The only way out is death. In the Arena, appearances are everything, and Cyrus has mastered the art. Trained since his youth to annihilate opponents for the entertainment of the masses, he’s become known as a legend who cannot be beaten—but when the dust settles, he’s no less a prisoner than the criminals he faces, and his usefulness to his masters only lasts as long as the money keeps coming in. Bastian Lytos has no interest in fame or fortune. Sentenced to the Arena after disobeying orders on the field of battle, he’s determined only to defy his masters for as long as possible before his inevitable demise. When fate throws him into the path of the Arena champion, he’s shocked to find that even the most elite fighters are just as trapped as he is. A new alliance forms when the two combatants unexpectedly come face to face, but in order to survive long enough to see freedom, they’ll have to fight. For honor. For glory. To the death.
Authors
Brigitte Cromey has been known to daydream so heavily that a gong must be rung to retrieve her. (This annoys her family, who can never be sure if she’s actually heard what they’ve just said to her.) When not submerged in worlds of her own making, she can be found cooking with bizarre ingredients, reading entire books in a single sitting, dressing her children up as fairies and knights, and occasionally responding to the world with kindness tainted by cynicism. Brigitte lives in Southern Arizona with her husband and children. Should you encounter her, the kettle will always be on.
C.M. Banschbach is a native Texan and would make an excellent Hobbit if she weren’t so tall. She’s a pizza addict, a multi-faceted fangirl, and a firm believer in being authentic—even if it means acting like a dork sometimes! When not writing fantasy stories packed full of adventure and snark, she works as a pediatric physical therapist where she happily embraces the fact that she never actually has to grow up. She also writesYA/MG fantasy-adventure as Claire M. Banschbach.
