Rise of the Gryphon (Belador #4)(77)

A centaur—part man and part horse—appeared next to the guard holding Dame Lynn’s head. Dark hair fell past the centaur’s neck. Strong face and attractive, but frightening, too. He had no shirt, just lots of muscles under olive skin covering the human upper body that grew where the neck and head of a horse should have been.

“I am Kol,” he boomed to the crowd, muscled arms outstretched and front hooves prancing. He grinned his appreciation at greetings being shouted. His goatee gave him a wickedly sexy appeal. He dipped his head in a bow to Imogenia. “Your wish is granted. I am here. What can I do for you?”

The witch’s lips curved with coy intentions. She breathed deeply, which pushed her bulging breasts even higher above her low-cut neckline. Lusty noises murmured through the crowd. On her exhale, Imogenia said, “I would appreciate a private moment to discuss my little mistake.”

Kol had blue eyes the color of a deep sea that twinkled, but not in a nice way. “If only that I could grant this one small wish, but to do so would have more women vying for my affections than I have time for now.”

Imogenia’s smile faltered.

Kol’s tone took a deadly turn. “And to be honest, I hold affection for no one. You have broken my laws. You will pay the price.”

“No, please don’t, I—” Imogenia arched her back as her arms jerked above her head, and her face muscles strained against some invisible assault. The black hooded cloak tied at her throat flew off and over the crowd, landing behind Lanna, who gathered it up quickly, then stood on her tiptoes again to see.

Veins beneath Imogenia’s skin bulged, breaking her skin in blue and purple lines that fingered out like lines on a map. Blisters boiled on her chin and arms. She screamed when her hair ignited, burning down to the scalp. In the next second, she had a bald head covered in angry sores and welts.

Her dress poofed away in a cloud of gold dust that fell to the ground, leaving her naked for the world to see sagging skin and hideous, oozing blisters.

Finally, her arms dropped, free of whatever had held her in place. She looked down at herself, eyes rocked with horror. “Noooo, oh, nooo . . .” Tears streamed down her face, then her mask disappeared. It had hidden a purplish-red birthmark that covered her right cheek.

Kol shouted, “I have granted you another favor. The flaw you’ve kept hidden now draws no attention.”

Imogenia moaned, weaving where she stood until her knees started to fold.

Kol shouted, “No! You will walk out of here.”

“Pleeease,” she begged, but her legs locked straight and started walking stiffly toward the exit. The crowd parted, drawing back to avoid touching her. She twisted around, her upper body fighting against her legs. “Please, Kol, I’ll do anything you want.”

“You already have, my sweet. You’re preventing anyone else from testing my rules again, because—” He paused, taking in the crowd. “Let it be known that the next one to cross me will not get off with such a light punishment.”

Imogenia’s sobbing could be heard all the way to the exit.

Lanna shuddered at the idea of getting caught.

She backed away from the crowd on shaky legs. Had anyone seen her help Evalle? Hands damp, she kept moving until she found another space beneath the towering steps and rushed inside it, sitting down hard when her legs gave out. She could not get upset and lose control or she would draw Grendal’s attention.

But neither could she stay here.

First, calm down and think. Imogenia had been caught immediately. Evalle had fought over an hour ago. If anyone had noticed Lanna’s help, they would have shouted foul then, right? She started breathing easier, but she still had to get moving.

She looked at Imogenia’s cloak still in her hands.

Crawling forward, she peeked out to make sure no one was standing nearby and scooped up a fist of gray-brown dirt. She sat back and dropped the wadded-up cloak on the ground between her bent knees. Sprinkling the dirt over the cloak, she gently called upon the earth, asking to dull the color of the cloak.

A color no eyes strayed to.

Finished, she lifted the material now the color of dirt and stood, wrapping the covering around her shoulders. Lucky for her that Imogenia was short, too.

Pulling the hood over her head, Lanna took a tentative step away from her hiding place. She should return to the place where Storm and Evalle had left her, but she did not want to be locked up again in his spell. Breaking out had hurt, and she might not escape next time.

Storm and Evalle did not understand that she could not sit in one place and risk being caught by Grendal.

He had eyes everywhere.

Dame Lynn’s voice announced, “Elite matches will begin in ten minutes. Eligible Alterants are to be in their respective holding areas at the times designated.”

Lanna listened for Evalle’s battle as Dame Lynn called out matchups. Evalle’s was one of the last fights, same battle dome as her first two matches. With Storm and Evalle free to move around the event until Evalle had to fight, Lanna had to own the scent on Imogenia’s cloak or Storm would find her. Weaving slowly through the crowd, she kept her head down, searching for a place to watch Evalle’s fight.

She did not want to face Kol, but she could not let Evalle die.

Dame Lynn announced, “Moonlight Warrior the Alterant versus Boomer the Alterant in ten minutes.”

Spotting a vendor setup that faced where Evalle would battle, Lanna considered the table draped with a cloth and displaying silver jewelry. Not an ideal spot to hide, because the vendor might lift the drape to look under the table for inventory.