When We Were Kings (The Wolf of Oberhame Book 1)

by Auryn Hadley

  The soldier pounced on the wounded man, finishing him off. Desperate, she headed toward the cache of weapons, hoping for something she could use. They were piled on the only decoration in the place. A waist high stone hill – probably what the Lion had defended in his own fight – offered little in the way of concealment, but it was an obstacle. It was something to put between her and the man who wanted to kill her.

  She ran around it and spun to face her enemy. "Don't hurt me!"

  He looked at her and sneered. "That's what they all say. I'm not losing, bitch."

  Then he charged. Rushing to the right, he tried to catch her, but Leyli was quick. She ran, ducking low enough that he couldn't easily see her. With her heart thudding hard, she tried to listen for his steps. If she looked up, she'd give away her advantage. Unfortunately, he was probably used to the fear of combat. There was only one way she could beat him.

  Spinning in place, she rushed in the opposite direction. The soldier saw her, his step faltering, and she slammed her entire body into him before he could get his weapon up. Screaming in panic, she shoved. His temple hit the stone. He grunted, so she pushed him into it, again, from behind. This time, he fought back, but fear gave her strength.

  Like a mad woman, she forced his face into the rock over and over, but he battered at her with hard punches. Each one hurt, but he couldn't get a good grip behind him. She couldn't stop. Tears were leaking from her eyes and a primal cry was stuck in her throat, even as she felt him go limp. Then her legs buckled.

  Kneeling beside his body in the sand, tears ran down her face and her hands shook. She barely caught her breath when the guard showed up, his spear pointed at her, just like the first time. Leyli looked at him and nodded, closing her eyes before she pushed herself back to her feet. Trembling all over, she grabbed her dagger, tucked it into the waistband of her underthings, then headed back to the dark gate.

  The guards took her arms. The one on her left grabbed the dagger from her waist, his hand going up the remnants of her dress without shame. Leyli made no move to stop him. She knew better. When they pushed her into the cell this time, she didn't collapse.

  "Two more rounds," the Lion said softly.

  She groaned and dropped onto the tiny bed. Her hands shook. "How many for you?"

  "Just one more, today. Eat this." His hand reached toward her cell, the bars preventing him from truly making it. In it was a golden-brown roll.

  Her stomach despised the idea. "No thanks."

  "Eat it. If you're running on fumes, you're at a disadvantage. Puke it if you have to, but at least try. It's just bread."

  Nodding her head, even though he couldn't see it, she leaned over for the roll. "Why do you get all the goodies? Nice armor, by the way."

  "I earned it. Kill enough people and you'll get it, too."

  She pulled off a piece of bread and looked at it. "Yeah. What are my other options?"

  Silence hung in the alley before he answered. "Die."

  Leyli forced the bread into her mouth and chewed. It tasted like raw cotton. "How do you do this?"

  "How did you? Eight men, little girl. That's what it took for you to live this long."

  "Can we not talk about that until I get this in my stomach?"

  This time, his laugh was warm and loud. "Ok. Sure. You know how much you owed?"

  "Owed?" She couldn't follow the change in subject.

  "Yeah. You're in with the debtors. Means someone traded you for money to pay off what they owed. If it wasn't you, then had to be your father or husband."

  "No husband. I think it was my cousin." She wasn't about to tell this stranger what kind of life she used to lead. His help would probably dry up.

  The Lion grumbled. "Then no, you have no clue. You'll find out tomorrow. Each fight pays off your debt. You can either earn your way out or live through two hundred and fifty fights. Whichever comes first."

  "Guard said you have almost two hundred."

  "Yep. Just finished one ninety-eight. Next is ninety-nine. Tomorrow is my big two hundred. Then I get two weeks of training."

  "Nice. I've got two. Guess I'll be here a while."

  She heard a thump as he leaned against the wall to match her. "Three years. Probably take me almost another to finish. If I live that long."

  "Any more tips?"

  He sighed. "Don't die. They'll come after you first from now on. Just keep moving. If they can't catch you, they can't kill you."

  "Right," she said softly. "Just don't die, because that's so easy."

  Somehow she managed to finish her roll and suck back some water. The biggest miracle was that it stayed down. All too soon, they came for her again. The guard slipped the dagger back in her clothes while she waited to go out, so at least she hadn't lost her advantage.

  The third round was worse than the previous two. The Lion was right. They came for her first. Running as fast as she could, she evaded them long enough for two of the men to kill the others. Then they both turned on her. Tossing her blood stained skirt at one, she somehow managed to cut the second's arm deep enough that the first attacked him.

  Then it was just the two of them left. Leyli knew she looked terrified. She was! Thankfully, it seemed to bother the man enough that she was able to get inside his guard and plunge her tiny dagger into his ribs. Pushing as hard as she could, she felt the pop. When the blood pooled in his mouth, she knew she'd hit something vital.

  It took a few more stabs before he stopped struggling, but each one made him slower. When he finally collapsed, she felt like she'd been hit by a bull. This time, the guard didn't point the spear when he came to escort her back. Instead, he grabbed her elbow to steady her. Leyli counted it as a small victory, trying to ignore what it had taken to get it.

  Her feet hit stone and a hand grabbed her shoulder. Exhausted, she turned, expecting a guard. What she saw was a line of metal scales leading up to hazel eyes. The Lion was massive! Looking up at him from the ground, she hadn't realized it, but standing face to face, she felt like a mouse about to be swallowed. There was no doubt he was a killer, but his hand was gentle on her arm. Then he ducked his head.

  "Well fought. Give Tinas back his dagger. They won't let you take it to the cell."

  Behind her, the guard chuckled. "I prefer to take it." Then he demonstrated.

  The Lion's eyes narrowed but never left Leyli's. "I think they should call you the Wolf, because you're one hell of a bitch. Congratulations."

  "Thank you, sir. Good luck."

  He shook his head. "Never wish your enemy luck. Tomorrow, I may be the man that kills you. Besides, he's a fickle god."

  Then, he turned and walked onto the sands. Around the arena, the fans screamed with enthusiasm. She let out her breath in a rush, but the guards made no move to hurry her back to her cell. Taking the opportunity, she turned to watch.

  The Lion walked to the hummock in the center and waited. Around him, staff were clearing away the bodies of Leyli's victims. Others were bringing in props. The fans didn't care. They were too busy calling out cheers for their favorite gladiator, and he was doing everything to encourage them.

  Tinas gestured to the side. "There's another door over there. That's where they'll send in the criminals."

  "Criminals?" She turned to look at the guard who'd been kindest to her.

  He nodded. "Yep, it's how the local towns kill off those too dangerous to keep alive, and the crowd loves it. Eye for an eye, and all that. They send them in unarmed, and he gets to kill them all."

  Leyli looked back at the man standing in the center of the arena. "Ever think it may not be a privilege?"

  "No, and you shouldn't either. It's an easy win for him. One more step toward getting out of that cell he calls home." He put his hand on her shoulder and turned to the hall. "C'mon, let's get you some water before you're up again. Odds are still running against you."

  She let him lead her back. "Tinas, what happens if I win?"

  "Then tonight you sleep, and tomorrow you do
it all again, but the team owners will be shopping. If you're lucky, someone will buy your debt who's willing to train you. If you're not, you're thrown against the real gladiators until you die."

  "Any advice?"

  The guard smiled but shook his head. "No, little Wolf. Being a woman helps. Not many ladies able to live past the first round, and a lot of fans will pay to see one. I'll see what I can hear about your opponents for the next. Good luck."

  Her world had just turned upside down. She took a deep breath and tried to embrace it before telling the guard, "Thanks, I'm sure I'll need it."

  Chapter 3

  For an hour, she got to relax and catch her breath, but Leyli wasn't stupid. She paced slowly around her cell, keeping her arms moving. In her pampered life, she'd never worked her muscles like this, and if she got stiff, it made it easier to kill her. Beside her, the Lion said nothing.

  Eventually Tinas came back to collect her. While they walked to the entrance, he tried to give her as much information as he could. "Four men. A hunter, a guard, a butcher, and a boxer. Stay away from the boxer. He can take a beating, and I'm not sure you could get close enough to stab him."

  She nodded slowly. "And what are they calling me?"

  He flashed her a toothy grin. "The Lady." At the entrance to the sand, he held out the dagger. "Good luck."

  "Would you do me a favor?"

  "If I can."

  She took a deep breath, feeling the panic start to rise. "If I die, can you tell the Lion thank you? The two of you made my last day a bit better."

  "Don't quit now," Tinas said softly. "No one thought the Lion would win either, but look at him. You can do this, little Wolf."

  Then it was time. She walked onto the sands, watching the men enter from their own corners. She paused well back from the collection of weapons and finally took the chance to actually look around. She didn't need to see her competition. She knew what they were – bigger, stronger, and meaner than her. She wanted to at least see her new world.

  The walls around the fighting pit were twice as tall as a man. Above that were seats. They were all filled. Commoners in rough cottons and wool leaned over the edge, screaming at the fighters. At each end were groups in finer clothing. Above it all, the sky was turning orange as the sun fell toward the edge. Never in a million years would she have expected to be here.

  She was supposed to be a queen. At worst, a domna. Her sole purpose in life was to make an expedient marriage and strengthen the nation of Norihame. Until last night, she'd never even left the city of Oberhame. She'd barely stepped outside the palace grounds! Now, she stood in some village sporting arena, fighting for not only her life, but the security of her father's lands.

  The thought hit her like a fist to the gut. She had to survive this. Her father and brother might be dead. It was possible that she was the last of the Aravatti line. She had to survive long enough for someone to save her. That meant she had to save herself. She was the daughter of a warrior. She might be a princess, but that didn't mean she had to be weak. The Aravetti had strength in their spines, and had never been ashamed of using it.

  Leyli took a breath and let her eyes close for a moment. She would do this. She would not die today, and when she got free, she'd make it up to the families of the men she'd killed. The gods had put her in this hell for a reason, but they never gave people a task too strong to bear. The guard called her a wolf. Little did he know it was the beast that adorned her family crest.

  She would become the Wolf.

  This time, when the gong sounded, Leyli waited. The butcher rushed the boxer. The hunter turned to stalk her, but the guard was after him. She paced the edge, the tiny dagger heavy in her fist, heading toward the men on the far side.

  The screams of the crowd drowned out the cries of the men on the sand. Over and over the boxer pummeled the poor butcher, but he fought back. Fists flew between them, until the boxer got the advantage. Dropping his weight on the other man, he slammed his hands into the butcher's skull. Blood poured from both his knuckles and the other man's nose. The sound of flesh on flesh was disgusting. That's when she surged forward.

  He never saw her coming. With her teeth pulled back in a snarl, Leyli plunged the dagger into the boxer's neck, yanking it out quickly. Next she hit him along the spine, hoping to at least incapacitate him. As he crumpled, she attacked the weakened butcher, hacking savagely at his exposed throat. The man barely had sense to clutch at the wound before she was moving again.

  The hunter stood across the sand from her, the guard dead at his feet. As the sky darkened, they stared at each other, both looking for an advantage. She shifted her hand on the dagger, securing her grip as she unraveled the cloth from her arm. He carried a sword. In the center were more weapons, but they offered her nothing. The only things Leyli knew how to do were evade and surprise, but that option was gone.

  That meant she needed to make it.

  She was a wolf. She was an opportunistic bitch, and the man before her thought she was a timid little lady. While her heart thrummed, the fear fled to the back of her mind, settling in like an old friend. She could do this. She would do this. She just had to be something he didn't expect.

  With a roar, she rushed toward him. The hunter braced, lifting the sword, ready to strike. Above them, the crowd cheered, thrilled to see the suffering of others, and Leyli hated them for it. She hated all of them. This was not something to laugh about. This was life and death, and only the gods should have the power to ruin lives.

  At the last minute, the hunter pulled back to swing. She hit the ground, tossing the scarf out toward him. Weighed down with the blood of a past kill, it caught his legs, just heavy enough for the hunter to notice. When he dared to glance down, she took the chance. She knew how to prepare meat for the kitchen. That's all this was. A hard swipe at the back of his knee cut deep. She saw the panic flare across the man's face as the joint crumpled. Before his leg hit the ground, she cut again, this time at his arm.

  If he couldn't run and couldn't swing a sword, he couldn't win. Leyli focused on that – and kept hacking. The man struck back. His foot kicked at her leg. His good elbow crashed into her nose, followed by the hilt of the sword, but she wouldn't stop now. She couldn't. The pain was far away, only her fear controlling her. She had to win. She had to kill this man before he killed her. She had to make the Domn pay, and protect the nation. This fight was about so much more than a pathetic girl in a tattered pink dress.

  It was about winning. Leyli had to learn how, and as she shoved the dagger into the man's chest, she knew she'd done just that. She was a wolf, and she wouldn't be stopped. The roar burst from her lips as she stabbed the man again and again, until he went limp.

  She didn't wait for the guard. Taking a deep breath, she stood and marched back to her den, refusing to think about her battered and bloody body. The crowd screamed. People threw things into the arena for her, but Leyli ignored it all. She was still alive. She could do this. Blood trickled down the side of her face, but it was one more annoyance in a world that wanted to see her dead. She wouldn't give in. With her chin held high, the Wolf wanted only the security of darkness.

  Tinas met her at the gate, and she handed him the dagger. He passed her a cloth in exchange. "Your nose is bleeding. It might be broken."

  "It'll heal." She kept walking. By now, she knew the way.

  Beside her, Tinas just chuckled softly, waiting until she was inside her cell before locking the door. His eyes caught hers and he nodded, then stepped aside. Finally, she was alone. Leyli dropped onto the bunk and sighed. Sixteen men. She was responsible for the deaths of sixteen men, and her lungs didn't want to breathe.

  From the cell beside her, she heard, "Who won?" It was the Lion.

  Tinas chuckled, a clank sounding like he leaned against the bars. "She found it. Took a beating, but she walked out on her own feet."

  The Lion sighed loudly. "Send my wine to her tonight? She'll need sleep if she wants to live through tomorrow."
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br />   "You know what they're planning?"

  "Yeah." The Lion's voice was nearly a growl. "The team owners want to thin out the field of recruits. They'll try to kill off as many as possible, tomorrow, then fight to buy the best."

  "So you want to buy her wine the night before you kill her?" Tinas sounded shocked.

  The Lion said nothing for a moment. "No. I want to make sure she has a chance. If the gods are kind, I won't stand against her. If they're cruel, I'll kill her quickly."

  "Yeah." Tinas sighed. "Sleep well."

  "Not gonna happen. Marino's making money tonight." The Lion grumbled under his breath. "Guess they should've named me the Stallion."

  "Nah. Your roar is too loud."

  The men laughed, then steps receded down the hall. While Leyli tried to relax, the arena grew quiet. Voices that had been cries earlier were now just murmurs, and the halls echoed with empty cells. Above her, the sound of feet was loud as the crowd departed for the night. Alone in her bunk, her mind finally had the chance to work, and the thoughts in her head weren't kind.

  She remembered their faces. The men she'd killed all looked the same at the last moment. Brown eyes, blue ones, or green, they all were scared. They were so scared, and she'd been the monster they feared. She, the proper young lady who knew how to sew and direct the palace staff. She, the Princess who could identify any nobleman's banner. She'd killed them all. She'd ruined their families. She'd shattered bones and rent flesh. She'd become everything she despised in the world.

  Her stomach clenched and she launched herself to the corner. Once again, her face hung over the chamber pot as she purged her body of what she could. Unfortunately, the memories stayed. When her stomach was empty, her body tried to keep going. Raw, wrenching gags rang out against the stone, broken by gasping coughs, but she had to retch. She had to do something, and this was the only option she had left.