Lastborn of Forsaken Roses

by Thomas Green

  She looked at the group of adventurers who were staring in shock.

  ‘That girl in robes looks pretty. I will have her first,’ the beast inside whispered into her mind.

  Stop salivating and focus! We are too high... shit! How do I slow down? Panic flooded her veins as Luna realized she would miss. Yet there was nothing she could do to change the inevitable. At the last second, she tried to spin midair to slow down, but she flew too fast and too high. With a thundering crash, she smashed into the wall of the arena. Her bones shattered, crushing the organs upon the impact, sending her crashing onto the sand, wreathed in pain. The beast did not refuse the opening to take over the control of her body.

  13

  Raven

  A reasonable success. Raven dashed between the pillars that held the maze, his steel-wreathed boots steady on the snow. He was unwilling to play a mouse in this farce for a match while Luna was supposed to be up in a second. She would keep them distracted before he arrived. Sudden shrieking echoed through the arena from the opponent’s team ahead of him. The audience soon joined, creating a choral of screams.

  Sounds like my estimate of the speed of Luna’s regeneration was correct. Good. While the opposition was trying to fend off Luna, he approached. Her eyes were white, the tips of her fingers were tipped by ten-inch claws, and her cheeks were split all the way to the ears, revealing an unnaturally massive mouth full of jagged fangs. She slit a man’s belly with her claw, caught him by the head, bent it backward and gripped his throat between her jaws. A crunch echoed through the arena as she tore off his neck before she threw his body at the next adventurer.

  Raven arrived at the first opponent, a man with a bow who was shooting arrows at Luna. Without success, for he failed to pierce her armor.

  The man noticed him, shouted and spun. The spin led him straight onto Raven’s blade, impaling his midsection.

  Raven kicked him off his weapon, ducked under the blow from his friend and whirled, hitting his legs with the shield. The bones snapped upon the impact. The man screamed. Raven sunk his sword into the man’s chest. The woman next to him flung a blast of fire at him. He swatted the spell away with his shield. Raven raised the man stuck on the sword over his head and hurled him over his shoulder. She tried to catch him.

  As she caught him, Raven made a few quick steps and slammed his shield into them. The impact threw off her helmet and sent her flying backward. Luna grabbed her from behind and pierced her with her claws. A shriek filled the air as Luna bit into her head, crushing her entire skull between her jaws like a strawberry.

  Raven turned to face the four remaining adventurers. They were staring at him in horror, not sure whether to fight or run. Behind him, Luna seemed to have lost interest in the combat and started eating the woman.

  Raven dashed forward. He smiled as he raced to the first one, disarming him with an upward strike of his shield and impaling him onto the sword. The other three followed their friend into the afterlife within the next few seconds. He frowned as how sloppy that was, for he got overexcited and used an unnecessary amount of strength.

  Which reminds me… Raven reached into his core to stretch out his aether. Like invisible feelers, his power wrapped around Luna, proving his suspicion. Her aether manipulation, footwork, techniques, strengthening, everything was the same as when they sparred. She was no threat to him. No matter how crazy the beast within her may have made her, he could put her down whenever he pleased.

  Raven sheathed his sword and dropped his shield. He took out the second javelin and stabbed it into a pouch filled with salt drenched in lemon juice. He made a few swift steps and threw the spear. Its flight split the air, and the steel tip dug deep into Stallington’s chimera. The demon roared, broke the chains and started charging toward him, snow flying from its claws as it stomped through the arena.

  Luna did the sabotage well. He gazed at the audience. He soon found them, lost in the stadium stood a small patch of people with white, cloth banners painted with his name.

  My fans… time to honor them. He smiled and let loose the chain from his shoulder. He dashed toward the charging demon and spun. The hook swished between the pillars, wrapped around one of them and hit the chimera from the side. The hook buried into its flesh. Raven drew the greatsword after switching the chain to his left hand. He raised the sword above his head. An orchestra of shouts and screams filled the air, yet he could still hear the people of Illysaeas chanting his name. Raven launched himself at the chimera.

  The demon didn't notice the hook digging into its body and kept the collision course with Raven. The chimera opened all three of its mouths and pounced on him. He slid to the right, slashing the throat of one wolf head. The demon’s tail tipped by a snake’s head jolted at him. Raven spun to deflect the vicious long teeth with shoulder plate, pivoted and cut apart its neck with a full swing.

  The chimera roared, whirled, and smashed his body into him.

  The impact blew the air out of his lungs. When the chain he held ran out of length, it jerked him upward. He hit the bottom of the maze. Before he started falling, Raven pushed himself off to land on the beast. The demon tried to dodge but was wrapped in chains and couldn’t move. He landed on its back. The chimera roared in pain.

  Raven postured up and swung the sword down, burying it in the middle head. The chimera’s knees gave in. Raven raised the sword above his head.

  The chant of his name echoed through the air, deafening. Half of the audience was chanting as if possessed. He spread his arms wide, signaling victory. The cheers grew louder. Raven swung the blade down to end the chimera’s life.

  He jumped down from the beast and dropped the greatsword to draw the second javelin. His eyes soon found Stallington, who stood at the edge of the arena. Raven weighed the weapon in his hand, made a few quick steps and threw it. The javelin boomed through the air, flying fast and strong. The arena protection barrier shattered it inches away from Stallington’s chest.

  Raven couldn’t help himself but smile. The local barrier worked as well as the one at home. Good. The crowd’s chants further intensified. He spun on his heel and headed toward Luna. She was sitting by the wall, eating a body. Around her lay another six half-eaten corpses, the snow soaked with blood.

  She aimed for brains and organs, indicating she was devouring them to absorb their aether. Pity flashed through him as he realized she wasn’t doing it because she wanted to, but because she had to. Two spirits needed more aether than a single body could harness from the air, so she had to get more. He wished he knew another way for her to do so. He didn’t. Raven peered down at her, his expression showing no emotion. “We’re done here. Let’s go back.”

  Luna stared at him, took a big bite and threw away the corpse. She rose from the ground and walked beside him to the exit from the arena. The rest of their team had already reached the end of the maze, claimed the victory by getting the gem and returned to the entrance of the labyrinth. Their faces wore a mixture of horror, disgust, disbelief, and pure amazement.

  Raven smiled as they were passing them to leave and remarked loud enough to make sure they all heard it. “Welcome to the arena.”

  Luna and Raven walked back to the preparation room and headed straight to the cleaning room. The hall was a simple stone chamber full of barrels with water and a ditch to drain out any liquid that spilled. They undressed and each dove into one barrel.

  Raven relaxed, as the cold water soothed his bruise-covered body. He may have broken a few ribs, but that wasn’t anything major, nothing Samantha couldn’t fix. Luna was sitting in the barrel, holding her knees and looking as if someone ripped the soul out of her.

  Raven threw her a glance. “What’s wrong?”

  “What’s wrong? My life is over! That’s what’s wrong!”

  “How come?”

  “Are you that stupid? Thousands of people watched me eat humans. Seven, in fact. Nobody will ever treat me like a human being again! All people I know will deny ever knowing me, and no
man or woman will ever come close to me without me being in a cage!”

  He shrugged. “Don’t think it will be so bad. Things are different in the arena.”

  “I saw adult people vomiting and fainting in the tribune above us. Almost everyone who could see me did. They will tell others, and those will spread it even more! My life as a human being is over!”

  “There are lots of matches after ours. By the time this round ends, nobody will remember you.”

  “They won’t? Are you kidding me? We overturned the rules, massacred a popular group of adventurers and killed our own team’s chimera. Nobody will talk about anyone else!”

  Raven arched an eyebrow. “By what Jonathan said, we didn’t overturn the rules.”

  Luna sighed. “That’s not the point. I plan to have a life after this tournament, but I can’t do that if I’m known as the monster who eats demons. Once the competition ends, I need someone to employ me, and others to want to associate with me. And that’s not going to happen if I’m famous for being a human-eating demon, will it?”

  Raven scratched the back of his neck. He had no answer, wishing he knew how to turn things for the better.

  Samantha burst into the room. “What do you two think you are doing?”

  Raven’s face twisted into a grin. “Washing.”

  Samantha strolled through the hall toward Luna. “Yea? What about the part of getting your wounds checked? You forgot about that one, didn’t you? Both of you!”

  Luna stared at her with a face full of embarrassment.

  Samantha measured Luna with an inquisitive stare. “You seem to be fine.” She turned to Raven.

  He smiled. “I’m alright.”

  “Are you?” Samantha formed a poisonous smile and pushed her finger to the side of his chest.

  Raven grunted with pain. Luna snarled and glared at Samantha as if she wanted to murder her.

  “Feels like a broken rib,” Samantha said, ignoring Luna.

  Raven shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

  Samantha poked with her finger into another spot, getting a stronger grunt of pain out of him this time around. “This one too. Should I go on?”

  He said nothing.

  Samantha glared at him, her wrinkles deepening. “Now that we understand each other, put on some clothes and get on the stretcher that’s outside.”

  He raised his chin. “I am not going on a stretcher.”

  Samantha pressed onto another cracked rib.

  Raven shouted out with pain. “Alright, alright, I surrender.”

  Luna chuckled, but then immediately turned her face back into an angry snarl.

  Samantha pivoted toward her. “You are coming too, sweetie, because I need to check if you don’t have pieces of arrows stuck under your skin.”

  Luna seemed like she wanted to pounce on her and rip her throat out but said nothing.

  “You have five minutes.” Samantha stormed out of the room.

  Relaxing with relief, Raven glanced at Luna. “See? Samantha doesn’t care.”

  Luna pursed her lips and looked away.

  Before Samantha’s deadline expired, they exited the hall to find out the prepared stretcher with two slaves ready to carry it. Samantha stood next to them with a severe look on her face, and the Rapacious Reavers sat huddled by the side, sunk into an internal discussion.

  Raven scanned the room. “No sign of Jonathan.”

  Luna sniffed. “I smell his perfume, so he must have been here earlier.”

  “He was.” Finubar turned to them. “He wished to congratulate us on the victory and express his sorrow at the loss of a team member. Nevertheless, we do not have to attend the piety of the fighters who died in the arena today and, instead, the prince will organize a celebration for us in the upper mansion.”

  Luna’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t sound like something Stallington would say.”

  Finubar put on a reassuring smile. “He didn’t want to, but we convinced him to choose this path.”

  Raven nodded and lay on the stretcher.

  Finubar returned to his team.

  Luna stayed silent until they left the room. “That was fishy.”

  Raven’s eyes turned vacant as if he gazed at something only he could see. “Men often change their approach after being reminded of their own mortality.”

  “Come to think of it, did you put too much strength into throwing me over the arena to test how I am when I lose control?”

  Raven ran his hand through his hair. “Was afraid that you might fall faster than expected and touch the top of the maze which would get us disqualified.”

  “Differently then, did you make the whole plan of shooting me across the arena to test how I am when I lose it or not?”

  Raven formed a sad smile. “I apologize for deceiving you.”

  Luna’s eyes flared with anger. “You are such an asshole I have no words for it!”

  He remained silent. She jabbed her tongue at him a few times, but the insults bounced off his armor. It took dozens of minutes before Luna tired of spewing insults, shouting, and randomly punching whatever wall they passed. Only once they put his stretcher down into the infirmary, leaving them alone as Samantha had yet to arrive, she managed to swallow the anger, so her voice came out calm and clear, she said. “You could have asked me, you know.”

  “Would have never told me the truth and now I know why.”

  Her eyes widened. “And you are… alright with it?”

  “Don’t see why I shouldn’t be.”

  Tears shot up to her eyes. She grabbed him and hugged him so strongly he had to strengthen his body not to end up with his ribs broken.

  The feeling of her head pressed onto his chest brought a smile to his face. “Does anyone else know?”

  “James.”

  The very concept of joining the spirit of a child and one of an ancient beast while teaching them the way to sustain themselves impressed Raven to no end. He nodded. “James has to be a genius to have thought this up and taught it to you. And an absolute monster.”

  “You have no idea.” Luna smiled. “Anyway, for how long have you had the challenge?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “The spear throw at Stallington. That’s a title challenge, isn’t it?”

  He shook his head. “An old bet between him and I. Ever since my fourth match in the arena, I have been throwing a spear at him after each fight. It has become a ritual. He enjoyed it, so he taunted me with a bet. If I ever kill him with a spear thrown from inside of the arena, I will inherit all of his properties and his title of the prince.”

  She nodded as if he said the most obvious thing in the world. “Yeah, a title challenge.”

  He dug into his memories but found no meaning to assign to what she was saying. Defeated, he asked, “what’s a title challenge?”

  “You don’t know?” Luna’s eyes widened. “Right, of course, you don’t. During the times of the Old Kingdom, the Immortal King, Strauss Laen’Ash, ruled the world for over three thousand years. Since he was unable to produce an offspring, the title of prince became the nobility title granted to the seven greatest generals of the Old Kingdom. It isn’t hereditary but gained by defeating a prince in battle or passing a challenge of the prince’s choosing. The spear throw sounds like such a challenge.”

  He stared at her, wide-eyed. “How do you know all that?”

  “From my father. He was once the Prince of the house Laen’Ash itself, the greatest—” She caught her mouth with her hands to stop herself from speaking.

  The pieces fit together in his mind. She was adopted into the most famous royal bloodline that had ever existed without having even a hint of the talent necessary to live up to the name. Not knowing what else to do, he put on the most soothing smile he could. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

  14

  Luna

  Lunariel of the Forsaken Roses. Her own name haunted her for the remainder of the day. Saying it alou
d made everything a hundred times worse, and her regenerated body hurt ten times worse than after a regular fight. With nothing to numb the pain in sight, she looked forward to the celebration party, because it promised free alcohol.

  Awkwardness plagued the event. Finubar and his men tried their hardest to make the evening pleasant, but the feeling of unease the air carried proved impossible to dispel. All the food-laden tables, all the expensive drinks, and all the glorious decorations could not mask the dread that seeped out of the Rapacious Reavers.

  In the end, Raven killed a member of the team, and they knew they could have been next. Yet the sour taste of luxurious wine pleased her tongue, and some members of the Reavers excelled at playing the lute. From the stories they told, they were an old adventuring group with over fifty years of history. Only one of them was from the first generation while the others joined sometime later. They would hunt monsters, criminals, seek treasures or do whatever else that paid well.

  What didn’t help the awkwardness was her eating only the food she could grab by her hands because the silverware was actually made of silver. Yet a different matter occupied Luna’s mind, for at about midnight, she realized Raven was gone and, in fact, had been missing for over an hour. She stalked to where he last sat and caught the lavender fragrance she has been pouring over him ever since they met.

  She pocketed an apple for later and tracked the scent, slipping out of the room like a ghost. Nobody noticed her leaving, and she intended to keep things that way. She prowled through the hallways of the arena complex until she reached a balcony and saw it snowed outside. A soft melody weaved through the air, one accompanied by an alluring rhythm.

  In silence, Luna pried open a window. Raven sat by the railing. He wore a hood over his face while a long, battered cloak covered his body. From above, the charming voice sang a strange tune.

  Raven was sprawled in the snow, motionless, staring up at the sky. The divine voice that chanted the gentle words made Luna’s heart pump in a frenzy. She stared at snowdrops dancing to the rhythm during their descent. In utter amazement, she listened to the song until the end.