We stopped before a door and my guard paused a moment before knocking. Then he looked down on me. “Do not speak unless specifically asked to,” he warned me.
I nodded once. The door was opened by what appeared to be another slave; a young woman who kept her head lowered and gestured for us to enter. The room was large and sparsely furnished. The furniture was made of heavy, dark wood—a few chairs and a table. It resembled an office, or a library, as two of the walls were lined with shelves of books. A large window was centered in the far back wall, before it sat the largest, most ornate chair in the room. And in that chair sat a giant of a man, with the body of a warrior.
My new master, I presumed.
Chapter 8
“Come forth,” he said, after staring at me intently for a moment or two.
I took a big gulp and forced my wobbly legs to move forward. Don’t act up, please. Not now! The guard let go of me and remained by the doorway. As I moved slowly forward the man in the chair looked over my shoulder toward him.
“No problems?” he asked.
“No, sir,” the guard replied.
I counted my steps as I moved, willing my legs to obey. I clasped my hands before me, lest they show signs of betraying me as well. Five, six, seven. So far, so good.
Finally, I came to a stop before him.
“You may go,” he directed the guard, his voice deep and unreadable. “You as well,” he said to the slave. And when the door clicked shut behind them we were alone in the room.
He was dressed all in black, with high leather boots, appearing modern as opposed to old Roman. He seemed content to just sit there and stare at me, so we pondered each other for a while. I’d been instructed not to speak so I held my tongue, although I longed to ask him plenty of questions.
“I saw you. At the arena,” he finally spoke.
Since I didn’t recall seeing him I assumed he meant he’d seen me from the stands. Or perhaps, judging from his fearful countenance, he’d been one of the participating gladiators. He’d probably seen me faint then. I felt my cheeks grow warm remembering the physician labeling my indisposition as cowardice. I longed to explain myself but since he hadn’t actually asked me a question I remained silent.
“You are from Earth?”
Question. I dropped my gaze, wondering if it were wrong of me to eye him so boldly. He was very handsome, with short-cropped blonde hair, a massive battle- hardened body, and huge muscles. On his face were two nasty scars, one across his cheek, another straight down over one eye, though it appeared not to have damaged the stunning blue. I should have feared him I suppose, considering he apparently owned me now, and I was his to do with whatever he wished. And yet, those eyes of his drew me in, conveying so many unspoken words in seconds. Fear me not, they seemed to say. “Yes, from Earth...” I trailed off, unsure if I was supposed to add Master, or Sir, or something else.
Seeing my discomfort he smiled tightly. “This must all be strange to you,” he said, gesturing around the room.
“The moons were the biggest shake up,” I admitted, pleased he had taken my feelings into consideration.
“Oh yes. Earth has only one, so I’ve heard.”
“You’ve never been?” I asked, then gulped, hoping he wouldn’t be mad I’d spoken out of turn. But no, his face remained only intrigued. He eyed me as one would a strange new toy.
“No. Perhaps one day.”
He got to his feet and I backed up a few steps allowing him room to prowl past me. I got the impression he was a man who seldom sat still for long. I watched him with fascination, his long strides as he moved to a side table to pour himself a drink, and over to face out the window placing his back to me. Something about him seemed very lonely. Perhaps, like this isolated home of his, he’d built a high wall around himself as well?
“Your name?” he asked.
“Um, Lara.”
“I’m Cade.” His back remained to me a few moments more before he turned around. “We’ll be leaving shortly. I know you have nothing of your own, but I’ll provide you with whatever you need.”
I nodded in thanks. Where are we going?
My face must have expressed my confusion and apprehension. “Don’t worry. I’m not taking you back to the coliseum. They’re wrapping up here as all eyes will soon be on Taleon.”
Something stirred deep within me. “Taleon?” I knew I shouldn’t have spoken but the word flew out in a rush before I could stop it.
“Every year on Planet Taleon a great tournament takes place. All will be watching the game unfold.”
He sounded quite excited about it. I guess it was something like the Super Bowl on Earth?
“There is one zexeudn—what you would call a week—before the game begins, but I want us to be ready.”
“Us?”
He grinned at me. “Yes, us. I won an unused woman worthy of the tournament at the coliseum—you.”
Say what? “May I speak?” I blurted out.
He nodded.
“You want me to compete with you in a tournament on another planet?” An event that all eyes will be watching?
“That’s correct.”
I stared at him with my mouth open for a moment. “But, I’m puny. I’ve never competed in anything in my life except soccer—I think—I can’t fight, I can’t jump, I’m not very fast…”
He held up his hand. “You’re perfect. You are a virgin.”
I blushed and nodded, although, he had stated it as a fact, not a question.
“You are of age, and you are from Earth.”
“Those are the requirements for your partner?”
He nodded again.
“But why?”
“The goal of the game is to cross the finish line first. I must also keep you alive.”
“Oh,” I said. My limbs began to tingle so I fidgeted from foot to foot willing myself to remain calm. My fingers clenched and unclenched and my knees bent and straightened all on their own. “Can I…sit down?” Cade watched me with amusement. He gestured to the closest chair and with some difficulty I made my way over to it and sat. “Sorry, I’m a little shocked is all, I think.”
“I will have Thena take you to a room to eat and rest. I have some things to take care of before we leave, then I will come for you,” he informed me. He tugged on a bell-pull hung from the ceiling and soon the slave-girl Thena arrived. He gave her instructions concerning me and soon I was on my feet and being led from the room. On the way out I gave him a look over my shoulder. He winked at me and despite my distress I smiled tightly. I pondered what he’d said as I wandered down the hall. He hadn’t been unkind, only excited perhaps, striking me as having a mission to complete. Apparently I was part of that mission. The tournament he’d mentioned had seemed like a big deal, not only to him, but to his entire planet. I was sure he’d fill me in on the details as soon as there was time. Right now he was busy preparing for us to leave. I wondered where we were going? He spoke about us getting ready for the game. I guess he figured we’d be more able to do that somewhere else? If it was only a game then what was all the excitement about? Although, I seemed to recall the craziness surrounding preparations for big sports events and especially the Olympics on Earth. Yet, unlike Earth, he’d said something about this tournament that really freaked me out. Something important.
He’d said he would have to keep me alive.
Chapter 9
Darkness was just beginning to fall when Cade came to collect me. I’d washed and eaten, and dressed in a fresh short tunic that Thena had given me. Though I’d done my best to pump her for information on details of the game, she’d remained stoically silent. I suspected due to her low status, partaking of leisurely pastimes was not common, so she probably didn’t have any information to share. She’d told me she was from a planet from far away and that she and many other females had been captured and brought here to Calixtus in a large ship as slaves. Cade was a kind master, she’d assured me, and he would treat me well. She’d hinted he,
along with most men in this world, had a voracious sexual appetite but I would be safe from his attentions. Being a virgin was a qualifying prerequisite of the game, so I assumed she knew that much about it.
Cade led me outside into the yard and over to an area that had a short circle of hedges growing around it. I noticed the pool area was now vacant, and there appeared to be nobody around. Two guards had accompanied us, both of whom held a bag in one hand and another slung over their shoulder. Cade pulled a small device out of his pocket and pointed it in front of him. The ground began to rumble and I momentarily feared we were experiencing an earthquake. The grass area inside the hedges dropped slightly, and then began to slide inside the earth, opening up a space beneath it. I watched in amazement as Cade pushed another button on his controller and a strange black almond-shaped craft rose from the ground upon a large pedestal. I stepped back out of fear.
The craft began to hum and a couple of lights turned on illuminating the dark ground around us. “Do not be afraid,” Cade said, as moments later a doorway swished up and a row of narrow steps descended. Since the pedestal took up almost the entire area of the ground that had disappeared, there was only a small half-foot gap remaining around it. Cade easily stepped over and then turned to me and held out his hand. “Come.”
I had no choice but to obey him. Reaching out my hand he took it into his strong grip and helped me to step over beside him. “I guess we’re not taking a wagon,” I said.
“No.” he smiled down at me. “It’d take us months to get there.”
“Isn’t this your home?”
He smirked. “Yes. One of them. The other is more what you’d call modern.”
Judging by his space ship, and the fact I’d obviously be brought here by some high-tech means, despite the old Roman games and appearance, this world was highly advanced. Even more so than Earth.
“Take the bags onboard,” he instructed the guards. They hastened past us to the stairway and unloaded his bags onto the ship. Once they’d exited he gave them a few final instructions and then sent them back to the house. He still held my hand, whether to give comfort or to keep me from fleeing I knew not which. His thumb gently stole across my palm sending a slight shiver down my spine. “Ready?”
I swallowed over the lump in my throat and nodded.
“Come then.” Still holding me, he led the way up the stairs and I got my first real look at a spaceship.
We were the only ones onboard. The interior I could only describe as futuristic. At the front I saw two seats set before a control panel, much like I’d seen in planes, but vastly superior. Through the front windshield I could clearly see outside, whereas from outside the ship I hadn’t been able to see within at all.
The guards had placed the bags against the farthest wall. Cade let go of me and waved his hand over a small square area beside the door. The stairs instantly pulled up inside and then disappear into a foldaway compartment. The door swished shut next making me jump a little. I swallowed hard and felt my belly lurch realizing we were trapped inside.
“Just think of it as a flying car,” Cade said, taking my elbow and leading me toward the front of the vessel.
He helped me to sit down and strapped me in with a seatbelt before taking the other seat. My legs were shaking and my fingers grew numb. I crossed my ankles and gripped my hands together willing myself to keep control. Now was not the time to freak out. Cade needed me to help him play in an important tournament. If I couldn’t control my own body what use would I be to him? He’d see me as a liability. And though he didn’t seem to possess an air of hostility, he hadn’t gotten those scars on his face by shaving.
He began working the controls of the ship and with every button or switch he hit or flipped something new happened. We began to lift up off of the pedestal, and as we slowly ascended, I could see it sink back into the ground and the grassy area slide back out into place. Over my shoulder, through the dim light, I noticed the rest of the craft had a row of lights about halfway up the wall that flashed in different colors. Higher and higher we went. So high I feared my ears would pop, but they didn’t. And then, smoothly and effortlessly, we began to sail forward. The ship flew so fast that the ground below became almost a blur to my eyes.
“How long until we’re there?” I asked. My head began to ache, I had it pushed so far back into the headrest of my seat. My hands hurt and I loosened my grip on myself.
“Not long,” he assured me.
I suppose I looked terrified. My jaw clenched again and I reached up to rub it.
“Tell me about Earth.”
He’d meant it as a calming tactic, I’m certain, but the question only made me more nervous. “I…” What could I say? That my brain must be damaged because I had trouble recalling more than my own name and age? Sure, things came to me in glimpses. I knew I’d lived on Earth and had family there. No siblings that I remembered, but parents… Wait, no. My parents were dead. But there’d been an uncle. “It was pretty boring compared to here,” I improvised. “I’d rather hear more about Calixtus.”
He smiled. “My planet, as you’ve probably noticed, is obsessed with the games. Well over half of it is dedicated to them. We also have cities—mostly made up of giant skyscrapers. There are few singular homes, mostly occupied by high-ranking council members.”
“That man, the one who addressed the crowd at the coliseum, is he high-ranking?”
A dark look stole over his face, and I could see his grip tighten on the control wand of the ship. “You could say that.”
My interest was peaked. “So who is he?”
After a few moments he finally answered. “He is Lord Baynarius. Our supreme leader by right of birth.”
Interesting. Judging by the scowl on Cade’s face this wasn’t his favorite topic. Not wanting to aggravate him further I changed course. “And Taleon? What’s it like?”
He visibly relaxed. “I’ve heard it compared with primitive Earth. A perfect place for the tournament, which is more of a race and a contest of survival.”
“If it’s so dangerous, why do you want to enter?”
His gaze was steadily fixed on the ever-darkening sky. “To be granted a boon.”
I knew what he meant. “Well to risk your life—and mine—I would hope you’d get something out of it. What if you don’t win?”
Now his gaze bore into mine. “We will.”
“Okay, so when we win, what do you get?” I persisted.
“Whatever I desire—except being named of the royal bloodline, or causing them any harm, of course.”
I believed he was being vague on purpose. He didn’t want me to know. So what. What was more important than him getting what he so desperately wanted—ah, me, getting what I wanted. I dared to ask. “And me? What do I get?”
He stared back out the front of the ship. “You get to go home. That’s what you desire most isn’t it?”
I nodded. Despite my sudden rapid pulse and lurching belly at the mention of home, I was pretty sure that was indeed what I wanted.
Chapter 10
Cade hadn’t been kidding about the over-sized skyscrapers. An enormous city, with amazingly tall buildings all lit up like massive Christmas trees came into view. We’d been flying for approximately an hour or so I estimated. And now we’d arrived in what appeared to be a completely new world. Every few minutes throughout our journey here, my mind would suddenly rear up in realization of what was happening and I’d have this incredible rush come over me. Oh my God! I’m on a frigging spaceship! But all too soon the excitement would turn to dread as my precarious circumstances came crashing down upon me. I’d find myself covertly watching this warrior beside me and pondering his intentions.
But too, there was another part of me—a secret part—filled with purpose. I’d yet to understand it, but I couldn’t deny a sense that everything was happening just as it should.
Cade slowed the ship and lowered it to dip and whiz perilously around the giant structures. My hands grippe
d the armrests of my seat so hard I was sure I’d leave imprints. He handled the maneuvers like a daredevil pro, yet I breathed a huge sigh of relief when he slowed even more and expertly guided the little ship into a tight spot between several other ships on a rooftop of one of the many buildings. I finally allowed myself to relax as we hovered for a moment and then set down. Unbuckling himself, he got up, then helped me unhook my seatbelt and even took my hand to aid me in rising.
“Okay?” he asked with a grin.
“F…fine.”
“Good.” He let go of me and headed back through the ship toward his bags. “Do you mind taking one of these? I’ll give you the lightest.”
I came up beside him and stood patiently while he hoisted up a bag and put the strap around my shoulder. I felt my legs buckle slightly with the weight. “This is the lightest?”
Grinning, he swung another bag over his shoulder and picked up the other two with his hands. “It’s not far.”
He led us off the ship and when I stepped outside I couldn’t help but stare in awe all around me. The two moons in the sky were huge and lit up like beacons, illuminating the rooftop. We walked over toward a raised dormer, me swinging my gaze all around in wonder.
“You haven’t been atop a building before?” he asked me with disbelief.
“Yes, I have,” I recalled that much. “But it was only a six-floor apartment with a roof-top terrace. How high are we?”
“I believe on Earth you measure buildings by stories. This one would be about four hundred stories, give or take,” he said.
I’m sure my eyes bulged, ’cause he chuckled when he saw my expression. We entered the dormer, which was actually an area to catch an elevator. We walked into the enclosed box and after Cade thumb-printed a scanner beside the door, he told me to ‘hold on’. Swiftly we dropped. So fast I could feel the shoulder strap of the bag I carried lift up a bit. I leaned against the wall and braced myself, trying to keep control of the bag and the rising gorge in my belly. Now I knew why he’d given me such a heavy load to carry; to keep me from hitting the ceiling. Seconds later we came to an abrupt stop.
Survivor Planet III Page 4
