Vrenna and the Red Stone

Johnathan Tenevar's spray of lifebood blood across Thorn's face and the look he gave Tanya Alaphan's fat child changed Thorn's life forever.

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The door of Thorn's cell slammed shut behind him. Sweat flowed down his bare chest in long rivers. His dark hair hung in wet strands in front of his eyes. He set his training club against the wall next to the door. Tufts of black hair and drying blood hung on its splintered head.

Two of the fourteen slave gladiators with which Thorn had sparred had died today. Two others were maimed; one with a broken leg stabbing out of his gushing calf and another with an arm that had been twisted nearly entirely around. They were Voth slaves as was Thorn, big and dark-skinned. Every day they got better with the swords and axes and spears with which they fought. One of them nearly opene