Chapter 18 · Voidbound - Chapter 18: The Champion's Bet

"You're dead." Rook's voice cut through the roar before I even made it to the cage door.

I stopped. The Pit crowd pressed in on all sides, bodies hot and stinking of sweat and spilled beer. Rook stood at the center of the iron ring, arms crossed, his bond mark glowing white across his throat like a noose made of light. Behind him, his summon coiled in the air—some kind of serpent thing, scales catching the overhead floods, each one sharp enough to cut.

"That's the plan," I said.

Garrick grabbed my shoulder. "Don't."

"He called me out."

"He's Guild-certified. That thing he's got bonded ate a Leviathan-class two months back." Garrick's grip tightened. "You go in there, you don't come out."

"Then I guess I'm not coming out."

I shook him off and stepped through the cage door. The lock clanged shut behind me. The noise folded into a single scream—my name, maybe, or just blood-hunger. Hard to tell the difference down here.

Rook tilted his head. "That's it? No summon?"

"Not yet."

"Smart. Stretch it out. Give them a show before I end you."

He moved first. No warning.