Page 18 of Sands of Atonement

My eyes locked with his. “I’d be careful what you say, Ezra. Revenge is sweet, and I plan on savoring it.” Sand tickled my throat again, and it puffed up in my mouth.

Another man appeared behind him and threw my bag near me.

Ezra’s eyes flickered again before he disappeared behind the sealing gates. The lock clicked so loudly, I wanted to melt it down and then pour it into those dark eyes.

That sparked an idea of how I would destroy everything about Ezra.

There were so many ideas.

Too many.

Not enough.

Not enough for this man to get what he deserved.

I brushed the sand off my pants as I rose from the ground, grabbing my bag just in time to see a young woman dropping off a basket to one of the arena’s guards. They wore brown trousers with black tunics and a sash to secure them around their waists.

I could see the slight tremor of her hand as she let go of the basket filled with bread.

The front of the arena looked different now that the sun had set, and the crowd was inside, watching the fights. It was quiet as I approached the woman who stepped away from the guard.

She stopped as she took me in, her eyes wide. She glanced back at the closed arena door and scrunched her brows. “Did you just⁠—”

“Do you know where I could find a Folendra nearby?” I cut her off because I was rude and grumpy from this fucking day. I yanked the scarf off my head.

“Y—yes, there is only one in the city, but it’s a bit far from here…” Her brows scrunched. “I was actually on my way across the city to drop off another basket. Would you like me to show you on my way?”

Hesitantly, I reminded myself not to trust anyone, but I was exhausted, so I smiled curtly. “That would be nice.”

She waved a hand, and her eyes skittered over my face. “Come. Follow me quickly.”

Realizing then that there was a wound on my face, and it sent a steady stream of blood down my arm. I scoffed as silently as I could.

I should have left before Ezra saw me. I shouldn’t have caused more trouble than was necessary because my emotions got the best of me.

But then I wouldn’t have known he was there.

I knew there was a chance he’d be there, but why was he mingling with bloodthirsty fighters? He looked like a completely different person from the one I’d burned into my mind years ago.

The streets were busy, swarming with people going in and out of the evening market stands. Each establishment had put out its torches to light the way through the cobblestone streets as we weaved our way into the sandy filled streets in the lower part of Urnaz.

“What did you do to cause them to do this to you?” she asked, pity in her eyes.

Oh, man, if only she knew I wanted the pain, what would this woman say?

I gritted my teeth. “I suppose they don’t like it when women enter their fights.”

Her eyes locked with mine. “You mean you went in there willingly?”

“Of course. I needed the practice. I have been traveling for weeks, and I couldn’t wait any longer.”

I could tell she had a million questions, but she bit her lower lip and remained silent.

“They found out that I was a woman… And, well, you know the rest,” I explained for her sanity.

“I—I’ve never met a woman that was a—” She looked for the word.

“Fighter?” I finished for her. I chuckled, shrugging. “Me neither.”