Unexpected Prize

by Stone, Layla

  Then, from the other side, Jarr-o saw another Fire-Fevor, this one female. Instead of hugging the head, her horns extended out at the sides. Her torso was red at the belly instead of having fire running through her veins. Her clawed fingers slashed at the spectators standing in her way.

  Jarr-o had watched a pair of Fire-Fevors fight an Angny before, and the male was charcoal by the end, but they played with him for as long as they could, letting his skin melt off him and blisters bubble. Playing with prey was not the gladiator way. A true gladiator struck the death blow as quickly as possible.

  There were so many people, so much noise, that Jarr-o believed his only way out was to remove the distraction. He needed to focus on his breathing. And he needed to treat each person in the cave as a potential threat. Unfortunately, that was too much for his eyes, so he took a long breath and closed them to take in his surroundings through the vibrations, smell, and his instincts.

  Not at his peak, but better now that he had re-focused, Jarr-o watched the pair as they moved through the crowd. The male stayed back, acting as the female’s rear shield. Jarr-o decided to take the male out first. He sprinted to the side, avoiding a fireball thrown by the female. He grabbed a short sword from a random spectator and chucked it at the male. The female stepped in front of the projectile, protecting the male and taking the hit on purpose. The male grabbed the female, crashing with her to the ground. Jumping on top of them, Jarr-o smashed down a punch that knocked the male’s horn into the female’s neck, killing her instantly. Her last breath was a resounding gasp.

  The male’s fire took over his skin, and a fire-fist hit Jarr-o in the face. He was able to block the next blow, but not the following. The male may be thin, but his hits were doubly potent because of their burning insistency—literal and because of his rage. The beast was quick and frantic. Jarr-o tried to move, but the Fire-Fevor kept jumping on him, attacking his face. Jarr-o could feel the broken bones in his jaw and cheek. He was strong, and the Diari helped heal the wounds as they happened, but it was not enough against this warrior.

  Jarr-o was able to get in a rib-shot with his knee, and the male shifted enough for Jarr-o to knock him off balance. If he weren’t made of fire, Jarr-o would have grappled with him and twisted off his arm, but he didn’t want to risk the Fevor’s fire burning through the flesh on his hand.

  Jarr-o did a quick scan of the arena and saw that most of the males watching the fight had backed up, giving the gladiators space.

  A fireball hit his shoulder, shocking Jarr-o and jetting him several feet. Moving sluggishly, he shook off the haze and searched for his opponent. Bending his knees, he waited for another attack. Instead, he was jumped from behind.

  One large Angny wrapped his arms around Jarr-o’s throat, pulling him backwards. Two more grabbed each of his arms, and another punched him in the back. A ricochet of pain struck his nerves and exploded up his spine, pain ringing inside his head. He lost feeling in the lower half of his body and felt himself falling, but the two males at his side kept him up.

  The Fire-Fevor’s vindictive eyes drilled him with malicious intent. A fireball began to form in his hand, and he reached back to throw it at Jarr-o’s chest. In all his fights, Jarr-o had never felt the keen wisp of death so near. His heart faltered in terror, thinking he’d failed Cara. He wasn’t sure what the Chancellor would do with her if he found out that Jarr-o had died. Surely, she would be handed off to another. His heart burned, thinking of someone else touching what belonged to him. Her soft skin, her small, tight body that, even though she was not Angny, made him believe that she’d been made for him. This fireball would kill him, and the Diari wouldn’t be able to repair the damage if the Fevor’s fire consumed his head.

  Using the last of his strength, he used the tight hold the two Angnies at his sides had on him to jerk up and then fall to his right. The fireball clipped his shoulder but hit one of the Angny attackers on the right side of their face. Success! The male dropped to the ground, shaking as his skin melted off. Jarr-o and the other male fell, as well. Jarr-o reached around and felt the third Angny take hold of his left arm, trying to force him to his back.

  Jarr-o grabbed the third Angny’s crotch and squeezed until the male reared back. As he did, Jarr-o pulled out the large knife at his side. Quickly, he stabbed the male on the inside of his thigh, hitting the artery, knowing that in eight minutes, he would be dead.

  With the same knife, Jarr-o stabbed the Angny in the neck, blood gushing out in a spray. His back started to tingle, and once again, Jarr-o was grateful for the Diari and it’s ability to heal the damage.

  The Fire-Fevor stalked towards him. Jarr-o threw the knife with precise accuracy. The blade slid into the male’s thigh, making him drop to one knee. Jarr-o grabbed for another weapon from a nearby Angny. It was a dart. He wasn’t sure if it was the sleepy dart or the hallucinogenic one, but he put the small tube to his lips and blew, hitting the Fire-Fevor in the upper arm.

  Growling, the Fire-Fevor pulled out the dart and aimed another fireball at Jarr-o. In mid-throw, the male’s arm dropped, and he fell to his side.

  Sleepy dart, then.

  Jarr-o looked around for another weapon. As he did, he felt tingling in his legs and toes. He tested to make sure he could move them, and when he found that he could, he pushed himself up, walked over to the Fire-Fevor, grabbed his head, and twisted his neck.

  There was a deafening hush in the crowd. He looked around and saw that the last remaining males had moved to the back of the cavern near the entrance/exit. He growled at them, and they all moved as one, exiting the cavern.

  His sister’s scream brought him back to himself. Taking in a breath, he re-focused his thoughts. He needed to find his sister, kill Gus-ng, and then return for Cara.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Prisoners

  Jarr-o watched as Bor-ng pulled his sister from the edge back into the dark tunnel. Jarr-o ran towards them, scaling the wall, punching where there wasn’t enough footing or handholds. Pulling himself up and over the lip of the tunnel, he moved forward, listening for anything to alert him to how far ahead his sister was. He heard a scuffle, then a hiss. Bor-ng threatened, “If you do that one more time, I’m going to pull out the whip tonight, and Gus-ng will let me.”

  “You’re delusional,” Garr-n taunted. “Jarr-o’s here, and he won’t stop until he kills every last one of you. Or were you not watching that fight? He’s got death on his side.” His sister’s tone matched Cara’s exactly. He smiled to himself, reveling in the knowledge that she was waiting for him. When this was over, he was going to drown himself in Cara’s body over and over until they were both weak.

  “He’s cheating somehow,” Bor-ng said. “And your brother can’t take you from Gus-ng because you belong to him. He won you. And if I keep you away from your brother, the boss promised I can have you for the month.”

  A chill ran up Jarr-o’s spine, hearing the confirmation of what his sister went through. He was a gladiator and knew how some enjoyed excessively rough bed-sport. He wasn’t one of them, but he knew some were. He also knew that some of the females were left scarred because of the things that were done to them. Scarring Cara’s belly had been the most erotic act he had ever done. Thinking about it, he wished he could do it again. He’d never marked a bed partner before, never thought he would take a life-breeder either. But her soft skin called to his craving and protective nature.

  “Gus-ng hasn’t kept a single promise to you or anyone else. Are you really that stupid?” Garr-n shot back.

  Jarr-o moved closer and paused only when he heard a loud slap. Bor-ng said, “You still haven’t learned to watch your mouth. I’ll fix that by cutting out your tongue.”

  “Your threats don’t scare me, Bor-ng. Never have,” Garr-n said in a bored tone. Jarr-o rushed forward, knowing that his sister was taunting the male, and his stomach hurt, scared that she had pushed Bor-ng too far.

  Jarr-o stepped out from the shadows to
see Bor-ng holding a torch that cast enough light to illuminate the small tunnel. With his other hand, Bor-ng pulled Garr-n by a chain around her neck.

  Bor-ng dropped the fire when he noticed Jarr-o. He shook the chain, holding Garr-n. “You come any closer, and I’ll break your sister’s neck.” The chain around his sister’s throat was thick and bulky, not something that could easily be manipulated into breaking her neck. Knowing that, Jarr-o charged. Bor-ng dropped the chain and took the hit, twisting them into a roll as they hit the ground. Jarr-o was on the bottom, but not in a defenseless position. He used his elbows and knees to hurt and disorient his opponent.

  But when Jarr-o saw and felt fire embers fall over him, he stopped attacking to see who wielded the flame. That’s when Bor-ng fell back, yelling as his hair caught on fire. Garr-n held the torch and pushed the flame back towards the other male. “Look who’s crying now!” she hissed, pushing the fire back towards him, catching more of his clothes aflame.

  Bor-ng rolled in the dirt over and over to douse the flame. Jarr-o anticipated the exact right moment to lift his foot and smash it down on Bor-ng’s neck, breaking it and killing the male in one move. Blood exploded from his orifices, and his head twisted unnaturally. Jarr-o turned to Garr-n, who stared intently at the dead male. When she finally looked at him, he didn’t say anything, he just pulled her into his arms and squeezed her.

  She hugged him back, but not with the same restless ache he felt. She looked at her brother with a maturity he had never seen before. “Took you long enough.” It was a chastisement, and well deserved.

  “I am sorry, Garr-n.”

  Pushing out of his embrace, Garr-n said, “Come on. There are others we need to get.” She took him through the tunnel, walking quietly and swiftly. So much had changed in a year. The female walking confidently in front of him was not the same as the sister he had lost. She was not fighting to indulge in selfish pleasure; now, she was fighting for others. And she was directing him as an equal—no, like his superior.

  Jarr-o followed his sister through the tunnel lit only by torches. He noticed there were unused manacles every so often hanging on one side of the shaft. There were three dead and decayed bodies rotting along the wall, and the putrid air stung his nostrils. His sister didn’t even glance in the direction of the corpses.

  Then he saw a group of females chained to the floor and walls. As they moved closer, his sister picked up her pace to the point of running. With the Diari, the elixir of health, he had recovered from his battle and healed at a rapid rate, and that allowed him to run alongside her.

  The seven or eight female captives were mostly Angny, but there were a few others from different galaxies. All of them wore little to no clothing. His sister wore the most, but even that wasn’t much. Only a rectangular scrap of material covered her front and back, with thin rope keeping it tied at the sides.

  When he stopped next to his sister, the females looked at him with caution. Many backed up until one of the aliens asked Garr-n, “Is this your brother?” She had glanced at him and then his sister many times, and he wondered if she saw the resemblance.

  Garr-n had already grabbed one female’s chains and slipped a key inside. “Yes. But I have the keys, so I’m the one saving you. My brother was the perfect distraction.” She picked up another chain and followed it to another female, not stopping to explain anything to him or the others. He couldn’t have been more pleased. She was no longer a youngling not taking life seriously. She was taking command of the situation as if she had planned it and was simply executing that plan perfectly.

  Behind them, a male laughed darkly. It was Gus-ng. “My prized slave, freeing my weak and pathetic servants. I knew you were going to be a problem. But, thankfully, you served my purpose, and I don’t need you anymore.”

  Garr-n didn’t acknowledge Gus-ng, nor did she stop freeing the females from their chains. Jarr-o was amazed by her dedication. He moved to position himself between them and Gus-ng.

  Gus-ng stood with his shoulders squared and feet apart. His bravado was mightier than his presence. Jarr-o used a fist to crack the crick in his neck before saying, “It makes sense why you’d choose to intimidate females, why you have them chained and scared of you.”

  Gus-ng’s eyes narrowed.

  Jarr-o continued, “You’re compensating for being a weak fighter. You’re not skilled nor do you have any advantage in the ring except cheating. Which is why you needed to open your own underground arena in the first place—no self-respecting owner would ever pay you to fight for them. I bet your trainers thought so, too.”

  Gus-ng snarled. “You don’t know anything about me.”

  Behind him, he heard Garr-n whisper, “Are you going to kill the bastard, or talk him to death?” Jarr-o heard another chain being dropped, and then, “Don’t mind me, brother, I’m just saving lives.”

  Addressing Gus-ng, Jarr-o said, “I don’t have to know you to know what I see. And I’ve seen a lifetime of opponents—some clever, some strong, and some…weak and terrified. In my experience, it’s those that talk themselves up the most.”

  Jarr-o looked for a weapon. Finding nothing for a quick kill, he decided his hands were as deadly as any weapon. Advancing on the Angny, the smaller but smug male reached out and pulled on a chain. Out of the shadows walked a male Crippelaean.

  It shouldn’t have surprised Jarr-o that Gus-ng would use someone else to fight for him, but he had mistakenly assumed there was no one else to sacrifice.

  The male was thin, with dark green and silver skin. The few scars he had didn’t take away from the bumpy, slimy flesh. The Crippelaean looked up with his big, black eyes, and Jarr-o saw no pupils. The male’s jaws protruded with pockets of toxin that temporarily paralyzed. The male’s arms, wrists, and feet were chained in manacles.

  Jarr-o had expected the male to look lost or even broken considering his situation. But the dark black eyes didn’t portray anything but sharp intelligence. Jarr-o was leery of the clever opponent, expecting him to use random objects as weapons, and exact surprise attacks.

  “Kill him and his sister, and I will let you and your mate go free,” Gus-ng said with a smug smile.

  The creature didn’t move. In a raspy voice, he said, “Vow it.”

  Gus-ng rolled his eyes. “Just do it. Or I will kill your female like I did your son.”

  The male didn’t move. “Vow it,” he said more sternly. “Vow to me that my wife and I will go free, and you will see him dead within the next breath.”

  Jarr-o had fought many males of different species, but never a Crippelaean. He had watched fights with new, otherworld fighters. If any of the alien’s toxin got into his eyes or mouth, it would be instant death. Jarr-o would be unable to defend himself from the attacker.

  Gus-ng slapped the male with the chain he was holding. “I said KILL HIM!” When no one moved, he said, “Fine. I vow it.”

  Jarr-o took a calculated step closer, undeterred by the dangerous killer promising his death. The Crippelaean male’s eyes narrowed, and Jarr-o could see them changing colors. They went from black to a neon green. Then the male opened his mouth. “You’re lying.”

  In an instant, the Crippelaean spit at Gus-ng’s face. The male grabbed his face, spreading the toxin. Then Gus-ng fell to the ground in an unresponsive lump. Behind him, Jarr-o heard the females gasp. Garr-n brushed by him, followed by the others. Jarr-o pulled her back, not allowing her to get too close to the Crippelaean. If the male attacked, he wanted to make sure that his sister and the other females didn’t get hurt.

  Garr-n pulled out of his hold. “It’s fine. I know him.”

  Jarr-o wanted to object, but his gut told him this was Garr-n’s show. She proved it when she whispered something to the Crippelaean, and he nodded then punched into Gus-ng’s chest cavity, breaking through bone to pull out his heart. He looked at it beat once before it stopped, then squeezed the bloody organ until it popped.

  The male watched Jarr-o
carefully as Garr-n unlocked the chains around him. “What’s your name?”

  “My name is Jarr-o.” It was typical for some races to take the names of their opponents before they fought. He wondered if that’s what was happening now.

  The male looked at Garr-n. “You’re a warrior. Like your sister.”

  One of the females from the harem pulled the male into a full-body hug with her legs wrapped around his waist. Jarr-o could hear gurgling back and forth. When they finished their reunion, the male gently let the female down. Then he looked at his Garr-n and asked, “Where is my son?”

  Jarr-o’s chest constricted, remembering that Gus-ng had said he’d killed the boy.

  Garr-n smiled. “As I vowed, he’s been cared for by a female who lives on the bluffs.” She pulled out a scrap of cloth and handed it to him. “Follow this, and you will find him.”

  The male’s nose flared, and his eyes turned back to neon green. “You’re telling the truth. I owe you a life debt, young warrior. I vow it.”

  His sister shook her head. “You’ll be long gone off this planet before you can repay that debt. Save it for someone who deserves it.”

  “I will,” he said, and Jarr-o could tell that the male respected Garr-n. The Crippelaean pulled his wife behind him, and they turned right at the main hallway.

  Garr-n looked him over with narrowed eyes. “You are either very lucky or a better fighter than I remember. You don’t look to be injured at all.” Then she pointed at his face. “Did you learn to fight better after they scarred your face?”

  He wasn’t sure if she was joking with him or being serious. So he said, “I think it’s time to go home.”

  “Not yet. I have a debt to repay.” The keys in her hand clinked together as she led the way back to the main hallway. There, the seven females waited in a huddle. Garr-n pointed to her right. “Star-n knows the way, follow her. I’ll catch up with you.”

  They all hugged each other as they walked down the dirt tunnel, single-file.