“Stop!” the king hollered. “There will be no death on my birthday.”
The soldiers picked Alai up and tried to pick Roy up, but couldn’t. They dragged him out of the ring and closed the door. I ran over. Alai was kneeling beside Roy, holding his hand. Alai looked at me and smiled sadly. “He’ll be okay.”
The fight resumed, and the blue team came towards Father, then stopped and ran at the green team. The struggle was brief, and then the blue team had the green scarf. They smiled at Father and headed his way. I wondered how badly they would beat my father. The two remaining blue warriors swung their brooms wildly. Too wrapped up in celebrating their victory over Green, the blue team did not notice Father and Red Head charge. Father held his arms out and took both blue men off their angels.
Lock and I jumped up and down, but the fight didn’t stop. Father and Red Head ran into Tidal Wave and his angel and drove them into the ropes. Tidal Wave shoved Red Head towards the red scarf. Red Head struggled with Tidal while Father hit Little Wave. Little wave began to scream “don’t hit me, don’t hit me. Get the scarf Tidal Wave.” Tidal Wave reached for the scarf. Red Head tried to pull him away. Tidal Wave grabbed the scarf, and they both fell to the ground.
The king jumped up. “I am the winner!”
I was sad. Lock had tears in his eyes.
“We tried,” Lock said. “But now I have to do Blue Team’s laundry for a month.”
Tidal Wave stood and held the red scarf in the air. Little Wave began chanting, “We are the champions!”
The crowd roared.
“Where are the other two scarves?” Black asked loudly.
Red Head handed my father the other two scarves. Father smiled.
“You stole them.”
Red Head smiled.
Father held the other two scarfs into the air.
Tidal Wave snarled, charged at my father.
“It’s only a game,” Father said.
The king yelled, “It’s over!”
Tidal Wave stopped in his tracks.
Lock jumped up and down. I joined in.
King Enoch said it was time to feast, but it was obvious that he was furious. Priest returned the angels to their humans. He looked at Father. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
My father smiled.
We were celebrating back at camp when ten soldiers came and told Father and me to follow them to the palace. Father asked if the rest of the team was invited.
“The king said the colors have to stay.”
My father crossed his arms and said, “Well, I’m not going.”
“If you don’t come willingly, we will drag you.” The soldiers stepped forward hesitantly.
Tie and Roy insisted my father go. The soldiers took us to the palace and into the throne room.
“Bow to your king,” commanded a guard. They shoved me down and tried to shove father to his knees.
“Isn’t he a king today, brother?” Black asked from his place to the right and below the king’s seat. “Kings don’t bow to each other.”
King Enoch smiled. “You are right, brother dear. Let him be. Come. Rejoice. It’s my birthday. What can I give you, Bardon?”
“Two of those pretty women over there.”
“They are yours,” said Enoch.
“Thanks. Can I go now? I’d like to get busy. It’s been a while.”
“Okay,” said Enoch.
I had walked over to the buffet to fill my pockets with food. A girl about my age walked up and said her name was Debra. She was the king’s daughter.
“Your father is a king today, and that makes you a prince,” she said. “So you can be in my presence.”
Father motioned me to the door; he had two women with him.
“I’m leaving, Debra, but here’s a kiss.” I leaned in and gave her a peck. I smiled at her and left.
Outside of the palace, I asked Father what he was going to do with two women.
“I’ll give them to Roy and Tie,” he said.
“If the king finds out, he will be mad.”
“He’s probably trying to think of a way to kill me right now. Did I see you kiss his daughter?”
“We were there to make the king mad, weren’t we?”
“Yes, and I think we did a pretty good job of it.”
“Today was a good day, Father.”
“Yes, it was, Noah. Yes it was.”
When we got back to the camp, Father yelled for Roy and Tie and said, “I have presents for you.”
CHAPTER 13
Death Of The King
The days that followed were very sad. The day after his birthday battle, King Enoch put the whole Blue Team in the ring to fight each other. The fight didn’t last long, and in the end, only Tidal Wave was left standing. After the fight, Tidal Wave wouldn’t let go of his sword. The soldiers tried to take it from him, and he killed four of them. It took ten soldiers and their angels to drag him out of the ring and chain him up. He lay against a rock, breathing heavily and bleeding. He had gone very pale.
I told the soldiers he was bleeding and needed care. They said that gods didn’t need help.
“He’s not a god. He is a man,” I said.
“The king said he is a god, so that is what he is. Now, get out of here.”
Lock came to our camp the next morning. He looked very sad. “The Green Team fights Tidal Wave today. I guess Red is next.”
“I don’t want Tidal Wave to die,” I said.
“He won’t. He is too strong. The king is mad he lost the bet, and he gave Tidal Wave orders to kill everyone.”
Noon came quickly, and the Green Team begged for their lives, but it did them no good. One by one, he broke every man’s neck. When the match was over, he walked out of the ring and stood next to his chains. The soldiers chained him back up quickly.
“Can I have some food, please?” asked Tidal Wave.
“Very funny,” replied the solider. “Kill the Red Team tomorrow. Then you can eat.”
Tidal jerked his chains and moaned.
As I gathered dinner from the depot, I heard Tidal moaning. He hadn’t eaten for days. I told the cook I needed food for sixty-three men, even though I only needed enough for sixty-two. I wrapped the extra food. When it got late, I snuck through the camp and fighting area and hid under a table. The guard and Tidal Wave were both sleeping.
I nudged to Tidal Wave awake, and he grabbed me. I pointed at the food, and he let me go and ate quickly. He looked at me and nodded, thanking me. I returned to the camp and lay down beside Father. I held him tight and went to sleep.
Nobody had an appetite the next morning, not even Father, who was to be the first in the ring.
“That’s not fair,” said Roy. “I want to be first so I can kill him and be the king of the ring.”
“Let’s draw straws,” suggested Tie. “I, too, want to be king of the ring.”
I held the straws. Tie got the shortest and Father got the next to shortest.
The soldiers took them to the ring.
When Tidal appeared, the crowd began chanting, “Tidal, Tidal, Tidal.”
He stepped over the ropes into the ring.
The king stood at the podium and said, “Bring the sword.”
Priest carried the sword into the ring and drove it into the ground, not quite in the middle of the ring. Priest smiled at the king then walked out of the cage and locked the door behind him.
“Thank you, Priest,” said the king. “On this side, we have the heroes of my birthday celebration, the Red Team. On this side, I give you the God of the Ring—Tidal Wave.”
The crowd went wild.
“There is one rule today,” the king said. “Only two men in the ring at a time. If anyone else enters the ring, that person will be killed. Get this blood bath started.”
The horns sounded, and Tie ran after the sword. So did Tidal. Tie reached the sword first and slid under Tidal. Tie was good with the sword, but Tidal’s steel armbands deflected it. Tie backed up and waited for Tidal to charge. When he did, Tie jumped into the air and sliced him across the shoulder. Tidal wiped the blood with his hand then licked his hand clean.
Another sword dropped into the ring beside Tidal, complements of the king. Tidal picked it up, and Tie thrust his sword through Tidal Wave’s arm. Tidal picked Tie up, the sword still jutting from his arm. Tie tried to pull it out, but Tidal ran his sword through him. He threw Tie and the sword out of the ring then pulled the one from his arm and threw it out of the ring, too.
Father went to step into the ring, but Roy jumped in first.
“It’s my turn,” said Father.
“He was my friend,” replied Royal.
Roy ran across the ring and drove Tidal into the cage bars then picked him up and slammed him to the ground.
Roy turned his head to look at us and cried, “I got him.”
Another sword fell into the ring beside Tidal and he stabbed Roy in the chest. Tidal threw Roy over the ropes. Tidal shook his fist at the king. “I don’t need your help!”
Father jumped into the ring, and Tidal attacked. My father swept Tidal’s leg with his foot. Tidal went to one knee, and Father tried to kick him in the head. Tidal grabbed his leg and threw him out of the ring. Father hit the ground, out cold.
Steven ran into the ring. Tidal looked at him and growled. Steven backed into the ropes, but Tidal picked him up. I ran to the cage wall, hoping to intervene.
“No!” I cried. “Enoch only wants you to do his bidding.”
The king stood. “Kill him!”
“You will not tell me what to do anymore,” Tidal howled.
He threw Steven to the ground and ripped the cage door off.
The soldiers tried to stop him, and he crushed them as if they were ants. The crowd tried to run, but there was nowhere to go. Tidal shoved through the crowd. The king told his archers to shoot him. Tidal picked up a cart to block the arrows then made his way to the podium.
Father woke and saw Tidal clawing his way to the king. He grabbed a sword and threw it with all his might. It stuck into the podium. Tidal looked at my father, grabbed the sword, and began to kill anyone protecting the king,
King Enoch and Seth fell to their knees and begged for their lives.
“You will not tell me what to do any more,” Tidal repeated.
“I will let you go,” cried the king.
“If only that were true,” Tidal said. “That will be the last lie you ever tell.”
Tidal swung his sword, severing the king’s head. He held it in the air and looked at us.
“I am king now!” he roared with his fists in the air.
Seth ran a spear into Tidal’s back, and Tidal fell to his knees. Soldiers beat Tidal into the ground.
Seth stood on Tidal’s body. “I am God now.”
Everyone bowed, except us. Seth gave us a long look and walked away.
CHAPTER 14
The Reign Of Seth
It had been weeks since the last fight. We were ordered to stay in our camps until the day King Seth called everyone to the podium.
“What’s happening, Lock?” I asked as we waited for King Seth.
“Nothing, my man, but the new king buried his brother,” he said. “They say Tidal is still alive, and Seth chained him inside the king’s tomb and buried the queen and her daughters with Enoch. The king also thinks that Red Head is trouble.”
“That’s terrible. Why would he burry them?”
“Enoch didn’t want the girls having any babies. Be quiet. King Seth is about to talk.”
King Seth walked to the podium and held his hands in the air. Everyone cheered for “God Seth.” The king lowered his hands.
“I am your new king and god,” said King Seth. “I’ll give you your entertainment, and you give me your loyalty. Now, bow before your god.”
Everyone bowed except us.
“Rise,” said Seth.
The people stood and rejoiced. King Seth announced that the blood would flow tomorrow. The crowd cheered. We went back to the camp. I was thinking, and I guess my face showed it.
“What’s wrong, Noah?” Father asked.
“My first kiss is dead, Father.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Seth buried Enoch’s daughters and wife with him. I kissed her, and now she is dead. I don’t understand, Father. Why hasn’t God done anything?”
“Sometimes son, God puts his faith in people.”
“Father, there are only three of us that seem to care.”
“And there’s only one God.”
That night, I woke from a nightmare.
“What’s wrong, Noah?” Father asked.
“I hear someone screaming under the ground. I think its Tidal.”
“What are you talking about?”
“King Seth buried him alive.”
“Lay close to me and let me sing you my favorite song,” said my father, wrapping his arm around me. He began to sing it was so nice.
Morning came, and the soldiers announced, “Red Head is fighting today.”
“But we haven’t drawn numbers yet,” I protested.
“The king said he fights.”
The fight was against a massive two-headed tiger. The next day, he fought two wallaby beasts. The day after that was a giant crab, and the day after that was a massive anaconda followed by a giant spitting cobra. The chants for Red Head grew louder than the chants for the king and Priest. King Seth grew jealous.
My Uncle Steven’s first fight alone was against a giant alligator. He won that fight and many more. The king had sent a spy to watch Steven and father. The spy though that Steven and Father were lovers because they slept together so he told the king. The king ordered Father and Steven to fight each other. I tried to talk the soldiers out of it.
“Teams do not fight each other,” I argued.
Lock said, “Steven is Blue Team now.”
“By order of the king,” another solider said.
They told Steven and Father to get into the ring. The chants for Red Head started as Priest came into the ring. He held his hands in the air and summoned Hawk.
King Seth stood. “Put them back! No angels!”
Priest put Hawk back.
“Get out of the ring, Priest!” King Seth ordered.
Priest flashed a devilish grin. “You have to kill your boyfriend. What now, big man?”
“Your days are numbered,” Father promised.
Priest laughed. “I will live for eternity.”
The horns sounded.
“I am not going to fight this man!” Father declared. “I’ll fight any beast or creature, but I will not fight this man!”
The crowd went silent.
“If you don’t fight, you both die,” the king insisted. “Archers, get ready.”
Steven charged Father. Father dodged, and Steven fell to the ground.
Father glared at the king. “I beseech you, don’t make me fight him.”
“You don’t have to fight him if you bow and call me God,” thundered King Seth.
“I will, I will,” Father cried as he fell to his knees.
Steven said, “I will not allow you to call him God for me.” He turned and faced Seth. “I denounce you. I deny that you are God. You are no more than a man, mortal and fallible, and your days are numbered.”
Seth’s eyes narrowed, and his face flushed. Sputtering, he hissed, “Shoot him. Shoot him now!”
Four arrows pierced Steven’s body. He staggered and fell. Father rushed to him and held his head in his lap.
“I read Priest’s lips,” Ste
ven sputtered between blood-filled coughs. “I know how to summon our angels.”
“How?” Father cried.
“Don’t forget these words.”
Steven whispered in Father’s ear and went limp. Father gently closed his brother’s eyes, kissed him, and lowered his head tenderly to the ground. He got up and walked out of the ring.
A month passed. Father said nothing during that time. He didn’t fight, and he ate little. He spent most of his time in bed, where he screamed in his dreams every night.
One day at the depot, I ran into Frank and Lock. Frank was bragging about a young fighter named Damon.
“My father is the best,” I said.
“Your father was a champion, but now he is old news,” replied Frank.
I thought of the many months I’d watched my father fight and survive, and thought of him now, tortured, helpless, and despondent, and I couldn’t stop myself. I punched Frank. He stared at me, stunned, and then we go in it. I emerged with a black eye, but I gave him two.
“Damon is going to kill your father,” Frank said as he dusted himself off and walked away.
“We will see.”
“Are you all right, Noah?” asked Lock.
“What’s happening, Lock?” I asked. “Priest summoned an angel the other day, and it was a girl. The king forced the girl angel to his bed. That’s not right. Angels are of God.”
“He thinks he is God,” Lock said. “One day, he will be punished. I am scared. I’ll be sixteen soon.” Lock looked around nervously. “I have to go, but watch for the soldiers,” he said. “They are coming for you.”
I returned to camp and found Father sitting by the fire. When he saw my black eye, he grabbed me. “You have been fighting!” he cried. “Do not fight. If you fight, you might die.”
“Father, I know you lost your brother, but I need you.”
“I know,” Father replied. “I promise I’ll try.”
I went to watch Damon fight the next day. He looked a lot like Steven. The priest summoned his angel, and when it sprang forth, I saw that it had horns.
Angels of the Second Earth Age Page 7
