Kara looked back, unsure what to do, what to think, then glanced at the dais. Kelly’s gaze followed hers.
“Kara, no. Whatever he’s doing to you, ignore him. We almost have her — concentrate.”
Nodding her head, Kara turned her back on Risk.
“Kara, lose. You have to lose. It’s the only way. Jormun wants to keep the strongest witch. If you lose, he’ll let you and Kelly go free. He’ll keep Lusse instead.”
Her eyes huge, Kara cast her gaze toward Kelly. Her sister shot her a warning look, and nodded her head toward the disk. “Don’t give up now,” she seemed to say. She pushed another step forward, edging Lusse a bit closer to the ring boundary.
“Kara, trust me.” Risk’s words tore at her.
Unsure, Kara paused.
“Just a little more,” Kelly choked out, her breasts heaving with the effort of holding both her half of the disk and the portion Kara had let slide.
“Kara…” Risk’s plea was no more than a whisper, making it somehow all the harder to ignore.
Her eyes filling with tears, Kara dropped her arms. The sudden loss of power sent Kelly flying backward onto her seat. Kara stood there, panting, praying she had made the right choice.
Lusse weaved forward, a hand pressed to her chest, her eyes filled with disbelief. Her gaze shot from Kelly to Kara to Risk.
“Good work, alpha.” She grinned, her hands shooting upward.
Kelly’s face fell, hurt and betrayal showing in how she turned her head, in her mumbled, “No, Kara.”
With a laugh, Lusse stumbled forward, waving her arms, gathering power with each step.
The room fell silent, like the stillness of a mountain seconds before an avalanche strikes.
Something was wrong, Kara could feel it. Too much power, Lusse was pulling too much. Perhaps she could survive the delivery of her blow, Kara had no way of knowing. But Kara was sure of one thing, there was no way she or her sister could survive the strike.
Lusse stopped, her body bending, power flooding out of her arms, her legs, her torso.
“No,” Risk roared. The ignorant witch had broken Jormun’s one rule. She was delivering a death blow, and he had allowed it by letting her in the ring without Jormun’s bracelet.
Without another thought, Risk leaped, flying toward the ring and Kara.
Behind him an even greater roar sounded. The skapt fell to their knees, their hissing combining with the hum of power flowing from Lusse, and the booming shriek behind him. Risk ignored it all, his only thought Kara and saving her from Lusse.
Kara staggered sideways toward her sister. Growling, Risk lunged in front of her. His teeth bared, he threw himself at Lusse just as she unleashed the first wave of power.
Dirt, power and the stench of obsession swirled around him. His gaze focused on Lusse, on the insanity flaring in her eyes, he struggled forward.
Another shriek split the air. The skapt threw themselves prone on the ground. Lusse’s head shot upward, her eyes rounded in horror, she went shooting backward, over the ring and onto the bodies of the fallen skapt. She lay there quivering, her hair singed, her eyes rolled back in her head.
All sound stopped.
Dead. Was she dead? Afraid to look, Risk stood frozen, then he felt it. Something large, filled with power and slithering toward him.
On the ground a few feet away, Kara stirred. Her sister gasped, and Risk turned, his hackles raised and his feet braced, ready to fight.
A gigantic green serpent slid toward him, its tongue flickering out over Kara, her sister, and then Risk. “Calm, little forandre.” Jormun’s voice echoed inside Risk’s head. “Your witch, she cheated.” Jormun, the snake, rose; his head weaving above them, his tongue danced over Lusse. “She didn’t wear the bracelet.” He shook his head as if in disapproval. “Too bad. It would have saved her some hurt.”
Risk stepped backward until he felt Kara’s body next to his. Her sister scrambled forward, grabbing Kara’s hand and attempting to pull her away from the snake and Risk.
“She won though, didn’t she?” he asked.
The snake cocked his head. “And…” He flicked out his tongue again. “She lives.” Jormun’s rolling chuckle sounded in Risk’s mind. “Well met, forandre. Take your witches and leave.”
Witches? Risk blinked, unsure he had heard the larger shape-shifter correctly.
“Don’t lose your advantage. Leave while the bargain still holds.” With that, the serpent lowered his belly to the ground and slithered out of the hall.
The snake-men hurried them out of the hall toward the door where Kara had first entered what seemed a lifetime ago with Narr. Risk trotted along in the rear, his eyes alert, but avoiding Kara’s gaze. When they reached the first doorway, the snake-men parted, allowing Risk to walk between them until he stood beside the sisters.
Kelly, her eyes narrowed, said, “What’s happening? Why’s this…beast with us?”
Her mind swirling, Kara ignored her. They were letting them leave; she didn’t know what had happened, but Risk had been right. He hadn’t betrayed her. Jormun’s letting us leave. Risk, too — just not…Lusse. The image of Lusse lying immobile on the ground slammed into her.
“Is she dead?” she asked of no one in particular.
The closest snake-man blinked.
“Lusse, is she dead?” Kara repeated.
“Who cares?” Kelly muttered.
The snake-men glanced from Kara to Risk, as if he had said something. One hissed, then said, “She lives, just knocked out. She proved she was the stronger. Only the strongest can serve Jormun.” His eyes gleamed.
“The strongest?” Kelly raised a brow.
Risk growled. To Kara’s surprise, her sister snapped her lips shut.
“So, what happened to her?” Kara asked.
“Too much power. She couldn’t filter it all,” the snake-man replied. He reached into a small crevice near the doorway and pulled out the stick that Kara now knew opened the door.
“But…why didn’t anything happen to us?” Kara motioned to herself, Kelly and Risk.
“Forandre?” The snake-man hissed, a disbelieving sound. “Nothing hurts forandre.”
“And us?”
“Bracelets. They protect. The other witch was lucky. She wasn’t wearing one. In the past, witches weren’t strong enough. The power of Jormun’s change overwhelmed them…killed them.”
“But Lusse…?”
“Survived, strongest. She will serve Jormun well.” The entire group nodded, their tongues darting in and out of their mouths.
So the other witch, Kelly’s friend, Jormun had killed her, but perhaps not intentionally. Kara glanced at her sister, who was staring at the band around her ankle. Did it matter? Dead was dead. A shiver passed over Kara.
The snake-man swung his stick, striking the door. Even before the vibrations had slowed completely, the group had turned and began swaying away.
Something warm knocked against Kara, nudging her through the doorway. She dropped her hand, hitting fur — Risk still in his other form. Walking beside him, down the tube that lead to the portal, she let her fingers rest lightly on his back.
Strangely, she felt no fear — or even unease. Walking beside Risk felt normal, safe.
When they reached the portal, it was already open. One hand on Risk, the other clasped around Kelly’s hand, Kara stepped out of Jormun’s world and into the Guardian’s Keep.
Risk herded Kara and her sister through the doorway and into the Guardian’s Keep, then quickly circled around so he was between them and whoever or whatever might be waiting for them in the bar.
“Well, I didn’t expect to see you again.” The garm, in human form, leaned against the bar, his arms crossed
