[Complete] When young Boone Rigger is pulled into the most fierce Gunslinger Tournament in the country, he must find the courage to kill, or be buried six feet underground.
The Iron Alchemist: Slinger Wars Book 1
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The sea of black shifted left then right, funneling into the light like they were being guided into the afterlife.
Lyolis fought to stay put, but those behind shoved her forward. She was swept into the sea, clinging onto … whom? … Her eyes fell to her hand. She squeezed tightly yet the person she held hadn't cried out.
With each shove and step, her eyes paned up the person she held. First their arm, then their shoulder, to the neck that gleamed, then to the broad chin and black mask that was drawn toward the light ... possessed … as possessed as the others.
Her heart skipped in fear and she wanted to scream, but the screams only found her head. I must get away … this is not right! Her trembling body told her so. Lyolis tried to release her hold when suddenly the hand closed around her own. The person behind the mask turned, while dark, brown-speckled eyes dilated upon finding her.
They seemed oddly kind.
"Everything will be alright, Princess … I'm right here beside you." She knew that voice. That strong, protective voice, though the mask distorted who it belonged to. "You're safe with me." There was only one who could proclaim such words.
"Thank you, my love."
They passed beneath the balcony and the light dimmed, no longer a bright spectacle blinding everything in front, but a guiding, glowing stream that highlighted an ascending stairway.
She clutched him tighter, aware his hand must be tingling as their heels and boots clicked one-by-one, climbing switchback after switchback until they expelled out of the tunnel at the top—
Lyolis gasped, pulling Zoar close, feeling his warmth while the wind bit at their exposed skin. He looked to her with a simple smile that somehow rid away the chill.
"Look there," he whispered, pulling his eyes towards the sky; they twinkled … twinkled like the stars dazzling with a white-plated moon above. "They sparkle for you." His lips melted against her cheek and they brightened like roses on first bloom.
"They sparkle for us both."
They walked along a scarlet carpet while torches waved like hands, guiding them onto a rooftop balcony. They joined the sea of black, darkness all around them, while hundreds of orange orbs sparkled marking the city to the north.
Standing at the edge of the balcony was the Mayor. He was much closer than before, positioned on a stage, wearing a face riddled with wrinkles of gratification. He smirked, black eyes like smoldering coal.
"My friends, you are now part of a game … one that'll decide your fate for the evening … and decide if you're deemed worthy to become a part of The Iron Alchemist Tournament." The Mayor smiled deeper at their attentive silence. "That's right! Amongst you are what are called Choosers. If selected you will be invited to a second event — one that will give an experience unlike anything you've ever heard of — the chance to see the tournament from inside the arena." A stir of excited and nervous murmurs came from within the crowd. And this made the mayor perk up, rubbing his palms together. "The rules are simple … show you have no fear and you shall be chosen —"
