The snakes were gone, the roots just roots again. A pile of human bones was spread down the slope.
“Joji,” Jessie said.
The bone key didn’t look any different sitting in my palm.
No more standing and waiting. There was nothing to wait for, everything to fight for.
“Be at peace,” I said in Japanese. “May the tenshi guide you in the next afterlife.”
My companions repeated my words.
“Time to go.”
I hurried down the slope, waiting at the bottom for the others to catch up.
The tangle of thorns retreated, revealing a wooden door smaller than me. A keyhole in the shape of a skull opened up in the middle of the dark wood.
The key of the three…
What was that?
No time for questions. I didn’t ask if anyone was ready. We had to be ready now.
This was it.
The doorway to paradise.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The white walls slid down, letting in sunlight.
I had to take a moment to adjust to that, seeing as it’d felt like a damn age since I’d last had some Vitamin D.
Skies so blue they were that shade of blue you called azure, not one cloud in sight, and a heat that didn’t make my balls sweat, but was still summery and delicious on my skin. I closed my eyes again, tilting my face into the sun’s beam, forgetting myself for a minute.
Blinking, rubbing at my peepers, I drank in the rest of the scene.
White square buildings with domed blue roofs, reminding me of some place in Greece I’d seen pictures of, all of them with balconies, stretching down a hill all the way to a beach with golden sands and a sea of sapphire, the sunlight glistening on the waves.
That was to the east.
To the north was more of the same white and blue buildings, but taller and cylindrical, some with pointed spires, some with domes, and a shit load of palm trees in between. The same with the south, but that way had green spaces and funfairs and laughter and another beach.
The Paradise Arena was the big centerpiece of the western district of this city. It was the only arena I could see. White, a basin shape with a blue roof—nothing special. In the distance were snow-capped mountains and more endless blue sky.
This city wasn’t a normal city. The air was clean, there was no constant noise, laughter aside. No traffic, sirens, or pollution. So this was paradise? Something told me this wasn’t it, not the full package—just a slice of heavenly life.
I was at the top of a white tower ringed with a blue balcony and a blue tiled floor beneath my feet.
One of those tiles slid open, another camera thingy rising out of the hole.
“Welcome to paradise, Akira.”
I didn’t say anything.
“You are the star of the show, set to grace us all with an appearance in the Paradise Games.”
Ugh.
“In a moment,” he carried on, “you will make your way to the arena. But I wanted you to see this exquisite place I’d built here.”
It wasn’t that great. “Where do you live?”
“I live between the dark and the light, settling where my mood carries me each day.”
“Thought you might like the sunshine best.”
“It’s lovely, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” What else was there to say? I just wanted to get on with it.
“I want you to remember it when you die when you fail today before so many eyes. I want them to have a show, but also for those who followed you, who may have had some degree of faith in you, to watch you fall. And you will fall, Akira. I’ll make sure of it.”
“The whole thing’s a fix, then?”
“I wouldn’t let any trash into paradise.”
The camera vanished, the white walls came back up, and the room started moving—first down, then across.
Paradise Games here I come…
* * *
Lead through a white tunnel by a solider in blue armor—basically the same as the wankers back in the dead city, but not red—the noise of the crowd vibrated through the floor. The volume was steadily rising with each footstep, so did the tremors beneath me.
At the end of the tunnel was a barred gate, blue metal, and the soldier shoved me forward. I stumbled, turned to curse him, but a white partition came down between us.
“Lucky escape,” I growled.
Here, the noise of the crowd was intense, a proper wall of sound walloping me. Chants and claps, and whooping and hollering. Genuine excitement, or just for the king? It was mandatory to come to this shit after all. They had to fake it for their king, most of them from the nasty city. Some probably loved it, though.
I pressed against the bars, peering into the amphitheater. Blue stands rising so high it was enough to trigger vertigo, and clean white sands on the arena floor, with two gates opposite mine, which meant there must be another gate on this side.
Yeah, processing the details while I waited to get my fight on.
If they wanted a show, I’d give them a show.
A rumble and the roof opened up, flipping away like a lid, vanishing in a puff of blue smoke. Birds flew past. Was that a flock of eagles?
Did eagles flock?
“Ladies and gentlemen,” came a loud woman’s voice, “please be upstanding for His Majesty, King Daichi.”
A huge cheer and round of applause. All eyes were directed above me. So, the king’s box was obviously up there.
“You may be seated,” the woman said.
The crowd did just that, the applause fading away.
“Welcome to the Paradise Games, where a batch of fresh contestants will be battling for a chance to be a part a glorious heaven.” Cheers. “But they must earn that right in a demonstration of strength and determination, battling the king’s champions. Should they succeed in the trials before them, an afterlife of eternal happiness awaits.”
Cheers.
Whoops.
It took a whole sixty seconds for the crowd to shut the hell up.
“Let the games begin!”
The gate swung open. Like the roof, it vanished in a puff of smoke.
“Contestants! Step forward!”
I walked out into the sunshine, onto the soft sand, immediately turning to look above my tunnel.
The royal box. Gold amongst the blue, real gaudy stuff gleaming in the sun. I had a clear view of him, decked out in some fancy white turquoise armor with a huge gold plume attached to blue crown on his head. Not soldier armor, but this place’s version of special military dress.
His luminous hair wafted in the breeze behind him, and as he stared back down at me, that ‘I’ve won’ look was on his face again.
We’d see about that.
There was a gate next to the one I’d come through, and Mrs. Wallace slowly made her way onto the sand. She didn’t have her cane.
“Oh, shit!” I cried, hurrying over as she tumbled forward.
“Mrs. Wallace!” I was down helping her up, my katanas sheathed. Dangerous to put them away, but Mrs. Wallace was on the ground and needed help.
“Oh, Akira,” she said. “How wonderful to see your face.”
“I’m so sorry,” I pulled her into a hug. “I’m so sorry.” She was in a pale blue dress smelling of fresh linen.
“Oh,” she breathed.
I broke the hug, following the direction of her gasp behind me.
In a blue suit, walking towards us, was Gerald.
“Oh, no.”
“Three-step onto the sand!” the announcer boomed. “But for how long?”
A bell rang, and a gate that hadn’t been there before, over to my right, opened to reveal darkness. Something was in there—I could hear it breathing.
Radiant blue eyes came to life.
“On the second bell!” the announcer called.
It stepped out of the shadow, a hunched creature covered in brown, patchy fur, pale skin in the parts that weren’t furry, muscles so big its g
rubby clothes were torn to shreds, barely there. A werewolf partly shifted in that way the wolves had under the red moon, but with blue eyes, not red, and much, much bigger. Humanoid, big claws for hands, along with huge feet and powerful legs for jumping and killing.
It didn’t look like a werewolf competing for freedom. King’s champions, eh? So it was a fighting slave.
Crap!
The wolf-human guy straightened, showing his full height now the hunching was over and focused on me.
The second bell rang, and the wolf howled.
“Get behind me!” I barked.
Wolfy charged, making a beeline right for me. I draw my katanas, leaping out of the way of a hefty swipe, then took its head off.
Easy as apple pie.
Cheering as my swords absorbed a mixture of wolf power and blue, kingly energy. It crackled on my fingertips, announcing itself in the index of toys. What did I now have? These two bits, that thing from the lake, along with the blue hand.
King Dickhead had been using magic to beef up the wolf. Kind of felt sorry for the guy, apart from the fact he’d want my head as a football.
What the hell was the king?
Another bell and two more male wolves appeared, followed by two witches, their hands glowing with green energy. One of the wolfmen swung a nasty-looking black flail with mean spikes bursting from the ball at the end of the chain, ready for stabbing.
Oh, goodie.
Gerald stepped forward, coming to my side. “I won’t let you fight them alone.”
I hadn’t noticed before, but he had a dagger in his hand. It looked pretty shit, but a weapon was a weapon.
Two loco wolves and two bloody witches. Things were gonna get nasty.
“You both got weapons?” I asked.
“A dagger too,” Mrs. Wallace answered.
“Stay back as much as you can. But be ready.”
I charged as the wolves did. A cartwheel saved me from a flail to the head, but I got booted in the chest with a hairy foot from the other wolf, sent tumbling across the sand. Not too hard an impact, but still bloody hurt my ribs.
You can’t keep a pissed off Aki down!
I leaped to my feet, driving a katana through the chest of the wolf who kicked me, ducking as the flail-carrier swung and took the head off the kicker instead. Ha! An own goal! Loved those.
Green magic rushed overhead, straight for—
“Holy shit!”
Gerald had exploded. His body now nothing but ash and crimson mist drifting across the arena.
With seconds to spare, I avoided the flail again, a spike nicking my cheek as it whizzed past.
The witches were brewing up again, sprinting around the arena in opposite directions. I ducked a swing, the wolf growling at another miss, and tore away, heading after one of the witches. Mrs. Wallace was in the center of the arena, bracing herself, weapon ready and useless against witches.
The good thing: Magic took a few moments to brew.
I crossed my blades and unleashed the king’s magic I’d taken from the wolf. White fireworks again, booming right into the witch on the opposite side. The one I was tailing was still some feet away, almost ready to unleash, her magic swelling. I got my javelin on, hurtling a katana at her as heavy running behind me had my head turning.
The wolf crashed into me, sending me tumbling across the sand, the wind mega knocked out of me.
“Akira!” Mrs. Wallace cried.
I rolled, body not wanting to roll, avoiding another strike from the flail.
Man, the wolfman was proper pissed about that.
Bingo, though. My katana was stuck in the witch’s abdomen. Direct hit to the gut, sipping on her power.
The wolf kicked me in the stomach.
“No!” Mrs. Wallace screamed.
Being winded and feeling like my insides had been rearranged from the wolf’s impact didn’t stop me from driving my other katana upward. He moved out the way and howled as my other katana reached my outreached hand.
I liked this magnet thing we had going on.
Pushing through the bastard affliction that was tummy pain, I rolled backward onto my feet, willing myself to stay steady. Before the wolf could use the flail again, I set the stolen wolf free. It came out as a white, red-veined version of its scary self and set to attacking the swinger.
I jogged to the center of the arena, taking this window to get my breath back.
The white wolf slaughtered the fucker, then faded away.
Stupid expiration dates.
“That was extraordinary,” Mrs. Wallace said.
I wiped sand off my mouth with the sleeve of my jumper.
“Those swords…” she said.
“My uncle made them for me.”
Ryoka wasn’t here.
Was he dead?
I was going (hoping) for no.
I looked up to the royal box. The king was standing, an observing statue . He was getting his show. He knew what my swords could do, so more fool him if he was pissed off with the results so far.
His words: A show.
My words right now: Prick.
Another bell.
A witch and a wolf. I took them down, Mrs. Wallace almost getting blown up, but I managed to cut them both down pretty quickly.
I was panting, sweating buckets again.
Bell number four.
One wolf walked out of the tunnel.
“Oh, no…
It was Gabriel.
I could feel the king’s winning smirk on the air.
Chapter Forty
Gabriel
The last thing I remembered when crossing into paradise was the bright sunlight, the beach, and the white houses with the blue domes. Then the cries of my companions, a burst of white light, then nothing.
I woke up in a white room, completely naked, and strapped down in a white chair with a needle in my arm. It was attached to a banana bag filled with blue liquid. Slowly, it slithered along the tube, entering my veins with slimy warmth.
I strained against my restraints of leather, not making a single difference other than making them tighter.
A hole opened in the ceiling, a blue camera with a blinking orange light following.
“Gabriel.” The king’s voice.
“Where am I?”
“Paradise.”
I growled.
The king chuckled. “Well, it’s the truth.”
“Where’s Akira?”
“Preparing.”
“For the games…”
“I want you to see something, Gabriel.”
A part of the floor opened up, a blue widescreen TV rising through the hole. The screen blinked to life. It was the beach I remembered, Jessie, Mitesh, and Tim running away from something behind the camera.
Laughter…
A bolt of blue magic…
My friends were cut down one by one. I strained again, roaring, “What have you done?”
“No more than you and Akira have. How much destruction have you left in your wake? But no matter. It’s over now, and so soon will be the foolish rebellion you left behind in my other city.”
“You bastard. I’ll—”
Pain shot through my arm, my mind hazing over
“Save your threats, wolf. You’re nothing but a pawn in the grander scheme of things.” He chuckled softly. “The grand scheme being Akira’s destruction. Now sit tight and let the magic fill you. This is your end.”
Chapter Forty-One
Two witches came running out of the dark, hands green and bright with magic.
Stare. That’s all I could do.
I took some steps forward. “G.”
He growled, and the witches laughed, which got the crowd doing the same.
“G,” I said again. “What’ve they done?” More steps forward. “G…”
The king had got to G. I scanned him all over. Even though he was twice his natural size, bulging with horrible muscle, veins on display, the dreamcatcher was still there, resti
ng against his wide chest.
I took some steps forward. “G.”
A stream of green energy arched overhead
“Akira!”
Mrs. Wallace’s cry broke me out of my freeze. Too late. She couldn’t move quickly enough. She closed her eyes just before the witch magic hit her.
The explosion sent me on my arse.
“No!” I screamed. “No!”
I ran to where she’d been. Clouds of red and ash mingling together, floating away like Gerald had.
I’d walked away, lost in the trance of what’d been done to G.
The crowds roared and cheered and clapped at the explosion.
I’d fucked up.
I’d seriously screwed up.
The volcano inside me was loaded with white-hot lava, churning and churning and churning. I was sinking into heat, letting the lava wash all over me.
I pointed a katana at the royal box. “You!”
A silence fell over the arena.
I waited with shallow breaths, focus locked on that ugly gold box.
G growled and charged at me.
Lava, lava everywhere.
He was the beta werewolf, way above me in terms of strength and fighting skills. But there was more than adrenaline in me now. I wasn’t me, at least not the me who’s rage was hot. Never this hot, though.
He howled and charged at me.
I’d never beat him but could lock him down without hurting him with my blades.
To avoid him, I ran, diving into a slide, somersaulting away from his grip.
Way too familiar. We’d been in this situation before.
I ran some more, whizzing round the sand, pushing through my fading strength until I was at a safe enough distance.
Lock him down…
I released the hand that’d taken me to the lake from my blades, all white and now mine. It grabbed G just before he reached me, smothering him in fingers and thumbs.
“Take care of him. Don’t hurt him.”
The witches moved on me, getting their magic ready.
I released the thing in the lake seeing as it stirred in my steel, wanting a turn. I had no idea what it was, so I set it free to see.
Four Moons: The Complete Collection: (Books 1 - 4) Page 59
