He was wide with huge hands and at least ten feet tall. He had tan skin and was hairless except for a long black beard, which accentuated beady black eyes. He wore a yellow outfit that had been sewn together from several uniforms.
A few select cheers rippled through the stands.
“They don’t like this guy?”
“He once was a favorite.” She folded her arms, sitting back on her heels. “But it’s hard to get behind and cheer for a dead guy.”
“Dead guy?” I exclaimed, looking back at the monster in the middle of the pit. “Who could kill him?”
Right then, the assembly went crazy, their booming chants zinging up my skin.
“War-wick! War-wick!”
The man himself strolled into the pit as if it were a sunny afternoon, and he had nowhere to be.
My attention flickered to the spot in the stands where I had seen him sitting a moment ago, which was now empty. Fuck. This guy really did move like a ghost.
His fans went ballistic, banging and thumping. The metal under my feet vibrated so violently it rumbled up my spine, wobbling my legs. None of it seemed to faze him. Not taking any notice of the crowd, he rolled his neck and shoulders, stretching as if he had recently woken up from a nap. The giant towered over Warwick, but strangely, it didn’t minimize him at all. Where the giant took up the immediate space around him, Warwick Farkas took up the room, his presence shoving against my skin and down my throat.
Not an ounce of emotion fluttered over Warwick’s face as he prepared to fight this creature.
A buzzer sounded through the room, the chants quieted down, and people watched the two men circle each other. The giant swung first, his movements quicker than I figured. Warwick didn’t even try to make a move. Goliaths usually moved slower, making it possible for the Davids to win.
Not this one. The giant was swift and not at all clumsy with his actions, his large fist grazing Warwick’s head as Warwick dropped to the ground, rolling away and jumping to his feet so smoothly it looked choreographed.
Warwick’s actions were efficient and controlled. Standing right in front of the beast, he somehow slipped in closer, jabbing the brute in the gut. The giant looked confused, waving his arms around as if he was batting at a fly, allowing Warwick to slip around and kick him in the back of the knees. The giant dropped to the ground, and the crowd sang with brutal enthusiasm.
The giant roared, his expression pinching with fury. He clamored to his feet, whirling back to Warwick. In a blink, the Wolf was already behind him again, fisting him in the back of his spine.
Crack!
His hand ricocheted off bone, and the giant bellowed again. He tumbled to the ground, his back curved in pain.
“Warwick, we love you,” a woman screamed. For a second, his eyes darted to the stands, stopping on me. Or that’s what it seemed like. I knew there was no way, but the fire in his aqua eyes tore through all the voices, people, and commotion to find mine.
My gaze dropped to see the giant reach for the stick Rodriguez had left on the ground, still coated in blood and matter, directing it toward his enemy.
Behind you! For a second, it felt as if I was down in the pit with him, yelling in his ear, but just as quickly it was gone.
Warwick swung around as though he heard something, but not fast enough. The spear drove deep into his hip.
Warwick’s form jerked, but he made no noise, his muscles locking down as he tore the harpoon out of his flesh and tossed it to the side as the giant got back up. The giant was in pain, saliva dripping down his chin as he growled at Warwick.
The Wolf lowered his head in fury, rolling back his shoulders, done playing.
The giant leaped for him. Warwick dropped, cracking his arm against his knees, bending them the wrong way. With a cry, the beast toppled over, panic and pain on his face as he crashed onto the ground with force. Dirt sprayed up, clotting the air and spewing debris as if a bomb had gone off.
Warwick leaped onto the man’s back, wrapping his arms and legs around his thick neck.
Shouts and cheers of excitement thundered through the stands.
“Blooding! Blooding!”
The giant rolled, thrashing against Warwick’s hold, whipping them back and forth vehemently, smacking the Wolf against the dirt and slicing gashes into his