by S. E. Green
The appearance of blood draws a collective breath from the crowd.
Camille glances down at the dark red streaking through the bronze powder and then back up at Gem. She narrows her eyes in amusement and Gem gives a very tiny shrug. I’ve been nicked a million times—as have they—it really is nothing.
Camille moves lightning quick then, twirling, swinging her sword. Gem goes to block and Camille ducks, swerves, and pops her in the side of the head.
The crowd laughs.
This time Gem narrows her eyes and Camille shrugs. A smile tugs at my lips. They’re having a bit of sparring fun. Like chess—watching, strategizing, predicting next moves.
Gem takes a few steps back, and Camille follows.
She sweeps her sword along the ground in a fake trip and Gem hops over it. Then she moves forward into a lunge and roundhouses to the right instead of her usual left. Her foot connects in the center of Camille’s chest and knocks her right on her ass.
Camille doesn’t hesitate a second in snapping to her feet and slamming the butt of her sword against Gem’s wrist. Her weapon flies from her grip and plops into the water. Camille steps forward and points her sword at Gem’s chest. She’s won.
The crowd politely applauds, and my two friends smirk at each other. I can already tell this is going to turn into an ongoing match.
“That’s it?” the scratchy-voiced woman yells over the crowd, and the entire room stills. “That’s it?” she repeats on a scoff. “That was nothing.”
With an apprehensive smile, Dominus looks around the room. “We save the real violence and gore for the arena. This was meant to be a simple entertaining demonstration.”
The woman folds her arms. “Well, I don’t want to wait for the arena. I want to see something now. Right here. Right in front of me.”
Dominus and his wife exchange a muddled look. Like they’re not sure how they lost control of their own party.
Camille and Gem stare into each other’s horrified eyes. They know something bad is about to happen.
Bareket flings her hand through the air. “If it’s the money you’re worried about. I’ll reimburse you.” She turns to her new pal. “He does love his warriors.” She puts her arm around the woman’s shoulders. “Now, what is it you would like to see?”
The woman smiles and steeples her fingers in front of her lips as she studies my two friends posed on the planks crossing the pool. Dead seconds go by and with each one something claws inside of me, wearing at me, rubbing me raw.
“I…” she finally speaks, “would like to see the blond one cut the other one’s arm off.”
Several people gasp. Others chuckle. And every nerve and fiber inside of me suspends in the air surrounding me.
Alexior wraps his fingers around my forearm and squeezes tightly. “Do not speak. Do not move.”
Camille’s eyes fill with tears and she stares imploringly over to Dominus. The atmosphere stills with heaviness as the entire villa waits for his response.
Dominus turns to look through the crowd, and I follow his gaze. There, all the way in the corner and standing by himself, is Vasquez. The room narrows, and my world goes mute. There is the man responsible for everything. The mastermind behind Saligia. The reason why I am here and my sister is dead. He looks exactly the same. Like months haven’t passed. Same slicked gray and black hair, same tan and weathered skin, same commanding stature.
I watch as he gives one single nod, and my gaze trails back to Dominus. He breathes out, getting control of himself, and straightens his shoulders. “Bareket’s right. I do love my warriors. I spend a lot of time and money on them. These are two of my best.”
Hope springs through me. Maybe Vasquez’s nod was for the positive.
“But,” he continues, “Saligia is here for your pleasure, not for theirs. If you want to see Camille cut Gem’s arm off, then that is what I will give you.”
Immediately, I take a step forward and Alexior yanks me right back. “Stop. You will get both of them killed if you do anything.”
Every muscle in my body angrily shakes and I clench my fists to try to gain some control. It takes everything in me not to move. Not to storm up there. Not to scream.
In front of me Gem and Camille stare into each other’s blurry eyes. Then Gem turns and looks right at Razo.
I glance down the line to see his enormous body shaking just as violently as mine. To see Ignatius gripping his arm just like Alexior grips mine. To see him nod at Gem to let her know it’s going to be okay.
Gem lifts her quivering hands to Camille’s face and kisses her on the cheek. “I love you. It’s going to be okay. You have to do this. They will kill us both if you don’t.”
Camille lets out a soft sob as tears stream down her cheeks. “I can’t,” she whispers.
Gem swallows and releases Camille and takes a step back. “Yes. You. Can.”
“No,” Camille cries.
Dominus signals the soldiers and they start to move forward. My mouth goes dry.
Gem takes Camille’s sword and forces Camille’s limp fingers to grip the handle. Camille twists her hand, trying to get it free, and Gem just wrenches it back into place. She lays down in front of Camille and extends her left arm.
“Do it!” Gem yells.
The soldiers move closer. How is this fun for these people? It’s just sick. Everything about this place is just so goddamn sick.
“DO IT!” Bareket shouts.
Camille’s breath comes fast and she lifts her sword high into the air. With a scream that ricochets through her entire body she swings the blade down in one swift blow.
Gem’s shriek echoes through the room and then she blessedly loses consciousness. Red flows over the wood platform and down into the pool, swirling with the bronze powder in bloody juxtaposition. Camille drops the sword and collapses to her knees.
My heart punches my rib cage. Banging. Deep. Reverberating through me. Deafening me.
I look across the room to Bareket and the scratchy-voiced woman. They both have the audacity to cringe. Then they turn away, not even looking at what they caused. What they requested. They go back to drinking, insensibly laughing, and stroll away.
When it comes time, I will start by cutting that woman’s arm off and then I’ll go from there. Better yet I’ll let Camille do it.
I no longer think of life beyond Saligia.
I bet Camille does now.
I glance over to where Vasquez was standing to now see him gone. Correction, I won’t start with that woman, I’ll start with him. Then I’ll move onto Bareket.
~44~
Early the next morning I find Camille pacing back and forth on the training ground. I watch her from a distance as she mumbles to herself and throws a punch into the air.
Quietly, I approach.
She spins on me and the crazed look in her eyes, her taut expression, makes me pause.
She screams and runs at the wooden post and pounds it with her fists. Right. Left. Right. Left. She thrashes. Until blood begins to spot the wood. But she doesn’t stop and just keeps on and on and on. And then begins kicking it.
I watch her frenzy, my throat swelling, wanting to go to her, but not sure how.
Panting, she moves back to punching and through the early morning darkness I see the blood soaking through her sandals and the skin splitting on her knuckles.
Finally, I move. “Camille.”
But she doesn’t stop.
Carefully, I touch her shoulder. She whirls on me, her face contorted, and attacks. My face and stomach become that wooden post. My shins take her kicks. I don’t fight back. I know she needs this. I have to be her strength.
I go down hard on the ground and she climbs on top of me. She grabs my shoulders and slams me back down into the dirt.
Tears spill out of her eyes and she continues punching, but there’s no power behind her fists. Minutes go by and she collapses on top of me, sobbing hard into my chest. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight.
I don’t know how much time passes. Seconds. Minutes. An hour. But finally she rolls off of me and lies in the sand.
“Dominus had no choice,” Alexior’s voice comes through the early morning.
I sit straight up. “Who the hell do you think you are defending him?”
“If he hadn’t honored the request more damage would have been done.”
“Honor?” I scoff. “Nothing about this place has honor.”
Alexior ignores me and looks straight at Camille. “You had no choice either.”
Camille pushes to her feet. “Is this it? This cycle? Accolades when we do as we’re told. Blood or death at someone’s whim. Are you going to tell me now that it’s going to be okay?” She huffs. “Because things are far from okay.”
“Sometimes we are forced to do things out of our control,” he answers. “Out of our choosing. You have to move beyond it or you’ll go insane.”
I climb to my feet, too. “I welcome the insanity.”
He shakes his head. “You’ll realize you don’t.”
I stare at him, unable to figure him out. One day I think he might be on our side and then the next I see nothing but allegiance to Dominus and Saligia. Alexior perplexes me. I’m never sure which side I’ll see.
He looks down at Camille’s bloody feet, then up to her fists, and then over to my equally bashed face. “Dominus wants to see both of you. And he’s not going to be happy now.”
“Who the fuck cares?” Camille snaps and stalks off.
Alexior and I stand for a few seconds longer, staring at each other like we want to say something, but neither of us knows what it is.
Finally, I follow Camille down the tunnel and on a last thought pause to look back. I see Alexior, like I have many times before, staring up at the just dawning, silent sky. I doubt his thoughts mirror the silence.
Minutes later we stand in Dominus’ office. Everyone has left and out in the villa the slaves clean up from the party that went all night. He takes one look at both of us and sighs. But it’s not an angry sigh. It’s a defeated one. Almost like he’s upset with himself, not us.
“I don’t know what to say,” he begins. “I’m so sorry. It was supposed to be a fun affair and it spiraled out of control. Some actions carry a very steep price. I don’t want what happened to affect our relationship. I feel like we’re at a place where we’ve never been before. You two have turned out to be incredibly valuable to me.”
We are only money and power to you, I want to say.
Tenderly, he takes both of our hands, surprising the shit out of me. “Your loyalty means a lot to me and I know I’ve let you both down. It’s important to me that you two know I had to relent to the new elite. The resulting damage would’ve been too great. You know this, right?”
I nod, as expected, but Camille doesn’t. If Dominus notices her lack of agreement, he doesn’t acknowledge it.
“Now let’s turn our thoughts to the upcoming fights.” He motions to my bloody face, to Camille’s mangled hands, and looks down at her bloody sandals. “What happened?”
“Your new elite is what happened,” I boldly speak. Vasquez is what happened. “We were both enraged over Gem and we took it out on each other.”
“It looks more like Camille took it out on you.”
Neither one of us responds to that.
He sighs and nods. “I understand. Any other time I would discipline you over this. But to show you my heartfelt apology, I am excusing you from this next round of fights. You two focus on getting well and training.”
I don’t trust this at all. This is not Dominus. Something is going on. What kind of game is he playing now?
Dominus looks at both of our stoic faces and heaves another sigh. “How can I make this right?”
You can let me kill Vasquez and Bareket. But I ask instead, “What of whoever had my sister? You promised me retribution.”
His face brightens. “Yes, as a matter of fact. I was going to tell you yesterday but with the party and all, things got lost in my head. I have located the owner of the whorehouse where she got dumped in Tawain. One week from now he will be here. And you can do as you wish.”
Retribution pulses through me, energizing me, focusing me, calming me. One week. But I also want the two men who bought Lena from Bareket, but I know that won’t happen. They’re elite. They’re untouchable.
“Where’s Gem?” Camille asks. “When can we see her?”
Dominus’ brows come together and his eyes slowly fill with anguish as he shakes his head. “I’m sorry. She didn’t make it. She bled out.”
~45~
A day goes by, and Camille barely speaks. Barely eats. I know she didn’t sleep last night either. I heard her pacing.
Now as we spar on the training ground she puts little effort into her swing.
I drop my sword and look down at her wrapped hands. “Do they hurt?”
She shrugs and nods to my beaten face. “No worse than that. I’m sorry by the way. I hope you know that.”
“I do.” And I really do.
Tears well in her eyes and she blinks them away. She’s cried more in the last day than the entire time I’ve known her. I know she needs a moment so I take her arm and guide her over into the shade where the water barrel sits. I ladle out a cup and give it to her and she drinks.
Together we watch Sera and Razo train with the twins. They will all go in the arena tomorrow instead of what would have been me, Camille, and Gem. The crowd will be disappointed I’m sure.
“Sera’s big comeback is tomorrow,” I say. “If the twins submit their opponents they will earn the mark of Saligia.”
Camille nods, though I know she’s not really listening to me.
“I dreamt of her last night,” she quietly admits. “She was playing with her little girl. She looked just like Gem with brown hair and those beautiful tilted green eyes.”
I smile at that image. “She did have gorgeous eyes.”
I glance across the training ground to where Alexior stands. He taps his wrist, indicating we have just another minute or so of rest.
“Razo won’t talk to me,” Camille painfully mumbles.
“He’s angry and he’s hurting. It may seem like he blames you, but he doesn’t. He just doesn’t know how to deal.”
Camille nods but I can tell my words don’t soothe her. “I wish Dominus would’ve let us see her body one last time.”
“Me, too.” I toss the ladle back into the barrel. “We should get back. Alexior is giving us the stink eye.”
This makes Camille chuckle and I’m so pleased to have brought her some joy today. “Every bit of happiness I’ve had in this place is because of you and Gem.” Her chuckle fades to a sad smile, and her bottom lip wobbles. Just the sight of it rips through me. “Please don’t leave me,” she whispers.
I take a step toward her and take her hand in mine. “I can promise you I will do everything in my power for that not to happen. If it does happen against my will, I will find you. We will find each other.”
~46~
The following day every warrior and recruit load up in the cart and head to the arena for the fights. There will be no murderers or rapists brought in for us to mutilate in public. It’s our ludus against another.
The pre-games come and go. Every warrior and recruit fights but me and Camille. Some win. Some lose. But for the first time ever, no one dies. I’m sure the new elite are not happy with that.
Night settles in, and the crowd knows the final match is about to begin. Sera, Razo, and the twins.
“Va-lor-i-a. Va-lor-i-a. Va-lor-i-a.”
Camille and I stand at the gate watching as the four of them enter and the crowd immediately begins booing.
“That’s not good,” I mumble.
The gate on the other side opens and out struts warriors from another ludus. I size them up. Two I recognize from previous fights and two are new.
Four of them. Four of us.
Dominus stands up and a
ddresses the crowd and then shouts, “Begin!”
Sera sprints right toward the largest of the four. She leaps and scissors her legs around his neck, rotates her body and his, and cracks his neck to loss of consciousness. She leaps to her feet and waggles her tongue and the crowd goes wild.
One down. Three to go.
“Looks like Sera’s back on game,” I say.
The male twin back rolls to dodge a spear, comes to his feet, and executes a spinning split in the air. His heel connects with his opponent’s chin and sends him sailing back.
The other twin slams her forearm into her opponent’s esophagus and he gags.
Razo flips forward, grabs a roped net, and flings it on top of his guy.
My eyes trace back over to the male twin as he drives his foot into the side of his challenger.
On it goes. Punches. Kicks. Leaps. Swordplay. Flying spears. Blood. The female twin has a skip in her step like she’s enjoying the blood a little too much.
Then surrender. Surrender. Surrender.
Sera, Razo, and the twins grasp hands and lift their fists into the air and the crowd cheers.
“Guess the twins will get branded tonight,” Camille says.
I nod. “Suppose we need to find out their names now that they’re warriors. We can’t very well go around calling them ‘the twins’ forever.”
“Yana and Willem,” Alexior answers. “Their names are Yana and Willem.”
The fact that he knows their names twirls a bit of tenderness through me. And guilt.
I should have known their names, too. I should’ve cared enough to ask. I’ve been training side by side with them for weeks. Have I lost the basic civilized ability to ask a person’s name—even if it’s not their real one? I hope not.
Razo comes through the gate first.
“Well done,” Camille says and Razo ignores her.
I grasp her shoulder to let her know it’s going to be okay, but she shrugs it away and goes to stand with the other warriors waiting on the cart to go back.
