Underland(16)

But there was another light in the room that hadn’t dimmed. Den looked over at the young human girl and sighed. Her band hadn’t gone out. He’d never seen someone chosen so fast. She had only been in the registry for a short time, and now he was going to lose her. She’d been nothing more than bad luck ever since he met her. “She’s a blight on everything she touches.”

“Ha! It must be my lucky day.” He rubbed his hands together. “The gods have decided its fate for me.” Remus smiled cruelly. “When did you say I’ll get my boggart from Howl?”

More than likely, the human girl would die competing. Still, giving her a fighting chance was better than giving her none. Den rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s been confirmed you won the bid. Howl will bring him to you next week.”

“Ah, which one? Who did I get?”

“Bogeyman.”

“Oh, Bogeyman is vicious—and he didn’t compete in the last game, if I remember correctly. Yes! He will tear the little human apart.” Remus slapped the table in triumph before leaning down to whisper into Kira’s unhearing ears in a sing song voice. “Run little human, run as fast as you can. You can’t outrun my new Bogeyman.”





Chapter 8

Kira knew she was in trouble the moment the door opened and Den walked into her one room cell. Hours earlier, she’d awakened in the stark, sterile room and panicked. Every muscle in her body had screamed to fight, but there were no enemies present. She was alone except for the two metal frame beds and a nightstand—both bolted to the ground.

She’d pounded on the huge metal door, paced, and sat in the corner staring at the exit, willing it to open so she could escape. Sheer luck had kept her alive up to this point. She was surprised Warrick hadn’t killed her in her sleep. Why had he betrayed her at the last minute? Whatever it took, she’d get her revenge on the four-footed doctor.

She sat on one of the beds and scooted back into the corner. Plotting, planning, waiting. That had been her morning. Not to mention that annoying white light on her band that had been blinking non-stop for the last hours. It was probably malfunctioning. She’d been trying to figure out how to get it off when Den surprised her by opening the door.

He was wearing the long black jacket that reached almost to the stone floor, the same one she had seen him wear in the boat. His blond hair was tousled from running his hand through it. Thick calf-high boots completed the somber ensemble. He frowned at her back-to-the-wall position.

Kira glowered at him, refusing to move or show fear of any kind. He approached and stopped three feet from her huddled form.

Turning around, he gestured to the room. “Do you like? It’s better than the cage.” His hands reached towards the front of his jacket, and he began to unbutton a few of the straps.

Kira stiffened, wishing she had never trapped herself in the corner of the room. How stupid could she be?

Den held his hands in the air. “Hey now, don’t be scared.” He reached back toward the strap and slowly undid the buckle across the front. His hand disappeared inside a pocket. He pulled out a metal stamp and reached for her wrist.

She yanked her arm away and leaned harder against the wall, pulling her feet up toward her.

“Scared of a stamp? I wouldn’t expect such a childish reaction from someone who killed one of the top fighters.” He grabbed her arm, and set the stamp on her bracer. When he pressed a small button on the top, the stamp turned red hot, like a car lighter. Smoke rolled up into the air as it burned a design into the metal.

He pulled back. As the smoke cleared, Kira saw an emblem burned into her bracer. “What is it?”

“It’s your brand—Remus’s brand, to be exact.” He pointed toward the eagle holding two arrows in its claws. It looked very much like the eagle on the American dollar, except that this eagle looked way tougher and it was missing something—the branch in its left claw.

“What, no olive branch?” Why had he chosen such a patriotic emblem?

Den shook his head. “Down here, peace doesn’t get you very far. The people only understand one thing: fighting. Using the olive branch would have been taken as a symbol of weakness. He can’t have that.”

“No, we can’t be pansies and show compassion or mercy with a bunch of monsters.”

Den locked eyes with her. “No. No, we can’t, because deep down—no matter our exteriors—we are all monsters.”

He was being civil, and she’d just opened her mouth and insulted him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean you.” Her voice filled with regret. “Thank you. For helping me.”

He stiffened as if he was offended by her gratitude. “I shouldn’t have.”

“Then why did you? Why did you drop my chain when Remus sent Creeper after me?”

“You deserved a fighting chance. But you—I—you’re just getting in the way of my plans.”

He flipped her wrist over so she could see the digital screen and the runes. “If you try and run away, he can track you with it. There’s only two ways it releases from your wrist: Get Remus to release ownership of you. Or get freedom tokens. Red means you own nothing—or you’re in debt. Earn enough, and you’ll be free.” He moved over to the door and unlocked it.

“How do I get Remus to release me?” Kira could feel the blood rushing to her ears with apprehension.