Chapter Four
Dagger shook off the bands around his wrists as the guards closed the gate behind him. Rolling his shoulders to ease the strain, he pushed back against the exhaustion that still plagued him. There was something different about tonight’s fight. He could feel the tension in the crowds.
His eyes were fixed on the center of the cage. A large box stood in the center of the closed arena with two six-foot swords resting on it. His eyes scanned the other gated areas. There were no other opponents in them. Normally, there would be another fighter in each one, but tonight they stood bare.
A shiver of unease ran down his spine. He cautiously stepped into the arena when the gate in front of him lifted and the one behind him began to slide forward, forcing him into the dome-shaped enclo
