Caleb wasn’t happy about his incarceration. He’d made sure we knew that he thought we were to blame for his downfall, as he snarled and spat his theories on how we helped put him here, vowing to get revenge at every opportunity.
We ignored his taunting as one of the Ganteons slammed its hand down on our cage.
“SHUT IT, UNLESS YOU WANT TO GO IN THAT!” he shouted and pointed to the jet black tar, into which some prisoners were being thrown.
The black lake bubbled and boiled as, one by one, the prisoners were magically projected into the air onto a floating piece of wood and ushered off the plank, falling into the thick sea of death. The screams of the unfortunate echoed round this depraved domain. They hit the surface, to be absorbed into oblivion by the deep, dark, depths of doom. I shuddered as I saw the poor beings fighting for their lives; we drove past more torture devices that would make your nightmares look like heavenly dreams.
We passed blood-stained rooms for experiments on condemned beings; the smells of rotting carcasses and intense cries filled our senses. We had to acquaint ourselves with a new plan, which was to rely solely on ourselves and fight to the death to get out of this terrifying hell.
Steam and smoke filled the path ahead, choking the other prisoners as we approached the destination. Looking into some of the cages, it was hard to see whether some of the inmates were still alive. They refused to move and just lay in the foetal position, hoping to be overlooked.
The atmosphere on the carriage was still, tense and eerie. No one moved or spoke. We slowed down and listened to the Ganteons grunting to others.
“Do you think we’re here?” I whispered as a ruffle came from Ardan’s cage. He struggled to the window to investigate.
In front of us was a large tunnel with six pulsating and slithering animals, striped with green and black, guarding it. Complete with machetes, swords and shields, the Saevi were ready to refuse entry, until they saw the bounty on the truck and slid to one side, allowing us admission.
Entering the tunnel at a snail’s pace, the Ganteons negotiated the deadly dark path. Using small, fire-lit torches, highlighting the deadly drop at each side of the vehicle, we all held our breath with trepidation.
The flames from beneath us slapped at the undercarriage of the truck as the Ganteons planned each move carefully to avoid the wooden wheels charring in the volatile blaze. Unfortunately, the path could not be judged. An unexpected gust of heat swung in front of us, scorching the faces of the drivers and blinding their vision.
The cages crashed from side to side as they tested the convoy’s strength, allowing the prisoners to get up close and personal with their neighbours yet again.
However, this time, all the beings were just trying to survive the deadly rollercoaster ride. We prayed the carriage didn’t go over the edge.
Heat pierced our cages, melting some of the bars and weakening their structure.
“I think I could kick through this one,” Ardan whispered as he attempted to break free.
Looking back over the dark trail, I wondered if escaping was the best option - there was nowhere to go except forward.
“Ardan, don’t do it! Even if you could escape, the only way back is through the guards of the tunnel. Then, even if you do get past them, you’ll have to overcome all the other disgusting beasts! Who knows what supernatural strength they have. Just wait it through. Please…” I begged. He stopped kicking and listened to Caleb throwing himself at the bars in an effort to loosen them.
The Ganteons tried to gather themselves together but their injuries proved worse than they thought. The truck swerved and a few bolts from the left side of the vehicle loosened, opening the side of the carriage and leaving two of the cages exposed to the blistering drop.
With the back left wheel of the vehicle now hanging over the edge, the shrieks, yells and gasps from the captives were swallowed up by the roaring and crackling of the intense blaze beneath us.
“I didn’t think it would end like this!” I cried as Phoenix held tight to Ardan’s arm, hoping that he could pull him back into his cage.
The containers banged into each other, sliding towards the edge.
“Grab him, quick!” one prisoner shrieked as he stretched out to reach his son.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Slowly sliding off the truck, the cage slammed into the walls of the drop, tumbling down into the flames far below.
The last we saw was his son’s petrified face, begging for help as he grasped onto thin air, his father unable to catch him in time. He witnessed his son go straight over the edge and into the fiery void.
“NOOO!” the father screamed, but it was too late. After a moment of silence, we hit another bump and more cages rocked and slid towards the edge.
“Go to the right hand side of your cages!” Phoenix shouted to the other prisoners as they snapped out of their astonishment and obliged. All except one.
That one was Caleb.
“Why do I care if you die? As soon as I’m free I’m going to kill you both for putting me here anyway!” he snarled. He rocked himself forwards, hoping to push Ardan’s cage into the inferno.
We panicked. Sweat poured from our terrified faces.
“This is it, isn’t it?” I cried as I had a vision of my little girls standing in front of me, calling out for their mummy. They looked so distressed and heartbroken; I could feel their pain rip through me.
It consumed me.
I knew I couldn’t give up.
They relied on me and their daddy to come back to them and I wasn’t going to go back on that promise. I found my strength again and called out to all the witches and wizards on the carriage,
“Connect yourselves by holding onto any clothing you have to spare!” They all did as they were asked, leaving the other beings to look on in confusion.
They created a circle with their various fabrics and I began chanting a mending spell from within my jail:
“What was broken, will now mend fully. Bring this damaged vehicle clear of this fiery gully.”
I closed my eyes and held onto the two remaining ends of the fabric as I swayed and begged Mother Earth to help us in our hour of need.
Clearly we were too far beneath any of Mother Earth’s work. My fellow beings struggled to get a response; aware there was nothing natural we could draw any power from.
We were about to give up, when one of the witches tugged at the material and shouted.
“Touch the side of the truck if you can get to it. It’s wood - maybe we can draw out the impurities and use it to help us!”
That wasn’t such a bad idea, I thought, though I struggled to reach the wall. Stretching, I stroked the wood and tried to coax out the evil that had infected it over the years. The others joined in with my mantra as black gunge began oozing from each splinter.
The slimy liquid shone like moonlight on a lake. It slid down into the cages.
“QUICK, START THE CURING SPELL AGAIN!” I commanded as the tar gained momentum.
They all started chanting the curing spell, quickening in pace as the black gunge invaded each cell.
The vehicle began to vibrate.
“I’m slipping!” Ardan shrieked as his hand began to lose grip and drift away, leaving Phoenix to free one of his hands and join in with the connection of the circle, in the hope of strengthening the power of the spell.
As soon as his hand joined the circle, a bolt of green gas emerged and disappeared under the carriage. We all looked at each other, perplexed, as the cages slowly started to move over to the right hand side of the vehicle, bumping into one another. Our prayers had been answered and the spell began to take effect!
The grunts and groans from the burnt Ganteons faded; they inspected their original scaly faces, amazed at the miracle.
“How did their injuries heal?” I asked aloud as Phoenix winked. I knew he had added to the spell when we were in our mantra trance.
The green cloud of magic
righted the vehicle and put it back onto the path, repairing the damaged side.
After checking that all prisoners and cages were still present, the Ganteons started arguing about the missing one, before forgetting about it and setting off slowly. They cautiously navigated each of the corners in the road, continuing with the journey into the unknown.
******
The voyage was a long, tiring one, which ended in an abrupt halt as we were presented with a mammoth, vibrating steel door.
I was surprised that the heat didn’t melt the gigantic entrance, when one of the Ganteons got out of the truck and stood in front of it. I couldn’t understand why it was unprotected.
“HURRY UP. WE”RE ALREADY LATE!” the Ganteon in the truck shouted to the other.
Putting his enormous hand on the door, we saw it disappearing into the melting metal, transforming the once solid entrance into a shiny portal. The liquid metal travelled up the creature’s arm and into its head.
Something clicked as the silver liquid quickly escaped back into the door, returning it to its solid state and granting access to its verified visitor.
The gateway creaked as the two Ganteons pushed it open; we drove through.
It slammed back shut automatically and disappeared, leaving only rock and ash in its place.
Twenty dwarves busied themselves in the entrance of this new section of the cave, and guided the Ganteons to park the truck in the designated area.
These dwarves, known as the Parvums, organised all the pre-show contestants and were known to be very vicious if their domain was interfered with. Although smaller in stature, they were related to the race of dwarves which worked directly for the Elders. They shared in their extraordinary strength and agility, allowing them to be assigned this crucial role in the organisation of the games.
The new room differed from those we had just been in. There was an air of organisation; the walls were not stained with blood, but instead with a black ash. A curious silver dust dripped from the ceiling and all the desks and chairs were positioned in precise rows, not one out of place.
“It’s actually quite pretty with the silver dust reflecting the light from the torches on the wall,” I commented, at which another prisoner began to weep.
“Did I say something wrong?” I asked innocently. The upset woman shook her head and accepted her inmates’ comfort.
She moved closer to my side of the cage and explained,
“It might be pretty to you but it’s not just dust; it’s hundreds of murdered fairies. Their pain is constantly screeching through our heads.” She continued to cry as the other fairy prisoners held their hands to their ears in pain. I apologised profusely but I knew the damage was done.
Distracted by the variety of Parvum occupying this strange new area, we hadn’t noticed one of the Ganteons leaving the trunk. It walked over to the office of the Parvum and stood in front of the oldest one.
“How many?” the wrinkly, grey haired dwarf asked as he lowered his bone styled glasses to examine the stressed guard.
The Ganteon grumbled his reply and the Parvum hobbled over to the cages with his wooden walking stick and a clipboard.
“You’re missing one,” he pointed out. The Ganteon looked slightly nervous. With no reply forthcoming, the officer went on,
“This will be reported.” He stuck varying pieces of animal skin onto the cages according to our species, and sat back at his desk to fill out the rest of the paperwork.
The Ganteon went over to the other and informed it of the Parvum’s threat. His colleague groaned and slammed his hand against the trunk, shaking all the cages. “Stack them over there according to their tags,” a female Parvum ordered. They complied begrudgingly.
While the guards were throwing the cages from one section to another, the female Parvum came storming over in her lizard-skin stilettos.
“Is there a problem here?” she asked uppishly, much to the annoyance of the Ganteon guards. They both shook their heads as she started to inspect the health of the prisoners, documenting their statistics on her furry clipboard.
She flicked her knotty blonde hair; it was noticeable, too, that she spent more time inspecting the male beings than the females.
“I always like my men to have a little animal passion inside them…” she teased as she poked and prodded Caleb, excited by his vicious reaction.
“Priscilla, hurry up and do the job. No conversing with the contestants!” the wrinkly Parvum shouted. She ignored him and continued. She shimmied around the cages like a tiny temptress, tormenting all the Lycan’s, before moving onto the wizards.
Walking around to our cage, she stopped and locked eyes with Phoenix.
“Well well, what magical delight do we have here?” she purred, ignoring my existence.
Phoenix ignored her and held me closer.
“I don’t need to use potions and magic charms to put a spell on you. Give me ten minutes and I’ll help put the power back into your wand,” she flirted as I pushed Phoenix away from me, ready to shut her up. She laughed at my attempts to get at her and continued stalking round the cage, stroking Phoenix’s hair and running to the next victim, giggling with glee.
The Ganteons finished their punishment and went back over to the commanding Parvum, who walked around to inspect their work.
He threw a small brown bag on the floor and they scrambled to pick it up.
“Where’s the rest?” one of the Ganteons asked, seemingly confused at the lack of coins in his large palm.
“Gone with the missing prisoner,” he retorted as he dismissed them and took the inspection sheet from the flirty blonde Parvum.
“Have you checked all of them, not just the males?” he demanded. She blushed and played coy.
He made his own quick inspection and pointed at six of the cages.
“These to go first,” he announced, looking into thin air. We all looked at each other and wondered whom he was talking to.
Before we could guess any further, our cages were snatched from the ground and hurled into the air by an oily, mechanical claw. Thrown into small, tight channels according to our species, we landed into raging rapids. The cage flung open and we were left fighting for our lives in this new artificial, sinister landscape.
Gasping for breath, we tried to keep our heads afloat and not to lose each other. It was clear that we were now participants in ‘The Orcus Games’ and had to do everything to stay together, avoid Caleb and escape this evil competition alive.
Thank you for reading the first book in
The Orcus Games Trilogy
If you enjoyed this book, please support the author by leaving a review on the website you purchased this novel from.
For more information on this book and more work from Louise Herman, please go to:
https://www.louisehermanauthor.com/
The Orcus Games: Blood Moon (The Orcus Games Novella Trilogy #1) Page 7
