The Arena novel Chapter 3

I’m pacing back and forth in my cell, my mind consumed in worry. They shouldn’t have taken Tana two days in a row. Nothing like this has ever happened since I’ve been here. We fight once a week, every week, but that’s it. Then, we are given food and rest until the next fight. But this time, something was different.

If they are taking her again, it can only mean one thing – they want her dead. Tana has become a liability. I’m guessing too many high rollers have bet against her and lost too much money, putting pressure on the Commander. So now they will make sure she dies, and they win.

As I strain my eyes, I hear the first two fights and know that it’s not the tiger or Tana. Both battles end too quickly. Their fights are like mine; they last at least 30 minutes, sometimes longer, and we always go last. We are the big events, the strongest fighters in the arena.

When the fourth fight starts, I hear a lot of growling and snarling. I know one is the tiger. I’ve gotten used to his sound but can’t quite place the other. It sounds similar, but I’d be surprised if they put two tigers together. It's better to have two winners in the betting pool, at least until the other tiger gains popularity.

When I hear the cheers, I know it’s over, but I can’t tell who won until I see them dragging the tiger back into his cell, leaving a tray of food for him. I notice they put his food close to his body, not near the other cells like they left Tana’s yesterday. Another reason to be concerned. They don’t care if she eats and gets her strength.

I’m waiting anxiously to hear the start of Tana’s fight, but it never begins. The announcer’s voice booms through the arena, declaring the day’s fights over and that there will be a special event next weekend. If there is no other fight, where is Tana?

I’m still pacing when I catch her scent. I’ve begun to crave her scent of campfire and roasted marshmallows. It’s one reason I’m confident she’s my mate. Her scent is mouthwatering to me.

“What do you mean my fight’s been canceled?” I hear her before I see her. The chief is dragging Tana back to her cell. She isn’t injured; she looks fine.

I stop pacing, going up to the bars, listening.

“The boss says your fight is canceled. It’s canceled,” he states with a sly grin on his face. The chief then tosses Tana into her cell, licking his lips before turning to me. “I hear he’s got something big scheduled for next weekend. My money’s on you, big guy,” he says, meaning me. “So don’t fuck it up.”

“What do you mean, something big?” I ask, hoping he’ll give us a clue.

He looks around, leaning closer to the bars when he sees no one around. He gets closer, but not too close. They all know if they give us the opportunity, we’ll kill them.

“Boss says there’s going to be a premier fight next weekend. The top four of you will go at it until only one is left standing. Seats are starting at $10,000 each, but I get a front-row seat for free.”

He smiles at me, giving me a big, toothy grin. Half of his teeth are gone, the other half are rotted. I can never tell if it's his body that reeks or his mouth. Either way, he always smells like something that died in the middle of summer and has been baking in the sun for too long.

I look at Tana. That means she and I will fight against each other and two other competitors.

“You can take her. I’m sure you can. And if you make sure you win, I’ll make sure you get extra food for a week.” He says this as if this would make me want to kill not only my only friend in this place, the woman I’m fairly confident is my mate, but also two other strong shifters.

He walks off. Secure in his decision that I will win next weekend.

I turn back to Tana. “Are you alright?”

She looks at me. “So, it will be you, me, the tiger, and the lion.”

“Lion?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t place the scent, but Shere Khan said it was a pride of lions. I’m guessing the females won their matches, but he took out one of the brothers. The other one was supposed to be my match-up.”

“You know you’ve been marked for death?” I ask her.