Cade

by Penny Rose

  Today would be hell, that much he knew. Zax had them all paired off for sparring. They would rotate from one fighter to another so they could have some experience with different opponents and fighting styles. It was a good plan, and if nothing else, he was gaining the kind of experience that would only improve him as a fighter. He would be able to use these skills against the mercenaries once he was back with his own tribe, among the men he had fought beside his entire life.

  Training might be exhausting, but it wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to. He wasn’t sure how things would play out once he faced an opponent with live weapons. Someone with the fear of death in their eyes. He wanted to be prepared, and Zax was giving them the tools they needed to survive.

  This was Cade’s eighth day of training. Maizon wanted the best gladiators, and Zax aimed to please his master. One thing was for sure: Cade had grown stronger every single day. His muscles were being pushed to their limits and he felt better than he ever had. They were fed well to keep their bodies in top shape. Some of the gladiators called it mush, but most of the food was better than what he ate on Kondor. There were spices and flavors he had never experienced before. He might loathe being a slave, but he enjoyed growing stronger. It would only benefit him in the long run. The days were long but becoming a better fighter would help him to do what he needed to when the time was right.

  Cade sat on the ground, stretching his aching muscles. Sweat poured down his sunburnt back, and every fiber in his body was sore and begging him to stop, but there was no stopping for a slave. Maizon watched them from the balcony. Cade’s mind was sharp, but his body was feeling pretty rough. Maizon had them running sprints in the sun for this past hour, and his body was burned from head to toe. It wasn’t easy training with a major sunburn, but he was doing his best. It hurt when he was hit on his burned skin, even with a wooden weapon, but he refused to show the pain.

  “Now that you are all thoroughly exhausted, it’s time to learn a new weapon.” Zax flashed them an evil grin as he tossed weapons to each fighter with his four arms. “It’s important to learn different techniques so that you can adapt to them and overcome them in the arena, but it is also important to master different weapons, because you never know what options will be available to you.”

  Cade was most comfortable with the warhammer that had been passed down through his family. That hammer had been on his mind a lot. He wondered what had happened to it. Had someone picked it up off the battlefield and returned it to his tribe? Had someone stolen it? Had the mercenaries taken it with them when they grabbed him? Did Maizon have it? He couldn’t know, but he wished that he had it. There was something about having that weapon in his hand that just made him a better fighter. He hoped Zax would give him a weapon similar to his hammer, but that was unlikely. Zax didn’t make anything easy. He’d give Cade the weapon that would challenge him most.

  That was why Cade found himself holding a whip. Not just any whip, either. It was long, sturdy, and had multiple tails. At first, it was difficult to wield because its sturdiness made it hard to swing. Cade cracked himself in the back and legs several times, igniting his sunburn. As he practiced more and more, swinging the whip became easier. The key was in the wrist. He was beginning to direct the force and could knock off his target once out of every three attempts. He never thought that he would be able to master a weapon like that or even wanted to, but he grew to enjoy it anyway.

  Cade let the whip fly, its tails soaring towards the wooden block he aimed for. They cracked as they extended, but he missed the block entirely.

  “Not as easy as it looks.” Arc laughed. The man practically had whips for arms that could extend and retract instantaneously. There was nothing he couldn’t do with his tentacles. He whipped them toward the block, knocking it back several feet.

  “If I’d been born with a whip for hands, I’d probably be able to do that too.”

  Arc rolled his eyes before returning to train with his spear. His tentacles wrapped around the spear like some sort of sea creature.

  After having an opportunity to practice with the weapons, the fighters were paired off. Cade was paired with Phaez, one of the two oily-skinned brothers, and a fighter he wasn’t that familiar with. The brothers mostly kept to themselves, very rarely engaging in conversation. Due to the nature of his weapon, Phaez was given body armor to protect him from the blows of the whip.

  He stood across from Cade, holding a trident. Phaez’s red eyes were distracting against his yellowish skin. The lack of pupils made it hard for Cade to gauge where he was looking. Both he and his brother never wore glasses. And their skin was so oily that they never seemed to burn, it just shimmered everywhere they went.

  Cade began to circle Phaez, watching his movements for anything that might give him the upper hand. Cade gave a few warning snaps to keep his opponent at bay. The trident didn’t have the range of the whip, but it was still a great item for keeping someone at a distance. Every time that he slashed the whip in the air, it cracked like thunder. He couldn’t imagine being hit with a weapon like that and was glad that his opponent wore armor. The whip would split skin easily.

  Holding this weapon reminded him of the battle he was captured from. The mercenary’s tentacled arms had whipped through the air with violent speed. Just like Arc’s. The tentacles had almost hit him, armed with daggers at their tips. He would have been seriously injured had they made contact. He looked over at Arc, who had his own fierce tentacles. Maybe they were more formidable that he thought. He was seeing them in a new light and was glad for the ability to learn new skills.

  Cade took a step forward, swinging the whip again. The snap of it crackled in the air next to Phaez’s ear. His opponent backed away in surprise and Zax laughed. Cade felt that he might actually be ready to get in the arena and hurt someone. He had a lot of pent-up aggression he was looking forward to unleashing. He didn’t want to take it out on his fellow fighters if he could help it. He understood why they were in training, but he was chomping at the bit to get out there and actually use his skills for real. He was confident and he wanted to start fighting and show who he truly was.

  Phaez stabbed with his trident, but Cade sidestepped it with ease. Without the net that usually accompanied tridents, Cade only had one threat to focus on. They played a game of cat and mouse. Cade was too quick for the trident, but not yet skilled enough with the whip to do more than annoy his opponent. Cade had used a trident before, so he knew how they operated. His thoughts drifted back to his old life. To spear fishing in the river.

  He had caught many fish that day, and afterward, he had taken the spoils back to his wife, where she had made a delicious dinner. She was the most gorgeous woman that he had ever known. The fact that she had been his wife was a gift from the universe. She was everything that he could have wanted in a woman, and there had been times he couldn’t believe that she had chosen him. She could have had anyone and yet she chose to spend her life with him. He had been grateful for her his entire life.

  A wooden prong connected with his ribs, ripping Cade from his memories. The dull end of the spear hurt, but it didn’t break skin. It might leave a bruise for tomorrow. Anger and sadness flushed through him. Cade wanted to go back to his memories.

  He threw his whip at the edge of the arena and stormed away. He sat on one of the benches and put his head in his hands. Zoe had been a goddess in his eyes. He had never been able to marry again because she had been everything to him. He couldn’t imagine replacing her after she had died. It seemed impossible to think that he could find someone else that he loved as much as he had loved her.

  There was a time that he thought that they would start a family. They had been walking through the woods hand in hand talking amongst themselves. It was the simple things that he loved most about his wife. He loved the fact that he could just take her hand and go for a walk. It was the best feeling in the world. He didn’t need a life among the stars to be happy with her. He was happy just to be with her.

>   So much had changed. No longer could he walk anywhere that he wanted. He was constantly under someone else’s supervision. He wasn’t sure what he would have done had she been alive and was captured as a slave as well. Female slaves were treated much differently from the men, and she would have rather been dead than be brought in as a slave. He would have torn the planet in half for her, he knew that much.

  Cade could hear Zax’s voice in the echoes of his head, but he chose to stay in that memory for a moment longer. He would deal with the consequences later. That particular day, they had been walking through the woods and she had turned to him, looking up at him with her dark eyes. He strove to make her happy in any way that he could. He would have died for her, and he wished that he would have had that option. He would have taken her place in a second if he could have.

  That day, she had pulled him in tight and said she wanted a child. He could see it in her eyes before she even spoke the words. He wanted to become a father, to give her the life she wanted. However, he had never gotten the chance.

  Zax grabbed him on the shoulder, drawing Cade back to reality. Cade was prepared to take a beating for his actions, but the four-armed man looked at him not with anger but something else. Pity.

  “The first breakdown is free.” He let Cade go. “It happens to all of us eventually. Some at night under the cover of darkness, some in the arena to the cheers of the crowd. Do not let it happen again or you will face the consequences.” He turned toward the rest of the fighters, who watched on in silence. “Break for water!” he yelled.

  Cade sat alone. He had slipped up, letting his emotions get the best of him in the middle of a battle. It wasn’t like him, but he was determined not to let it happen again.

  “Penny for your thoughts.” Cade looked over at Rux’hm, who had sat beside him on the bench.

  “What?” Cade didn’t understand the phrase.

  “It’s an ancient saying. It means what is on your mind.” His tongue darted out of his mouth.

  “Murder and bloodshed,” Arc said as he joined them.

  Cade smiled. These men, although some were once his enemies, were growing on him. Even though Rux’hm had lost his cool on Cade that first day in the arena, the reptilian man seemed to respect Cade. The prospect of death and bloodshed had a way of bringing men together. He had grown to respect the men he was now fighting beside. They were in this together. They also had the same goal—to break the chains of their own slavery.

  “What’s going on inside your head, Cade?” Arc asked.

  “I was just thinking about my wife.”

  Rux’hm let out a hiss. Arc placed one of his tentacled arms across Cade’s back. He didn’t pull away.

  “Was she taken?”

  Cade stared into his hands. “No. She was killed in a battle. Our hut was ambushed by a rival tribe and she didn’t survive.”

  Rux’hm nodded. “My whole family was murdered by mercenaries. They took the men as prisoners and killed the women and children. They said no one would pay a quill for them, but they would pay thousands to watch the men fight. The mercenaries are savages. They have no hearts or souls. They will do anything to anyone and not blink an eye at it. They are evil.”

  Cade looked at him. “I’m sorry about that, Rux’hm. So many families have been lost to the mercenaries. Sometimes I think things have gotten out of control with them. They have too much freedom and power.”

  “I think that the empire should fall for hiring the scum that they do. One government cannot rule all.”

  “I’d like to rule some of the mercenary wives,” Arc said with a smirk.

  “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” Rux’hm laughed.

  Arc shrugged with a grin on his face.

  “Yeah, always thinking of women, even when it comes to mercenary wives,” Rux’hm hissed.

  “Hey, I’m single and looking to mingle.”

  Rux’hm shook his head, but Arc was just getting started.

  “That new healer seems to be giving you the eyes, Cade. Why don’t you take advantage of that?” Arc stood up and looked across the arena.

  Cade’s eyes flickered over to the healers that were taking care of the fighters’ bruises, and his mouth dropped when he saw Eldredth. How long had she been there? Had she witnessed his breakdown?

  Eldredth finished healing Akima, the beast-man with striped fur, and sat on a bench on the other side of the pit. When Cade made eye contact with her, she quickly looked away.

  “What is she doing here?” Cade tried to play it cool.

  “She just got here today.” Rux’hm looked in her direction. “I think Maizon has been having problems with one of his healers.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Cade.

  “Getting too friendly with the fighters, if you know what I mean.”

  “I wouldn’t mind if they got a little friendly with me.” Arc winked.

  His thoughts drifted back to Marismith. No doubt it was her. He remembered the way she had looked at him. “What happened to her?”

  “Not sure, but I haven’t seen her around today. I’d stay away from the healers if I were you all,” Rux’hm warned. “It’s bad news for both sides if you get caught.”

  Cade stared at the sand beneath his feet. What could have possibly happened to Marismith? And would it happen to Eldredth if he pursued her? He couldn’t let that happen, no matter the desires inside of him.

  He should have been thrilled about her presence, but he wasn’t at all. He was scared for her. This was a slave-house, and it wasn’t safe. He would try to keep his distance from her, but it wouldn’t be easy. Her entire job was to heal the fighters.

  ****

  Eldredth walked briskly through the mansion on her way to the arena. She wanted to see Cade fight if she could. She had been thinking about him since she arrived on the planet.

  She was drawn to him. She couldn’t say exactly why, but it was true. Something had stirred deep inside when she healed him that first time. Something she had never felt before. When she looked at him, she longed for him.

  Getting to know him would be complicated. He was a slave, and that meant that he was off limits to her. Marismith had already made the mistake of getting too close to one of the fighters and she had been punished severely for it.

  Maizon had made sure to send a message to the other healers. Eldredth and Aira were forced to mend Marismith’s wounds after her lashes. She’d gotten the message loud and clear.

  She was making her way to the arena when she heard Maizon’s booming voice. She turned around to see him walking behind her. He called her over and she swallowed hard, hoping that he hadn’t noticed that she had been watching Cade. She had been paying a lot of attention to him before she realized it.

  Since arriving at the mansion, every time that Cade needed to be healed, she made sure that she was the healer to assist him. They didn’t talk, but simply being in his presence had her body tingling. She made it clear to Aira that Cade was to come to her first unless she was unavailable. In a few days, Marismith would return, but for now, it was just the two of them.

  Maizon terrified her and she didn’t want to get on his bad side. His soulless eyes were disturbing. With his wealth and power, she wasn’t sure what he was capable of. She didn’t want anything like what happened to Marismith to come her way.

  He was a stern man and she knew what his discipline could lead to. Marismith had gotten too close to the fighters and Maizon had seen to it to punish her in the most severe manner. The wounds and ripped flesh were seared into her mind. She hoped she wasn’t about to endure the same thing.

  She took a deep breath and walked up to Maizon, trying to remain calm. If she was relaxed, then hopefully he would stay relaxed as well.

  “Good afternoon, Eldredth. How are you?”

  She swallowed hard. “Just fine, thank you. What can I do for you?”

  “I was hoping that we could have a little chat.”

  Her heart pounded. She couldn’t t
ell if he was angry at her or not, so she just nodded.

  “Walk with me.”

  She nodded again and followed him out toward the arena. They stopped at the balcony overlooking the pit. The men trained down below. She looked out at the field and saw Cade lifting weights. His beautiful green body was like an oasis in the sandy pit. Her eyes instantly flickered away. She didn’t want to let Maizon become aware that she had any interest in Cade. That would be a mistake.

  “What do you think of the fighters?” Maizon pressed his fingertips together.

  She flinched. She wasn’t sure what kind of answer he was looking for, but she was afraid of giving him the wrong one.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I want to know your opinion on them.” He flashed her a dangerous smile. “You spend time with them on occasion. What do you think?”

  She took a deep breath and looked back out at the pit. Her eyes darted from one fighter to the next, not staying on one too long. She knew that Maizon was paying attention to her closely. He was always watching. Her heart beat fast in her chest and she tried her best to remain calm, but her palms were growing sweaty. She wiped them on her tunic. Maizon terrified her because she knew what he was capable of and although she had not experienced it herself, she knew what he could do to her if he wanted to.

  She observed the fighters for a minute, wondering what it was that Maizon wanted to know. She was impressed with Cade as a fighter, but she had no intention of mentioning that to Maizon. He was always looking for a weakness.

  Yes, she was impressed with Cade, so much so that she sometimes couldn’t keep her eyes off him. It was dangerous, but there were times she couldn’t help herself. Something had sparked between them. From the moment she had touched him, there was something in the air between them that she just couldn’t ignore. She wanted to be near him, but she couldn’t. He was untouchable to her and there was nothing that she could do about that. He was not hers to have. But that connection, it was undeniable, and she had never felt that with another man. She wanted him in ways that seemed out of her reach.