The next morning, Nora walked toward where the group gathered outside the Twisted Oak. The early morning light painted the cobblestone streets with long, cool shadows, and the air was crisp and invigorating.
“Ooh!” Jer shouted playfully when he caught sight of her.
Nora felt a smile tug at the edges of her mouth as the rest of the team turned at his proclamation. They too shared their congratulations and admiration at what Nora now sported across her body.
She’d done it.
The paladin had finally splurged on some armor, using the gold they’d received from the previous trial to finance her much-needed upgrade. Too long had she walked around, feeling exposed and vulnerable each time another patrol passed them by. And that last trial was the final straw.
She might not be a Fateweaver, but gods damn it all, she was a paladin.
“Those suit you,” Cade said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Nora flushed. “Thank you, Cade.”
“Was that a suit of armor joke?” Rayka demanded of her brother, ruining the moment. “Seriously?! That’s beneath you, Cade.”
“Let’s get a move on!” Cade answered cheerily, ignoring his sister.
Nora inhaled deeply, enjoying the aroma of freshly baked bread mingled with the distant clatter of merchants setting up their stalls, creating a vibrant, bustling atmosphere. Several of them seemed to remember her from a few days prior, their venomous glares proof that grudges were forming.
She swallowed, not sure how to explain that her best friend was nearly kidnapped to a bunch of strangers. And while she was settled about her denunciation of her vows, it had been nice to hide behind the Fateweaver reputation in times like these. Now, the decisions—and their consequences—were hers to bear.
Nora tried to shake off the unease from the previous night, but the tension clung to her like a second skin.
“How are you holding up?” Cade approached her, eyes murky with a darkness of his own creation.
“I’m fine. Just tired.” Nora forced a smile, though it felt fragile on her lips.
It was a lie, but it was better than the truth.
“Alright. Let’s get to the arena.” Cade’s gaze lingered on her, as if he could see through her facade to the turmoil beneath, but he didn’t press further.
The walk to the arena was steeped in tension. The city, usually a cacophony of life, seemed unusually subdued, the hustle and bustle replaced by an unsettling calm. Vibrant banners fluttered in the morning breeze, their rich colors contrasting starkly with the underlying sense of dread.
As they neared the grand structure, Nora’s eyes scanned the crowd, her paranoia and sleep deprivation turning even the most benign pedestrian into a threat.
The arena loomed ahead, its massive stone walls casting imposing shadows on the ground. The distant roar of cheers and the clamor of preparations filled the air, creating a dissonant symphony. When they reached the entrance, Cade frowned, his expression darkening.
“Wait, where’s Gavin?” The team leader demanded. “I swear on the gods, if he’s still fussing over his scarf or ascot, I am going to strangle him in that silk.”
Nora looked around, her heart sinking into a pit of worry. It wasn’t for her, but for Evie. Sure enough, her siren started to twist her luscious brown curls around her finger, bright eyes misting up around their rims. She looked around more, careful not to dismiss any detail.
He was nowhere to be seen.
The group exchanged anxious glances, the tension crackling like static in the air.
“Do you think he’s... ?” Jer began, but Cade cut him off with a sharp look.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions.” Cade walked past them and back up the long path back to the arena, but Nora caught a haunted look hidden behind his gaze.
He looked tired and absolutely worn out.
“We need to focus on the trial ahead,” Cade stated as they resumed their walk to the arena. “Keep your eyes open and stay sharp. We don’t know enough about this city or who might gain if we disappeared. But because he’s gone, we’ll have to rely on our hand signals again. Nora, Evie, we’ll try to keep to the simplest motions, okay? Orro, stay near them so you can translate.”
They each followed, though the tension only mounted with each block they passed. The crowds were largely absent from the street, which Nora found a bit strange. Soon enough, they were under the thick shadow the arena cast onto the large square lined with trees along its impressive entrance.
Sandstone steps over fifty yards across led up to the gates that opened into the colosseum, with a steady trickle of guests climbing them in a rush. Like last time, they took a turn and headed toward the entrance reserved for contestants.
The underbelly of the arena was a labyrinth of shadowy tunnels and echoing footsteps. Lifekeeper guards, clad in gleaming armor, stood at intervals, their watchful eyes and stern expressions adding to the gravity of the moment. Nora followed the procession, her senses on high alert. The air was cool and damp, carrying the faint scent of earth and metal.
Sconces alight with amber glowflakes were affixed along the stone walls, casting dancing shadows that seemed to leap and twist with every step. The attendants moved with practiced precision, guiding the combatants through the winding passages.
Above the hum of the crowd was a constant backdrop, a distant roar that grew louder with every passing moment. It resonated in her bones and clattered her teeth. She had never heard such a thunderous sound in her life before this tournament, even when she faced Progenitors out in the wilderness.
Their primordial roars were nothing compared to this collective force of anticipation and bloodlust.
As they walked, Nora could feel the rumble of the crowd through the soles of her boots. The anticipation was palpable, a living entity that thrummed through the very walls of the arena. Each step they took seemed to resonate with the pulse of the gathered masses, their excitement a tangible force that set the ground trembling.
Cade walked beside her, his usual roguish grin in place.
“You know, I’ve always wanted to make a grand entrance,” he quipped. “Maybe I’ll do a little dance when we get out there. Think that’ll win us some points? Or maybe I’ll tell them my favorite joke!”
Nora couldn’t help but smirk at the ridiculous image that conjured.
Beside her, Orro’s shoulders tensed. “Cade... we told you never to tell that joke again.”
“C’mon, Or. It’s funny and you know it. These Elysians will love it!” Cade argued while he skipped forward through the tunnel’s length. “I’ll bet half of them won’t even know what the inside of a dragon’s anus feels like. It’ll be educational.”
“No!” Elena, Jer, and Orro said at once.
Bunny roared his approval on Cade’s shoulder. Their blonde-haired leader slumped in feigned defeat, but his light never dwindled.
Rayka, walking just ahead, glanced back with a tight smile. Her eyes betrayed her nerves, darting to and fro as if expecting danger to leap from the shadows. Nora wished she could dissuade her from that fear.
“I don’t know how you can joke at a time like this,” Rayka muttered. “This is worse than that time Hugh made me pretend to be a noble’s long-lost daughter, and I had to go to three different galas.”
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Her eyes took on a haunted look.
“Three... “ Rayka repeated with a haunted expression.
Cade’s expression softened slightly. “I’ve already said I was sorry about that, Ray. Besides, you looked great in pink.”
The sound of stone against flesh echoed through the long corridor, and Cade yelped in pain at the pebble his sister threw. They all laughed at his expense, and even Nora felt a low chuckle bubble up unbidden. She shook her head and pulled her black braid from her right shoulder and tucked it behind her new armor.
The tunnel began to incline, the path leading upwards. Nora could feel the earth continue to shake with the rumbling anticipation of the crowd.
The vibrations grew stronger. Thousands of voices melded into a single, thunderous roar that reverberated through her bones. As they neared the giant wrought-iron gates that marked the entrance to the arena floor, the roar became deafening.
Enchanted iron gates loomed ahead, intricate designs of twisting vines and fierce creatures etched into the metal. Nora could see the flickering light beyond, the arena bathed in the glow of a thousand glowflakes. Every muscle in her lithe body tightened in anticipation of the fight to come. She hadn’t been ready before, and that was a mistake she would not make again.
Evie clung to Nora’s side, her delicate features pale and eyes wide with worry.
“What if Gavin doesn’t come?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the din.
Nora placed a comforting hand on Evie’s shoulder.
“He’ll be here,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “He wouldn’t abandon us now.”
Evie nodded, but the fear in her eyes remained. “The stars promised, Nora. They promised me the most beautiful future with him. If he leaves…”
The lovestruck siren apparently couldn’t finish the thought.
Nora squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, trying to project strength she wasn’t sure she possessed. The gates creaked open, the sound like the groaning of some ancient beast awakening from slumber.
Bright light flooded the tunnel, momentarily blinding Nora. She blinked against the glare, her heart pounding in her chest. The howls of the crowd surged, a wave of sound that crashed over them as they stepped into the arena.
The sight that greeted them was overwhelming.
The arena was a vast expanse, the stands filled with a sea of faces, each one shouting, cheering, or jeering. The sandstone beneath them bore the remnants of past battles visible in the scuffed and worn surface. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, metal, and anticipation. Even though this was their second time in this death pit, it wasn’t any easier.
She felt exposed. Naked, and not in a fun way.
A muscle feathered in her angled jaw as she assessed their competition. None of them would be easy to take down. She studied their expressions, which ranged from grim determination to outright defiance, though she did note a few other queasy expressions hidden behind their bolder comrades.
Cade raised his arms, acknowledging the crowd with a flourish.
“Okay, my band of brave and noble heroes! Let’s give them a show they won’t forget!” he shouted, his voice clear during a brief lull in the clamor around them.
The crowd responded with a renewed roar, their excitement palpable.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the challenge ahead. She felt a single bead of sweat trickle down her neck and into the covered valley of her breasts. The heat of the sun was unnaturally intense.
Nora Lancaster repeated her purpose in the sanctuary of her mind.
Evie will not die here.
As Nora and the others stepped into the arena, the deafening crowd assaulted their senses. Packed to the brim, the stands were filled with more people than the day before.
She moved further in, and she forced herself to focus on the other teams. Each was a testament to the diverse factions drawn to the tournament.
Five teams of eight, though a few had members conspicuously missing. To her left, a group of wood elves stood in disciplined formation, their expressions stoic, their eyes sharp. Their leader, a tall elf with silver hair and piercing green eyes, surveyed the arena with an air of calm authority.
Nora knew a military squad when she saw one, and could only guess why an elite team of elves had decided to join this bloodfest.
She marked all of their weapons, memorizing how many arrows were in each of their ornately carved quivers.
Next to them, a dwarf unabashedly scratched at his nether region in the direction of the elves. The silver-haired elf sneered at the rude display, but the dwarves behind the offender only laughed and shouted their encouragements.
Despite their comical disposition, she did not miss their sturdy frames encased in intricately crafted armor. Their leader, a burly she-dwarf with plated braids running low across her back, held a massive war hammer slung over her shoulder. The she-dwarf yelled at the wood elves in her native tongue for a few seconds before throwing them a rude gesture.
Nora’s dwarvish was extremely rusty, but she got the general comparison of the elves’ mothers and a particularly social goat.
The paladin’s eyes roamed to a third team.
“Those guys look like Reavers,” Cade commented, following her gaze.
Nora nodded at the team leader. She recognized them from the first trial, but she was too addled to take them in properly back in the ballroom. Now, with a clear view and clearer mind, she knew fighting them without Wavebreaker’s enchantments would be a struggle.
“Destiny preserve,” Nora whispered under her breath as she glanced down at her recently acquired greatsword.
Out here, in the daylight, it looked even worse.
Nora noticed Cade wave jovially at one of the final teams to enter the arena floor, and she narrowed her attention at their stoic postures. The entire group wore black cowls so low their faces were completely obscured. The only member whose face was visible was a little girl with pale skin and long braids. Her eyes were wide and innocent, as if she had somehow ended up there by mistake and just didn’t know what to do about it.
The girl turned to her, and despite the distance between them, Nora caught a flash of something deadly in that little girl’s eyes. Something dark.
Something evil.
She had nearly concluded that this girl was the most dangerous opponent they had to face, but a pulse of someone’s aura had her swiveling her head. Every team turned in concert as the final group arrived. They stepped out of the shadows, weapons drawn and freshly polished.
Curses and gasps of disbelief arose behind her from Cade and his team.
The person in the front of these late-comers looked directly at them, a cold smirk across his face. His grizzly demeanor reminded Nora of a chipped blade, hiding its serrated edges behind alleged neglect.
Behind the human was a collection of fighters just as formidable as their leader, though perhaps not quite the same relentless fury in their eyes. She spotted an honest-to-Destiny orc, two dark elves, and two more humans besides their leader.
This was their true competition. Nora could feel it in her bones.
“Cade!” Elena hissed, her eyes blazing with anger. “Why didn’t you tell us he was here?”
“I didn’t want to distract you.” Cade clenched his jaw, his expression hard. “I thought it was better not to say anything until it became relevant.”
“Well, we’re distracted now!” Rayka’s face twisted in fury.
“You asshole,” Elena sneered, and she looked ready to walk away then and there. “How could you?”
Jer stepped forward, his fists clenched. “You should have trusted us.”
Nora placed a hand on the curve of her hips, watching as the argument escalated, the bonds of their group fraying under the strain. She felt a pang of sympathy for Cade, caught as he was in a difficult position like this.
Secrets and lies had a way of unraveling trust. She knew it better than anyone.
The bickering was cut short as a seductive voice boomed overhead, resonating through the arena.
“WELCOME, MY BELOVED CHILDREN!” the goddess’s voice purred, each word dripping with honeyed allure. “PREPARE YOUR HEARTS FOR MY NEXT LESSON. MAY YOUR UNDERSTANDING TRANSFORM YOU.”
“Oh, shit,” Cade whispered to their team. “I think it’s the metamorphosis trial.”
“What does that even mean?” Rayka asked frantically, some of her anger cooling in the face of imminent danger.
She re-tied her blonde ponytail behind her head, though Nora noted how she refused to look at her brother.
“It means we’re about to be changed somehow,” Nora answered evenly.
The goddess’s voice echoed once more, softer now but no less commanding. “LET THE LESSON BEGIN.”
Nora felt a chill run down her spine.
A brilliant light exploded overhead, blinding Nora and her companions. She instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes, but the light was overwhelming, searing through her closed lids.
The crowd’s roar seemed to fade into a distant hum, and for a moment, there was nothing but the blinding brilliance and the goddess’s voice echoing in her mind.
When the light finally dimmed, Nora blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. She looked around, her heart pounding.
The first thing she felt was a strong wind against her cheeks. The chirp of a flock of birds with long tails of dazzling pinks and blues shot across the space just above her head. She tried to duck, but the sensation felt slow—sluggish.
A horrible, horrible feeling swelled in her gut.
“What the feck?” A voice rose up from nearby.
The foreboding inside of her reached a whole new level. She tried to turn her head to find Evie, to make sure she was okay, but her body refused to listen to her.
Or, rather, she felt her head spin, she knew she was performing this simple action, and yet her vision didn’t move in the slightest.
“By Prosperity’s whiskers, what in the devils is going on here?!” The same voice from before demanded.
She tried to turn and face this newcomer, but her body refused to cave to her command.
The low rumble of a huge waterfall grew louder somewhere nearby. Her vision swirled and caught sight of something she never expected to see.
There, across the rocky platform every contestant had been teleported on, was herself...
“Oh gods,” the paladin breathed in horror and disbelief.
Nora Lancaster, hunted heretic of the Fateweavers, stared at herself through the eyes of a stranger.
How did our heroes end up body-swapped in the arena? Vote on your favorite theory:
