Bound by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #2)(43)

“I don’t think we got a line-up of the fights,” Annia said coolly, holding out a hand.

The bookie’s eyes narrowed, but he dug into his pocket and pulled out a list, then handed it to Annia. Lakin and I leaned in so we could scan the matches – five total. I let out a little sigh of relief – this wasn’t an elimination contest. I wasn’t sure if I could manage to sit through that many fights.

Annia put her bet on the gray wolf in “wolf vs. lion”, and Lakin decided to back the wolverine going up against the grizzly bear.

“You gonna place a bet?” the bookie asked me.

“Oh I don’t like betting.” I giggled, leaning my shoulder against Annia’s and batting my lashes at the man. “I’ve never really been good with odds. I leave that sort of thing to her.” I squeezed Annia’s arm.

“Suit yourself.” The bookie shrugged, then closed his book and moved off.

I sighed in relief as I watched him walk away, partially because I didn’t have to bet and also because I really didn’t have any money to put down anyway.

“You seem to be getting pretty good at playing the bimbo card,” Annia teased me under her breath.

My lips quirked up in a brief smile. “It’s the only card I’ve got at my disposal right now, so I may as well take advantage of it.”

The announcer, a skinny man in a flashy green suit with a shock of bright orange hair, got up onto his podium and picked up his microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Shifter Royale!” he cried, and the crowd went wild. I forced myself to clap and cheer with all the others, and Annia and Lakin followed suit. “Thank you all for coming tonight! We’ve got a fantastic line-up for you this evening, so I hope you’ve all placed your bets. Are you ready to get started?”

“YEAHHHH!” The audience shouted, and I fought the urge to clap my hands over my ears at the deafening roar.

“Then let’s begin! First up, a real classic here at the Shifter Royale – Grizzly Bear versus Polar Bear!”

I watched as two of the cages were opened, and the shifters were dragged out. They tried to bite and snap at their handlers, but the humans who pulled them from their cages were well trained – they used a strange clamping device to grab the shifters by their throats and drag them out, and then each shifter was grabbed by two humans, with four more standing by as backup, and hauled to doors on opposite sides of the ring. It wasn’t until the shifters were inside that the humans unlocked their handcuffs, and then beat a hasty retreat as the shifters instantly started changing.

My heart pounded as I watched the white light engulfing the two males as their shapes stretched and reformed, until two hulking bears stood on opposite ends of the ring. They both let out eardrum-shattering roars, then charged each other, battle fever raging in their bloodshot eyes. Claws sank into fur as the bears grappled for the upper hand, their heads twisting as they tried to bite each other. The polar bear managed to get his maw around the grizzly’s more accessible ear, and the tang of blood laced the air as he ripped at it with his fangs. The grizzly roared again, struggling, but the pain threw him off balance and he toppled to the ground, the polar bear on top of him. It wasn’t long before the polar bear clamped his jaw around the grizzly’s neck, teeth sinking into the thick fur as he tried to tear out his opponent’s windpipe.

“And we have a winner!” the announcer cried. “Polar bear comes out on top!” The crowd went wild, a mixture of cheers and boos, and I clenched my fists – that polar bear was going to kill the grizzly if someone didn’t do something!

Thankfully, someone did – the announcer made a gesture, and two humans came forward, both holding some kind of long, tubular device. They pointed them at the bears and shot them with some kind of dart. Instantly, both bears went limp, collapsing against the stained white surface of the ring, and to my shock, white light enveloped them as they shifted back to human form.

“What the f*ck?” Annia muttered as we watched several humans rush into the ring so they could re-cuff the shifters and drag them back to their respective cages. “How the hell did they manage to force unconscious shifters to change?”

“It’s got to be some kind of magic,” I hissed, unable to hold back my glare as I stared at the now-empty ring. “There’s no way some drug did that on its own. There’s a mage involved somewhere.”

Just like there’d been a mage involved in the Resistance’s attack on the bridge. One strong enough to strip away the wards.

I froze as I considered that. The substance they’d used to attach the bomb to the underside of the bridge had been magical in nature, just like whatever the humans had just injected those shifters with. It was one thing for humans to use charms and potions, but the magic involved at the bridge and the injections given to those shifters were really powerful and sophisticated. What mage of that stature would be willing to work with humans like this? Was it possible the same mage that had been involved in the attack on the bridge was also involved with this? I couldn’t see respectable mages working for the Resistance, but it was possible they might have roped in some renegade who was unhappy with the current regime. I supposed it could also be a witch, but if that were the case they would have to be an unusually powerful one.

“This is disgusting,” Lakin spat, disturbing my train of thought. “I can’t believe we’re just sitting here and watching this happen!” A muscle ticked in his jaw.