A Battle of Blood and Stone (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 4)

I am not heartened in any way when I see a wicked gleam in her eyes that makes my stomach bottom out. “Then let’s begin.”

Immediately, I’m surrounded in darkness so black I can’t see my hand right before my face. I drag my foot and it feels like I’m standing on dirt. I turn and immediately see Deandra and Carrick in the front row seats where I had just been standing with them, about forty yards from me, the floating light above them making the area outside its perimeter even darker.

Deandra had transported me into the middle of the pitch-black pit and my heart starts to kick against my chest with apprehension.

Carrick and Deandra are engaged in conversation. I’m sure he’s asking her what the fuck she’s doing, but despite the fact I know Carrick won’t let me be harmed, I break out in a bit of a sweat wondering what’s going to happen.

They’re too far away for me to hear what they’re saying. Rather than use my super hearing skills on Deandra, I instead strain to hear anything that could be near me in the dark because I know danger is going to be part of this little experiment she has planned.

I concentrate hard but it’s utterly silent, which actually scares me a little more than if I had heard something breathing heavily behind me. What if something is stalking me and being incredibly quiet about it?

Whatever the conversation between Carrick and Deandra, it doesn’t last long as they both turn back to the pit and stare down into it. I don’t know if Carrick can see me or not, but I don’t move a muscle. He’s too far away for me to see the exact details of his face to know if he’s pissed or on board with what Deandra has planned, but I can tell by the stiffness of his body that he’s on edge.

And that causes my fear to notch up just a little bit more.

After I inhale deeply through my nose, I let it flow out slowly. I roll my shoulders, trying to loosen myself up. I’m missing my whip right now. In this darkness, I don’t know that I’ve ever felt more vulnerable in my life. I don’t know what’s going to happen, what might come after me, but I immediately start to concentrate on tapping my bubble shield.

In other words, I immediately start thinking defensively.

Suddenly, lights flick on and I’m momentarily blinded. I hold my hand up to shield my eyes, but once they’re accustomed, I take in the fact that just below where Deandra and Carrick are standing is a square opening in the wall covered with a gate made of thick bars. I can’t see what’s inside because it’s dark, but, instinctively, I know something is in there.

I even take a few steps closer, chin jutting forward and eyes narrowing to try to see better. I make it no more than three paces when whatever is in that barred opening starts a low, deep growl that causes the hair on my arms to rise.

Scrambling back a few feet, I look left and right, noting two more barred cages about twenty feet to either side of the original one. As if knowing my attention is on them, whatever is in those cages starts growling, too.

Fuck.

My mind is utterly blank on what to do, but while those cages are closed, I decide to take in the rest of the arena. I slowly turn around, note there are doorways in the pit walls as well as other cages. I have no clue if anything will be coming out, but when I get halfway around, my body locks tight as I see a large pole about a foot in diameter planted deep into the dirt.

And tied to that pole with her hands behind her back is my best friend, Rainey. She’s gagged and can’t speak, but I can hear her cries of fear and pleading. Tears are streaming out of her eyes, only to soak into the cloth gag.

Immediately, I’m filled with fury that Rainey has been brought into this, and my instinct is to run to her so I can release her from the pole. But then I realize that will be futile as I don’t know what to do with her. I can’t bend distance with her as it would kill her, and the pit walls are too high for us to scale or jump.

I’m sure I’ll be ashamed later, but my next instinct is to turn to Carrick for help. Sadly, there’s no time as I hear the screeching of metal and realize those cages behind me are now starting to open.

I wheel back around to face them, putting myself between whatever is going to come out and Rainey. It’s up to me to protect her.