by Scott King
Carter blinked trying to clear away the haze. He lay on the floor looking up at the others. They were talking, but their voices were muffled. "What happened?"
"You fainted," Doug said, though the words were hard to make out. "Proof that, whatever that thing is, it shouldn't be touched."
"I told you, he is not the Arg'Natz." Bova snapped two fingers at Doug. "You are."
"What did it feel like?" Alex whispered into Carter's ear.
"It was like sensory overload," he said. "Like I thought I was drinking a glass of water, but it was a barrel."
"Don't be unpoxed." Kane grabbed Doug's wrist and slammed his hand against the slab. Doug pulled back, but Kane didn't release her grip.
An ivory halo of light leapt to life, tracing the circle and pooling around Doug's hand. The light spilt over, connecting in straight lines to each of the glowing gems.
"Let go, or I swear–" Doug's and Kane's hands slipped into the pool of light, as if they were reaching into a vertical puddle.
Their arms sunk in less than a head, and Kane jerked her hand out while Doug fumbled around for a moment as if he was trying to pick something up. When he finally pulled his arm out, he held a curved dagger.
The light faded, and the portal shut down.
Doug held Bakero's Blade awkwardly out to Bova. "What do I do with this?"
"Hold onto it." Bova counted on her fingers and then spun to leave. "We should get going. We do have a slight amount of downtime before we must get to the arena. If we hurry, we can squeeze in a wedding and an adoption."
The adoption happened first because Bova struggled to convince a member of the Baloc faction to officiate for the wedding. Doug, Carter, and Alex signed several parchments. Bova stamped them with a wax seal, and in less than an hour, Doug became their rightful guardian in Greker society. It meant nothing to Carter, and he was sure Alex and Doug felt the same way, which was good because he didn't like the idea that he and Alex were foster siblings.
With the adoption out of the way, they were locked back in their individual prison cells. Eventually, Cholton, a member of the Baloc faction, arrived. He was the only other Greker in attendance besides Bova. The burly, robed man was younger than Bova, and other than a few moans and grunts, he didn't speak a single word. Carter wondered if that was because he disapproved of what was happening, because he couldn't speak, or because of some odd vow of silence.
Once more, Bova was all business and failed to understand that to all of them the wedding was a farce. Leading up to the ceremony, she kept Doug and Kane separate with their cell walls opaque and spoke in a low, solemn voice as if they were in a temple or holy place as opposed to a prison.
After what seemed like way too long, Bova brought down the walls to the cells. Doug was dressed as he always was except for the addition of Bakero's Blade, which was wrapped carefully in a thick hide and hung from his belt.
Kane, on the other hand, looked like a demonic angel bent on both saving and destroying the world at the same time. Her hair was pulled back, showing off her angular face, and somehow the Grekers had found a strapless dress for her to wear. It had a rusty-metallic sheen and contrasted sharply with her pale skin. It was both ominous and beautiful in the way it fit her curves, making her look as feminine as she had when she had taken on the guise of Kenzie.
Alex elbowed Carter in the gut, and she looked at him with exaggerated wide eyes.
"What?" Carter whispered.
"You were staring," Alex said.
"So?" Carter shook his head, annoyed.
"It's rude." Alex pursed her lips.
"I was trying to figure out where–"
Bova coughed loudly giving Carter a glaring look.
Carter rolled his eyes, but didn't open his mouth again.
"Face each other and take hands," Bova told Kane and Doug.
The pair interlocked fingers in an awkward manner.
Kane grunted, let go, and motioned for Doug to cup his hands upward. He did and she gripped the tips of his fingers.
Bova wrapped a silver braided cord around Doug's wrists and then took the other end and did the same thing to Kane's.
"It's warm." Doug jangled the cord so it slid to the butt of his palm.
"It's Galvoryan bark," Bova said.
Carter had no idea what that meant, and judging by the expressions on the others' faces, they didn't either. No one acted concerned by it, but Carter had an uneasy feeling. Something was off, but he didn't know what.
Cholton, in a booming baritone voice, chanted in Etriä. The Greker strung the words together in a lyrical manner, making it hard for Carter to translate. He was able to pick up only a few words here and there, and most were the cliché things you'd expect to hear at a wedding. The union of two people and that sort of fluff.
"I stand witness between equals who pledge their bodies and minds to each other." Bova and Cholton both stepped away from Doug and Kane. "Separate they are weak, but as one, they are strong. Let them pledge their commitment to each other."
Alex picked up a large parchment and unrolled it, on the table. In unison, Doug and Kane read it out loud.
"Your needs, are my needs. My heart, is your heart. My strength, is your strength. Before time and after time. In this world and all others. You are my home. We are one."
Cholton brushed his fingertips across the braided Galvoryan bark.
The butterflies in Carter's stomach grew, and he knew why. There was magic in the cord. "Stop the wedding!"
Everyone but Cholton looked at Carter. The grumpy Greker either did not understand or didn't care and, instead, spoke in a booming voice. "Tikætto zyn ty aktälalo. Zo zyn kot kæt hanitohæz kæt setälalo. Zo koltætto zyn ty aktötilo."
The bark surged with energy. It happened so fast that Carter couldn't pick out all the threads, but he recognized twists of heat, light, and strokes from both the school of destruction and alteration. The magic took on the detailed curves of the bark, intertwining, so the single strands melded into bold light. The light flowed into Doug's right arm and out the left then flowed into Kane. It repeated the motion, moving faster and faster in a blinding surge that only Carter could see. It grew so bright that Carter had to look away.
Doug yelped.
Kane reeled, slinging the Galvoryan bark off her wrist. "What the bloody hell was that?"
"It burned me!" A pink welt swelled on Doug's arm.
Kane grabbed Bova by the neck, lifting the Greker so that her feet dangled helplessly in the air. "What did you do?"
Bova made a choking sound.
"She can't answer if you kill her." Alex moved a hand to her waist, preparing to draw her short sword.
Kane's face contorted. Her eyes went squinty. Then wide. Her jaw dropped, and she let go of Bova. Spinning on her heels, she glared at Doug. "I feel you. In my head, I can feel you. You're... hungry."
"And you're furious." Doug cupped his forehead. "But I guess that's how you always are."
"What did you do to us?" Kane demanded of Bova.
"I married you." Bova nodded to the other Greker. "Well, Cholton did the real work."
"If I closed my eyes and spun in a circle," Doug said, "I could point and tell you where Kane stood."
"That's marriage," Bova said.
"Undo it now!" Kane curled her fingers into a fist.
"I can't!" Bova pressed her back against the wall, moving as far away from Kane as she could."
"For once I agree with Kane," Doug said. "Undo this!"
Carter picked up the braided piece of metal. It was cold, but he could see power running through it. It was old, ancient magic from the Erediä. "I don't think they can. Not with this anyway. It serves one purpose, to bind two souls or spirits or essences. I'm not sure about the exact translation of the spell that was spoken, but I know for sure it can't separate two souls into one. You'd need another device or spell for that."
"This is what you agreed to," Bova said. "You signed documents. I do not understand why you are
so angry about this."
"You never once mentioned that magic was involved," Doug said.
"That is what marriage is." Bova spoke in a condescending tone that was sure to only make things worse. "The binding of two."
"That is not what marriage is, and if you don't undo it this second, I will, one by one, rip the head off every one of you rat faced retched creatures until your race is extinct." The skin on Kane's arm rippled as if she were trying to shape shift, but lacked the full power to do so.
"A marriage cannot be undone. It is permanent," Bova said. "The bond can only be broken by death, and even then, the survivor can never remarry."
Kane snarled and leapt at Bova.
Cholton's hands sunk into the shadows of his robes. There was a blur of motion and then Carter saw two darts sticking out of Kane's back. From how quickly she dropped, it was obvious that both had been dipped in parpah root.
"That's strange." Doug held out his arms to steady himself. "I felt her go down, and now it's quiet."
"I am sorry that neither of you understood the commitment you were making, but what's done is done." Bova took a deep breath and then stepped over Kane's unconscious body. "If we can all move forward from this, it is about time to start heading to the arena."
"I am not pleased with this situation." Doug towered over Bova. "This ends today. If I don't die in the arena. If there isn't a new Arg'Natz, and you don't let me free. I will help Kane tear this place apart."
26
The Arena
Ornsday, 41st of Hearfest, 1162.111
The fourteenth Greker rushed Doug. Like all the other attackers, it held Bakero's Blade. Where it would have been a small dagger at best if held by Doug or another human, the Greker had to use it as if it were a two handed sword. The cumbersomeness of which cost the creature precious time.
Doug mocked a yawn.
The Greker swung the blade overhand. Doug sidestepped it, and delivered a bone-breaking punch to the Greker's nose.
Three medics rushed into the arena to pull the fallen Greker off the field.
"Is that it?" Doug picked up the dagger, holding it so the crowd could see it clearly. "That's one from every fraction. You all sending in another, or can we call it a day?"
Stomping feet, the equivalent of boos, drummed out the sound of Doug's voice. He didn't care. Of course, the creatures were unhappy with him. He contemplated throwing a fight and letting one of the challengers prick him with the knife, but ultimately, the risk of losing his own life was too great. He wanted to live. He wanted to be done with the arena and this place.
The arena was more of a pulpit. The fight took place on a raised platform, and circular stone pews surrounded it. Bova, Carter, Alex, and Kane sat in the front row, with armed members of the Pontis surrounding them on all sides. Members of the various factions filled out the rest of the arena seating, each designated by their signature uniforms.
Of the hundreds of eyes on Doug, it was Kane's gaze that was the strongest. He could feel Kane. Not in a physical sense. He couldn't feel the iron wrapped around her wrists, but he could tell she was bored. This whole ordeal was growing old to her. She was ready to leave, and yet at the edge of her thoughts, there was excitement that was slowly bubbling to the surface.
"Will there be anymore that wish to face the Arg'Natz?" Bova looked to the two nearest factions. The stomping stopped. Bova faced the rest of the arena, but none of the faction members made a sound. "Then if there are no more challengers–"
"Wait," Kane said. Her excitement crescendoed. "I wish to challenge Doug."
"You can't do that!" Carter said.
"Of course, I can." Kane looked to Bova. "Isn't that right?"
"I'm not sure." Bova leaned down, whispering to Cholton and another Greker. A scowl crept across his face. "The laws do not state that a challenger has to be a Greker."
"Would someone please remove these?" Kane batted her eyes and gave a dainty grin as she held up her cuffed hands. "It will be hard to kill my husband if I'm still tied up."
"No!" Doug could feel Kane's excitement bubble over. She was fully enjoying this. She thrived off not only being the center of attention, but also the showmanship of it all. "I don't agree to this."
"You have no say in the matter," Bova said. "The rules are clear."
"Besides Dougy, you should have seen this coming." Kane's manacles were removed by Cholton, and she stepped onto the sandy floor of the arena. "If I defeat you, I get to become the new Arg'Natz, which means I get the power. It also means I get to stop you and my stepchildren from continuing with your quest. It's a win-win situation. I can't pass that up."
"Taintson wench!" Alex stomped on Kane's calf, knocking her over. "I hope Doug kills you."
Members of the Pontis swarmed Alex, pulling her back down to the stone bench.
"Please." Kane stood, brushing sand off her dress. "Did you expect anything else? If so, shame on you."
"Any questions?" Bova asked.
"I'm good." Kane clapped, drawing Doug's attention. "I need the knife."
Doug cocked his arm and threw the knife full force. It twirled in the air, sailing directly at her pointy nose.
She ducked.
The crowd scattered, and the knife clanged into one of the stone benches.
"This will be interesting." Kane tapped her temple as she retrieved the dagger. "I could sense what you were doing before it happened. Never fought anyone before that could read my mind. Well... there was that one guy in Yemto, but that was more of a future sight thing."
"I'll admit," Doug said, "it was nice, at least for a few days, to not have to worry about you trying to kill me."
"You do understand that it's not personal, right?" Kane hoisted herself onto the raised pulpit. "This is business."
"You are lying. I can feel it."
"Well sure, I'm going to enjoy killing you. I can't help that. You and Owen's whelp have been at the top of my dunglist since I met you, but this is more about the big picture than you."
"How so?" Doug circled the rim of the pulpit, keeping as much distance between himself and her as he could. "'Cause no matter how you try to spin it, killing someone is pretty damn personal."
"Contrary to what you think, I don't enjoy the act of killing." She wasn't lying. Or if she was, she was lying to herself and didn't realize it. "I enjoy having the last word and pissing people off, but that moment when you feel a life slip away and you watch a creature's eyes dim. I'm not into that."
A rush of regret poured through the bond and with it came a surge of anger. "That's how you justify what you are?"
"I do what I do because it is what the Sisters made me to be!" Anger hadn't been the right word to describe the emotions radiating from Kane. It was pure loathing. Hate. The central core of who she was, and it was borderline overwhelming. "We are all their pawns, and the only way to get back our lives is to fight the Sisters."
"And killing me does that?"
"It does."
Kane came at him. Not in a sloppy way like the Grekers had. Not in brute force like she had on the cliff. This time she moved with grace. She slank from side to side in an unpredictable manner like a sheet caught in the wind. If it weren't for the bond, Doug would have had no hope in evading the attack.
As it were, he knew that she expected him to punch her, which wasn't surprising. That had been his go-to move when fighting the Grekers. If he tried it with her, she would flip him and slit his throat before he could do a thing.
Since she was expecting a punch, he decided a hard kick to the chest would be the best counter. Though the second he decided it, he felt a shift in her. She now knew he was going to kick her, and thus was adjusting her own movements. Now she was going to roll left, dodging the kick, and slam the knife between his lower two ribs.
Doug decided to go back to punching her.
Kane stopped in her tracks and tilted her head. "This is getting us nowhere. At this point, we aren't fighting a physical battle, we are playing out s
cenarios in our minds."
"Seems like it."
"Then give in. Let me stab you with Bakero's Blade, and I'll make it quick. No strung-out torture."
"Don't believe that for a second." Though, through their bond, he could sense truth in her words.
"I'm trained in more fighting styles than you could possibly know. Eventually, I'll think of a maneuver that you won't be able to counter, even if you know it's coming."
"Maybe," Doug said. "Maybe not. But you can't forget my strength and imperviousness."
Through the bond he felt a rising sense of annoyance.
"I didn't want to play this card, but I guess it's time." Kane's dress melted into her skin, and her entire body took on its rust color. Quills sprouted from her back, and the rest of her curved over, taking on the shape of a mountain cat.
Kane moved at speeds so fast that by the time Doug sensed them, it was too late for him to react.
She darted left, broke into a zigzag, and pounced on him.
With her weight pinning him to the ground, she shifted again. Her feline haunches fractured with each part becoming a squirming tentacle that wrapped about his limbs, while her upper chest and face reverted to human. "You should've figured out that I was lying about not being able to shapeshift."
He could feel the truth in her words. That only made him feel more frustrated, and through their bond, he could tell that his frustration delighted her, which frustrated him even more.
"Now to be fair, I didn't completely lie." Kane tilted her chin to the green sun. "That thing is disgusting and doesn't nourish me like real sunlight, but it wasn't weakening me. Not feeding on light is no different from you not eating for a few days. Sure, it will make you tired, and your reaction time might be slower than normal, but you'll still be able to lift your arm as easily as I can still shape shift."
Kane's chest opened, revealing a cavity. A third arm holding Bakero's Blade grew from it. She held the knife to Doug's throat, preparing to slit it, and leaned in as if to whisper in his ear.
