Free Treasure of the Fire Kingdom (The Elemental Phases Book 4) by Cassandra Gannon

for her, but he had been soaking in acid the last
time they met.  He might be a little more pleasant when they were both on solid
ground.
    She
needed to see him, again, so she could understand what was happening.  The
sooner the better.  Fire Phases, even when they were pretending to be Color
Phases, were not great at patience.
    “Galen
doesn’t mean a romantic kind of Match.”  Zakkery informed her before Hope could
say anything else.  “He’s talking about a death match.”
    She
stared at him blankly.  “A what match?”
    “They
feed prisoners to gladiators around here.”  Zakkery lifted a shoulder in a
“what can you do?” shrug.  “Cuts way down on recidivism.”
    “Gladiators?”  
Hope’s mind raced.  No.  Those kind of blood sports had been outlawed in nearly
every kingdom centuries before.  “You expect me to fight in a gladiator
match? ”
    “Oh,
I don’t think anybody’s expecting much of a fight, honey.”  Zakkery assured
her.
    “You
will die in the ring.”  Galen added as if she still might not be clear.  “The
battle begins in half an hour.  Whatever secrets you keep mean nothing, just
you and your Council allies mean nothing.  Job will never beat me.  This time I will win!”  Turning on heel, he marched out of the prison.
    “Oh
dear.”  Hope looked up at Zakkery who was focused on his Union Jack patterned
sneakers, apparently lost in thought.  “I have to get out of here.  For your
own good, you need to let me out.  You have no idea what my family will
do to you if I’m thrown to the lions.”
    “Yeah,
I’m more worried about Galen’s men, than your fearsome Color House buddies.” 
Zakkery muttered distractedly.  “Listen, nothing can stop the fight, but
there’s still hope here.”
    “I am Hope.”  She snapped.  “And I don’t really see any.”
    All
the Fire Phases were marched out into practice fields, day after day, to drill
on battle maneuvers.  But, in all her years of mock battle, Hope had never won
a fight.  Not even against the sawdust dummies.  This was going to be a
disaster.
    She
flopped down on the cell’s single cot and sighed.
    Maybe
she could at least last one or two rounds.  That wouldn’t embarrass her family too badly.  If she died right away, they’d be so disappointed.
    “What
are you talking about?”  Zakkery asked blankly.  “You are hope?  What
does that mean?”
    She
ran a hand through her hair and spared him an annoyed look.  “For goodness
sake, it means I’m Hope , obviously.  My name is Hope, of the Fi… Color House.”
    Zakkery
froze.  “Your name is Hope? ”  He repeated.  She could see his mind
racing.  “Were you were named that because you brought hope to someone?”
    “I
don’t know.  It’s just my name.”  She’d never been called anything else.
    “Hope”
wasn’t a Fire House name, but when Frankie found her, there had been a silver
medallion bearing the word tucked into her baby blanket.  Shaped like a star,
it had a diamond at each of the points and her name in the center.  Oberon had
attached the charm to her bracelet years before and she instinctively looked
down at it.  Sure enough “Hope” was spelled out in the formal form of
Elemental, the engraving an elaborate series of lines and swirls.
    Zakkery
grinned at her in diabolical delight.  “Ya know what?  This is my lucky day.”
    “That
makes one of us.”
    “Well,
your fortunes are about to change.”  He leaned forward intently.  “Okay look,
odds are layin’ a hundred to one against you and they haven’t even seen your
shoes, yet.”
    Hope
glanced at her sequined sneakers and frowned defensively.  “You people are
betting on my execution?”
    “Don’t
take it personally.  We bet on all the fights.  We don’t get alotta TV here. 
My point is, you’re not gonna win without some help.”
    Hope’s
eyes narrowed.  She’d been thinking that, too, but hearing him say it just
annoyed her.  “I’m