❝ when she looks into his eyes, she feels the gripping temptation to tell him all her darkest secrets; the names of the men she has killed, but she learned a long time ago that the only people who can keep secrets are resting in overgrown graveyards...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
1 YEAR AGO THE RING (UTHER'S KINGDOM)
Underground fighting rings were illegal in all of the Five Kingdoms, but every single one had secret tunnels under the earth that led to where unlawfulness took place. Thanks to Hawk, Calliope found the entrance to one of these rings-- the one taking place right under Uther's nose about a day's journey away from the prestigious city of Camelot.
The entrance was inside a large cave at the edge of a wide array of mountains. From the tree line, Calliope could see everyone that went in and out; each of them holding a small coin that allowed them to enter past the three guards. She needed to get one of those coins, and it had to be done quietly.
She moved like a cat through the forest, positioning herself behind a thick tree --her heart hammered in her chest as she heard footsteps approaching. The blonde reached into her belt, her palm closing around the handle of her dagger.
When the footsteps got close, she moved swiftly; stepping out from behind the tree and slicing the unsuspecting man's throat in one motion. He gasped, falling to the dirt with a quiet thud. Calliope didn't waste any time. She dragged his dead body into the foliage and began searching every pocket. Her fingers felt a cool, metal object in his jacket, and when she pulled it out, a smile lifted her lips.
The coin was silver with a small wolf in the center --a specially made trinket used for Underground deals, or in this case, to get into an illegal fighting ring.
Calliope stood, straightening her black tunic, and keeping her hood down as she walked calmly out of the forest towards the guards, who each had a sharp weapon in their hands.
As soon as she approached them, their eyes filled with suspicion.
"Show us your key."
"Oh, you mean this?" Calliope said with a smirk as she extended her hand, displaying the coin.
The suspicion faded as the guards moved aside, revealing a hollow cave illuminated with orange torchlight.
She acted like she had been in the caves several times, not hesitating to follow the path the torches illuminated for her. As she got deeper into the caves, she could hear the echoes of cheers rising. Calliope pulled her hood over her head, taking a sharp right to get closer to all the commotion.
Calliope definitely wasn't expecting the scale of the ring to be so large because when she took one final turn, she had to stop to take everything in.
The entrance was a wide platform with two staircases made of stone on both sides descending to the round cage below. Across from the platform was an identical one, but this platform had two large chairs-- that's where the person in charge would sit, but at the moment, he wasn't there. Orvyn Blackwell, where are you?
