Applause rolled through the arena like thunder. Every spectator had risen to their feet as the participants of the Ludos made their way onto the field. I could see the Fare Electus standing with the Stewards. The difference in size was not only an obvious advantage but it made me feel sorry for the smaller Fare as they were no doubt second guessing themselves.
“As you well know,” Governor Ezekiel continued, “The royal families have requested that the Fare and Stewards be held to the same standard. Well, today we will test each of them against that standard!”
More applause from the crowd drowned out his next sentence so he patiently waited for silence. The longer he had to wait, however, the larger his smile became, and the larger his smile became, the louder the crowd would get. I looked around and saw everyone smiling, laughing and patting each other on the back. It was clear to me that this event, this combined Ludos, was going to be the event of the century for some people. A full minute later Ezekiel was able to continue.
“Please turn with me to page three of your program. You will see the intellectual aptitude scores of each participant. Last night we tested their minds. Today we will test their bodies!”
More applause from the crowd as a few Fare Electus looked around nervously. There was a marathon that would begin in the next few minutes, in which all participants would run, but not everyone was competing in all of the events. I used my finger to keep my place in the list and noticed that they had fencing. I read the description, curious about the sport since I was an utter failure at it, and noticed the ‘fine print’. The fencing was to be done with 4 foot long broadswords that weighed 5 pounds each. No pads or chain-mail allowed. The first to bleed three times looses the match. My gaze returned to the nervous Electus. Stuff just got real!
We stood for the singing of what I can only assume was the Vampiric anthem. I’m not sure if I was expecting there to be lyrics of about blood lust and neck biting, but the theme of respect and honor took me by surprise. The duo who sang the song did so with an air of pride that was evident even from my vantage point and I made a mental note to get those lyrics and read them.
The marathon started in the arena and was projected onto several big screens throughout. We watched on a screen in our viewing box and rooted for our favorites. As the sun made its way to the highest point in the sky, our first runner was seen nearing the finish line. He was a Steward who looked much too large to have finished ahead of any of the Fare. He ran straight through the finish line as if he had just finished a relaxing jog to the kitchen and bowed to the five royal families. I watched as each family made notes on their fact sheets about the runner and wondered whose house he would end up in.
The next few runners were male Fare, one of which was Ethan Piedmont. I felt the pride as his family led the applause that rang out in the Middle Caste portion of the arena. Ethan crossed the finish line and bowed deeply in our direction, making it clear which house he was wishing for. All of the female participants finished between 3 and 5 hours of the start and, thankfully, were not the last to come in. The final runner was a 6’7” Steward who was more suited for a football field than a marathon course. That being said, he finished strong and bowed to the families as if he ran 26.2 miles every day.
While we waited for the nighttime events to start, everyone mingled and ate. I did some sightseeing around the island and ran into a few of the more curious natives. They didn’t approach but followed as I walked around, so I was very careful not to touch anything that they might claim as their own.
There wasn’t very much to see on the island. It was green and lush, but there were very few public building. The administration of the island was done from the same building that housed the banquet room. That building also had the library, school and a place of worship, which fascinated me to no end. Simply everything was done in there. The other buildings, aside from the primitive huts that the natives lived in, would have been considered luxury accommodations in my home town. Apparently the caste system did not extend to housing as every house was just as nice as the other.
They used a solar-powered version of a golf cart to get around the island. I remembered seeing what looked like solar panels just beneath the water’s surface near the entrance of the canal. It was obvious that they were powering the island. The houses and golf carts didn’t run on fossil fuel, everything here was green energy.
When the sun went down, so did the temperature and I quickly made my way to the indoor arena for the next event. Fencing was not a sport that most high schools in America have, so all I had to go on was my inadequate knowledge of the sport. I watched from the edge of my seat as the participants attacked, countered and parred. They were all very good. I was grateful for the time that I sat and watched Zander and Jordan because I wasn’t totally ignorant of the sport.
The last two participants were called and the crowd inhaled sharply. I looked up to see Wyatt Robeson and Ethan Piedmont take the floor. The two were of equal height and weight, so the match was even. Ethan had schooled his expression to be blank but Wyatt was clearly gloating. I checked the program to see that the Piedmonts were Middle Caste and instantly knew why Wyatt was so smug. I wondered if he thought Ethan would let him win or if he actually thought that he was better than him simply because of his bloodline. I silently prayed Ethan would win.
A soft gong rang out and the two went at it. It was more like a dance than a sword fight until Wyatt slashed Ethan’s cheek. I saw the cut open up and spill blood down the front of his tunic. They had both worn white and the effect was magnificent. The Vampires inhaled sharply, smelling the rich life force. Stewards, ever vigilant, took their posts closer to the floor to prevent any accidents, but the two fencers kept at it as if none of us were there.
I could see that Ethan was angry but under control. Wyatt, on the other hand, had obviously thought the match would have ended by then. I could see the frustration on his faced as his every parry was matched and bettered by a parry from Ethan. Wyatt was sweating from the temples and his hair looked like a wet mop atop his head. Ethan, even with the cut on his cheek, was cool and collected. He even did that little bring-it-on gesture that Morpheus does in The Matrix. That earned him big points in my book.
Wyatt, taking the bait, lunged and lost his balance. Ethan's blade narrowly missed slicing into his neck, which looked like an act of mercy, and cut Wyatt's left bicep instead. Without allowing Wyatt to gain his bearings, Ethan approached almost too fast to follow with the naked-eye, causing his opponent to drop his sword and crawl awkwardly backwards. Ethan slowed to a casual walk and picked up Wyatt's fallen weapon, bowed and extended it toward him, hilt first. The effect that it had on Wyatt's ego was visible all over his face.
Once on his feet, Wyatt made an elaborate attempt to save face by swinging his sword in wide and uncontrolled arcs in Ethan's direction. His desperation reminded me of the cartoon character Wile E Coyote. He closed the distance between them with little resistance from Ethan, but that was the desired outcome. Wyatt was in the process of taking another exaggerated swing of his sword, leaving his core completely unprotected, when Ethan scored other hit, right under Wyatt's right pectus. Two to one.
Crimson liquid dripped down the front of Wyatt's tunic and began to spread across his chest and his heavy breathing made the material look like an angry red sea. He lunged. Ethan side-stepped. Wyatt reversed and took a low swing, which brought a sound of disappointment from the crowd. He was simply out of control at that point; flailing around like a child on a playground. Wyatt, abandoning all fencing form and etiquette, ran at full speed toward Ethan swinging his sword like a Samurai.
If Ethan was surprised by this attack, he hid it extremely well. He simply waited for the right moment and moved out of the way, kicking Wyatt on the butt as he passed him. Applause erupted from the Fare in attendance, but were quickly extinguished by a look from the Governor. Ethan stood en garde and waited for Wyatt to regain composure, which seemed to take a bit of time. Wyatt was on the ot
her end of the floor, down on one knee, mumbling to himself.
When he finally stood, Wyatt's face was red and full of malice. He curtly saluted Ethan and began his approach. From the little I knew about him, I would have bet he was going to do something underhanded. I wasn't disappointed. Wyatt lifted his free arm and threw something into Ethan's eyes and followed with a lunge to the midsection. Before I could cover my eyes, Ethan, whose vision was impaired, took one deep breath and brought his sword down in an arc, catching Wyatt on the right shoulder. Drawing blood for the third time, even half blind, Ethan won the event.
The High Caste were such poor losers that they stomped out of the arena. The Middle and Lower Caste stayed to offer their congratulations to Ethan and his family. That just goes to show that good manners had nothing to do with class standing.
The next few evening events went just about the same way. All of the High Caste participants seemed to think they had the win even before the event began. Many of them were handed crushing defeats, while others had to struggle just to lose by decision. It had been a long day by the time the final gong rang out. Both the marathon and fencing had interesting victors. Chess and Chemistry were obvious predictions as the Fare who won both wore glasses just to look the part. I knew from my research and from talking to the Fare at the compound, that they had perfect vision and had no need for glasses. They had simply used them as props and I thought it looked good.
Exhaustion pressed down on my shoulders as Solomon led me and Chloe back to our suites. As we walked through the corridors, several female Fare Electus stood and bowed. They were gathered in a quad area; some tending to sword wounds and others icing the blisters on their feet. Most of them were around my age, but a few were older. I guessed there was a need to replace Fare that had passed away, or ran away, which is what I thought I would have done. I saw a handful of Electus that were Chloe’s age. Twelve years old had to be too young to leave your family forever, but these young ones had the look of excitement in their eyes as if they were in for the adventure of their lives. It probably would be.
We rounded the last corner, and relieved to finally be this close to a shower and bed, I closed my eyes in anticipation. Three steps around the corner and I ran straight into someone. We must have hit our heads together because, when I opened my eyes, she was holding her head as well. She was one of the Fare Electus. At first she looked as if she was going to scream at me for not watching where I was going. I deserved it; who was I to walk around with my eyes closed? But she caught herself and started to bow before I caught her by the elbow. I held her upright even though she fought to bow. Her nose had started to bleed and her white uniform had little red spots on it. I started to lead her toward my suite.
“Cheyenne, this is highly inappropriate,” Solomon said, though he did nothing to stop our progress.
I had her tilt her head back and handed her a hand towel the second we entered my rooms. Solomon, Chloe and another unknown female Fare Electus followed us in. While Solomon went into the bathroom and ran some cold water, the rest of us sat on my couch. Chloe and the other Fare looked concerned and I wondered just how hard I had hit her. I hoped that she hadn’t broken her nose.
Solomon came to the couch with a cold compress and put in on the Fare’s forehead. Her face was a little pale so I jumped up and grabbed a piece of fruit for her to eat. I offered her a piece of the fruit and she looked horrified, as if I had just offended her. Clueless, I looked at Solomon who shrugged and repeated his warning about this being ‘highly inappropriate’.
“I beg your pardon. We shouldn’t be here.” The Fare sounded strange speaking with her nose plugged.
“I know, I know. It’s highly inappropriate, but I ran into you. The least I can do is make sure that you aren't hurt.”
“I’m fine. Truly.”
She still looked pale and had not taken the fruit from me. I held it up to her again and she reached out tentatively. I could see that she was caught between doing as I asked and doing what she was trained to be appropriate. Fare were supposed to cater to Vampires, not the other way around. But I couldn’t let her leave my suite and pass out somewhere.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
“Oh, no, Cheyenne”, Solomon said, before the girl could answer. “Not only are you not supposed to socialize privately with the Electus, but you shouldn’t be on a first name basis. It is…”
“Highly inappropriate!” Chloe and I said at the same time.
“Her name is Rillae Simms and this one is Nicole Martenson,” Chloe pointed at the Fare standing next to her.
“Nice to meet you, ladies. I am Cheyenne and this is my sister Chloe.”
“Yeah, we know,” Rillae said, with sarcasm so thick that I burst out laughing.
I had nearly forgotten that everyone on the island knew who we were. Chloe was laughing as well, but Solomon and the two Fare were in stunned silence and that just made me laugh harder. I laughed so hard that I started to cry and then I cried so hard that the tears became real. I looked up and saw the bloody hand towel of a Fare whose life goal was to feed a Vampire. Really?
Reality hit me like a tons of bricks and I ran to the bathroom before I threw up all over the floor. Chloe followed me and held my hair, like any good sister, until I had emptied my stomach. A headache coming on and the next few hours would be a nightmare. Hushed voices followed me from the doorway as I was lifted off of the floor and placed on my bed. Then blackness took me like a thief in the night.
The next morning I felt like I had just been run over by a Mack truck. My head hurt and my mouth tasted like garbage. It was still dark outside, thank you God, so I felt my way to the bathroom. What I needed was an extra long shower and to brush my teeth. The steam helped clear my sinuses and my headache went from a ten to a four. I could live with a four. Someone had placed a robe and under garments on the vanity in the bathroom while I showered and I had them on when I entered the living room. Chloe, Nicole and Rillae were there, clad in pajamas, setting out fruits, breads and juice for breakfast. Solomon was nowhere to be found.
“He’s not here, Chey.” Chloe had guessed who I was looking for. “He left once you had fallen asleep and after he said ‘highly inappropriate’ about one hundred more times. But we promised him that we wouldn’t get caught.”
“How do you feel?” Rillae and I said at the same time. I wondered if she had the same killer headache as me, but she looked no worse for wear.
“I’m fine, thank you. Rejuvenating genes and all”, Rillae shrugged.
I nodded in understanding, remembering that injury recovery time was going to be a perk once I was Embraced. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to benefit from it too much.
I sat in the chair next to Rillae and grabbed a banana. Chloe and Nicole were looking at the Electus catalog and I knew we were in trouble. Even if we had all gotten here by mishaps and misfortunes, it was indeed highly inappropriate for Chloe to be discussing Fare Electus with a Fare Electus.
“Chlo, I think we need to get the girls back to their dorms.”
“We can’t. They missed curfew and were thought to have gone home for the night. We sent Solomon to tell their parents the story so that they don’t give us away. Their parents are thrilled, by the way.”
“Thrilled about what?” I asked before I thought about it. “No, no, no! You did not tell them that we had selected our female Fare already! No, Chloe, you didn’t”
“No, I didn’t. Solomon did.” She said, with her twelve year old hand on her hip. “And you can’t tell me that it isn’t true. Ask yourself who you are going to pick. A snotty High Caste Fare who just wants to live in a royal house or a Fare who stayed up all night to make sure you were okay.”
She had a point. She always had a point. I kind of hated that about her. I was supposed to be the big sister but this Vampire business was all her. I sat down and thought about it. I had fallen asleep thinking that Rillae’s sarcasm was the coolest thing I had heard since this whole thing started. She
was real, and I needed that right now. I thought of the High Caste Fare and how I hated the smug looks on their faces. Chloe was right. Rillae was a perfect match for me. We were even about the same size and sharing clothes was always something to consider.
I looked at Rillae just then and caught her staring at me. She looked angry. I was glad she was angry. I hoped she was angry with the whole system but I knew that she didn’t know anything else. So, I assumed she was angry at me for not jumping at the chance to have her for my Fare. But any type of emotion right now was better than kissing up to me.
“You would dedicate your life to me? Just like that? This is what you want? Honestly?” I was speaking so fast that I almost didn’t understand myself.
Rillae’s anger seemed to lessen as she realized that my reluctance had nothing to do with her personally. I hated the system, but, if I was honest, I wanted to live and I wanted my Vampire family to live. What would I rather they do? Starve? Go out and bite an innocent person? Someone who didn’t consent? I knew the other options and I didn’t like them. So, they banded together and came up with a solution, however archaic and barbarian I might think it was. And, it appeared to be working for everyone but me.
Rillae looked into my eyes with compassion and understanding. But there was something else there. Pride and strength.
“Look, I know what you must be thinking. I have read a lot of books about people our age. I know what you think about freedom and independent thought. And I agree with you to a point. In your human society there are many children who are homeless and go hungry. The Fare, no matter which Caste, have never experienced such things. We are well educated, fed and clothed. We travel and are entertained and cared for. We become family as well as...well, you know. It's not a bad life to have. I would be honored to be selected into the house of someone who cares so much about my people that she didn’t want to select me at all.”
Blood Descendants (St. Clair Vampires Book 1) Page 15
