Empire of Shadow (The Arturra Saga Book 1) by Robert Watts

Author:Robert Watts [Watts, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2024-09-12T00:00:00+00:00

25

Shayne

Dirt and dust rained down on the Champions as the gate at the end of the tunnel began to move. The ground beneath Shayne’s feet rumbled, and the surrounding concrete shuddered as it lifted.

“Listen up!” a guard yelled at them.

Shayne could hear a distant roar coming from inside the Dome.

“You will walk to the center of the arena. You will stand straight, facing the Duke with your arms at your sides. The two that are fighting first will stay after the anthem is sung while the rest of you are escorted back out of the arena. Understood?”

No one spoke. The guard grumbled something under his breath.

Shayne looked to his left at the row of eight women beside him. The young woman with gray eyes and olive skin caught his eye. Maisie, was it? The day that he had been told of the tournament had been a blur, but he remembered her. He noticed the black collar around her neck and reached up to touch his own, remembering the shock it had administered the day before when Alanna had visited him.

Maisie turned her head slightly, catching his gaze. Shayne quickly looked away.

The gate locked into place with a loud, low click.

“That’s our cue.”

Shayne felt a guard prodding him to move forward, jabbing the butt end of his blaster into his back. Behind him, he heard the crackle of electricity as more guards moved in, forcing them forward. With little choice, he moved toward the end of the tunnel and into the light.

The screams and cheers of the crowd were deafening. Shayne’s eyes went round as he searched the crowd. He had never seen so many people in one place before.

The cool, damp air that he was used to from the underground prison was replaced by the uncomfortably hot, humid air he grew up in. The smell of the nearby ocean was mixed with the metallic stench of blood. Shayne looked around and saw a dark red pool where sand had been hastily thrown on top in an attempt to soak it up.

So the killing has already begun.

Another prod from the guard sent him stumbling forward. One by one, the Champions slowly made their way to the center of the arena. They formed a line facing where Duke Benton and the other royals sat under cover in a private viewing area, sheltered from the blazing sun.

Finally, the crowd quieted down. Music started playing over the speakers. Shayne recognized it to be the newly adopted Praetheon anthem. That had been one of the very first changes that Shayne could remember after the war. The old anthem of Arturra was replaced by the victors of the war. Even after all these years, Shayne didn’t know the words, and he didn’t care to learn them either.

The crowd listened quietly; a chorus of voices could be heard singing the lyrics brought from a foreign land. He assumed that most people in the city were happy with Duke Benton’s rule. Along with the unimaginable wealth that James

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