looked closer, seeing that the end of the spear had penetrated straight through the sylph’s head.
As the beast lay dying, twitching weakly; the others helped free the warrior. The woman who had made the first mortal injury to the sylph raised her mighty sword and hacked off the barbed tail, freeing the warrior. With a comrade under each arm, the man hobbled on one leg while the other dripped with blood.
The warriors began lining up in front of Titan. Blood splattered the broken and bruised bodies, but still they bowed, waiting for his judgment. No one paid any attention to the crew of aids that helped the fallen warriors placing them on stretchers. My guess was they wouldn’t be joining Titan’s army, but I prayed that they’d at least be okay.
“You’ve all fought bravely!” Titan decreed in a thunderous voice. The crowd cheered at his words, and the warriors slapped closed fists against their hearts in salute. “You honor me with your victory and your dedication to our land and our people. It is with great pride that I accept you into my blood.”
The warriors congratulated each other, tears of joy streaming down their dirty faces. The uproar of the crowd grew loud again as another gate to the arena opened and a group of people marched out. They carried shimmering banners, and others carried massive torches as they strode out into the arena and began to circle the dead sylph.
I was about to turn and ask Ronon what was going to happen next, when two dark figures breezed into the stadium in a flurry of speed. The arrival of Ronon and Titan on the arena floor silenced the crowd and the cheering warriors fell to their knees.
“Rise!” Titan commanded, brandishing a massive sword nearly as wide as his shoulders. The warriors obeyed, standing before their king with their heads held high.
“Recite the oath of the warrior, and accept your duty.” Ronon stepped forward, imposing his formidable glare on the men and women before him.
“I give my blood to my king,” Ronon exclaimed in a deep vibrato that carried throughout the stadium. The small group of warriors repeated his words without pause. “And my life to the people of Titan. I will shield our kingdom from all enemies, for I see what others cannot see, I act when others cannot act, and I fight without mercy. I swear my fealty to my king. This oath is binding until death wishes to break it.”
As the warriors spoke the last words of the oath, the crowd applauded and Titan’s voice thundered through the shouts of praise. “Welcome to the Army of Titan!” A massive blaze erupted behind him as the torch bearers lit the sylph’s body on fire. The flames danced wildly across the monsters carcass, as the warriors and the crowd cheered.
Chapter 15
I couldn’t sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, all I could see was the monstrous sylph attacking the human warriors. Blood splattered in my mind, but it brought me no joy. I didn’t hunger for it; my fangs did not salivate at the thought of it. No, it only sent a shudder of fear skittering across my skin like a creeping spider.
Five of the fighters hadn’t survived their battle with the sylph, and the brutality of their deaths haunted me. I tossed and turned in the sheets for what felt like weeks while Arrick slept soundly beside me. His arm was draped over my body like a tree trunk and I slithered out of his embrace, thankful to be free of its dead weight.
Brushing my lips against his forehead, I retreated, tip-toeing out of our room. The sun had already descended on the horizon, and the sky was a deep shade of purple. Pretty soon the citadel would be bustling with activity, but for now I enjoyed the serenity of silence. My feet carried me aimlessly around the maze of hallways until the welcoming sensation of the cool night air pulled me from my sleepy haze.
I found myself in a garden I’d never seen before. A bubbling fountain pulled me in with promises of soothing comfort. My nightgown danced around my feet as each step brought me closer to the water’s edge. A large bird with brightly colored feathers splayed like a fan dipped its head into the fountains pool, taking a long drink of the cool water. I slowed my advance, not wanting to startle it, until I was sitting on the opposite side of the