for a moment. “The Prince.”
“The Prince?” The Monarch laughed. “You think he will kill you?”
“No, I’d just like to see you lose your coin. It seems like something you deserve.”
Rosebud gasped, and the Monarch’s face dropped.
“I told you,” the Trogolian King said. “Awful cretin, I swear.”
The Monarch leaned in closer. “You toy with me? A man above you? A king?”
“A king who wagers on human life,” Tobias said. “Who treats men as dogs. No king like that is above me. That king is low.”
The Monarch wavered before flitting back to the Sovereign’s side. “I see what you mean about this one. Yet your people love him. I do not understand this.”
The Sovereign flicked his wrist. “They’re ignorant commoners. He’s an ignorant commoner. I imagine they feel a connection to him.”
“He doesn’t sound ignorant to me,” the Kovahrian Queen muttered.
The Monarch shot her a glare. “Artist, I am curious, what do you think of your Sovereign? Since he has made so very clear what he thinks of you.”
Tobias’s anger piqued. “He’s a repulsive man with bizarre principles. A sham of a leader, cares not for the well-being of his people or his Daughter—”
The Sovereign punched him in the jaw, knocking the words clean from his mouth. He shook out his wrist. “That’s enough of that.”
Pain radiated through Tobias’s face, pulsing into his skull—a feeling other than misery, and for that he was relieved.
“Hit him again!” Rosebud squealed.
“Now, Rosebud, you can’t just tell the Sovereign what to do,” her husband said. “Here in Thessen, his rule is law, not ours.”
“Then have someone else do it.” She pointed to the other competitors. “One of them.”
“I think I agree with the little rosebud.” The Monarch’s scowl morphed into a sneer. “Perhaps the others can take turns? I would like to see how they fight. It will help with my choice, I am sure.”
“Very well then.” The Sovereign nodded at the other men. “Line up.”
The competitors filed into a line in front of Tobias, practically beaming. Flynn stood at the head, eyes squinted and searing, igniting the burning in Tobias’s chest.
Hit me.
Flynn jabbed at his nose, and a sting burst through his nostrils. Another blow to the jaw, and red sprayed across the floor, nearly spotting Rosebud’s dress. Kaleo sauntered off, leaving Tobias with his battered face and a welcome agony.
It was Drake’s turn, and he stared at Tobias in silence, perhaps for the intrigue or to provoke his fear; whatever the reason, it wasn’t working. His fist barreled into Tobias’s mouth, his blow by far the heaviest, and the pain that followed was ungodly. Invigorating. Tobias bathed in his blood, relishing the reprieve from his numb existence—the reminder that he was still alive.
The Monarch leaned into Tobias, cackling in his ear. “There is blood dripping down your face, Artist.”
Tobias met his gaze. “If it bothers you so much, why don’t you wipe it off?”
“Oh, let’s get on with the betting, I can’t stand this one much longer,” the Trogolian King huffed.
“Quiet.” The Kovahrian Queen waved him away. “I have questions for him.”
“You waste your breath,” the Sovereign said. “He’s a lost cause, destined to lose.”
“But he is favored by The Savior. She’s blessed him in much challenges, made him exempt from elimination, yes?”
“She’s a fool. Barely twenty years old. Doesn’t know what She’s thinking.”
The Queen pursed her lips. “She is The Savior. Ruler of realm. You blaspheme Her freely?”
“She’s my Daughter. I can speak of Her however I see fit.”
“And you see fit to call your Daughter a fool?”
“Are those not the words I spoke?”
The Queen went quiet, eyeing the Sovereign up and down as if he were one of the competitors to study. She muttered something in Kovahrian and turned to the bloody face before her. “You. Artist. What is your name?”
He faltered. “Tobias.”
“Tobias.” She came in closer. “You think you die tomorrow?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
“It seems they’d all like to kill me. Perhaps they’ll succeed.”
“What about you.” She cocked her head inquisitively. “Do you want to die?”
“Not by their hand.”
“Do you want to kill?”
The word came out unconsciously. “Yes.”
“Which one?”
“All of them.”
She glanced over the other competitors. “You have preference?”
“Not at the moment, though I imagine when the time comes that may change.”
“They will rally against you. Will be very difficult, you must fight like beast to survive.”
Tobias offered a slight nod. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“You’re not afraid.”
“I’m not.”
“Why?”
“I have nothing to lose.”
“Nothing? You’re sure?” She leaned in even closer, looking him hard in the eye. “You care not for your life, but you could