Chapter 47. The Price of My Freedom

JULIAN

“This simply cannot be, you understand,” I protested, pacing the room with the small bowl in my hand, each step matching the erratic beat of my pulse. I turned to Kent, clutching onto a shred of hope. “Is there a way we can fix this, huh? Switch partners, maybe?”

Kent shook his head, his voice tinged with regret. “I’m afraid not, sir. Zik’s master has only two gladiators left, and even if he didn’t, this is a match of champions, and Zik is his A-game.”

“Damn it!” I growled, grabbing the edge of a nearby mirror and hurling it to the ground. It shattered with a thunderous crash, fragments of glass scattering like the pieces of my fractured resolve.

“Come on now, Kent. You are the smart kid. Do something. Please…” I groaned, veins popping out of my neck. Zik and I may not have been fortunate enough to stay together for too long, but for the shortest time we spent together, we bonded like brothers—that hard love forged amongst men by the crucible of combat