I wake to the jangle of keys and clanging of metal. A dull pain radiates from the base of my skull. The last thing I remember is the stab—betrayed by Brownspot. She teamed up with the shirtless senat and attacked us. Wait—where's Whisperclaw?
Groggily, I survey my surroundings. A small prison cell, its walls damp and cold, holds me captive. I'm on the bottom bunk of a set of beds, stripped of my armor, shield, and saber. Instead, I wear ragged potato sack cloth with holes for pants and a shirt. I hear rustling above.
"Who's there?" I stand and see a small, blue-skinned snargle rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looks like an older version of Glimmer.
"Hmm? Finally awake?" The snargle yawns, his voice casual. "You were in bad shape when they threw you in here. Watching your wounds close on their own was... disturbing."
"Sorry about that." I mumble, unsure why I feel the need to apologize.
"You're here for Glimmer, right?" He asks, climbing down. "Does he know he's been traveling with a vampire, or were you planning on keeping that secret?"
"Who are you?" I evade the question.
"Really? You don't recognize me?" The snargle's gaze is piercing. "What are they teaching knights nowadays?"
"I'm not a knight."
The cell door flies open, revealing a dark brown-furred saber. He is short and bulky. A large hammer dangles from his side along with a set of rusty keys.
"Alright, you two! Move it!" He roars, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "We've got a schedule to keep!"
The snargle and I exchange a brief, puzzled glance before the saber's patience snaps. He lunges, gripping us by our throats, and drags us down a long, dark corridor. The stone floor is rough beneath my bare feet, the air damp and heavy. After several twists and turns, we reach another large cell. Two bounty hunters in mismatched knight armor guard the door. Their blood-stained gear tells of past violence.
"Hurry and open the gate!" The saber barks. "I'm already late!"
The guards comply, unlocking the gate and sliding it open. We're hurled into the cell like ragdolls, crashing into cold metal bars. The air is thick with the damp stench of sweat and blood. The gate clangs shut behind us.
"Hahaha!" The saber laughs as he walks away. "See you in the arena! Can't wait for your performance..hahahaha!"
I sigh. What does he mean, see you in the arena? I turn around and, as if to answer my question, I see another gate leading into a massive colosseum.
"Renald?" I hear a very familiar voice come from the shadows in the cell.
I whip back around, looking for the owner of the voice. To my surprise, I see Glimmer emerge from the darkness, doing his best to hold up a barely conscious Whisperclaw. Heat rushes to my face. My hands clench tightly. I almost rush to them, but seeing Whisperclaw battered and bruised holds me in place. She clutches her ribs with a pained expression on her face. Blood trickles from an open gash on her forehead. Her normally shiny, smooth fur is covered in dirt and matted with dried blood. Glimmer looks slightly better. I don't see any visible wounds, but by how messed up his shirt is, I can tell he's been in a recent scuffle.
"You… you're ok?" Glimmer asks, looking confused. "When I saw them dragging you in yesterday, I thought you were dead."
"Almost, but not quite." My voice tightens. "Where are we?"
"We're in one of the holding cells underneath the arena." The snargle man answers, making his way over to us. "We're as good as dead in here."
"Dad?" Glimmer's eyes go wide with recognition. "Dad! I thought Vanhiel and the others killed you."
"Wait, you're…" All of the anger that I've been holding back suddenly bursts.
I feel the very air around me begin to shiver, and the little light shining into the holding cell begins to dissipate. I'm on him before I know it, my hand around his throat, slamming him against the wall. Everything in me screams to crush it, to end him.
"You're the reason we're in this mess! You!" I feel a tingling in my gums, and my senses sharpen. "You're the reason Whisper's hurt! I should kill you right now! Leave you dead where you stand!"
The edges of my vision start to cloud with a red tint. Dark, violent thoughts crowd my mind—each more brutal than the last. He doesn't deserve to live. Scum like him deserve nothing more than to return to the void.
"Renald!" Glimmer's unusually stern voice pulls me back. "I know how you feel, but you can't. He's... he's still my dad."
I glare into the eyes of Hawk Wind, gasping for air. It would be so easy to end him—one twist, one snap. But something stops me—a sliver of restraint I don't understand. Maybe it's Glimmer. Maybe it's something else. I suck my teeth and release. Hawk slides down the wall and begins coughing uncontrollably.
"T-thank you, son." He mutters through deep breaths.
"I didn't do it for you." Glimmer stares at his father with a blank expression. "I did it for mom."
Then, Glimmer slowly places Whisperclaw face down on the cell floor. I see a huge, open cut going down her back. Who would do this? Brownspot, that bitch. If I had never trusted her to begin with, this wouldn't have happened.
"She needs a doctor." Glimmer says. "Where's Ironvine? If we can get him here somehow, he can save her."
"I don't know." I lower my voice. "They went to secure us a way out of the city, but I haven't heard anything since we separated."
"If they are trying to use some magic, it's pointless." Hawk chimes in. "We're in an anti-magic prison."
"We didn't ask you." I glare at the snargle, drilling holes into him with my eyes.
"Renald! Please! Believe me when I say that I hate him a thousand times more than you, but we need his help." Glimmer's hand falls onto my shoulder. "He built this entire city, so he's our best bet of making it out of here alive."
"I wish that were true." I look back at Hawk. "Vanhiel plans to take the sovereign's challenge—the old way of seizing power. One-on-one combat. No rules."
"Not all of us are as familiar with the laws of bounty hunters as you." I scoff. "What exactly is this 'sovereign's challenge'?"
"It's-" Glimmer pauses to think.
"You both are impossible, especially you, Glimmer." Hawk reprimands him. "Any Inner Circle member can challenge me—or any king—for the throne. A one-on-one fight to the death. No rules. You should remember this information from your training."
"You're the king, right?" I ask. "So why don't you just beat Vanhiel and take back control of the city?"
"Because I'm not as young as I once was." Hawk looks away in shame. "My powers have been fading ever since I had my first son. Slowly, but surely, I've been growing weaker."
"Dad…" Glimmer begins to reach for his father, but pulls back midway. "I had no clue. Does mom know?"
"I thought no one knew but me. I guess Vanhiel caught on after I never chased you and Glam." Hawk sighs.
I think I realize what's happening. Hawk must have never told him what he was going through. This whole time, he was suffering alone. For now, I think I'll just stay quiet. I was never good at resolving family tensions anyway.
"You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?" Glimmer walks over and sits down next to his dad. "That's why you were pushing me and Glam so hard."
"I never wanted to hurt either of you." Hawk shakes his sagging head. "I just needed you both to be strong enough for when this day came."
"Dad…" Glimmer places a hand on his shoulder. "I-"
The gate leading into the colosseum rattles open, pouring light into the dark cell. Two figures in knight armor, whom I assume to be bounty hunters, enter the cell slowly. One of them holds a large pole with a wire hoop attached at the end. It's a tool that I've seen tamers use to handle dangerous beasts. They march over to where Glimmer is sitting and place the hoop gently around Hawk's neck. The hoop snaps shut, and the two figures drag him out of the cell and into the colosseum.
"Dad!" Glimmer screams, tears of anger leaking from his pleading eyes. "You have to win! You can beat him! I know you can!"
Boom! I catch Glimmer before he slams into the gate, his screams echoing off the stone walls. It's over—his father is gone. The challenge has begun—and all we can do is watch.