The Lycan King's Defiant Surrogate

Chapter

27

Under the tutelage of the Pitmaster, I begin to train more fully. The smaller blade is easier to manage and 1 can make several quick strikes against the training dummy without tiring.

"Not good enough," the Pitmaster says. "You are still too slow. And your need for breaks is too frequent. With how light your strikes are, you will need to hit the animals several times to down them. They would wait for you to recover." Nodding, I try again. This time I add more force to my strikes bet tire even quicker.

"You are dead about twelve times over already, the Pitmaster says. "It's like you aren't even trying."

"I am trying. I insist. My limbs are sore, my body drained. We've been training all day with limited breaks. My body would bound to be tired. Even I can tell that I'm slower than I was this morning.

"You have to fight like your life depends on it, girl, the Pitmaster says, distain in her voice. "Because it does." She stared at me fiercely a moment, a gaze I tried to mimic and return. Seeing that, she sighed. "Look around you. Every person in here would take your life in an instant without question."

Following the Pitmaster's orders, I glance around the room. The gladiators are closest and all are eyeing me. Those without masks, I can even see how hungry their expressions are. Whether they are hungry for my blood or my flesh, I can't tell Either way, they are a threat

to me.

"If I cannot harden you to survive the things that you will need to face here, then you will cower and die without even putting up a fight, the Pitmaster says.

I don't know what more she expects me to see. Since I've entered the walls of this capital, I've seen two brutal deaths, terrible, whippings, and even been subjected to my own punishments. Kidd, last night alone, tried to assault me.

It sends a small chill through me, knowing that she wants me to experience even darker things. Or that she thinks I need to see those darker things to survive.

The Pitmaster looks around the room again. This time her gaze falls onto a cowering servant girl. "You. Come here."

The servant girl hurries to obey.

"Face her," the Pitmaster says. The girl does as she's commanded. "On your knees." The girl falls to her knees.

To me, the Pitmaster says, "Lift your blade and slit this slave's throat."

The girl's eyes go wide but she doesn't move a muscle.

My own hand starts to shake.

"If you cannot kill this one, you will never be able to kill another the Pitmaster says.

"S-She's innocent," I say. "She's not even fighting me."

"She's here, isn't she? Then she's done something to deserve it." The Pitmaster pats the top of the girl's head. "Tell Harper why you are here, girl."

The girls swallows thickly, but obeys. "I poisoned one of the harem."

"And what happened to the woman you poisoned?"

"She died."

The Pitmaster lifts her brow while looking at me, as if to say. Not as innocent as you think.

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Even so,

I can't cut her down, She is a living

a living, breathing person and she's down on her knees. This would be an execution.

"She was to be in the 1 v 100 fight with Kidd," the Pitmaster says. You think you do her a mercy by stilling your blade, but do you really? She is bound for death. Wouldn't she rather have a quick death? A slice across the throat?" I close my fist tighter around the blade. If that's true, then maybe it would be more of a kindness to...

No. I'm not a killer. I only want to survive this place, not become one of the monsters that lives within its walls. If that means, I lose my own fight, so be it.

I throw down my blade. It clatters on the ground right in front of the girl.

"I will not execute someone," I say.

However, in the time it takes to say it, the girl grabs my discarded blade, jumps to her feet, and tries to stab me.

I step backwards but the Pitmaster moves faster. Bringing down her sword, she lobs the girls hand clean off. The girl cries and crumples. My sword and her hand... fall to the ground.

"Did I not tell you that is an extension of your arm?!" the Pitmaster scolds, shouting at me now. "Did I not tell you that everyone in this place would kill you in an instant?! Your hesitation will be your end!"

Scrambling, I bend down to pick up my weapon. I hold it defensively, fearful of an attack from a different direction Around me, the other fighters seem amused but do not bother me.

Then, I see Tristan walking forward. As he approaches, he glances down at the whimpering girl with distaste.

"Clean that up will you?" he says to another group of slaves who rush forward at once and drag the girl away. When she's gone, Tristan continues coming forward.

"King's Beta," the Pitmaster says with a small bow. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit again so soon in our pit?" "Speak with the scheduler, Tristan says. "The King wishes for this one to fight tomorrow." The Piumaster's eyes go as wide as my

own. "Tomorrow? She's not ready."

"She's ready enough for the King's wishes," Tristan says. "We don't want to disappoint him, do we?"

"No," the Pitmaster says at once. She looks at me with pity, like in dead already. "Well, I tried."

"Harper," Tristan says, reclaiming my attention. "Walk with me.

I continue to hold my sword, but now I carry it by my side.

Tristan immediately begins walking so I hurry to follow him. He slows enough that I can walk beside him. Maybe he doesn't want someone armed at his back, even someone as sloppy as I am.

"You can make this stop, Tristan says. "Our King is ruthless but also generous to those who give loyalty. If you tell him where the child is, he will extend mercy."

Again with the child. Is there truly nothing I can say to get them to believe me?

"I speak only the truth," I tell him. "There's not, nor has there ever been, a child."

"You continue with this story," Tristan says with a sigh. "The King will not be pleased."

"Trust me," I grumble. "I wish I had a different answer to give. I know my life is about to be forfeit. But.." If I even try to lie. Caleb will likely take it out on my pack. He probably will anyway, but I will not allow my own words to bring down harm to them. "I can't lie about this.""

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"That is unfortunate, Tristan says, but doesn't clarify. Does he mean that I'm telling the truth, or that I won't lie? I don't bother asking, knowing it doesn't truly matter either way.

Tomorrow, I will step into the arena and be torn apart by animals.

Caleb tries to concentrate on the paperwork before him while eagerly awaiting his Beta's report. He has heard about what happened last night to Harper. When he settled from his rage, learning the slave is unharmed and the perpetrator dead, he realized the benefits of this act of treason.

This, surely, would be enough to scare Harper into revealing the truth about his child.

A knock sounds at the door.

"Enter" Caleb says

Tristan does, his face grim. That doesn't bode well. Anger already starts churning inside of Caleb.

""She still denies it. Tristan says.

"Even knowing she will face the beasts in the arena tomorrow?" Caleb asks.

"Even so," Tristan replies.

"Then the fight will continue," Caleb says. "When she faces the maws of the beasts, she will tell the truth."

Tristan's jaw clenches. He wishes to speak.

Caleb waves at him to do so.

"What if she doesn't?" Tristan asks.

Caleb laughs at the absurdity of that. "Then she will die a liar."