Weapons Master Galactic Gladia - Anna Hackett Page 0,28

liked that a lot.

Bellamy leaned forward and drummed her fingers against the console. “We need to take down that arena, burn it to the ground, leave the Edull with nothing—”

“Okay, my bloodthirsty warrior. Calm down.” Maxon shot her an amused look.

She elbowed him, then turned to look out the window.

“I smell blood,” Magnus said.

“Assassin stabbed my thigh,” Maxon said. “Missed anything vital and the bleeding’s stopped.”

Bellamy screwed up her nose. “That bitch, I wish I could—”

Maxon pressed a palm over Bellamy’s mouth. “Calm down. She can’t get any more dead.”

“Any aftereffects from the magnetic weapon she used on us at the Dark Nebula?” Magnus asked.

“I felt some strain on my bones at the time, but it’s gone now.”

“Maybe check in with Avarn later,” the imperator suggested.

Maxon made a non-committal grunt.

Bellamy stared at him. Oh, she’d make him go.

The city changed as they drove. The three-story, cream stone buildings gave way to more rambling structures, with large enclosed walls and gates.

“We’re near the edge of the city,” Magnus said. “Close to Varus’ tarnid stables. This is where caravans and travelers head out into the desert.”

They reached the coordinates, pulling up in front of an arched gate. Jax and Mace exited their vehicle, Mace crossing his arms over his chest as he scowled at the gate.

“The Alzen Stables.” Maxon frowned. “Never heard of it.”

“It looks abandoned,” Bellamy said. The place had that neglected, empty feel to it.

“The stables went out of business a long time ago.” Magnus climbed out of the transport.

Maxon helped Bellamy out and they circled around close to the gates. There was movement off to the side, and they turned to see Zaden, Acton, Seren, and Toren striding toward them.

Wow, they kind of looked like a team of superheroes. Bellamy hid her smile. She suspected the cyborgs would hate hearing that.

“I asked them to meet us,” the imperator said.

They all stood in front of the metal gates.

“We could scale the walls,” Acton suggested.

Zaden stepped forward and raised a hand.

The metal gates vibrated and Bellamy’s eyes shot open. A second later, the gates ripped off, flying through the air to land on the ground.

Holy hell.

Maxon grunted. “That works as well.”

They all strode inside.

There were musty smells of old feed and animals. The building had clearly once been used as stables.

Bellamy froze, her feet stuck to the ground with shock and anger. “No.”

“What the drak?” Maxon clipped out.

Cages. There were rows of small cages lining the space.

Not all of them were filled, but enough were. Bellamy stared at the people and she knew the looks on their faces—they were tired, scared, without hope.

Her gaze continued along the cages, and then she saw the kids.

They were mostly lanky teens. Her gut churned. The Edull liked to put young slaves in the battle bots. They had quicker reflexes, were more willing to take risks to try and survive on the track.

“Edull slaves,” she said woodenly.

Some of the prisoners spotted them and called out for help.

Breaking free, Bellamy strode forward. She stopped by one cage, and inside was a young boy, maybe ten or eleven. He was too thin.

She yanked at the door, but it was locked. She pulled on it viciously.

Then Maxon was beside her. He kicked the lock off and the door swung open.

“You’re safe,” Bellamy said. “We’re going to get you out of here.”

The thin boy with the shock of matted, black hair and pale skin let her help him out. Then because he wavered on his feet, she put an arm around him.

“Watch out,” he whispered. “They have—”

Clanking and whirring sounds filled the old stables.

The House of Rone cyborgs spun. Several bots stomped into view.

Bellamy’s blood ran cold.

There were several different designs, mostly humanoid. There were all tall, towering over seven feet. One was on tracks, and another had six arms.

Mace punched a fist into his palm. “Good. I didn’t think we were going to get a decent fight.”

“House of Rone,” Magnus said. “Take them down.”

The cyborgs strode forward. Seren leaped, disappeared, then reappeared right behind the lead bot. The female cyborg rammed a pair of wicked-looking fighting forks into the metal.

Wow. Bellamy’s pulse spiked. Seren could teleport. Maybe the female cyborg really was a superhero. Not far away, Zaden used his amazing powers to topple a bot to the ground. He attacked it with his sword.

Magnus and Jax rammed their fists into another bot, tearing its insides out.

Toren stood back, a weapon rising up from the metal implant on his shoulder. He fired precision laser bolts that ricocheted between