The iron-gated doors of the arena were closed shut behind them with a finality that caused an echo through Roman’s chest like a death bell.

The sound of the door closing had sealed him inside a world of stone, blood, and one that would decide his fate.

The ground under his feet was coarse and a bit uneven, the sand was mixed with centuries-old blood stains that no amount of rain or scrubbing had ever managed to remove. The arena itself was an ancient one, and its walls carved from dark ...