Dawn's mind hadn't recovered from the shock after seeing Pia. How could she even enter the contest knowing that Daryn was her mate? Had she forgotten about Caleb already? As Dawn stared at her with accelerated heartbeat, Pia turned her head and gave her a conceited look. This was beyond her imagination. Nothing made sense. And when Sedora announced Brenda's name, Dawn's mind froze. She couldn't believe that it was Brenda who was surrounded by the guards. She was looking like hell even though she was dressed in the black breeches and maroon tunic, which was the tournament dress. Her hair was in knots and she was looking dazed with heavy eyelids. It was as if she was trying to keep herself straight.

Dawn rubbed the back of her neck. She could feel something wasn't right. Almost every Ixoviyan out there cheered for all the contestants except for Dawn.

​​

"Hold your excitement, my dear subjects!" Sedora said on the loudspeaker. Everyone in the crowd grew silent. She continued, "Now that every contestant is here, the contest begins officially. I will announce the rules of the contest and then give you all the first task for the day!"

A loud cheer rose once again from the spectators.

Dawn knew that whatever rules did Sedora talk about, there was only one rule for her. Sedora wanted her dead at all costs. Live or die…

There was a low rumble that emanated from the opposite end of the entrance, as if something was banging against a cage in order to free itself. Dawn couldn't understand the source of rumble. She noticed that Gayle had got up and was leaving. Sedora didn't give him a glance. Daryn was still sitting on the throne with the gold crown on his head. Sedora beckoned a servant. He came to her with a tray that was holding a beautiful diamond tiara over a red cushion.

Sedora picked up the tiara, showed it to the crowd and her honeyed voice came over the loudspeaker. "This tiara is for the contestant who will win the competition. The winner shall wed my son Daryn."

Immediately there was a murmur in the crowd as to how beautiful the tiara was.

"The rules of the contest are simple. Everyday I will be giving tasks to the girls out here. They have to perform those tasks and one girl will be eliminated everyday."

There was a collective gasp in the crowd.

"If a contestant is seen cheating, she would incur penalty, which is a night in dungeons."

Dawn could sense that there was fear in the spectators, as everyone now looked at the women in the cage with pity.

Sedora looked at each contestant before her eyes fixed on Dawn. Her face twisted and she said, "Now I will announce your first task."

"Wait!" Dawn shouted. "I have something to say!"

The guards around her hissed and pointed their javelins towards her.

Sedora narrowed her eyes. The crowd became quiet and all the contestants except Brenda were now seeing her.

"What is it?" Sedora said with a touch of rudeness and suspicion. She had to allow her to speak because her people were looking at her.

Dawn walked a few steps towards her and said, "I have a condition."

Sedora reclined in her throne. "You don't get to deal here."

"Oh! This is going to be a fun thing! I assure you," she said with a smile.

Now knowing what to do, Sedora said, "Speak!"

"Whichever contestant wins the round will get to spend the night with Daryn!"

The girls at the back almost whooped with joy.

Sedora's eyebrows went to the sky. There was a stunned silence in the crowd. Suddenly the things spiced up. Few seconds later, Sedora leaned forward and said, "Done. However, the contestant who has won the round will have to kill the girl who she chooses to eliminate."

Before any other contestant could say no, Pia shouted from behind, "I agree!"

"Very well then! You have made my task so simple!" said Sedora with a grin. She was so sure that Dawn would not last the first task and even if she made to the last one, she would—

The rumble from the ground rose again—this time louder.

A large gate opened and out came a long iron cage, which had spikes on the outside. And in that cage was a reptile that was at least twenty feet long and thick like a horse. The black scales on its skin shone and as soon as sun rays fell over it, the scales stood in a wave. It opened his huge mouth and bared its enormous fangs that were dripping with venom.

"This is Jacrut—the basilisk," said Sedora in a low voice. "He hasn't been fed for a long time." Sedora looked at it. There was a metal cover on its eyes. "Your task is not to kill him, but to get its fangs."

"Fuck!" said Dolgra. "There's no way we could kill that!"

The only way to get the fangs of the basilisk was to kill it, and that too in a way that it never looked at you because if the basilisk looked at you, it would shoot its venom so fast that you wouldn't know when you died.

Sedora pointed at the left of the ring and said, "Your choice of weapons is out there. The contest will begin as soon as all of you choose the weapon you would use against Jacrut. You may start picking up the weapons now, because my guards are going to open the basilisk in five minutes.

Except Brenda who didn't know what was going around her contenders ran to pick their choice of weapons.

Dawn picked up a sharp edged iron sword that was serrated from the sides. She ran back to Brenda and said, "How did you come here?"

"Dawn!" Brenda focused on her somehow and then let out a cry. "She has kept our entire crew imprisoned. We are in the dungeons and they are horrible. They are infested with rodents. Smell of piss and puke is everywhere. It houses only the insane sorcerers. Her guards come and torture us with our worst nightmares everyday. We are on the verge of breaking." She was crying with heaves. "We had come to find Daryn and she took us hostage. It was all a big game!"

No wonder she was looking so dazed and pale and ill. "You guys are Lykae! Why can't you get out of that place?"

"Those dungeons have iron bars that had been forged by the witches. Spells are cast."

"Then bloody break the roof! Damn it!"

Brenda blinked her eyes.

"Why are you here?" asked Dawn with irritation, glancing at the guards who had started opening the gates of the cage.

"I am your doctor Dawn. She hates me. She wants me to kill you or be killed by you. I didn't even know that I was being thrown in this contest until I was walking inside."

Dawn gritted her teeth. Sedora was playing with her emotionally too.

"Here, take this sword and stay in the shadows. Come out when I ask you to!"

Brenda nodded. "What about you? Where's your weapon?"

"I don't need it," she replied.

The basilisk was out of the cage, swishing its tail around violently and wherever its tail landed, rubble and dust flew as deep pits carved the ground.

Before Dawn started to go, Brenda asked, "Why did you throw that condition?"

Dawn smiled and patted her hand. "Stay safe," she said and sprinted away from her towards the basilisk.