THE NEWS OF Alimar’s public arrest spread throughout the city quickly. Cautious hope, morbid curiosity, and any other reason people would never admit to drew a significant portion of Golden Mount’s population to the palace court. So many came, in fact, that everything was move out into the grand courtyard within the palace walls.

Prince Jondal sat upon the pedestal throne, the proud, young sphinx ignoring the noise of the crowd. His eyes locked onto the archway as the sea of people struggled to open a path for the five men being brought before him. Trumpets painfully drowned out the crowd, silence falling over the gathered. Then he began to speak, his throaty voice carrying to the furthest corner of the courtyard.

“Alimar of Shurakh Arln, you stand before the throne of the Western Empire. You are aware of the accusations laid upon you.” He paused, dark brown eyes lowering onto the dark magic user’s. “How do you plead?”

“Plead? I do not even acknowledge these false accusations! What proof have you?” Alimar demanded haughtily. He crossed his arms. “Time and again, you have tried to defame me. It is naught but a ploy to grab my lands and—”

“We have a witness,” Jondal intoned.

“A witness?” He laughed in derisive dismissal. “Like the last one? The fool who sought to use you to win my property like a spineless thief and bore false witness? I thought you learned your lesson about the folly of trying to use fabrications to bring me down.”

“Indeed,” the prince stated, holding out his hand-like paw to regard his highly polished and decorated claws. “I very much had learned my lesson, then.”

“I thought as much,” Alimar sneered, turning his back on the sphinx. He jolted to a stop, eyes wide in shock at the sound of a cold, all too familiar voice.

“I have come to bear witness to your crimes, ‘Master.’”

Alimar spun, all pretense shattered in shock at the familiar voice. “Tiwaz!” he whispered.

Dressed in the minimal clothing she had last worn in the arena as his slave, hair tightly braided in gladiatorial tradition, Tiwaz emerged from the circle of guards that had kept her hidden from view. Ky-Lar slunk behind her, padding to their companions’ sides. “Your crimes against the living and dead as I have known them are recorded by Prince Jondal’s scribes and verified by his clerics. Your reign of terror is done.”

“A slave?” Alimar sneered, recovering from his shock. “You would believe the words of this thing?” He waved a hand at Tiwaz. “She is little more than a trained animal. Would you admit the testimony of one of your war dogs?”

Tiwaz’s expression hardened, her hands curling into fists. “You do not own me.” Her voice, a low hiss, still carried in the air. “The shackles that bound me to you are gone.” She held up both arms, the loosened bracers dropping off to expose the twisted flesh. The crowd gasped collectively. “Both of them!”

“You broke the glyphs I carved on you? Impossible!”

Jondal bared his teeth in a feral smile. “Your confession of forbidden placement of runic magic on a living being has been heard and witnessed, Alimar. The punishment for this crime is dea—”

“No!” Tiwaz looked up at the prince. Her physical coloration had shifted from brown hair and gold eyes to her original black and vivid green. “He is mine to face!” She turned her furious eyes onto Alimar, drawing the two-handed sword from its sheath. “I claim right of challenge!”

Alimar’s laugh rose above the disconcerted cacophony of the crowd that drowned out the prince’s protest. “You want to fight me, my Warrior? Fine, then. You shall lose, and I shall seek out every soul who thought to aid you in this foolish quest.” Spitting sharp words, lighting exploded from his fingertips and crashed on the woman.

In the ensuing silence, a whisper of awed disbelief rose from the witnesses on the ramparts as the smoke began to clear. Lowering the spirit-imbued blade as she straightened from her defensive crouch, Tiwaz glared at Alimar, soot staining her arms and face. “I endured your magic when you made me helpless. Do you think I will fall now?” she demanded, raising Ghalnecha and charging him.

Screams filled the air as many attempted to flee in a panic while magic wildly ricocheted away from the magic user and the warrior both focused on killing one another. Spell after spell battered the woman, and though none proved lethal, the battering took its toll on her.

“I am your master!” Alimar raged as he cast a spell that ripped up the pavement stones, pelting her with them until she fell, able only to raise her arms to protect herself ineffectively. “Did you really think you, a worthless warrior, could stand against me?”

Standing with the few who remained despite the danger to witness the epic battle, Simpkins frowned. “She’s losing.” He raised his hands to focus his own magic.

Doom grabbed the ogre’s arm. “No!”

“Don’t interfere,” Tambek warned. “This is a gladiator challenge. The battle is only within the battle circle. Outside influence will force the challenger to forfeit the match.” He looked at the still disguised gromek, sharing mute, anguished understanding as Doom stated to Simpkins and Gareth, “Tiwaz will always abide by arena law. Even against him. Her honor will not allow her to do otherwise.”

“She can’t get close enough to him,” Gareth pointed out.

“Unless Alimar breaks the circle, there’s nothing that can be done,” Tambek stated, eyes locked on the gladiator struggling to push herself to her knees. “Get up, Warrior,” he whispered.

“Get up!” a woman’s shrill voice cried out, drawing Alimar and Tiwaz’s friends’ attentions. “You cannot allow my family’s torturer to win!”

Despite the heavy cloak the high elf wore, Alimar recognized Elyssia’s delicate features. “You?!” In his haste, the lightning spell he cast missed the slender elf woman. “I should have killed you when you were a child,” he scorned and raised his hands towards her.

“No!” Before anyone could act, Tiwaz had lurched to her feet and interposed herself between Elyssia and Alimar. The energy blast struck her in the middle of the back, spun her around, and flung her to the ground. With a groan, she pushed herself to her knees.

“You foolish girl,” Alimar sneered as he pulled out a knife. “I will make sure you don’t come back from the dead this time.” She closed her eyes and awaited the death blow, unable to do more to protect herself.

A body fell against her unexpectedly, her eyes flying open in shock as she caught the man slumping against her. “Tambek?!” She carefully eased him to the ground on his side, feeling the knife embedded in his back. She brushed his hair from his eyes, seeking any sign of life.

His eyes rolled open, his smile weak. It faded as he coughed up blood. “I am…sorry,” he whispered. “I wish…I could see you…win…one more time. See you…defeat him.”

She shook her head. “I can’t, Tambek. Master is right. I’m not strong enough.”

He shook his head, his strength fading. He touched her cheek tenderly. “You are. I lived because…you were strong enough. I believe…in…you…”

“Alimar!” Tiwaz looked up sharply when Doom bellowed. Her friend had shed his human disguise, fanning his wings to full extension. The effect fully drew Alimar’s attention away from the fallen pair. “Forget her. ‘Your’ Doom is here!”

The sight of the fully matured gromek utterly distracted the dark magic user who glared at Simpkins. “You bring my slaves against me?” he demanded. Simpkins raised an invisible barrier, deflecting the attack aimed at him and Gareth.

Alimar looked at Doom. “Worthless gromek. Do you need to be reminded who your master truly is?” He raised his hands. Despite a steel will, the gromek cried out involuntarily as energy bands coiled around him, crushing him mercilessly.

“Ghalnecha,” Tiwaz hissed, turning the two-handed blade down and impaling the ground. “Hold Tambek here.” She lurched to her feet, weaving unsteadily behind Alimar. She wrapped her arms around Alimar’s throat, dragging him down. The action shattered Alimar’s concentration, breaking his spell’s hold on the gromek. Doom staggered. She growled in Alimar’s ear hatefully, “You will not hurt him ever again!”

Alimar thrashed, struggling to free himself. He managed to pull his knife, desperately stabbing behind himself. The blade bit into her side, dark blood flowing freely. Tiwaz, however, hung on until she weakened from blood loss in addition to the earlier battering, collapsing limply. Alimar fell to his knees, clawing at his crushed throat.

Doom staggered forward, meeting Alimar’s eyes. “I told you I would be your doom,” he growled as he flung down the demon crystal. A flash blinded all those still present and watching. Screams filled the air as Kragen emerged through the portal in the ground where it had smashed.

Alimar stared in shock, struggling to speak as the demon leaned over him. “I would apologize, ‘Master,’ but you broke our contract when you confessed your sins to those you did not own. Our arrangement was to remain a secret. I knew you would falter. She is more than you deserved to possess.” He thrust his hand into the fallen magic user’s chest and pulled his heart out. The bloody organ hissed as it withered and blackened. “I made a new contract.”

The demon knelt by Tiwaz, touching her cheek with vulgar affection. “I had faith you would succeed. I will abide by our contract.” He leaned down to lick her cheek. “Someday, my pet, you will be mine.” He laughed loudly when she weakly hit him, disappearing back through the dark portal before Doom reached him.

Tiwaz clutched her middle as she turned to Tambek, collapsing to one elbow, touching his cheek. Tears fell as she brushed her fingers through his hair. “Tambek,” she whispered harshly. “Forgive me. If I had only—”

He smiled at her, hushing her. “Do not apologize. I got to see you defeat Alimar. Thank you…for freeing me…before I died.” He put a bloody hand behind her head, drawing her down to kiss her. His hand relaxed and fell away limply. At the end of her own strength, her head dropped to her arm and she fell still.

Doom knelt by Tiwaz, turning her over and putting a hand over the bleeding wounds in her side. “Ti,” he called, distressed to see her eyes rolled back, her body limp. “Tiwaz, stay with me! Please, don’t leave me now.” He shook her shoulder, eyes filled with outright fear. “Tiwaz!”