An audience surrounds the arena. Signs wave through the air. Hollering for their fighters.

  The older woman leans over. “Who’d you bet on?”

  I chuckle. “The new girl.”

  The woman laughs. “She’s scrappy! My bet is on Lady Lee.”

  Never heard of her.

  The lights around the arena dim and a man walks out onto a stage beside it. He’s short, dressed in green, and wears a mask covered in orange hair. A microphone lowers in front of him. “Gooooooood evening gruels and bile! Welcome to the very first Jackpoooot!” The crowd wails. ”Tonight we have a battle to remember! One of our favorite champions! The undefeated Lady Lee!”

  Lady Lee enters the arena. She looks like a warrior. Brutal eyes. Aggressive posture. Yellow scales. A long snout.

  ”As you all know, Lady Lee has held her title for the last decade, but tonight a new contestant has emerged from the deep! Oh yes! Tonight Lady Lee will fight the pride of the underworld….” A drum rolls. “Princess Veronica!”

  The crowd rumbles. I lean forward. A scrawny girl steps into the arena. Her mask... A solid gold sheet formed to her face. Smooth, bronze skin. And her energy… My entire body tingles. The infant stirs.

  A man leans over to me. “She’s not new! She’s been gone for a while. Heard she was hired as a mercenary.”

  A different man chimes. "Oh yeah? I heard she was working for Sentia Nista. A lot of gossip about her in Crow’s Feet!”

  The older woman hushes them.

  Where did this girl come from? Why is she here on this night? With Zuna Yako and Dez brewing in the background, this fight won’t be something to remember.

  ”There are no rules.” The audience quiets down. “Live or die. First to kill the other wins! FIIIIIGHT!”

  A bell rings and Lady Lee wastes no time. Her scales enlarge and thicken. Sharp claws sprout from her knuckles. A tail ripples from her backside.

  ”One scratch from those claws and Princess Veronica will be poisoned!”

  The crowd “ooh’s”.

  Lady Lee lunges forward only to be smacked back by a fireball. Her scales absorb the flames. She looks pissed. “Dumb bitch! Fire has no effect on me!”

  ”Oh-hoh! I forgot to mention Princess Veronica has a nasty fireball!”

  Veronica taunts her. “What’s wrong? Afraid you’ll chip a scale?”

  Lady Lee darts through the arena. Onto a post. Then lunges at Veronica. Veronica’s fist catches fire and slugs Lady Lee across the face. Lady Lee rolls on the ground.

  ”YEEAAAAAH! NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! Princess Veronica hasn’t disappointed us yet and she certainly won’t tonight!”

  Veronica inspects her fist and chuckles. “Do yourself a favor and hold still. It’ll make you easier to clean up once I’m through.”

  The crowd taunts Lady Lee. Some of her fans demand she get up and fight. Others cheer Veronica on.

  Veronica runs to Lady Lee. Leaps into the air. Her heel catches fire. And she slams it down. Lady Lee blocks the kick, then flings Veronica into the air. Veronica grabs onto a hanging rope and swings.

  ”Uh-oh! Monkey in the house!” The audience laughs.

  Lady Lee smiles. Licks her lips. Then her mouth opens wide. Her tail rattles. She hisses and spits a liquid from her mouth. Veronica swings higher. The liquid falls into the crowd. Screams ensue. Flesh dissolves. Veronica flies at Lady Lee. Lady Lee spits more liquid. It slides off Veronica’s skin. Veronica holds a ball of fire in her hands and then…BOOM! Bits of Lady Lee litter the area.

  I stand up. My jaw hangs open. She just… obliterated her! What the hell was that just now? The acid didn’t burn Veronica at all. It slid off her. This girl is… Maybe she’s one of them too. An experiment…or an Axehead.

  The crowd is in disbelief. The older woman growls and curses under her breath. The men laugh to themselves.

  ”Talk about a climax! Tonight’s winner is Princess Veronicaaaa!”

  I ask one of the staff to introduce me to her. “Veronica!” We approach her.

  She has a belt slung over her shoulder. She’s pretty small for a fighter, but that clearly isn’t an issue. Veronica turns around. “Huh? I told you, I don’t do autographs.”

  Our eyes lock through the mask. I see her standing in the wake of destruction. A crater. Death all around her.

  Veronica sways, then turns away. “What do you want, Zachariah?”

  She knows me? I gulp. “I saw your fight.”

  Veronica shudders.

  I lean forward. “You are very skilled.”

  She shrugs. “You brought a baby?”

  I clutch him. “Would you be open to talking?”

  Veronica turns to the staff member and nods. He leaves us. We walk to a dressing room and Veronica takes off her mask. She sits in a chair, lets down her hair, and huffs. “I know why you’re here.” We lock eyes in the mirror. “You want to recruit me, but my boss made me sign an ironclad contract.”

  I tilt my head. “How did you know who I am?”

  She fidgets with the belt. “Everyone knows who you are. Zachariah...leader of the Wyre."

  I back away. "Not anymore."

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Veronica rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Oh, please! The Wyre suffers without you. It leaks and cracks, trickling all the way down to your henchman. How much do you think it'd cost to turn them against you?"

  She knows something. Are they planning to get rid of me? But... I already left. The announcer said… “You’re from the underground?”

  Veronica sighs, then tosses the belt onto the vanity. She leans against the counter and rests her chin on her fist. “Born and raised.”

  Nathaniel wakes up and cries. I hush him and give him another bottle. Veronica watches. “That ain’t a regular Noble.”

  I look up at her. “No.”

  She hums and turns toward me. “You didn’t come here to make small talk." She brushes a brown curl from her eye. "You think I’m useful to your cause. Why don’t you ask me to join you instead of playing this silly little game?”

  I… I’m not sure if she’ll be useful to the Wyre, but… “I need help with something.”

  She tilts her head. “Go on.”

  I look at Nathaniel. His abilities could surpass mine, but maybe Veronica can withstand them. “There’s a laboratory. I need help accessing it.”

  Veronica crosses her legs. “What’s in it for me?”

  I scoff. “Whatever you want. Money. Fame. Power.”

  She grins. “Do I look like I need help in any of those areas?”

  I nod. “Guess not… What about healing?”

  She freezes.

  I move closer. “You have a curse on you, right? That’s why Lady Lee’s acid couldn’t touch you. I can remove it.”

  Veronica grunts. “And lose the benefits?”

  She’s not wrong. There’s an advantage. Still, it must eat away at her somehow.

  I hum. “What could I offer you?”

  Veronica pops her knuckles. “A real fight…with you.”

  Fight me? I chuckle. “You’d lose.”

  She tilts her head. “I don’t believe that.” She struts towards me. “You’ve grown soft. Weaker. Vulnerable.” She paces. “The war didn’t end when you walked away. Some of us never stopped fighting.”

  She sounds resentful. Did my actions affect her? Maybe her family fled the surface and went underground during the war.

  Veronica glares. “That infant won’t protect you from the ones who wish to expose your lies.”

  I jolt. “Lies?”

  She snickers. “You see yourself as this guilty nobody who never did anything good, but I know what you really are—what you can really do! I ache for the chance to strike you down here and now.”

  I gulp. "Who am I?"

  Veronica glares. Something flickers in her eyes. There's a twinge of guilt. Her expression softens. She looks sad. "I looked up to you at one point. You made me believe that the world could change." She looks away and walks back to the vanity. Her eyes trace the features of her face. "Maybe I wanted to believe it, but once you left..." Her eyes flick to mine. "I accepted that nothing will ever change."

  Did my leadership really inspire her like that? She must have been so young. What was it like for all those soldiers? Placing their hope on me. Only for me to walk away because I was...

  I move closer and place my hand on her shoulder. She shifts. I step back. "I'm sorry, Veronica."

  Her eyes light up. Tears falling from them. She laughs it off and shakes her head. "Sorry doesn't begin to make up for what you did." She shoves me into a wall. "I GAVE UP EVERYTHING!" Her fist hovers nearby. Fingers locked around my neck. "I THOUGHT YOU WOULD SAVE US! SAVE ME!"

  Her fist drops. Fingers release. Head hangs. "But you never came." She gazes at the infant. "How would you feel if the person you hoped would save you betrayed you instead?" She stares into my eyes. "Do you even feel? What happened to the man I fell in love with? Strong and capable." She shudders. "What happened to the man who led armies?" She backs away. "I don't recognize you."

  I choke on my words. What's there to say? Words aren't enough.

  Veronica sniffles. "You want my help? Show me that you deserve it."

  I huff. "Where would you like to fight?"

  Veronica pops her neck. “Not here. Not now." She walks toward the door. "I'll find you." She pauses. "And make you pay for what you've done."

  A dark office. Plants scattered about. Animals in cages. Jars with exotic creatures. The door opens. Nebula walks in and leans against the door. She sighs, then strips naked. She walks to a table. Flicks her finger. The fireplace erupts. She pours a drink, then her eyes trail up the flames to a large painting.

  Her lip trembles. Eyes fill with tears. She grits her teeth. “Soon, my love. I’ll avenge you.” She wipes her eyes, then moves to her desk and puts on a pink robe.

  A wall of books sits behind her. She plops down into a large leather chair and rubs her head. Documents. Files. Paper. She looks them over and drinks. Her pen jots down notes. The same four numbers on every page. 4449. She tosses pages onto the floor. Writing faster.

  A knock. She pauses, sets her pen down, and stares. “Come in.”

  Neptune enters. His bulky feet rattle the room. Dark, murky eyes swirling about. His voice deep. “She’s made contact, your majesty.”

  Nebula hums and goes back to writing. “Very good.”

  Neptune stands in the center of the room. He looks up at the painting. A grim expression on his face. He looks at her.

  She huffs. “What is it?”

  He clenches his fists. “You’ve searched for the amulet, but he hid it well. How are we going to stop him when he comes for us?”

  Nebula rises. “Check your tone!” She marches towards him. “That amulet is the key to his awakening.”

  Neptune growls. “He’d never join you!”

  She sneers. “Like you didn’t?” She pokes his stomach. "Whose power was it that gave Zachariah life? If not for me, he'd be reeking havoc all over the continent! Don’t scold me, boy!”

  Neptune stares down at her. “Your spells will fail you.”

  Nebula clings to him. “What have you seen?”

  He pushes her off. “The end of the world.”

  She laughs and waves him away. “Yeah, yeah! Heard it all before!”

  He raises a brow. “The child..."

  Nebula stares into the flames. "It's the perfect distraction."

  Neptune nods. "He'll use its power to kill you."

  She cackles. "Death isn't the end. He'll resurrect me again."

  Neptune stomps. The room quakes. Books fall off the shelf. Animals whine. "Your faith is misplaced!"

  Nebula grins. "Without his memory, defeat is all he'll ever know."

  Neptune growls. "With her there, what makes you think he won't start to remember?"

  Nebula tilts her head. "Do you remember your parents?"

  Neptune jolts. "Parents?" His stern expression breaks and eyes shift side-to-side. "Who are my parents?"

  Nebula cackles. "Exactly! Veronica is under my control. She couldn't disobey me even if she wanted to. That's the deal she made."

  Neptune grips his head and falls to his knees. Nebula looks down her nose at him. "Same as you. You're mine now. No matter how strong your loyalty is, my will is stronger." She holds out her hand and a black frog leaps from her palm. It lands on Neptune's face and sinks into his skin.

  Neptune shudders, then crosses his arm over his chest. "My queen, thank you! I feel much better now."

  She cackles. "Run along and play, Neppie!"

  Neptune bolts out of the room. Nebula sighs and returns to her desk. She shuffles her papers. "See you soon, Zachariah."

  Theresa knocks on Zachariah's door. She holds a dish in her hands. No answer. She knocks again. Still nothing. She sighs and sets the dish in front of the door, then walks down the steps to her apartment.

  A man leans against the wall. He flicks a lighter and puffs on a cigarette. His purple eyes glow in the streetlight.

  Theresa keeps her distance. "Are you lost? Can I help you?"

  The man flicks the lighter a final time, then stuffs it in his pocket. He straightens up and glares down at her. "You're Theresa, right? Heard you can track people. There's someone I want you to find."

  Theresa swallows and walks past him. She bows. "Sorry, you have the wrong person."

  The man flinches. Ash falls to the ground. His eyes pull her in. "Oh, I know that can't be true. You're friends with Zachariah. Don't worry, he's not who I'm after."

  Theresa stiffens. Her heart pounds. She catches her breath and glances at the door. "My husband is home."

  The man chuckles. He blows smoke through his nose. "Tryna get him killed?"

  Theresa reaches for the door. He grabs her and throws her to the ground. "Not so fast!" Smoke surrounds her. His voice rattles in her ears. "I'll pay you for the trouble."

  Theresa's eyes water and she looks down the empty road. She gulps. Her body trembles. "Who do you want me to find?"

  The man snickers and removes the cigarette from his mouth. His warm breath rolls down her neck. "A girl. Pink hair. Pretty little thing."

  Theresa's eyes widen. Air trapped in her chest. She looks into the man's eyes. "What do you want with her?"

  The man purrs. "Oh, don't you worry about that. Just find her for me. You've got one week."

  Micheal opens the door and stares down at Theresa. "Mom?" He looks around. "Why are you lying on the ground?"

  She breathes. "I was... I wanted to feel the ground." She sits up and rubs her eyes.

  Micheal's face strains.

  Theresa smiles at him. "Did you eat your dinner?"