The Hunter on Arena by Rose Estes Read Free Book Online Page B

gesture, uncertain whether
     to take offense, Randi did no more than blink before the dwarf was past her and advancing on the gentle Allo.
    “’ere, ’ere, Allo, lemme give you a hand up. I’m sure there weren’t no ’ard feelin’s intended. Just a misunderstandin’, like.
     We all be friends ’ere, right?”
    He addressed this statement to Marin, who stood poised, ready to strike again, even as he slid a small, muscular arm beneath
     Allo and helped him to his feet. Surprisingly, Marin made no comment, but merely blinked and growled at the little man who
     continued to chatter as he urged the stunned Allo to his feet.
    Together—Randi and Braldt in the lead with Septua and Allo following close behind and Marin bringing up the rear—they circled
     the arena, seeking out whatever they could learn about this new world where they were held captive.

6

    Keri wakened.
    She did not open her eyes, dreading what she would find, putting off until the last possible moment the deep, silent darkness
     that she knew would be there. It had been like that since the moment Cam pulled the lever, the lever that would save Auslic’s
     life and prevent the Masters from destroying their world. Pulling the lever was to have solved all their problems, according
     to the priest who had sent them on their mission, but instead it had only made them worse. Cam had drawn the lever down, and
     a spiraling band of light filled with bright, shimmering particles surrounded Braldt, whirling around him and enveloping him
     from head to foot. When it faded, he was gone. The place where he had stood was empty; it was as though he had never existed.
    She had screamed then and rushed toward the spot where he had stood. There was a slight tingling on her skin and the air seemed
     thicker, almost viscous and hard to breathe, slowing her passage. But when she reached the lever, her senses confirmed what
     her eyes had seen, Braldt was gone.
    The lupebeast pup who had been Braldt’s constant companion growled and bared his teeth as he sniffed theair, and Batta Flor, the Mandrelli who had led them to the chamber despite the dangers, gripped her arms and pulled her gently
     to his furry chest, uttering soft, meaningless words of comfort.
    In time her screams stopped and the tears slowed, and together they explored the ruined chamber for some clue, some explanation
     of what had become of Braldt but they had found no answer. Keri had wanted to throw the lever, reversing Cam’s actions in
     the hope that it would undo whatever he had done and return Braldt to them. But Batta Flor had pinned her wrists together
     in one of his huge hands, restraining her gently but firmly.
    “Think about what you are doing,” he said. “To do this will affect everyone on our world, undo what the three of us struggled
     so hard to achieve. If the lever is reversed, the Masters will once more be able to come and go freely between their world
     and ours. They will be free to destroy us as they had planned. The safety of our world depends upon keeping them at bay and
     there is no assurance that Braldt will be returned to us if you reverse the process.”
    She had looked into his eyes then and saw nothing but sorrow and compassion and knew that his grief was as real as her own.
     Beast whined then and pawed at the lever, sliding his muzzle along its edge, perhaps scenting the human who had won his loyalty
     and love. They moved to the pup’s side, their hands outstretched to comfort him and then it happened—the whirling, the bright
     spiral of multicolored lights that fragmented their world and drew them down into nothingness.
    Keri knew that she screamed, she could feel hermouth open and close, but there was no sound. She saw Beast turning head over heels in the air before her, his body breaking
     up in tiny dots, drifting away like amorphous threads of storm-torn clouds. She reached for him to draw him back, and to her
     horror she saw her own hand and arm disintegrating