Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 602(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Duck yelled. “Lei, watch out!”
My vision cleared just long enough to catch my father kicking me in the chest.
“Ahh!”
The force was a wrecking ball, knocking the air from my lungs and sending me sprawling forward.
The world tilted.
“No!” Falling off the branch, I accidentally dropped the sword.
He caught it and laughed.
Tumbling down, I tried to grab branches. My fingers scrabbled against the bark but it was slick with blood and blossoms, offering no grip.
“No!”
The scream wasn’t mine but I knew that voice anywhere.
Moni.
The wind howled around me as I fell and the ground rushed up to crash against me.
Some cheered.
Others cried out in worry.
Terror laced Duck’s voice. “Get up, Lei! He’s climbing down!”
I tried to move but I couldn’t.
Maybe, it was my body still fighting the poison.
Or perhaps, it was the impact of the fall.
Did I break something?
I blinked trying to look up but my neck and back screamed in pain.
More important. . .is this my end?
Moni’s face flashed in my mind, her dark, soulful eyes filled with love and fear. I thought of her touch, the way her fingers felt against my skin, grounding me even in my darkest moments.
I can’t leave her. Not like this.
Summoning every ounce of willpower left in me, I clenched my teeth against the pain radiating through my body.
The taste of iron filled my mouth as I pushed myself up on shaky arms, the world spinning around me in a dizzying dance of color and light.
"Fight, Lei!" Duck's voice echoed through the arena. “Imperial Lament is six feet away!”
But I can barely see.
I nodded, though my movements felt sluggish, as if I were stuck in a dream.
My father was right about one thing: everything hinged on survival. It wasn't about honor or fairness anymore. It was about living to see another day—for Moni.
But I fell back down.
No. No.
Aunt Suzi cried, “No, God. Leo don’t! Please!”
A battle of some sort must have happened in the stands as Aunt Suzi and whoever surely must have been trying to come out into the arena!
It was impossible to ignore—the roar of voices shouting over one another, the panicked shrieks of women, and the deep guttural bellows of men locked in some unseen battle.
Get up. Come on. Get up.
I blinked again and could see better.
Then I vomited black liquid.
Thank God. Get out of me.
Yet, the sound in the crowd carried through the night like a relentless storm, crashing and rebounding off the stone walls of the arena.
I heard Aunt Suzi’s voice rise. “Out of my way! Lei needs us! Leo is almost down!”
Her voice was followed by a scuffle—a series of sharp, irregular thuds as if someone had been thrown against the wooden seats. The screech of metal scraping against stone sent a shiver down my spine, followed by the distinctive sound of something heavy falling, the impact reverberating through the arena like a muffled explosion.
Who’s fighting?
The crowd added to the madness. Their voices an erratic symphony of gasps, curses, and cheers. Some were undoubtedly spectators caught in the crossfire, their panicked cries mingling with the aggressive shouts of those determined to fight their way down.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in my side and the fire still burning through my veins, I forced myself to stand.
My legs shook beneath me and for a moment, I thought they'd give way.
Not yet. Not yet.
My vision was still a bit blurry but I could see better.
Where is the sword?
Uncle Song roared from the crowd. “Get back, Min! You cannot help!”
The sharp clang of steel against steel followed his command.
Aunt Suzi’s voice cut through again. “You think you can keep me from my nephew? I’ll kill you myself!”
I spotted the sword and stumbled forward.
More black liquid spilled from my mouth.
Right as I dove for it, a sword slashed at my back.
“Arrhh!” I fell to the ground.
Me father laughed. “Where are you going, son?”
Someone shouted. “Hold her back! Hold her back!”
I rolled over and braced myself just as he lunged at me with Soaring Precious raised high above his head.
No!
I barely had time to react but my instincts kicked in. I managed to roll away just as the blade came crashing down, slicing the tiled ground where I'd just been.
The impact was so powerful, it sent fragments and dirt flying into the air.
Ignoring the pain that lanced through my body, I struggled to get back on my feet. My legs were still shaky and didn't want to hold my weight.
But I couldn't afford to stay down.
My father had Soaring Precious in the air, then something odd happened. Uncle Song yelled out and his voice was filled with horror. “LEO, WATCH OUT!”
What?
We both turned his way—my father and me.
Oh shit!
Chapter thirty-one
The Roar of the Arena
Moni
Twenty minutes earlier.
Leo ran off like a bitch, racing to the tree and climbing it.
The deafening roar of the crowd collided into a symphony of fear, bloodlust, and hysteria that shook the arena like a living beast.