by Peter Glenn
Which meant they wanted me to fight something.
I unsheathed Grax’thor, and my eyes darted about. All around the arena tank stood onlookers, some of them hooting and hollering and pounding on the glass.
But I didn’t have long to focus on them. In front of me, the ground shook and another opening appeared in the floor. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what was going to happen next. The other combatant had arrived.
A low growl echoed throughout the chamber, making my blood freeze. Then the owner of the growl finally appeared. It was the same tiger-looking creature that had killed a man on our way in. And it looked hungry.
Great. Just great. Tiger food was not at the top of my list for how I wanted to die. Not to mention I still had to save everyone first. That meant I’d have to kill the thing somehow.
The tiger looked straight into my eyes, and I saw so much reflected in there; torment, hunger, pain, death. It was hard to look at. Somewhere inside, I knew the beast was just as much a prisoner as I was. I didn’t want to hurt it. But I didn’t have much choice.
All I knew for sure was the bastards in charge would burn for what they were doing.
The strange buzzing noise finally went away, so I readied Grax’thor, bringing her out in front of me just as the tiger’s platform finished rising. If my captors wanted a battle, then they were going to get one.
Without warning, the tiger pounced, closing the gap between us so fast I barely even saw it moving. I ducked to the side, practically rolling on the ground to avoid it. Its claws breezed past my tender skin but did not connect.
Damn, but this fae tiger beast was fast! I was positive it was a fae creature now that I’d seen it up close.
The beast let out another growl and gnashed its fangs at me. Once more, it looked ready to pounce, but it stayed still.
“Easy, tiger,” I told it. Heh. Great pun, but I doubted it would make a difference.
I made a feint with my sword, testing out the creature’s left side. The tiger bounced out of the way with practiced ease.
“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”
The beast glowered at me with an almost human intelligence. Not much for talking, then.
It pounced again. This time, I wasn’t quite as lucky, and one of its claws scored a glancing blow on my sword arm. I hissed as pain shot up my wounded appendage. I managed to dodge the brunt of the blow, though.
I glanced down at my poor arm. A small, red line had opened up along the outside of it, but precious little blood was seeping from the wound. It was superficial at best.
“You’re gonna pay for that,” I promised the beast.
It was my turn to act now. I lunged, coming in low and aiming for its front paw—the one that had nicked me. The tiger leapt backward, but not in time. My sword clipped one of its claws, slicing through it and cleaving it in two. It wasn’t a blow that would cause the beast any serious injury, but it would make it harder for the thing to kill me.
Hey, I’m an actual decent swordsman when I’m sober.
The tiger reacted, swiping at me with its other paw. I was forced backward, lest my outstretched hand become tiger mincemeat.
It came at me again, getting up on its hind legs and swiping downward with a powerful lunge. I dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way just in time.
The beast advanced again, forcing me steadily backward. At this rate, I’d be up against a wall in no time. Then what would I do?
I needed to win back the advantage. I brought my sword around in a wide arc, aiming for the creature’s head. The beast reared backward slightly, and I turned my sword, bringing it down and toward its paws.
My blade sliced into its front paw, sinking deep into the tiger’s skin and tearing off one of the toes before I was done. Blood spurted out of the wound, mixing with the dirt of the arena.
Cheers went up from the crowd outside, along with a few boos. I scowled at one of the naysayers, then returned my attention to the tiger.
The tiger roared and leapt at me again, undaunted by the attack.
I ducked, crouching low to the ground as the beast soared over my head. At the last moment, I shove my blade upward and felt it tear into the tiger’s belly.
The beast yelped and fell from the sky, crashing into the glass wall of the arena with a loud thunk. I turned to look at the beast and noticed a nice trail of blood that my weapon had caused leading to it.
Good. I was starting to turn the tides and wear the thing down.
A moment later, the tiger got up, shaking itself off and seemingly ignoring the tear in its stomach. Just how tough was this fae beast anyway?
“Nice kitty,” I told it. “I don’t want to kill you any more than, deep down, you want to kill me.”
Apparently, that was the wrong answer. It gnashed its fangs again and pounced, leading with its uninjured paw.
I brought Grax’thor up to block its swipe, but the beast got under my guard this time, scoring a wicked blow to my abdomen. It seemed the beast was trading injury for injury.
Searing pain shot up my core as I backed away, batting away another assault while practically running for the walls. Blood oozed from three new gashes in my stomach from where the beast had hit me.
And unlike the tiger, I was starting to feel sluggish from my wounds.
The tiger pounced once more, slashing at me with its injured paw this time. I backed away again, stumbling slightly, and the paw hit me right in the chest. Thankfully, no claws pierced my skin, but the blow almost knocked me to the ground.
I fell to one knee, and the tiger came at me again, sensing my imminent demise. I brought up Grax’thor to ward off the blows and was rewarded with another slice deep into its injured leg.
The beast’s blood sprayed out of the wound and onto my face, blinding me for a second. I rolled to the side before the thing could take advantage of my plight, rubbing at my eyes with my free hand as I went.
Moments later, I came back up to a standing position. I could see again, if only barely. A few droplets of blood on my brow threatened to blind me once more, but I didn’t have the time to wipe them off. The tiger was coming for me. It would not stop for anything.
The creature lunged for me, and I dropped to the ground, upset that I couldn’t do much more. I rolled to the side, and the creature sailed through the spot where I’d just been. Its head smashed into the glass behind me with a loud clang.
The tiger shook itself again and turned around to face me. Its nose looked off, like its muzzle had broken from the impact, but it still looked as fearsome as could be. And worse, it still had fight left in it.
Letting out a massive roar, it pounced on me yet again. I tried to dodge, but this time, I was too slow. All the injuries and the exertion had taken their toll. The beast hit me square in the chest and raked my skin anew, opening up new holes in my shirt and chest and knocking me to the ground. In the process, it also knocked my sword away.
Damn. The thing had hit right in the middle of the band logo. There was no coming back from an injury like that. I’d just lost another Duran Duran shirt.
And those things were getting harder and harder to replace.
The tiger loomed over me, growling and gnashing its fangs. A bit of spittle seeped down from one of its teeth, landing on my cheek. I could feel the heat of its breath bearing down on me.
A sinking feeling in my gut told me this was the end. I was going to die a tiger meal.
Well, it had been a good run. But I was now unarmed and underneath eight hundred pounds of solid cat. I’d like to think I’d survived worse, but honestly, I wasn’t sure. This was pretty bad.
I saw Grax’thor sitting there in the dust not far off. If only I could reach it. Then I would stand a chance.
Another roar shattered the air, filling my ears as the tiger raised its paw to land a killing blow. I swore I heard it laugh, like it was playing with me. It probably was.
I reached out toward Grax’thor, desperate, but the bla
de was about half a foot too far away for me to reach it.
Closing my eyes, I turned my head and waited for the inevitable. The beast growled one last time. This was it.
Then I felt something hard hit the base of my palm. I opened my eyes to peer at the object. Grax’thor was there. Somehow, it had come to me in my hour of need. To save me.
How sweet of her.
The tiger brought its paw down in an attempt to crush my head, but in the same instant I sliced up and out with my weapon, severing the paw clean off the beast’s leg before it could land its killing blow.
Yelping, the tiger finally let me go, limping slightly away. I rolled and spun into a kneeling position, hacking and slicing with Grax’thor all the while. Another yelp let me know that I’d scored another hit, this time to the side of the thing’s neck.
I turned and faced the creature one last time, sword held out in front of me. It roared in defiance, then I brought the tip of my sword crashing through the base of its skull. The tiger fought for another moment or two, lashing out at me in a last-ditch attempt that failed, then it was dead.
Panting, coughing, and holding my abdomen, I pushed against my weapon to help me stand tall, victorious at last.
On the outer rim of the arena, I heard a few more people cheer, then they all went away, leaving me alone with the dead tiger.
Shortly afterward, the platform I’d been on opened up again, and the same guards from before showed up in the arena, no doubt to escort me back down to my cell.
“Well done,” the second one said. “Now, come with us back to your room.”
Yep, I was right. Back to the cell I would go. Never mind that I could barely stand or walk. Who needed that, right? Time to be ushered back by two giant guards that would relish in punishing me if I disobeyed. But I nodded and made my way over to them anyway. There was no point in fighting it.
Was this to be my life, then? Fight for the pleasure of others, then rest up for the next one and do it again? Believe it or not, it was nothing I hadn’t done before. But I was determined not to let it end like that this time.
First Guard brought out his prod and nudged me with it to force me back onto the platform.
“Geez, you guys,” I whined. “I got it, I got it.”
On my way, I caught a small glint of something hiding in the dirt. It was the tiger claw I’d severed in two at the start of the conflict. I’d felt that thing rake through me. It was strong. Likely magical. Maybe just magical enough to cut through steel.
I kept it in mind as I made my way over to the platform. When I was within reach, I stumbled on purpose, falling to the ground and covering it with my body so the guards wouldn’t see me.
Right as I wrapped my hand around the claw fragment, First Guard’s prod jabbed into my back, sending a shockwave up and down my spine. My whole body shook, and it was all I could do to keep a hold of my prize, but somehow, I managed.
“He said come with us,” First Guard spat at me.
“Yeah, yeah.” I rose shakily to my feet.
Dang, those prods hurt. I would have to be sure to avoid them in my escape. But it had been worth it. I still had my prize in my hand.
I clutched the little piece of tiger claw closer to my chest as I hobbled over to the platform and back to my room. I wasn’t sure how it would all fit in yet, but the beginnings of an escape plan were making themselves known.
13
My injuries healed faster than I would have thought.
Granted, I had no idea just how long I’d been down in my hole—there was no clock or anything—but they’d only brought me meals twice and my wounds had already sealed over, so even if they only fed me once a day, it still hadn’t taken long.
Better yet, I was starting to feel like myself again. That vegemite stuff must do wonders. Either that, or the ambient magic of the place sped up my already faster-than-normal healing process.
It was hard to say for certain, but whichever it was, I’d take it. I was never all that good of a patient.
The bad news, though, was that the buzzing noise had returned, interrupting my thoughts and making it hard to sleep. If it wasn’t for the extra boost I was getting from those strange wafers, I probably would have gone crazy by now from lack of sleep.
I brought out the small piece of tiger claw I’d rescued from the arena and toyed with it again. It was as strong as steel, easily as tough as good old Grax’thor, and razor sharp at the point. I knew it was the key to getting out of this place, even if I didn’t understand how just yet.
Mindlessly, I scratched it against the metal of my bed. I heard it screech and glanced at the claw afterward. It was still as good as new.
The bed, on the other hand, was not.
I stared at the thing in disbelief. My little mindless slash had gouged a hole a quarter inch deep in the thick steel of the bed. That claw was much more effective than I’d thought. If it could do that to my bed, I wondered what it could do to the door that held me in.
A smile crept onto my lips, and I headed over to the door. I held the claw in one unsteady hand and took a few breaths to calm my heart rate.
You’ve got this, Damian. Just be careful. Quick, but careful.
I brought the claw up to the door and pressed it into the metal as hard as I could. It sunk in a little, though not as much as it had against the bed.
My heart sank as I eyed the scratch. It was barely even visible once I moved my hand away. And that door was at least two inches thick. There was no way I was cutting straight through it. At least not enough to make a man-sized hole without getting caught. Maybe in a week’s time, it would be possible, but I wouldn’t get a week. I’d be shocked if I survived the next couple of days doing that.
Feeling deflated, I dropped my eyes to the ground. That’s when I saw it. Those hinges from before. Those were not two inches thick. I might be able to work through those, given a few hours or a day to make it happen.
I’d have to time it well so I wasn’t behind the door when they opened it and keep the noise to a minimum, but it should work.
I crouched down to the ground and put the claw up against the hinge. I sliced downward. The noise was terrible—worse than the buzzing—but sure enough, the claw left a mark. A decent one, too.
Finally feeling hopeful for the first time in a few days, I got to work. If I could shear off all of the hinges, the next time they opened the door, it would fall straight inward. I should be able to use the distraction that would cause to buy some time and make a break for it.
Enough time to disable the prods the guards carried, at least.
It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was something. I got back to work, but it didn’t last long. Just then, I heard a familiar screech as the door started to move inward.
Scrambling backward, I looked for a place to stash the claw. It was too valuable to lose, and I knew they couldn’t catch me with it, or it’d be gone in a heartbeat. Only there was nowhere to hide it in this sparse room.
Well, almost nowhere. Under the sink, there was a small space between the pipe and the bowl. If I squeezed it, the claw just might fit under there. Another long shot, but everyone’s life depended on it, and I was running out of time.
I jammed the claw into the tiny hole, being careful not to slice through the pipes in the process, and then I turned and faced the open door, trying my best to look like I was doing nothing but waiting patiently.
The door swung open fully and the same two guards from before stood in the doorway, looming over me.
“Come with us,” First Guard demanded.
My eyes trailed over toward the small claw in its hiding spot. Would it be safe while I was gone? It had to be.
I shook my head and grinned up at First Guard. “Of course,” I replied. I squeezed past him and was in the hallway a second later.
First Guard muttered something to Second Guard, but I didn’t quite hear it. I turned to look at them, but they said nothing further, wordlessly getting into position in
front of and behind me.
Together, we marched down the same hallway as before toward the arena room. I scanned the doors as I passed by them again, but once more, I came up with nothing. At least I was learning the lay of the land a bit better, though.
We reached the arena loading area as I called it, and the guards shoved me in. This time, I went to the platform without their help and stood as tall and proud as I could.
“Don’t lose,” Second Guard said as he closed the door behind him. “I’ve got a hundred bucks on you this time.”
Heh. At least he had confidence in my abilities.
The platform shook and rose upward into the arena, taking me with it. This time, I held my head high. I’d seen one victory in there already. Whatever it was they threw at me this time, I could best it, too. I was sure of it.
I could only hope LaLuna and Taio were faring as well as I was. Of course, Taio was the better swordsman, so I was sure he was fine, but LaLuna? Well, she was practically a fae guardian. That had to count for something. Still, it was all the more reason to get out of here fast.
As the now familiar lights and smells of the arena washed over me, I took out Grax’thor and held her firmly in both hands, facing the other arena platform that had yet to rise.
“Ready to help me win again, sweetie?” I asked my sword.
The runes swirled and formed into words. I hope you die.
Pleasant as always. At least I could count on her to be consistent.
Several people rimmed the sides of the arena, already shouting and cheering for me. Or at least I assumed they were cheering for me. No one else was up here yet. I saluted one or two of them, then took up a fighting stance and waited for my opponent to appear.
It didn’t take long. The ground in front of me rumbled, and the opponent’s platform began its ascent. I was feeling so self-assured in that moment, I barely even glanced at it until it was fully in place.
“So that’s where they’ve been keeping you,” an all-too-familiar voice said with a hint of a sneer.
All the blood drained from my face as I looked up into my brother’s eyes. “Taio?” I said, blinking in disbelief.
