When Raquel regained consciousness, she found herself in a cold steel cage, so cramped standing was impossible. Her hands were bound behind her back, but the demons hadn’t bothered to take any of her stuff besides the necklace Adena had given her. She wasn’t sure whether to count her blessings or be pissed off by how nonthreatening they considered her.

The flickering torches lining the walls made for poor lighting, but Raquel could see Adena asleep in an identical pet-sized cage beneath hers. Her mask was gone from her head, and someone had taken the extra precaution of shackling her wrists and ankles to the cage. After Adena had gotten knocked out by Goldilocks, Raquel felt a sting across her cheek before she could draw her pistol. The last thing she remembered was the ground racing closer.

Wherever they had been whisked off to, they weren’t alone. There were several other people in cages around the vast cavern, and rows of cells jam-packed with demons of all kinds. A few demons were bickering among themselves, though most just awaited their fates, too chained up to do much else. Not long ago, the stink of so many unwashed bodies and their urine would have driven Raquel crazy. But now it was just another of the invasion’s persistent foul smells.

A female demon with alabaster skin, dressed from head to toe in form-fitting leather, sauntered into view. Above her eyebrows, ribbed horns protruded from her forehead, curving back and upward, ending in sharp points. With her full ruby lips and shimmering long black hair, she might have been beautiful, if not for the way her eyes, gleaming with bloodlust, raked over the prisoners. Some demons started hollering in their language as soon as they saw her. Raquel couldn’t guess a word of it, but anyone could tell it was nasty. The demoness showed no concern as a giant, somehow larger than the one from the hotel, came stomping behind her, and any demon with half a brain hushed.

When the demoness caught sight of Raquel and Adena, she broke into a shark-like grin, revealing vampiric canines. She shouted a quick order in Demonic, and the giant froze in place, stiff as a member of the Queen’s Guard. Raquel squirmed in her cage, the hair prickling on the back of her neck, as the demoness drew closer.

“Relax,” Adena whispered from below. Raquel didn’t even try to follow such a ridiculous suggestion. Especially now that Adena’s usual poker face was replaced by an expression teetering between outrage and anxiety. She glared at the demoness squatting down in front of her cage. “How did Verin know where to find us, Jezebeth?” The last word struck Raquel like a blow. Assuming the name wasn’t the John Smith of Hell, Carlito had died for nothing.

“I see all those sleepless nights have made you delusional, Dena. Did you truly think you could get away with using one of the portals I introduced Lucas to back in the day?” Jezebeth’s grin widened. “Of course, a tip from a certain high lord helped narrow it down.”

“That two-faced leopard,” Adena growled, and Raquel had to swallow her, I told you so. “Is Misery even concerned with how Ose learned my whereabouts?”

Jezebeth was distractedly cleaning crusted blood out from under her nails with the arrowhead-shaped point of a short metal rod. “Do you actually believe you’re in any position to cry Judas? From what I heard, after you visited the overgrown feline with plans of regicide, he had his Blight monitor you to uncover any co-conspirators you may have had.”

“How noble of him,” Adena said dryly. “Don’t tell me you’re buying that rubbish. He probably got cold feet after learning about Resent’s capture.”

Jezebeth leaned forward, her face taking on a frightening intensity, as she pressed it against the bars of Adena’s cage. She whispered, “Dena...have you ever stopped to ponder just how long a demon with a Flair like mine can survive? How many bodies I’ve inhabited, or the litany of life stories I’ve witnessed? Do you imagine I’ve developed the barest affection for you in a fleeting eight years? You, Ose, even Misery. I’ve seen all your types before, and outlasted them. Whether any of you lives to see tomorrow, I don’t particularly care.” Jezebeth rose, returning to her sickeningly cheerful self, as she twirled the metal rod in her hand. “Faebor, be a dear, and escort our special guests outside.”

The silent giant came forward, the earth quaking with his every step, and scooped up Raquel’s cage with his left hand, and Adena’s in his right. Raquel was trembling. How pathetic could she get? She strong-armed Adena into coming here with her, and now she was more terrified than ever. Despite the circumstances, she wished so badly that Rodrigo was there with her. She’d never admit it while he was in earshot, but even before the powers, her brother was the strongest person she had ever known. He didn’t go seeking trouble, but when it found him, he adapted and dealt with it. Simply being around him made Raquel feel braver.

And now Rodrigo was probably dead. Like Carlito, Auntie Emelina, and maybe Leila and Jett, too. That was on top of her parents. In the end, having a gun didn’t make a lick of difference. Her family, friends, and she herself would all be ghosts soon. Raquel choked back tears, knowing that once that dam burst, plugging it would be no small feat.

As they entered an open, better lit area, Raquel was struck with yet a deeper sense of hopelessness. The sky had turned an even darker shade of red, and they were inside what looked like an enormous Coliseum. The surrounding walls were at least fifty feet high and covered in small vicious spikes. Slightly above the highest point of the walls, was the audience. There must have been tens of thousands of demons seated on the carved stone benches, yelling, cheering, and laughing. Escape was impossible.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Faebor placed the cages on the ground, side by side, and ripped the locks from them with a pinch of his massive fingers. Digging through his ragged loincloth, he pulled out a rusty key and tossed it on the ground, then lumbered back through the cave mouth and down the passage he had taken them from.

“Raquel, I can’t move,” Adena said. “Grab the key, and free us while it’s still an option.”

Raquel made no move to leave her cage. It now seemed safer than the alternative. “When does this nightmare end?”

“When we kill Misery.”

“Are you blind?” Raquel snapped, her voice breaking as she jerked her chin in the crowd’s direction. “We’re not even going to reach Misery.”

“Look, I won’t patronize you by saying everything will be all right, but we at least have a fighting chance. I painted myself in a far better light back in the mansion, but what I said about the arena was mostly true. Despite the odds, there have been survivors. If it was unwinnable, it’d be boring for the spectators. And Misery made a big mistake letting me rest.” Adena’s tone softened. “Now, I need you to stay strong for just a little longer. Can you do that for me?”

Raquel nodded wearily and crawled out of her cage. As she picked up the key, she was relieved to still have her gloves on, even if her hands were sweaty underneath them.

“All right, Dreadmus!” a deep voice announced with robust energy. “Next up, we have an interesting pair of humans for you all. Under the rules of the arena, I will be using the contestant’s language, so to those of you who have grudgingly refused to learn 21st Century English over the centuries, try to keep up.”

As she unlocked Adena’s cuffs one by one, Raquel searched for the source of the voice, expecting to see a demon with a megaphone. After a while, she saw someone standing on a balcony rimmed by spikes, too far away to make out any features other than the single long horn sticking out of his head. His hands were empty.

“Who’s that?” Raquel asked.

“Amdusias. He’s the announcer,” Adena said, doing light stretches now that she was free.

“Is commentary for fights to the death normal around here?”

“Absolutely. Methods of inflicting and glorifying violence is one of the few spheres where demons have taken some inspiration from humans. Blood sports are their main source of entertainment, and a great way to earn accolades. Amdusias happens to have a Flair tailor-made for the job. He can adjust the volume of his voice high enough to be heard by an entire city, or transmit it in a way that only those he specifies can hear.”

“Now, we hardly see any human adolescents in this arena since ordinarily they would make for dull competitors, but before you think these will just lie down and die, let me fill you all in on a crucial detail,” Amdusias yelled, dramatically lowering his voice by the end. The crowd of demons were waiting on the edge of their seats for his next words. “As you can see, making a rare appearance, King Misery came here himself as soon as he heard these two had been captured. Not only that, but he handpicked their opposition.”

Adena’s eyes flicked to the side of the arena opposite of where Amdusias stood. Raquel followed her gaze. There, placed higher than any other, sitting on some sort of throne, was Misery. With the distance, his expression was unreadable, but he was staring down at them.

“For those of you who have never seen her in the flesh, we have Adena Eckhart, Blight of Dreadmus, with us today! Serving directly under King Misery since she murdered Dreadmus’ first Blight, her father, Lucas Eckhart, she’s killed hundreds, maybe thousands of her own kind. Recently, she discarded those eight years of faithful service, and had the audacity to try to assassinate our king.”

Boos, threats, and hisses exploded from the crowd, but all Raquel could think about were the claims Amdusias just made. Adena had said her father was killed trying to avenge her brother, but if she had done it herself, why was she even coming after Misery? Raquel also wanted to ask if the number of people she supposedly killed was in the ballpark, though to some extent it had to be. The ease with which she had killed those aspiring car thieves yesterday didn’t slip by her. She was just forced to overlook it because the Blight was a big part of the reason she and her family lasted this long.

“As a bonus, King Misery said the brat in pink actually had the nerve to stand her ground and take shots at him!” Amdusias yelled.

The crowd grew even more hyped as they began screaming, looking down at the battlefield in anticipation.

“Now that we have all the facts, prepare yourselves! Will these young ladies earn their freedom, or will their blood soak into the dirt like so many other members of their frail species? Time to find out!”

“I don’t see it being anyone but Verin,” Adena said, and Raquel drew her pistol, determined not to be blindsided again. “If he wasn’t promised the chance to publicly humiliate me, he would have killed us back at the portal.”

The crowd roared as the iron gate, across from the cavern where the prisoners were kept, crept upward. When it was fully raised, a single figure emerged from the darkness. He wore sleek crimson armor, and wrapped around the back of his waist, stretching to just below his knees, was a length of black cloth, tattered at the edges. His helmet covered everything but his eyes, and had ribbed horns, slanting downward.

“A Brute?” Adena muttered, observing the quieted crowd’s confusion. “No, the armor’s similar, but...”

“And now, their executioner. A newcomer to the arena, he has been undergoing private training with the king himself since he was old enough to hold a sword, and like the royal guard, has sworn an oath to kill any who dare oppose him.” Amdusias paused for effect, and as Misery’s protege got close enough for Raquel to see the whites of his eyes, then the hazel irises in their center, she nearly lost all control of her legs. Her heart felt like it was shattering. “Dreadmus, may I present, the last surviving member of King Strife’s bloodline, his youngest son, Wrath.”