No one clapped and Seb couldn’t help but smile to himself.
“And on the other side, the undefeated, the indomitable, the powerhouse himself, the Great Gamboaaaaaaaa.”
At that moment, the Great Gamboa threw his robe off to reveal the hulking brute beneath. Black skin, emerald eyes, green hair, and a body where even the muscles had muscles. The square-headed creature roared so loud Seb put his arms out for balance in case the pit crashed to the ground.
After looking at Seb, who still had his arms out, the Great Gamboa threw his head back and laughed. His entire frame bounced with his mirth and his grin spread wide enough on his square face it looked like he could bite Seb’s head off in one go. “Why are you even trying this, human?”
But Seb didn’t respond. Instead, he waited for a couple of assistants to put a ladder up against the wall so he could climb into the arena.
When he got down to the same level as the Great Gamboa, Seb swayed and looked up at the brute. He rolled his shoulders and snapped his head from side to side to loosen his neck.
“Tell you what,” the Great Gamboa said as he looked at the crowd, “I’ll fight you with one hand tied behind my back. How does that sound?”
“Like foolishness,” Seb said.
Tension snapped through the creature’s thick body and he leaned towards Seb as he roared, “What?”
“It sounds like a stupid thing to do. You’re judging me on how I look, but you don’t know how I fight. I’m confident enough to come down into this pit and fight you as you are. What does that tell you?”
“That you have a screw loose.”
The crowd erupted into laughter and Seb looked up at Bruke, who hugged his backpack and wore the same anxious expression he’d had since they’d entered the pit. “Fine,” he said. “Tie one of your hands behind your back, if you’re that confident.”
The Great Gamboa’s square jaw tightened and he looked down at the fight announcer beside him. “Do it.”
“Huh?”
When the Great Gamboa shouted, the walls of the place shook. “Do it! Get me a rope.”
The fight announcer jumped clean off the ground and scurried away through the door the Great Gamboa had entered via.
A few minutes later, he returned with a thick rope. It took several beings to bind the Great Gamboa’s arm, but they did it.
The entire place had been silent since the commentator had gone to get the rope. It seemed like an unprecedented move for this pit.
“Okay,” the commentator said as he stepped between the two fighters. He looked first at the Great Gamboa. “You ready for this?”
The Great Gamboa grunted.
“Challenger?”
Seb nodded.
When he’d stepped away from the pair, the commentator looked up at the soldier in the box and the crowd watched on as if holding their collective breath. The soldier in the box nodded, so the commentator sighed before he called, “Fight!”
As always happened when Seb fought someone twice his size, the Great Gamboa had the confidence to charge straight at him.
Seb’s world slipped into slow motion on his opponent’s first step, and he watched the beast’s large square head sway from side to side with his clumsy gait. As often happened with larger creatures, the Great Gamboa had a bigger weak spot than most. His entire head stood out like a beacon.
On the first charge, Seb ducked beneath the Great Gamboa’s haymaker, dropped to the ground, and swept his tree trunk legs away.
Because he only had one arm free, the Great Gamboa ran for several teetering steps before he fell face first against the hard ground of the pit.
A look up at the crowd and Seb saw the shock on every face. They all watched on in silence. He turned to the commentator and shouted, “Untie his arm! What a ridiculous creature to think he could fight me with only one hand.”
The Great Gamboa looked far from happy when several beings rushed into the ring to untie him, but he didn’t stop them. When they’d finished, he jumped to his feet and roared again.
On his second charge, Seb watched the Great Gamboa’s slow and lumbering footsteps. The beast had a long reach, so when he swung with one fist and then the next, Seb ducked them both and stepped closer to his opponent. He had to jump to deliver his uppercut to the brute’s hard chin, but he caught him clean anyway.
Like he’d done before, the Great Gamboa stumbled forward for several steps and hit the ground hard. The vibration of his landing sent a creaking noise through the fragile wooden arena. The Great Gamboa didn’t get back to his feet.
Seb crossed the dusty pit, his own gentle footsteps and his heavy breaths the only sound in the place. Despite having already knocked out his opponent, he had to make sure. He didn’t need him getting back up again. He rained a flurry of punches down on the Great Gamboa’s large square face. Four in quick succession, it felt like hitting a rock.
After he’d stepped away, the haze of the fight lifted and Seb’s world sped up. He looked at the silenced spectators. He then focused on the Crimson soldier in the box and winked at him.
Seb raised his fists in the air. They were covered in the blue blood of the Great Gamboa. He spun on the spot and looked at the crowd. Now they would hear why he came here.
Just as he drew a deep breath to speak, the lights in the place went out and the arena fell into total darkness. Seb’s already pounding heart sped up and he whispered to himself, “What the hell?”
Chapter 35
The darkness lasted for no more than a few seconds, but as Seb stood there—his world slowed down because of the perceived threat—he lived every single beat of it.
A wet squelch sounded close to Seb and he raised his fists, ready to fight. The flash of a blaster lit up in the crowd, the blip of the laser fire making him jump and stare up at the blink of light before it died out.
A buzz of electricity came from high up at the back of the arena.
By the time the lights came back on, Seb was already smiling. He looked at the two dead guards in the pit with him and then to SA. She stood no more than a foot away. A calmness swept through him in the face of her serene bioluminescent gaze. Even with everything in slow motion, he hadn’t heard a single one of her footsteps.
Gurt stood in the box where the Crimson foot soldier had been. The large creature now lay on its back, smoke rising from the shadowy hole hiding its face. When Gurt looked down at Seb, he grinned from ear to ear. Seb grinned back and dipped the large Mandulu a nod.
At the back of the pit, standing at the highest point in the crowd, Seb saw Sparks. It took all he had to refrain from waving at her. He might have felt infinitely more relaxed to have his crew around him, but when he scanned the beings in the crowd, none of them seemed to feel the same way.
Because he’d witnessed everything in slow motion, Seb hadn’t made the crowd wait long. But if he didn’t speak soon, they would get restless. A warm buzz ran through him to have his friends there and it gave him the push he needed.
“Beings of Caloon,” Seb said. He walked around the ring and looked at as many faces in the crowd as he could. “Let me introduce you all to the Shadow Order.”
The crowd were already looking at the three newest arrivals to the arena. Most wore blank expressions. At least, from a human’s perspective they seemed blank.
“Up at the back,” Seb said while pointing up at who he now considered to be his best friend, “is Sparks. The electronic genius, the gadget whisperer, the greatest escape artist I’ve ever met.”
The crowd turned to look up at her and Seb smiled to watch her glow red at his introduction.
After she’d dipped a nod, she glared at Seb as if to tell him to get on with it.
“The ugly brute in the box is Gurt.” As if to live up to his introduction, Gurt scowled at the spectators and Seb laughed. “I’ve never seen anyone handle a blaster better than him.”
When Seb looked at SA, he smiled wider than he’d done in a long time. “And this beautiful female”
—he looked directly into her eyes when he said it, a slight waver in his voice and the hairs on his body standing on end—“is the Silent Assassin. She’s one of the deadliest beings in the entire universe, but she has a big heart. She’s one of the most amazing beings I’ve ever met.”
Lost in his adoration, Seb suddenly remembered his current position in the middle of the pit with hundreds of eyes on him. His face flushed hot as he looked back at the crowd and saw some of them giggling in response to his outpouring.
“Why are they all here, you ask?” Seb looked up at Bruke. “Well, my new friend Bruke, up there, has been telling the beings of the slums that the Countess’ days are numbered. That a revolution’s on its way. She’s crushed the beings of Caloon for too long and it’s about time someone stopped her. I’ve not been on this planet long, but in the short time I’ve spent here, I’ve seen what she’s capable of and I’m not going to stand by while it happens. You live in poverty because of her. You live in fear because of her. You watch the children you love kill their families because of her. You may not even realise this, but you watch invading ships set fire to your homes because of her. The ships that she says come from other planets to attack you are flown by her soldiers.”
Gasps swept around the place.
“Haven’t you ever wondered why the Crimson fleet never shoot anyone out of the sky? Even the worst pilots should be able to shoot someone down once in a while. The Countess wants you to feel scared and to see her as your protector. If you need her, you won’t revolt, right? It helps her stay in power. We’re here to take that power back. To stop the suffering.”
Some of the previously shocked faces changed at Seb’s words. The slack looks of fear turned into tightened scowls of determination. Although the majority of the beings there looked like they still needed convincing. “We’re not aiming to kill the Crimson foot soldiers because we know they were you once. But we expect many to get in our way. Should that happen, then we’ll roll right over them. For many of them, the beings they once were have gone. They’ve had their previous ways brainwashed out of them by the Countess’ harsh recruitment process.”
Several loud voices called from outside. Seb looked up at Sparks, who currently leaned over the side of the seats to look down at the entrance to the arena. When she looked back at him, her face told him all he needed to know—the soldiers had arrived.
“Okay,” Seb said. “It looks like it’s on now.” He spun on the spot to take everyone in. “Who’s with us?”
Most of the arena made some kind of noise. It suggested most of them were behind the fight, but they didn’t seem to be fully committed yet.
“Come on!” Seb shouted, his voice filling the enclosed space. “This is your lives and your children’s lives. I need more than what you just gave me! Who’s with us?”
The shout came louder this time and some of the spectators got to their feet.
Seb pointed toward the sound of the soldiers. “That’s better, but we need more. There’s soldiers out there who want to get in. Let them know what they’re coming in to. Make them think twice before they even enter the place. Who’s with us?”
This time the reply shook the walls.
When Seb looked at Bruke, Sparks, Gurt, and finally the beautiful SA, he saw a strong set to each of their features. They were ready for this.
Chapter 36
The ladder Seb used to climb down into the fighting pit lay discarded on the ground. He jogged over to it and leaned it up against the pit wall. The spectators were ready for war, so they needed to act now.
As Seb climbed up over the pit’s wall, he felt the collective attention of the crowd on him. He’d always planned on leading the revolution, but now it had become real, a cold rush of panic smothered him. What if he’d got it wrong? What if they failed? Would the dwellers be better dying fighting for what they believed in, or would his meddling be the worst thing to happen to the citizens of Caloon? He shook his head to himself. It wouldn’t serve any purpose thinking about it now.
Once Seb had climbed free of the pit, he looked up at the expectant faces and forced confidence into his voice. “The first thing we need to do is get out of here.” The banging from the soldiers outside enforced his point. “Once we’ve done that, we’re heading straight for the red bitch in her palace.”
The crowd cheered again and Seb moved out of the way to let SA climb up into the seating area. She regarded him with her usual compassionate calm and it helped settle his quickened pulse. As much as he wanted to hug her, he held back. He didn’t need to get rejected in front of an arena full of beings.
Another tattoo of bangs came from the soldiers outside the arena. They obviously hadn’t got in yet, but it didn’t sound like it would be long. They needed to move fast.
Seb ran up the stairs to the top of the spectators’ area and wrapped Sparks in a tight hug. When he let her go, he smiled at her. “It’s good to see you, friend.” He looked over the side of the seating area down at the locked door to the arena. It had been barred with a large lump of wood.
“You look like crap,” Sparks said.
Seb laughed. “Thanks! I love you too.”
When Sparks didn’t answer, he looked down at his tan flight suit. Covered in blood, mud, and excrement, he shrugged. “It’s a fair point, I suppose. I’d hoped that by wearing clothes from the beings up in the elevated city, I could get the slum dwellers behind me. I thought it might be good to come at them as an outsider, someone who hadn’t been oppressed by the Countess for my entire life.”
Sparks surveyed the crowd with her purple gaze and many of them looked back. She spoke so only Seb could hear her. “Well, I think you’ve inspired them, but I’m not sure much of that is to do with what you’re wearing.”
Before Seb could respond, Sparks said, “Moses is pissed, you know.”
“Screw Moses, he’ll get over it.”
“I hope so,” Sparks said. “I don’t fancy another stint in The Black Hole.”
Another series of bangs and Seb looked over the side again down at the entrance to the place. Regardless of the bar of wood’s thickness, it wouldn’t hold forever.
When Seb looked back around, Bruke and Gurt had joined them. “Guys,” he said, “this is Bruke. He’s on our side and has really helped me out since I came back into the slums. You can trust him.”
“Like we could trust Phulp?” Gurt said and stared down at Bruke, his jaw set, his tusks pushing up his face.
Bruke whimpered and physically shrank beneath Gurt’s strong glare.
“Phulp’s dead,” Seb said.
“You killed him?” Gurt asked.
“No, the Countess did. She set fire to him. We found his charred body in his hut.”
“Serves him right.”
Bruke’s jaw fell loose and Seb shook his head. “Don’t worry about Gurt. He’ll grow on you eventually. Like mould.”
Gurt scowled at Seb before a smile broke his stern expression. “Right.” Gurt raised his voice, clearly for the benefit of the onlooking crowd. “Are we going to stand around chatting all day?”
Several more bangs from the soldiers outside seemed to highlight Gurt’s question. Just before Seb could move off again, Bruke handed him his backpack. Seb shouldered it and said, “Follow me.” He then climbed down the stairs along the back of the seating section to the arena’s entrance.
They got to the bottom of the stairs and the walkway running around the outside of the seats. Only one way in and out of the place, it remained barred and it sounded like a small army were forming on the other side. The walkway stretched about two metres wide and ran the entire perimeter of the pit.
The thick door holding the soldiers back had a small hole in it. Seb peered through and pulled back almost instantly. He turned to the others as they all joined him from the stairs. “It looks like hundreds of them out there.”
The members of the Shadow Order seemed calm, unfazed about this minor threat. Bruke looked close to having a panic attack.
“Gurt, SA, I need you to guard this door. Is that okay?”
Both nodded and pulled their respective weapons free.
Seb watched Bruke’s eyes widen as he stared down at the knives and blasters. The large lizard then stepped away from the pair.
“Thank you,” Seb said. “I’m going to need you two to buy us some time. Sparks and Bruke, follow me.”
Seb ran around the walkway away from the entrance and left the sound of fists, poles, and blaster fire attacking the outside of the arena. Despite its fragile appearance, it had held up well against the assault so far.
When Seb got to what he assumed to be the opposite side of the arena from the entrance, he drew a deep breath and forced his world into slow motion. Upon scanning the walls, a spot stood out to him, so he rushed over to it. “Sparks,” he said, “I need you to use your watch to cut through here.”
No questions, Sparks kneeled down and held her watch up to the wall. She pressed it and a blue bolt shot from it to the spot Seb highlighted. The wood splintered and smoked.
“Bruke,” Seb said, “go back and tell the beings in their seats to come down here, okay?”
At first Bruke didn’t respond, his dark eyes wild, his pale forehead furrowed.
Seb put a hand on his muscly shoulder and looked straight into his eyes. “I believe in you. You can do this.”
By the time Bruke had returned, leading the line of beings from the seats, smoke filled the walkway and Sparks had burned a hole in the wall as large as the pit’s entrance. A normally relaxed being, Sparks stood rigid.
“What’s up?” Seb asked.
But Sparks didn’t reply. Instead, she stared at the smoking wood and Seb quickly got it. Of course, fire.
“Bruke,” Seb said to his friend, “I need you to go outside and lead all the beings far away from here, okay?”
The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds (The complete series): A Space Opera Page 47
