The Arena novel Chapter 33

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me, Ced?” Bastian and I have gotten a lot closer, so when we’re in private, he calls me by my name. Or, in this case, the nickname he gave me.

“Bastian, I have a mate. I don’t care how cute this woman is. I need to focus on finding my dragon.”

“Your loss. She’s beautiful and smart.”

“Trust me, she won’t hold a candle or a flame, haha, to my mate.”

“As I said, your loss.”

“Just figure out what’s going on with our finances.”

“Will do.”

After he leaves, I look at the reports from the trackers. They’ve been getting whiffs of Troy here and there, but nothing substantial. However, there is something else that stands out to me. I look it over several times before sending a mind link to Galen.

He knocks twice before walking in. “What’s up, Ced?” He and Bastian are more alike than not.

I turn the file I’m holding around and push it to the edge of my desk. “What’s this?”

He comes over, taking a look at what I’ve pointed out. He takes the file and sits down. “It looks like they are building something.” He frowns, reading more of the reports. “Lots of trucks coming and going at all hours of the day and night.” He looks up at me. “What are you thinking?”

I look at him for a moment. I’m hoping I’m wrong, but if I’m right …

“We need to check this out,” I tell him.

“Didn’t you just send Bastian to the human city?”

“Yes, but if this is what I think it is, we need to lay eyes on it. Who do we have that can take charge for a couple of days? You and I can run fast and be there and back in a few days.”

We make arrangements for our Lead Warrior to run the pack while we are gone. We make sure he has all three of our contact information before leaving. As I’m running, I can’t help but feel saddened at the situation I’ve caused myself. If I hadn’t made Tana feel like she was rejected, she would be here with me now. And if she were here, it would be she and I going to check out what I’m nearly positive is another arena. The fact that my warriors haven’t identified it as such has me very worried.

When we arrive, it’s nighttime, but the place is lit up like it’s the middle of the day. As we stalk through the trees, keeping out of sight, I can hear the sound of shouting and orders being given, along with the sound of machines whirring and trucks beeping as they back up. It’s organized chaos.

When I finally get to an opening where I can see, my stomach drops, and my heart stops. It’s an arena, but it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before. They are building it with steel and concrete instead of wood. As I watch, I see what can only be a cage being swung into a hole in the ground by a crane. The bars on the cage are much larger than the ones we had in our arena. They are shiny and new, and I can only imagine how they have reinforced them to ensure that the shifter trapped inside can’t escape or be rescued.

The walls of the arena are so thick, I can’t envision even Tana bringing them down. The stadium seating in this place has a fireproofed covering. And off to the side of the construction, there are not two but four harpoon launchers. These also look like they’ve been upgraded with reinforced steel.

The Commander and the ranked members are building an arena that will be nearly impossible to bring down.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bastian

As I walk into the office building, I can’t wait to see Ms. Blaze again. Maybe she’d be interested in getting a drink with me after work. While I know I’m here for a purpose, who’s to say you can’t mix business with pleasure? I’m staying the night after all.

When I get up to the financial offices, I say hello to the little bird receptionist and have a seat. I’m offered coffee, tea, and water, but I’ve barely said I’d like some water when the big guy, Mr. Rime, comes out to get me.

“Mr. Dolph, right this way. Ms. Larken, can you please bring Mr. Dolph’s water to the conference room along with two more?”

“Of course, Mr. Rime.”