The action stunned the beast, but not as much as Kaz had hoped. It managed to raise itself high on the three limbs it had that still functioned. It clearly intended to fall on its prey and crush him.

Body aching, Kaz willed Honor's Face to him as the meredrake fell on him.

Honor's Face formed in his hands. Kaz did the only thing he could. He tried to shift to the side with the head of the axe edgewise against the ground. That left the other edge in the monster's direct path.

Several hundred pounds of reptile drove the air from the minotaur's chest as the meredrake landed. Kaz was certain he would be crushed to death, until the monster shivered and rolled away, a fresh stream of blood dripping over the minotaur. The magical weapon's astonishingly sharp edge had saved his life.

Yet the meredrake was still not defeated. It breathed in long gasps. Its chest wound was deep, and one limb was nearly useless, but the massive jaws were still a threat to Kaz. Fortunately, Kaz had access to its throat. He rolled onto his stomach, Honor's Face cradled in his arms. The angle was such that a strong swing was impossible, but the axe could be just as deadly a thrusting weapon. The tip was sharp and long enough to kill.

He rose to his knees immediately after rolling onto his stomach, but as he positioned himself to dart under the massive jaws of the beast, the meredrake shifted. It was clumsy and stiff, yet the combatants were in close proximity. Honor's Face was the only way Kaz could prevent the meredrake's jaws from getting at him. Kaz thrust the magical axe up into the creature's maw as hard as he was able. And there it stuck, in the meredrake's mouth, with Kaz holding on for dear life.

He gritted his teeth.

Paladine… Kiri-Jolith… guide me now, the warrior prayed. Releasing his hold on the axe, Kaz threw himself forward. Hissing, the reptile swung its head to the side, knocking the weapon to the ground.

Kaz gored the meredrake in the throat and neck so hard that both his horns sank deep.

Hundreds of pounds of monster threatened to fall on the minotaur, but he remained where he was, pushing upward as hard as possible. Cold blood poured down on his head. The meredrake tried to swipe at him with its injured paw. Kaz felt the beast shiver.

With effort, the minotaur pulled free. The meredrake barely noticed. It rocked its head back and forth, its life fluids draining onto the circus grounds, then stumbled a few steps. Kaz scrambled away as best he could, exhaustion preventing him from going too far.

The meredrake shivered, gave a gurgling sound… and collapsed on the field.

The crowd roared. In all his time as a champion of the arenas, Kaz could not recall a cheer as great as the one that now echoed through the circus.

Forcing himself to stand, Kaz retrieved his axe. It was still not too late to kill Polik. Honor's Face would fly straight and true.

All of a sudden, from the entrance emerged a squad of gladiators. They swarmed toward him, ready to do battle. The cheers of the crowd turned sour. Clearly most did not think that even a criminal deserved such a short reprieve. Kaz had likely vindicated himself in the eyes of many.

Polik did not care for that. The emperor had risen and was demanding that the gladiators charge the prisoner. All he cared about was that Kaz died and died quickly before sentiment for the renegade increased.

The gladiators did not move toward Kaz with much enthusiasm. Any warrior who could single-handedly kill a meredrake was one to be reckoned with, even one as exhausted as Kaz. He was grateful for their hesitation. Each second meant he would be able to give them a better struggle.

"All right," he growled. "Who'll be first?" His brave words were intended to make them even more hesitant.

A roar from the other end of the arena made even Kaz lose concentration. Both he and the gladiators turned in the direction of the roar, duty giving way to surprise.

A lion charged out onto the field. It was a full-grown male. Even before the shock of its appearance could subside, it was joined by two, then three females, all roaring fiercely.

The animals' escape had only begun to register on those on the field when a second meredrake the size of a large wolf lumbered out. It snapped at the lions, who, despite their numbers, decided it was risky business. They spread out, coincidentally creeping closer to the guards and Kaz.

Smoke began pouring out of the entrance to the menagerie.

"Fire in the menagerie!" someone with a high voice called. "The animals have all escaped!"

There was something faintly dubious about that voice, but those able to hear it registered only the alarm. Weapons were forbidden in the audience, due to the minotaur tendency to end all disputes, especially wagers, with combat. Only the State Guard, clerics, members of the Supreme Circle, and the emperor were permitted weapons here. Minotaurs were not fool enough to go up against a lion or a meredrake with their bare hands, not even after watching the great feat of Kaz. The fire was also worrisome. Many of the spectators near the menagerie began to abandon their seats.

Other animals began emerging from the smoky entrance, horses, bears, and more. Kaz could not even identify some of the beasts, but anything that had teeth as long as his fingers or claws as big as his hand was to be avoided. There were bulls and sheep, the latter used mainly for feeding the predators. Some of the animals fell upon other animals, but other predators seemed more inclined toward two-legged meals, perhaps because they had been trained to attack when in the arena.

Kaz was forgotten as the gladiators moved to defend themselves from the more immediate threat. There was no sign of the handlers, but Kaz guessed they were either dealing with other animals that had not made it outside or were already dead.

"Delbin!" he muttered. The kender had promised to create a diversion, and had. It was up to him to see that Delbin's efforts were not in vain.

He backed away from the animals and the gladiators, Honor's Face at the ready. One of the other warriors glanced at him, then evidently decided that Kaz was the lesser of two evils.

Two more warriors passed Kaz, holding nets and tritons. Deciding he was momentarily safe, Kaz turned to see what had happened to Ganth and Hecar.

They had taken advantage of the confusion caused by the escaping animals and sought to escape as planned. The pair had made it out in the open. Ganth had grabbed a short sword, but now they were being harried by one of their guards and the stubborn old jailer. For an old minotaur, Molus was quick with a weapon.

Ganth and Hecar were still bound, which made it difficult for the former to wield his blade. Somehow Kaz's father was managing to fend the pair off.

Roaring, Kaz charged in their direction. Molus turned first and actually smiled when he saw who it was who was coming. He turned away from Ganth and started toward Kaz, but suddenly another figure darted between them. The figure held an axe almost as large as Kaz's own.

"Take care of your prisoners," snarled Scurn. "I'll deal with Kaz." The look he gave the jailer allowed no room for argument. Molus backed away and went to help the other guard.

"I beat you in the arena, and I beat you when you came for me, Scum. Don't try again."

"You should've killed me the last time, Kaz. I asked you to. I couldn't face the clan after such a humiliating defeat!"

With that, Scurn attacked. His swing was more precise and swift than when he had faced Kaz in the past. Startled by both the vehemence and skill the other minotaur displayed, Kaz backed up.

Smoke almost distracted him. New fires had started up in more of the underground sections of the Great Circus. Kaz wondered exactly what Delbin was trying to do. If he continued like this, it was possible the kender would burn the colosseum to the ground, in the process killing his friends as well as his enemies.