by Nicol, Andy
Soul shook his head, but she clung to him as hard as she could. “Won’t — can’t.”
“But those guys could kill you!”
“They won’t. The bird has the K9 now… Won’t let anything happen to each other … r-right?” He looked up at me. I nodded back at him and shivered again. My mind was numb from sleep deprivation, and my toes were numb from the cold. But I was willing to let them spend as much time as needed together, even if it took a while.
Soul closed his eyes and stroked Tina’s hair. Then he pried her off so he could stand up. She still cried and clung to his leg. His mother turned to me with determination and roughly grabbed my shoulders. “If he ever says he thinks he’s going to lose, or he says that he can’t do this, then I want you to hit him on the head to knock some sense into him. Take care of each other.”
I nodded and hugged her tightly, her nails digging into my jacket. I sighed as I let her go and got down on my knees, motioning for Tina to come over. The tiny girl did and silently leaned against me. “My friend Louis will be around if you need him. He’s a little bit scary but he’s nice. He’ll do whatever you need while we’re at the tournament, okay?” She sniffled but nodded. “You have to keep him safe though! You have to win and keep him safe!”
“I will, I promise.”
Twenty-Seven
My stomach was in knots — so was my hair — and the ink on my cheek was smudged. My hands were shaking, I couldn’t breathe properly, and my pants were too tight.
Soul, however, stood as still as a statue beside me as I desperately tried to readjust myself. Swords sitting awkwardly at my hips and a knife concealed in my boot … all articles of clothing too tight. I nervously tugged at the tape around my chest, and the cloak hanging from my metal-plated shoulder pads brushed haphazardly against Soul’s trench coat.
He barely flinched.
“I’m going to freeze out there,” I muttered. I wasn’t permitted to bring a jacket because they wanted us to wear our ordinary armour, so instead, Chrissy stitched a thick fur lining under the metal and stitched on thin sleeves made of fleece instead of spandex. Soul had reattached the sleeves to his jacket with some green string he found, making it look messy and probably not at all warm.
We were going to freeze out there.
It had warmed up overnight — enough that a sweater was warm enough for a walk — but we all knew that could change in an instant. Who knows? Maybe this place was part of Canada before the land shifted around again.
I had to stop letting myself get distracted! This was serious, we could die! And there was the stomach ache again…
“S-scared …,” Soul stated suddenly.
We were moments away from being let into the battlegrounds, and the anxiety levels were on the rise. Every warrior was nervous, not just Soul and me, but I think we had the most to lose here. They were in the process of briefing us on the rules, which we already knew. The only ways to eliminate our opponents were to attack until their vitals dropped to threatening levels or to drive them out of bounds. It wasn’t that hard to understand.
As they continued to give examples of past years’ elimination tactics and a little bit of first aid training, I pulled Soul out of the tent.
Johnny was waiting just outside. He was leaning on both crutches and wearing a fancy suit, a pink daisy tucked into the pocket. I’d never seen him so dressed up.
“Benji, I should have told you this before I left; I don’t have much time. I love you more than words can say, and I don’t want you to do this —”
“Johnny, no. You can’t do this to me again. I don’t want to hear it!”
“Well tough!” He shouted, his eyes tearing up. “You’re the only family I have! I’m supposed to keep you safe, and I can’t do that out there!”
I stared at him. “You don’t get to say this again! You knew what I was getting into when I joined the league. I’m doing this for you and you know it!”
“I don’t want you to get revenge for me! Benji, I don’t care about them. I don’t want you to die! Our parents left you with me — they trusted me to take care of you. What will they think if I just let you walk into this?”
“You’re an idiot!” I shrieked at him. We stared at each other for a second, and then he dropped his crutches and wrapped his arms around my neck. I hugged him back and supported most of his weight. His cologne was overpowering; it almost made me sick.
“I know,” he sniffled, “I’m panicking for no reason. I wanted to remind you that you’ll always have a way out, even though I know you won’t take it. I won’t be there this time. If it goes south I can’t help you. Do your best out there for me. I don’t want to see you bleed.”
“You won’t be there this time. I think that might help.” I let go of my brother and kissed his cheek.
“I love you, Benji.”
“I love you too. If things get bad, please don’t watch. Promise me that.”
He nodded and touched my hair, then took his crutches and started backing away. His finger crossed his chest and he choked as he gave a sad smile. “I can promise without a doubt.”
I felt Soul wrap his arm over my shoulders as we watched Johnny hobble away. My eyes started to water and I rubbed my face. My stomach was hurting for a completely new reason. “Come on, let’s go catch the last of the briefing.”
As we pushed through the fabric, we ran smack into our biggest threats, Jekyll and Hyde. Without a word, Hyde produced a few photos from his ratty jacket and shoved them into Soul’s hands. They looked like crime-scene photos, but I knew exactly what they were and took them from Soul before he registered what had just happened.
“We know how to get inside your head, K9. We know you,” Hyde stated, snarling.
Jekyll’s guttural bellow followed. “But there isn’t much to know about that bird of yours. His head is empty, unpredictable. He doesn’t think when he raises that axe. But his head isn’t empty all the time, is it? What do you hear, boy? What do they tell you to do? Day in and day out, whose voices do you hear? Is it silent, or is there screaming — or maybe it’s the blank and mindless filler of elevator music?”
“That’s enough!” My cheek twitched as I demanded they stop. “We are only human! We don’t deserve this abuse and your horrible tormenting. For the last time, our pasts are not your playthings. You can’t make up our stories to make us weak! You can’t use them against us anymore!”
“Oh, Vixen” — Hyde grasped his chest — “you’ve moved me.”
“Oh, I’m going to move you in a second …,” I growled. “Soul’s health isn’t yours to dictate. He is who he is. We are who we are. Pain is pain, and the world has done nothing to heal us, so thank you. Thank you both for teaching us how to take care of ourselves, how to lick our own wounds. Today I’m going to show you just how grateful I am.”
I turned my back to them. Listening to their taunting wasn’t going to help us, and it wasn’t going to make us feel better. If I had to fake my strength in order for Soul to believe that I was not afraid to go head-to-head with those brutes, then that’s what I would have to do. He had to believe we would do it. It was the only way we’d be able to.
Soul squeezed my hand and started to shake his head. His voice was stronger than I expected it to be, though he still stuttered, “C-can’t — won’t let them … hmm-mm… They are wrong about the bird. They are wrong, K9.” He leaned into me slightly while we walked out of the tent. It was comforting to have him this close. He was warm, alive.
“I wish … I wish I could tell you that it’s going to work out. I wish that I knew it’s going to be okay, but I don’t know! I can’t lose you too!” I looked away from him and sighed. “We just… We can’t let them scare us.”
We started walking again, but the air was different. The rest of the warriors started to gather at the boundary of the battlegrounds, and we could hear them all chattering.
I swallowed my own fear and grabbed Soul’s hand. He flinched but kept his eyes forward. T
he tournament’s music sounded loudly and onlookers cheered, knowing very well that they were about to see people get slaughtered. I shivered slightly, and Soul squeezed my hand to reassure the both of us.
We could hear Agatha yelling from a few metres away, at her wit’s end. “But what if we get separated? Or what if they make us go in separately? Then what? How do I find you?”
“Aggy, relax,” Iggy said, looking annoyed.
“How can I relax? I’m marching to my death!”
“Ladies and gentlemen, this year’s Tournament of Survivors will begin in a few moments.” My brother’s voice paused, with a hitch I knew all too well. “The warriors must decide between themselves who will enter the competition first.”
Soul quickly flinched and turned his entire, large body to me. “K9 goes first!”
I slowly shook my head. “Nope.” I bit my lip and looked up at him. “I went first last time, remember?”
Soul protested by grunting and whining, even shaking my arm. I laughed softly, but he roughly grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look at him again, determination pulling at his features.
“Have to!”
I shook my head again and grabbed him by the back of the neck, his straw-like hair getting caught in my fingers. “Once Jekyll and Hyde are finished and done with, I have nothing. All I have is Johnny, but it would be easier for him… Look, you still need to knock some sense into Dan! You have to take care of Tina. I’ve lived my dream and it wasn’t too great! But you have so much that you never got to do. You need to get out of Dodge first! I can handle myself perfectly fine and you know that. If warriors decide to camp and wait to eliminate the second round, I can move faster than you. I’ll run. I can get past them! You … might not be able to dodge them all.”
His breathing increased. Violently shaking his head and swallowing hard, he shut his eyes. I yanked him closer again, his nose inches from mine. Those green eyes were filling me with guilt.
“Soul, just do it! You still have work to do, and it’s important—”
“B-but, K9!”
“Crow … please.”
He dropped his hands to his sides and sighed. I looked at the ground as he slowly started to nod, choking on his breaths.
“F-for my … K9?”
“Who else?” My voice caught and he bit his lip. My throat burned, but I stood ready as Soul stepped back beside me and tightly held my hand, fingerless gloves scratching my skin.
“My K9.”
I nodded and placed my other hand on the hilt of my blade for reassurance. The other warriors were still buzzing and discussing, but we stood in silent fear. God! I really wanted Soul to be safe. Please be safe…
“Now I lay me down to sleep,” I breathed, “I pray the lord my Soul to keep —”
“If I should die before I wake,” Soul joined in. “I pray thy heart to never break…” He trailed off and grunted as he held in a frustrated shout. Every time he had to deal with something that was emotionally painful, he dealt with it like he was in physical pain … which made it harder on both of us. That prayer … I didn’t know what it was actually supposed to say, but he taught me his version the other day — or rather, he muttered it in his sleep.
“Alright, I hope everyone’s ready because the forty-sixth annual Tournament of Survivors is about to begin!” Johnny yelled.
Soul exhaled, his face draining of colour even more if that was at all possible. I fought the urge to tell Johnny to get on with things. Luckily, a loud bell sounded and the first group was released. Soul started to step forward, but I wasn’t quite ready to let him go yet and yanked him back by his arm.
The breath was momentarily knocked out of me as Soul quickly fell back and threw his arms around me. My nose pressed into his neck for a second, and then I shakily kissed his cheek, his hair tickling my ear. I squeezed my eyes shut and kissed his cheek again, harder this time. He started to turn his head, but before he had a chance to reach my lips, I stepped back and pushed him off. Why should I let him do that to us when I don’t even know if there will be an us by the end of the day?
He took a few steps backwards but kept those tired eyes fixed on me. The shadows cast over him by the trees reminded me of the day we met, when his office was completely dark and I was at my wit’s end. The tired and cautious look on my face must have resembled that of when we met as well, because my partner smirked and grabbed his axe before he disappeared. He shouted back to me as he started to run: “Mystery, mystery, what can I say?”
I shook my head and unsheathed my swords, biting my lip and getting antsy. A few minutes passed and the second group — including Greg, Ignatius, Hyde, and me — prepared ourselves.
The final bell rang out, and most of the warriors started running for the woods. Ignatius hung back and grabbed Greg’s arm, whispering something to him, then walking towards me.
I still hadn’t moved.
I had noticed that Hyde was stalking towards me at a relatively slow pace. I faced Ignatius. “Get out while you still can.”
He shook his head and turned his back to Hyde. “There’s a small cave a ways into the forest. If you need any of us, we’ll be there.”
I nodded curtly, then shoved him to the side, bringing both swords up to shield myself from Hyde’s spiked mace. It was heavier than I was ready for, and I had to take a small step back in order to keep my balance.
“Why don’t you run, little dog?”
“Because I’m not a puppy,” I shot back. “I am a wolf, I am a hunter, and I am the best damn warrior you’ve ever made the mistake of pissing off!”
I shoved him back and roundhouse kicked him in his probably already broken nose. He hollered and swung at me again, blinded by tears and rage. I ducked under his arm, but his weapon caught my arm and threw me to the ground. I tried to hit him on the back of his neck but missed and slid my body through the mud to get away instead. A fistful of dirt in my hand, I leapt up again and threw it in his face. I brought my sword down on the back of his leg then shoved him down long enough to start running for shelter, holding my bleeding shoulder.
The frost on the ground crunched under my boots, and my fingers were already starting to go numb, not ideal for the situation. My lungs burned and breathing quietly was becoming difficult, so I stopped and rested my back against a tree. I was starting to see my breath and could hear shouting extremely close by, so I pulled myself up onto a branch and waited.
Since it was damn cold and I didn’t want to be there all day, I decided to pursue whoever was there, attempt to take them out. Little bit of practice, right? Balancing on thick branches and hopping between trees, I followed the sounds until I found a standoff between three men. They stood in a circle facing one another — a blond, a redhead, and a man with an eye patch. A fourth man was lying on the ground, eyes glazed over, clutching his chest. I couldn’t tell if he was breathing or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he were dead already.
“Well, boys, what do we have here?” I dropped from my perch and swung my sword around, the beads on the end wrapping themselves around my wrist.
“Look, lady. We’re not going to hurt a girl, so just go find your boyfriend and —”
I cut him off by swinging my weapon directly down on his shoulder, tearing flesh and spewing blood across the forest floor. He fell to the ground and cried out for help, begging for the pain to end.
“I can make it stop, but I kind of want to maintain my status as a good guy, so I’ll give you another option: quit. Leave the competition and someone will come get you. Otherwise you’ll bleed out in a very short time,” I offered as I rested the tip of my bloodied blade on the ground.
“Okay, I quit! Send in the damn medic.”
I smiled and turned to his friends. They shared a look and one held his hands in the air.
“I quit too!”
“Are you kidding me? Fight like a man, will you! It’s just a girl!”
I lost my temper again and kicked the sexist pig back, pinning him aga
inst a tree with my blade at his neck. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
I caught sight of a glass shard in his hand and felt a sudden stinging in my cheek; he made it clear that he was ready for a fight. I stepped back and punched him in the nose, cracking my knuckles and knocking him out. His friend thought he’d be smart and tried to hit me with his baseball bat. I leapt to the side and sighed as he went headfirst into a tree trunk.
“Twenty-five of our thirty warriors are left!”
I heard Johnny’s voice faintly as I pictured the eliminated fighters’ faces flashing across the bottom of every screen in the city, the same as they had every year I’d watched the tournament.
My brother. I’d put him through so much…
I shook off the feeling creeping up in my stomach and prayed that Soul wasn’t the other person eliminated from the competition. I know the man on the ground was out, and so was the blond pig that quit. I wondered who the other three were. After dragging my sword across the ground to clean it, I looked into the trees and heard leaves rustle in the wind. I heard something else too. I recognized it but never would have known it was the sound of the strong, black wings of a crow if he hadn’t perched himself in the exact spot I sat minutes ago.
There’s no way it was Lock. Crows were smart, but that would be crazy, right?
“Hey, little guy.” I held my arm up and he tilted his head. I gave a sigh and dropped my hand. “I must be crazy. I know, birdy, I should find my Crow.” The bird squawked at me, then hopped to a different branch, his black feathers sticking off of him in the cold air.
“Look, I can’t help you right now, but if I see you again, I’ll try to find some food.”
Hearing boots on the ground behind me, I quickly hauled myself back into the tree, hoping they hadn’t heard me. I balanced carefully and waited. Maybe I could take out more warriors if I was lucky. I gave up hope of that when I saw the slick brown hair of Jekyll. The two men were stalking around and whistling, as though looking for a dog. This wasn’t a fun game for me, but it clearly was for them. Following the little black bird that hopped along through the trees in front of me, I made my way deeper into the woods.
