by Ramy Vance
Anabelle chuckled as she read the protestors’ signs. She continued to watch the demonstration. “What do the humans think is going on?” she asked.
Roy sipped his drink, his eyes narrowing as if he were trying to decide what Anabelle needed to know. “Pretty scattered opinions, to be honest. Some people think it’s aliens. Others think that our universe is colliding with a book. But people believe it’s real. Hashtag Dark One is trending all over the world.”
“What are we going to do with the groundswell?”
Roy appeared to relax some. Anabelle always had a hard time figuring out his body language. It didn’t seem to ever match up with what he was going to say. “Myrddin’s already on it. He’s merchandising Terra. That fight was bigger than any recorded sports event in human history. People are eating it up.”
Anabelle picked at her fingernails as she said, “His plan is to turn Terra into a franchise? What the hell is he thinking?”
“He’s actually thinking this through. Sure, showing everyone what’s going on out there is a great idea, but people need context. He’s creating a story, something the average person can wrap their head around. That’s what humanity needs. Terra’s a hero as far as they’re concerned. And the more Terra crap out there, the more in your face to humanity the situation becomes.”
Anabelle couldn’t disagree with Roy. It wasn’t any different than what any other group did prior to a war. Propaganda. That’s all it was. At least Myrddin was going about it in a positive way. It would have been easy to turn humanity against orcs and goblins. Humans did it with each other all the time.
That would have been shortsighted, though. And it wouldn’t have helped. It had been a goblin who helped figure out how to show the world what Terra was going through. Anabelle didn’t want to admit it, Myrddin might have a better grasp of subtlety.
Roy stood and finished the last of his drink. “You should be proud of your girl. She really came through on this one. And yourself. I know you don’t feel like Myrddin appreciates what you do, but he does. He’s just an old stubborn ass. Anyways, I think you’re earning your keep.”
“Thanks. More than you, I’m guessing. What exactly do you do here?”
Roy laughed as he strode toward the door. “What don’t I do is the real question. You have a good night. And don’t be like Myrddin. Let Abby know what you’re thinking. Don’t assume she’ll figure it out for herself. Later.”
Roy left Anabelle alone with her thoughts and the television. She watched the people in the streets, listened to them chanting. They thought a war was coming. They didn’t know it was already here. But they looked ready. Maybe not as ready as Abby had been, but ready nonetheless. Anabelle saw a soldier in each one of their eyes, an army waiting in the streets.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A blindfold covered Terra’s eyes, and a sword was pressed against the back of her neck, driving her forward. She stumbled over her feet, but unlike when she had been brought into the coliseum, a hand would reach out and help her stay on her feet.
Wherever Terra was being led, it was farther away than her first holding area. She felt like she had walked nearly twice the distance. That could have just been because she was tired, though. Fighting a troll had been one of the most exhilarating experiences of her life. She was having an adrenaline crash at the moment. If there had been another fight lined up, she would have jumped at the chance.
Finally, Terra heard a door open, and she was shoved inside. The blindfold was ripped off. She was in a small stone room with a cot covered in straw and blankets. A stone toilet sat in the corner, where the shadows were thickest.
There were no chains, and the room had a door instead of bars. Two orcs stood in the doorway. “You fought well today,” one of them said. “Never seen a human plucked off the streets fight like that. Hell, never seen a pedestrian orc fight that hard before.”
The two orcs slammed their fists to their chest and barked something in orcish at Terra. She had no idea what they had said, but it didn’t sound threatening. “What now?” she asked, trying to sound confident.
“You are a champion today. Tomorrow you will fight again, and we will see if you are a champion tomorrow. And if you continue to be champion, all orcs will know your name.”
Terra’s heart raced. There was going to be another fight tomorrow. She wanted it more than anything else in the world. She’d never felt such a strong desire for something. And they would know her name. They would remember her. “Good,” she said. “Looking forward to it.”
The orcs smiled at each other as they chuckled. “They don’t even make human men like this one,” one of the orcs said. “Let’s get her fed. Cecile! Food now!”
After a couple of moments, Cecile, a small goblin, came limping over to the door. He held a tray of freshly grilled meats. Terra didn’t recognize any of the meats, but she knew the smell of good food instantly.
Cecile handed the plate of food to one of the orcs who entered the cell and handed it to her. He held his hand to his chest once more before saying, “This is the sign of the orc. It is a sign meant for orc to orc.”
Terra’s mouth watered, but she ignored the food for a second. “But I’m not an orc,” she countered.
“Today, we all watched an orc kill a troll.”
Terra nodded and took a bite of the steaming meat before pressing her fist to her heart. “Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow. Tomorrow, you fight a Balrog.”
“What the hell is that?”
“An ancient being whom light itself is afraid of. If you survive tomorrow, you may be much more than an orc.”
The orc turned and took a large jug from Cecile, who had returned carrying another tray. He handed the jug to Terra and left, closing the door behind him.
Terra sat in the dark of her cell, thinking as she felt her knuckles. They hurt, but the pain was nothing she couldn’t handle. The fight in the coliseum had happened so fast, she’d hardly had a moment to process it. She’d won her first fight—the first fight of her entire life. She’d never really fought before. It felt good.
She was powerful. Something had stood in her way, had threatened her, and now it was dead. This was a very different feeling than her entire existence on Earth. Terra realized at that moment that no one was ever going to walk over her again. She was done being a doormat. If someone tried to take something from her, she was going to break them.
Terra took another bite from her plate, savoring the salty flavors of the meat as she sat on her bed and leaned against the wall. This place wasn’t ideal. But she could survive this. She’d never thought of herself as a survivor before. No, she wasn’t going to leave it at that. Terra would do more than survive here. She was going to thrive.
The jug the orc had given her was filled with something that smelled like sour bread and tasted like piss, but it had enough of a kick to cross Terra’s eyes for a second. “Goddamn.” She whistled as she took another sip. “Goddamn, indeed.”
Creon and Abby were glued to the computer screens. They’d both been constantly monitoring the tracker Abby had snuck aboard the ship. Creon might have been facing his computer screen, but he had passed out some time ago. Abby, on the other hand, had managed to talk Anabelle into brewing some coffee and dropping it off every couple of hours.
Abby checked the time. Anabelle was due to show up soon with more coffee.
On the screen, Terra was lying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She had her hands folded over her chest and looked peaceful. Abby wondered what could be going through Terra’s mind right now, millions of miles away from home. What was she thinking?
The door to the lab whizzed open, and Anabelle entered, holding three cups of coffee. She placed one on Creon’s desk and the other two on Abby’s. “Didn’t think he’d be the first one to clock out,” the elf said as she sat.
Abby sipped her coffee and then cracked her knuckles. “He’s been pulling a lot of all-nighters. I don’t think he slept the entire time we
were working on Martin. Hey, I wanted to ask you something.”
Anabelle studied Abby over the rim of her cup, the steam from the coffee fogging her designer glasses. “What’s up, kid?” she asked.
“Why’d you decide to show the world Terra’s fight? You thought she was gonna die. Why show that to people?”
“You think I’m callous, don’t you? Or a sociopath. Well, I’m neither. Just cynical. Sometimes the only reason anyone will get up and do something is when they’re reminded of how frightening and terrible the world can be. That’s what I was trying to show them.”
Abby turned her attention back to the screen. “But you didn’t. People saw something else. And got all inspired.”
“Was it positive motivation that got you to join?”
Abby swallowed the lump in her throat. “No,” she replied.
“Exactly. People might be thrilled with Terra, but don’t hold your breath when it comes to signing up.”
“Yeah, I feel you. People got a funny way of losing interest once it’s their life on the line. Seen it happen enough. Everyone’s talking ‘bout how much they hate wolves killing cattle. They’re usually the last folk to grab a rifle.”
Anabelle got up and stood behind Abby, resting her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Exactly. That’s all I’m saying. I’m glad people know a fraction of what’s going on. But I don’t think that means we’re going to be getting any more help. Hey, can you get closer?”
Abby blushed as she turned back to look at Anabelle. “Wait, what?” she stammered.
The elf pointed at the computer screen. “To Terra. I want to hear what she’s muttering. Is she sleeping or something?”
Abby tried to catch her breath and cursed herself for whatever had just happened. She still wasn’t certain. But she turned her attention back to the computer screen. Terra was indeed moving her lips as though she were talking. There wasn’t anyone else in the room, though.
“Yeah, we can get closer,” Abby said at last.
Abby maneuvered the tracker closer to investigate who Terra was speaking to.
In the empty cell, Terra was praying. It was an old habit she fell back on whenever she felt overwhelmed, and that perfectly described her current feelings. All the confidence she had been reveling in had vanished without a trace. Now there was only intense fear and despair.
Terra was never aware of praying. Even if she tried, she wouldn’t have been able to recall the words of grace on her lips that calmed her heart. It was probably better that way.
What Terra was aware of was the tracker flittering through the air toward her. She reached and snatched the tracker out of the air and held it up to see better.
“Now what the hell is this thing?” she murmured. “Someone fucking creeping on me?”
A voice came through the tracker. It was Abby’s. “Wait, hold on, hold on. No one’s creeping on you. We’re trying to help,” she explained. “We saw the ship and got this tracker on it. And then we saw you.”
Anabelle’s voice came over the tracker next. “Yeah, we’re the good guys. We’ve been trying to figure out how to get you home.”
Terra smiled to herself. “This is my home now,” she replied.
“What? Are you serious?”
“Hell-fucking-no. I got abducted by fantasy creatures who are forcing me to fight in a fucked-up arena, and I think one of them has a crush on me. This is as far from home as I can think of.”
Anabelle cracked up as the tracker flew away from Terra’s palm. “Good. We’re trying to figure something out. We’ll be in touch, all right? Be safe.”
“Yeah, as safe as I can be when fighting a balrog.”
“What’s that?” Abby asked.
Anabelle sighed. “It’s a big monster made mostly of fire with a whip.”
“Any weak spots?”
“Like anything, hit it often and hit it hard.”
Terra smirked. “That I can do.”
Anabelle grinned. She really liked this human.
The tracker hung up and flew over to the windowsill where it landed, looking as inconspicuous as a fly.
Terra sighed and shook her head. Things just kept getting weirder and weirder. It was time to get some sleep. At least her dreams would be weird in a way she understood.
Chapter Twenty-Five
It was around noon when Terra woke up. She went to the window of her cell and looked out. Three suns stared back at her. That would explain why she was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
The tracker she had spoken to last night still sat on the windowsill. It beeped on when she walked away.
A million light-years away, Abby and Anabelle woke to the sound of the computer’s alarm going off, letting them know Terra was awake. Anabelle grabbed the microphone and said, “Hey, hey, good morning.”
On the alien planet, Terra turned around as the tracker floated away from the windowsill. “Uh, good morning,” she managed.
“Sorry, I don’t think me and Abby are morning people. She still hasn’t opened her eyes. She’s just making this weird face. Like, her mouth is open, and she’s kinda drooling.”
Terra laughed as Abby shouted over the tracker, “I am not drooling! Wait, am I drooling?”
Terra sat down on her bed, watching the beam of light from her window. “And you two are supposed to be the ones to save me?” she asked.
Anabelle scoffed loudly, and the sound gave Terra the impression that she’d made a faux pas. “Well, we’re the ones who tracked you to an entirely different solar system and figured out how to talk to you,” Anabelle countered. “So, yeah, that’s us.”
“When you put it like that, it is pretty impressive.”
“You don’t have to tell us. Trust me, we both know. Maybe Abby doesn’t, but I do. You do know it’s impressive, right, Abby?”
Abby mumbled something groggily before a loud smack echoed, like that of flesh hitting a table. “Oh. I think she needs more coffee,” Anabelle said.
“More coffee!” Abby sang.
Anabelle giggled, but her voice quickly returned to its businesslike tone. “Okay, so I’m just going to throw this out there. I think you’d make a great addition to our team, once we come get you and everything.”
Terra was intrigued by the idea. She honestly had no idea what they meant by that, but she didn’t really have any clue about what was going on. Other than the fact that the arena was a place that was very okay with her dying, while these new guys seemed to want her to live. “What kind of team?” Terra asked.
“Those assholes who abducted you? They’re part of an invasion that’s—”
“Oh, you mean like that model who said she was an elf on TV?”
“Terra. I’m that elf model.”
Terra was quiet as she mulled over what Anabelle had just said. When she’d seen the news reports, she hadn’t taken the idea of elves and orcs seriously. Now it would be stupid to doubt. “And you’re fighting the person who’s responsible for stuff like this?” Terra asked.
“That’s the only reason we exist. Me, Abby, and a bunch of other idiots. You’d be a good fit. You look like you can handle yourself.”
“All right, I’m in.”
Abby’s voice perked up over the comm again, still sounding half-asleep. “Welcome to SWARMMT, or is it SWARRMT? Or three…like swaaaaaarmt.”
Terra couldn’t keep her opinion to herself. “Okay, that’s a terrible name. Easily the worst name for a team I’ve ever heard.”
Abby and Anabelle were laughing too hard to talk. “I know!” Abby finally managed. “We said it was bonkers, but we’re not allowed to change it yet. But you’re in?”
“Yeah. You guys sound like you know how to have a good time. If I survive this, at least.”
There was a polite knock on the door of Terra’s cell, and it creaked open. Cecile held another bottle of the piss liquor Terra had drunk before and a slab of steak. He stepped gingerly into the cell and handed Terra her breakfast.
“The battle
begins in half an hour, m’lady. Good luck,” he said.
Terra bit into the steak. It was mostly raw and very chewy. “Shit, I completely forgot about my life-threatening match,” she muttered.
The tracker flew over to Terra and zoomed around her head. “Don’t worry about it,” Abby offered. “We’re gonna help you. This’ll be easy as a pig castration.”
“Uh, is that easy?”
“You ever see a pig’s balls? Ain’t ever seen anyone miss them.”
Cecile returned after a bit and took Terra with him. Orcs were lined up on both sides of her, staring at her with a measure of respect she’d never been aware of anyone bestowing upon her.
It felt good.
But maybe the orcs were just smugly appreciating Terra’s impending death. That was a less flattering idea.
She stood before the main door to the coliseum. One of the orcs at her side handed her a kite shield almost the size of her body. The orc across from him asked Terra her preference for a weapon.
The orcs to Terra’s right were holding a variety of weapons. One stood out to her among all of them. It was a single blade held between two iron rods with one rod running through the middle. Terra slipped her hand in and grabbed the rod. The blade split into three smaller blades.
The orc who had held the katar nodded and said, “Beautiful choice.”
Terra pulled the rod again, and the three blades recombined to make one. “Fuck, yeah. I think so too,” she exclaimed.
The tracker came over and landed behind Terra’s ear. Abby’s voice came through. “All right, we just want you to know we’re gonna be here for you, helping however we can. All right?” she coached.
Terra nodded as she grabbed her katar and strapped on a backup weapon, a sword. Then she stared at the door, waiting for it to open. “Yeah, I know. We got this.”
The door to the coliseum opened, and Terra strode out into the blinding light. Orcs and goblins filled the seats, and they were chanting “Not-a-Male.” Terra raised her shield, and the crowd burst into applause.
