Read Online Gladiator Bear's Battle (Shift In Time 1) by Anya Nowlan - Free Book Online Page B

around her waist. Erden could almost taste her discomfort and it made his bear roar deep within him. A growl rose to his lips and his muscles tensed. The guards stepped back, but before going, one of them handed him the single sword he preferred to fight with.
    Erden felt the weight in his hands as the tigers stopped their running and jostling. They stopped in the middle of the courtyard, standing next to each other. They looked like two halves of the same whole, complete mirror images of one another. The setting sun was making their thick coats gleam red and the black stripes seemed dark as night. Both of them snarled, showing their pearly white fangs to Erden, before turning their attention to the balcony.
    “Friends! Honored guests! Tonight I have a treat for you! As many of you know, this ludus is the home of the Bear of the North! He is undefeated, a true champion amongst men. Tonight we have decided to finally give him a true challenge. The Jade Tigers! Macavia has long wished to see these massive warriors, but tonight, we will truly give you a chance to see these gods of the arena! And, to make things interesting, tonight the stakes are as high as they get!”
    Erden kept his eyes on the tigers. Their sparkling green eyes had given them their nicknames. They were youthful and strong, but Erden had noticed a few things that could give him an edge. If he could only live long enough to use them.
    “Tonight only one side can leave this courtyard! The Tigers of the East, or the Bear of the North! And the honor of controlling this fight will be given to the man who has made this evening possible! Aurelius Clavius!”
    Erden didn’t need to look up to see the demonic smirk that Julius Augustinus must have been wearing. There were loud hoots and hollers and the same laughter Erden had heard before. His heart was pounding in his chest. He snuck one more look up at Kiya and the worry in her eyes gave him determination.
    I will live through this, he promised himself.
    “Gladiators,” Aurelius Clavius called, keeping his grip on Kiya. “Begin the fight!”
    The tigers stretched their bodies and then perfectly leisurely shifted into their human forms. One of them turned his back to Erden, the ultimate show of disrespect, and grabbed two spears that had been stacked against one of the high walls surrounding the courtyard. It was of simple construction, mostly oval, but with a few corners and pillars that kept the sunscreens up during the grueling days.
    At least in that, Erden had an advantage. He knew the arena they had been afforded.
    Erden tossed the sword from one hand to the other, before settling on the right hand for it. He could wield the blade with equal deftness with both hands, but he preferred to keep that as a surprise for the tiger brothers. They were tall and dark-haired, with eyes just as green in their human form as they were in their tiger form. They spread out and the crowd hushed, the tigers stalking around Erden.
    He kept his back to the walls and carefully moved away from the door. He preferred not keeping his back to something that could allow in more surprises. There was no doubt in his mind that he was supposed to die in this fight, but he would not make it easy for anyone. He snarled as the tigers grinned like the servants of Hades.
    Their reputation preceded them. They had never lost, just like Erden, and by all accounts, they had many victories in the arena waiting for them still. Unless Erden could stop them. Their movements were swift and calculated, like cats both in body and soul. He crouched forward, waiting for an attack, while the crowd yelled and cheered.
    Finally, after sizing each other up, one of the two tigers came for him. He was leaner than the other and called Jare. A split-second after Jare started running toward Erden, his brother Jao jumped as well. Jare’s spear missed him only because Erden dodged to the right at the last moment, but that meant that Jao’s blade hit him in the