Split of the Worlds

Chapter 3.1

The routine took over faster than Veidja had thought possible. The schedule usually remained the same and challenged her to the point of exhaustion. She had no way of measuring how much time passed, but she estimated that each routine corresponded to roughly one cycle. Without being able to see the course of the sun, however, this remained speculation.

The fighting in the arena was followed by a short rest, after which she was dragged to the bath. When she was reasonably presentable again, she spent time with the demonlord, who insisted on taking every mana offering with her. Not until afterwards was she allowed any real rest. For a while, in which she could just about recover until the next arena session was due. At first, she had tried to count the matches. But there soon came a time when she was no longer sure whether she was really fighting or just dreaming about how she bled into the sand of the arena again and again.

Only one thing remained to measure how long she had been with the demons: little by little, the rounds got worse. More lesser demons at a time, or captains unleashed on her as well. Darr, who seemed to hate her from the bottom of his soul, was particularly cruel. After he nearly disemboweled her in one turn, she got her armor back. Probably to last longer. N'Arahn himself never let himself go like that, but he liked to taunt her and goad his entourage.

She knew the fighting was the reason she was still alive at all. And she was glad that what fascinated the demonlord was something she was good at. Veidja was well aware that fighting for the pleasure of a demon perverted everything she had learned. However, there was also a way out: letting herself be killed in a serious fight. Although N'Arahn seemed to have himself and his creatures too well under control for that. The angel was in a quandary. She didn't really want to die. But to live like this? In captivity, as an amusement to her worst enemies?

Rationally speaking, it couldn't go on like this. At some point, something would go wrong and one of the demons would mutilate her so badly that she would no longer be fit to fight. Or the demonlord would simply lose interest in her. Then she would certainly have no way of escaping or even overpowering the demon. She didn't want to languish locked away in some chamber. She would not die, but would freeze if she ran out of energy and lost her will to live. And she would probably go mad in the long run if they continued to supply her.

Veidja had no intention of letting it come to that. She was defeated and shattered, but not broken. N'Arahn would not break her, no demon could. That thought kept her going. It kept her angry, and she needed that to want to stay alive.

And yet doubts crept in. What could she do? She was slowly becoming weaker and weaker. The growing fear began to paralyze her. Without contact to her companions, to the eternal stream of unwavering affection from the White Mountain, without light in her life, without real relaxation; it was all taking too great a toll.

Mother, help me!

***

"...an extraordinary spectacle, followed by a feast. For a small surcharge, you will be allowed to provide a fighter for the arena as well." N'Arahn was silent for a moment. "That will do. Send messengers to some high-ranking intriguers first. A proper fight will be a nice break from all the theorizing and philosophizing for them. The next batch of invitations will go to seducers and warmongers alike."

With a wave, he dismissed Gorf to carry out his orders.

"Ah, one more." His captain spun around as if pulled by strings. "Get a message to Tazeel last." More to himself and probably barely audible to the captain, the demonlord added, "Leave him to wait a little longer."

Lost in thought, he turned back to his planning. The time was right to lure the other demonlords with such an event. He would be able to demand high prices, extraordinary favors. On the one hand, word had already leaked out to the court that something unusual was going on in his fortress. On the other hand, he had not yet allowed anyone to approach his angel, so the curiosity of the other demonlords must be running high.