"Competitors, come to the arena."
The head referee's dismal boom filled the frigid dawn air. Lined up in the access tunnel. Twelve of us. Beyond the thick wooden gates, the crowd's noise felt like a hefty animal waiting to be fed.
My tightly strapped ankle hurt all the time. Garrote wire was hidden under wrist wrap. Cold made it comfortable and painful. Caelan stood off to the side, dejected. Lyra stretched deadly easily in front. Torin and Marek were cracking their knuckles and staring at me ravenous. They believed they knew what to do.
The gates opened to expose the packed dirt of the big combat circle with tall wooden benches around it. I felt a wave strike my chest as the crowd's shout increased. The tube was sliced by intense sunlight.
Now was the time. The moment I became a tale
