28. Gods with Monsters’ Hearts

As sunset throws Thumos’s Throne into silhouette, the final spectacle begins: a three-team mass combat fielding one kynd, one half-giant, and one true giant per side. Galva fights for the king, the lone dam and the only kynd on that team. The arena invokes the rising full moon, and the melee starts under a roaring crowd.

The king’s and Praxeter’s giants tacitly ally to crush the juggers, felling their giant first, then their half-giant and kynd. Galva then presses the advantage against the Praxeter’s giantess—tattooed and bare-chested—driving her blade under the breast and into the ribs, likely the heart. The wounded giantess staggers, seeking mercy from the stands, but collapses to die as the crowd revels in bloodlust.

With the Praxeter’s lesser fighters finished by the king’s giant, half-giant, and Galva, the victors are hailed. From the box, Renata translates and thrills at the violence while Kinch watches Galva, who secretly cants three quick signs toward him despite the fading light.

The Praxeter declares praise to Thumos, and attention shifts to the west. Molten lines descend the mountain in six branches that flare into flaming “hats,” and the arena amplifies the screams of six chosen victims via brass bells. The king and Renata weep with ecstasy; Kinch recoils at the ritualized cruelty.

After the ceremony, Kinch finds the princess’s small dog missing from the litter, assumes it was discarded, and hardens his resolve. Remembering Galva’s covert message—“Get. Us. Home.”—Kinch commits to surviving and escaping Erydon with her.