

Something grabs my feet, and I’m sliding backwards. Digging at the dirt, seeking any purchase to stop myself, my hands claw furrows as I’m dragged. I give that up and twist to face my opponent.

Brisong is on his knees, pulling me to him by my left ankle. I’m only dimly aware of the pressure of his grip. Both legs have lost most of their feeling and neither is doing what I want.

“Got you,” he laughs, foul breath assaulting my senses.

He has gross yellow eyes that look evil. His smile broadens as he lifts me off the ground, dangling me by my foot.

“You’ll regret this,” I say.

“Bring it, little female,” he laughs. “Maybe I’ll bite your tiny head off. You’re too little to be of any use for anything else.”

I’m struggling with all I’ve got, and my legs are coming back to life with prickling pain of their own. I swing my body and bend upwards, grabbing onto his hand. Striking at his hard muscles, I hope to make him drop me. He laughs at my efforts, turning around to face Visidion.

“Lose something?” he laughs, shaking me back and forth until I lose my grip on his hand, leaving me dangling again.

Visidion is hunched over, wings spread wide, tail straight up. In one hand he has my forgotten trident.

“Let her go,” he says, voice soft.

The arena is quiet. No one dares to breathe.

“And if I don’t?” Brisong says.

Visidion doesn’t answer him. I see his grip tighten on the haft of the trident. It won’t do any good, even with the missing helmet. I don’t think it will pierce his thick hide.

Visidion shakes his head, lowering it. The crowd gasps in shock as the trident lowers to the ground. Visidion looks to his right, turning his head away, submitting.

Cold rushes through my limbs.

“HA! HA! HA!” Brisong’s laughter is deep and booming.

The red monster, Rikon, rises to his feet next to us, shaking all over. Moving faster than it should be able to, he grabs my arms, pulling me taut between him and Brisong. Pain explodes through my body. Distantly I hear myself screaming as my limbs are strained to their limit. My shoulder pops out of its socket, and everything turns white and hot.

“Mine!” Rikon roars.

“Let her go,” Brisong growls.

I look at Visidion, desperate.

The look on his face is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. My heart swells and chills run through my limbs. His rage is pure burning hot with his love of me. He takes a step, then another, trident rising, arm cocking back. He’s going to destroy Brisong.

I’m jerking back and forth. Brisong turns his head.

“Don’t try it,” Brisong barks.

Visidion runs, arm swinging through the air. The trident is going to fly at any moment but it won’t be enough. Closing my eyes, I say a fast prayer, then open them and prepare for the worst. I want to die looking at Visidion. It’s the only comfort to be had.

Visidion plants his foot but doesn’t release the trident. He spins, a half turn, then the trident flies.

Confusion rocks through me. What did he just do? Brisong’s head turns, following the trident’s path through the air. Sunlight glints off the sharp metal tines as it flies in a rising arc, reaching its zenith and coming down. It drives through the king’s throat, pinning him to his chair.