Sotz flew through the darkness for what seemed like hours. Ursula rested her head against Cera’s back, breathing in the smell of garlic and bread that still hung on her clothes from the last time she’d cooked. Apart from the flapping of wings and the rush of air around them, the only sound Ursula could hear was Cera’s drumming heart through her back.
Without warning, they burst free of the crevice. Ursula blinked, trying to focus her eyes. When she tried to ask Cera what was going on, her breath caught in her throat. There was no air, the sun hadn’t yet risen on this part of the moon. Brutal cold bit at her skin. They were floating in the vacuum of space.
Cera pulled a purple crystal from her sweater. Her mouth moved but there was no sound. Suddenly, dark magic flashed around them. This time, when Ursula gasped, air filled her lungs.
“I’m so sorry, milady,” said Cera. “I forgot that you wouldn’t be able to breathe.” Ursula coughed uncontrollably, wiping frozen tears from her eyes. Dark magic swirled around them, keeping the vacuum at bay.
“You don’t need air to breathe?” asked Ursula.
“Some air. But oneiroi can hold our breath for a long time. It’s one of the ways we are able to live on the moon.” Cera pointed up. “Have you seen the Earth yet?”
Suspended above them, the earth filled the sky, a crescent of emerald and blue. Gleaming like a shadowed gem. She hadn’t realized until now that from the moon, the Earth had phases, too—waxing and waning. She blinked, trying to process the rich colors.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” said Cera. “Before Nyxobas came, the oneiroi worshiped the Earth as a god.”
“I’d seen the pictures from NASA, but in person—” She spotted the outline of Europe, and felt a lump rise in her throat. “I didn’t realize quite how far away it was.”
Cera whispered in Sotz’s ear. The bat adjusted his course, bringing them lower—closer to the barren lunar surface. They streaked over a great field of stones and boulders. Only the intermittent pockmarks of ancient meteor strikes interrupted the flat landscape.
She glanced at the sun over the horizon. Not long, now. “Where are we?” Ursula asked.
“The Lacus Mortis.”
“What does that mean, anyway?”
Cera cleared her throat. “Just... Just Lake of Death.”
Yep. Just like I thought.
Ursula studied the barren plain. “This is it?” Why had Hothgar ordered the melee be held here? “There’s bugger-all here!”
“The Lacus Mortis is what remains of an old lava flow,” said Cera. “It’s where Nyxobas built his great amphitheater.”
Here, on the opposite side of the moon, the sun still hung in the sky. But it didn’t look like daylight on Earth. The sun hung in a black sky, bathing the moon in pure, white light.
Ursula scanned the landscape, but she could see nothing. Not a single hovel, much less an amphitheater. She was about to ask what was going on, when she spotted the rim of a particularly large crater. A dome of silver covered the crater, so thin it was hardly visible. Sunlight streamed through the dome.
Sotz carved a tight turn as they soared through the dome of silver magic, and Ursula let out a low whistle. Just below the dome, demons filled the crater, and they sat in seats carved from the inner walls of the caldera. White sunlight shone over an enormous circular pit in the center, flat and sandy on the bottom. It looked exactly like the interior of a Roman Coliseum.
Panic raked its claws into her chest. They’ve all come to watch me die. And I have nothing but a stone dagger to defend myself.
Chapter 22
A cold fear gripped Ursula as Sotz skidded to a stop in the center of the arena. She could feel the eyes on her. The hellhound harlot, here to perform for your enjoyment.
She climbed out of the saddle, wincing. Fatigue burned through her thighs from the flight. Haven’t even started yet, and I’m already knackered.
From Sotz’s saddle, Cera gripped her hand. “Good luck.”
“Thank you.” She glanced around at the empty arena. She was the only one here. “You’re not leaving now, are you? There’s no one else here.”
“They’ll be here, Ursula,” said Cera. “I must go.”
Before Ursula could say another word, Sotz and the oneiroi launched into the air, the wind whipping through Cera’s hair as she flew away.
Okay. So I’ll just stand here in the center of the arena, with an entire planet’s eyes on me. Her heart squeezed in her chest as she stood below the black dome of sky, washed in milky light.
As she stood on the dusty floor, a wave of terror washed over her. Great walls of stone, at least twenty feet high, surrounded her. Every few yards, grated doors interrupted them. And above the doors, Nyxobas’s brethren sat in rows, studying her with a mixture of excitement and fear.