“We have to go,” she said softly.

Caelan pulled on Bruno’s coat and used the sleeve to wipe his mouth. Valkyrie was glad it was too dark to see much. He found the keys for the jeep in the jacket pocket. They got in and kept their heads low, waiting for the van in front to pull away. They followed the trail of cars to the road, and the first chance they got they broke away and sped on.

There was a phone charging on the dash, so Valkyrie called Ghastly, told him what had happened. A truckload of Cleavers and a truckload of sorcerers were on their way before she’d even hung up. Valkyrie and Caelan waited down a side road for the cavalry to arrive.

When it did, they returned to the arena. A dozen dead. Another dozen injured. The Promoter was found ripped to pieces. He had a ledger in his jacket with the names of the people who’d paid in it. Sorcerers visited each one of those people. Some were convinced to never speak of any of it. Others were taken away to places mortal lawyers couldn’t help them.

The creatures, vampires and various fighters in the cells were released. There was no sign of Victor.

Caelan was human again. His scars were already beginning to heal. Valkyrie talked to him, but got the barest of responses back. He was different, she realised. His rediscovered freedom was unnerving him. Back in that cell, with death so close it could happen at any moment, he had nothing to lose. Despite the chains, he was free. But now that the chains were off and his world had expanded, he himself was shrinking away from it. By morning, she had forgotten what his smile looked like.

“The Murder Skull,” he said, breaking the silence between them. “You want it.”

“Yes,” she said. “I know you don’t owe me anything – I got you free, but you saved my life, so we’re even – but if you can help out at all, I’d be—”

“We’re not even,” he said. “I still owe you.”

“For what?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at the Cleavers and the sorcerers and then he looked back at her. “I’ll be in touch,” he said, and walked away.

Valkyrie watched him go. He was a dangerous one, of that she was sure. Attractive, though. There was no denying that. But she wasn’t a girl to fall for the cliché. She wasn’t going to be won over by brooding good looks and a tortured soul, not when the risk was so obvious.

She was a teenage girl and she made stupid decisions sometimes – but she wasn’t a complete idiot.

Myosotis Terra