Kalon shrugged as I slipped off Midnight’s back and gave her a soft pat on the neck. She nuzzled my face, shuddering with delight. I’d made her as happy as she’d made me, it seemed, and I wasn’t sure what to make of this peculiar synergy.

“Midnight gave it everything she had,” he said. “I’ve never seen her run so fast, to be honest. I think you’re a good influence on her.”

I was blushing again. Dammit. “Thank you, I guess? It feels different from riding a horse,” I murmured. “It was like… I don’t know, like our souls were bound together, our bodies fused into one.”

The valet took the reins on Midnight and Lightning and led them to a nearby stable, where water troughs and fresh hay awaited, along with about a couple dozen other Visions, brought in by other visitors to the Blood Arena.

“Oh, wow.” I gasped, faced with the enormity of this place.

It reminded me of an ancient Greek theatre, with hundreds of steps dug into the stony ground. Shaped like a giant, oval bowl, the Blood Arena had numerous box stalls and enclosures with sun covers for those who preferred the shade. At the bottom, I could see the fighting area, covered in a thin layer of red clay, similar to what I’d seen on tennis fields.

A stage had been extended at the bottom, overlooking the entire place. Round panels were mounted on the sides, facing the arena. “What are those?” I asked Kalon, pointing at them.

“Sound enhancers,” he said. “It’s where the announcer stands, and it’s also where the prizes are awarded.”

We stood on the very edge of the bowl, right next to the main entrance. A dozen staff members in dark red leather uniforms checked the paper tickets used by the guests to enter. “So, people pay to watch these things,” I mumbled.

Kalon nodded. “The profits are added to the prizes,” he said. “Well, part of them, anyway. The rest goes into the empire’s coffers.”

There were thousands of people already pouring into the Blood Arena. Carriages were pulled farther up the arched alleyway, beyond the stables. Riders came through, leaving their horses with the stable boys before producing their entry tickets. Murmurs rumbled from below as the people settled on the steps or in their boxed seats, eager for the matches to start.

“If I may,” Kalon said, extending his arm once more.

We walked up to the entrance, where the staff immediately recognized him and moved back. “Please, milord. It’s an honor to have you here today,” one of the young Aeternae boys said. “Will you be fighting in this tournament?”

“Not today,” Kalon replied.

This was purely a demonstrative visit, then. I felt a hint of disappointment. After everything I’d heard about Kalon—mostly from him—he was quite the fighter, a most revered champion of the Blood Arena. I would’ve wanted to watch him in action.

“You don’t seem very happy,” he said as we descended the steps all the way to the bottom. From there, he guided me to an elevated boxed stall, where Tristan, Valaine, Derek, Sofia, Amal, and Nethissis were already waiting. Next to them, in a neighboring box adorned with the golden sigil of the Nasani dynasty, were Acheron and Danika, joined by Petra and Corbin. I didn’t see Zoltan anywhere, but I assumed he had work to do. The empire couldn’t stall everything just so he could keep the guests company, after all.

“What makes you say that?” I asked, as I climbed the wooden steps of the stall.

“When I told the boy I wouldn’t be fighting today, you sort of… deflated.”

“Deflated?” I retorted, raising an eyebrow as we took our seats next to Tristan and Valaine. I exchanged brief glances with Derek, Sofia, Amal, and Nethissis, before shifting my focus to the arena.

“Disappointed might be a better word,” Kalon answered.

“Yeah, since I’m not a friggin’ beach ball.”

“What’s that?”

“Nothing,” I replied, remembering I’d have to explain what an inflatable beach ball was. My sense of humor wasn’t a perfect fit for Visio, obviously.

His hand covered mine on the lacquered armrest, and my heart stopped beating for the longest of seconds. “Don’t worry, Esme. I won’t let you down. You will see me fight. Just not today,” he whispered, his lips dangerously close to mine, his eyes so cold that ice snapped through my spine.

Wherever this whole thing led, there was one aspect that was crystal clear to me. This guy was a dollop of trouble, and I was a sucker for it all.

Esme

“Where have you been?” Tristan asked, keeping his voice low.

“Riding a Vision,” I said, grinning. His confused expression required a brief explanation. “That’s what they call their horses here. Visions.”

“Oh. Fun ride?”

“And then some.” I giggled. “Sorry we were late.”

“Technically speaking, we didn’t have an hour set to meet,” Tristan replied. He looked at Kalon for a moment, whose attention was captured by movement in the arena. Workers were doing last-minute checks of the red clay ground, as the tournament was about to begin. There were twenty thousand people present for these matches, the majority of them Aeternae. It wasn’t difficult to spot the Rimians and the Naloreans, though. With such different physiognomies, they simply stood out, even when they wore Visio’s elegant garb.

“Have you learned anything new since last night?” I whispered, wary of any Aeternae overhearing us, as I occasionally glanced back at Derek and the others. They were all nicely dressed, blending in and apparently smiling—but those were our polite smiles. Thoughts simmered beneath the surface, and I couldn’t blame them. We were all so incredulous after GASP’s previous experiences with foreign civilizations that we simply couldn’t accept a good thing when we saw it.

Tristan shook his head. He opened his mouth to say something, when Kalon interrupted. “The first match is about to begin,” he said, demanding my attention.

I gave my brother a brief nod, then leaned closer to Kalon. I’d made it my mission to get close enough to him to gather information, but, at the same time, I dreaded the thought of sharing such a close space with him. He rattled and excited me, all at once…

Two people emerged in the arena, while the announcer came up on the extended stage. The fighters were dressed in leather and chainmail. The Aeternae champion was tall, well above his species’ average. His black hair was long and braided down his back. Amber eyes scanned the entire arena until they found Kalon next to me. He smirked, contempt clouding his expression.

“Do you know him?” I asked.

Kalon sighed. “Demetrius.”

“He doesn’t seem friendly.”

“He isn’t,” Kalon replied dryly, watching Demetrius with interest.

His opponent was a Nalorean, big and burly and seemingly capable of putting up a good fight against someone like Demetrius. The announcer, a slender, white-haired Aeternae, extended his arms, revealing his fangs as he smiled. It riled up the crowd, as people started cheering, whistling, and clapping.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” the announcer shouted. Those sound enhancement panels worked incredibly well. I could hear him as though he was standing right next to us. “Welcome to the semi-final rounds of Visio’s fourteenth tournament this year!”

The cheers got louder. Below our stall, young Aeternae women were laughing and waving at Demetrius, who couldn’t be bothered to acknowledge them. He only had eyes for Kalon, and not in a good way. My stomach tightened, and for a brief moment, I actually worried about him—Demetrius looked as though he would’ve loved nothing more than to tear his head off, spine and all.

“Today’s first match has Demetrius of the Mefithi dynasty facing off against Krassus Senda of Nalore!” the announcer continued. Demetrius got plenty of applause and good wishes, but Krassus, on the other hand, did not seem like a fan favorite. He didn’t care, either, as he sauntered across the red clay to meet Demetrius in the middle.

The Nalorean carried a massive, double-edged battle axe and a solid steel shield with obsidian inlays. He struck me as perfectly capable of chopping even the most ambitious Aeternae into little pieces, but his mere participation in the event was still… odd.

“So, if Krassus wins this tournament, he’ll have the option of becoming an Aeternae?” I asked, watching as the two fighters circled one another.

“As soon as the bell rings, the fight will begin!” the announcer said, pointing at a giant bronze bell mounted on a pillar next to his stage. “It need not be to the death, but if that does come to pass, we shall have a feast tonight, right here in this arena, to honor those fallen!”

That really made the crowd happy, as they cheered and clapped and burst into raucous laughter, their excitement rippling across the bowl and making Demetrius grin. He probably saw himself drinking a cup of blood tonight, to honor the soon-to-die Krassus. At this point, I genuinely wished for Krassus to win, just to humiliate that giant ass.

“Yes, he will have that option,” Kalon answered. “But I hear he’s more interested in opening his own business. The tournament provides enough compensation to do that. There might even be enough gold left for him to buy an island off the west coast, if he wants to.”

“That sounds like quite a fortune,” I said. “I just hope he wins.”

Kalon shot me a grin. “I take it you don’t like Demetrius much, huh?”