Page 32 of Gladiator Moon

“I assume I will be taken prisoner?”

“You assume correctly.”

“Where does that lead us now?”

I reach down and pluck the wizard up by his right ankle. “Like you said, a prisoner.”

“Unhand me!”

“No.”

“Then may you itch!”

My nose itches immediately. “Stop that.”

“Then unhand me, vampire!”

“You must not light the fireplace.”

“Fine. I will not.”

“Do I have your word?”

“You do. Wizard’s honor.”

I set him right side up and the itch on my nose abates immediately.

“I am in need of help,” I say.

“What type of help?” asks the wizard.

“What do you know of the arena?”

“Enough. I, like all wizards, was trained in the bowels of the place.”

“So, you know your way around the place?”

“I do, yes.”

“Pickles look for rope to bind Azul.”

“That won’t be necessary. I will cooperate.”

“Will you perform magic if I need it?”

“For now, but it’s conditional. I will not hurt anyone for you.”

“Will you help me end the Gladiator Games once and for all?”

Azul hesitates. “If I can... within reason. But I will not knowingly throw my life away. I have no part in the Games, and they have never harmed me personally. To many here, they are simply... how things have always been. They unite the kingdom, however misguided that unity may be.”

I pluck his crooked wand from his front pocket and tuck it in my back pocket. Moments later, we are airborne again, leaving the little hamlet behind.

Then fortune smiles on me. A sudden gust of wind catches us, and I instinctively bank hard. The maneuver startles Azul enough that the steady stream of thoughts filling his mind falters for the briefest instant.

That is all I need. I slip inside his head before he can recover. I quietly take control.

Yes, he had agreed to cooperate. But such agreements are not a certainty.