The gate opened, and the crowd’s intake of breath made it feel like the arena itself was breathing.
Iron teeth scraped against stone. Chains snapped, then slackened with a rattle that echoed around the Coliseum. Heat shimmered above the sand; the air tasted like blood, dust, and the sharp tang of magic.
Kade stood in the center of it, unmoving and still as a stake driven into the earth.
The roar of the crowd had returned in waves after the challenge. First, there was disbelief that anyone would dare challenge Merrow. Then, delight followed with the hungry joy of thousands of people realizing the show wasn’t over. They chanted Merrow’s name and then, unpredictably and to Merrow’s displeasure, Kade’s, too. The arena’s loyalty could be fickle if the story was good enough, and Kade brough
