Land of the Minotaurs

by Richard A. Knaak

  Sure enough, the box was occupied. Kaz squinted. Polik was there, a little heavier and wearier than years ago, but otherwise hardly changed. He still bore the physique of a champion, but Kaz could not see how he could have won every challenge he had faced in all these years. The emperor was clad in an elegant robe of brown and red and wore a crested helmet that was obviously used only for ceremonial purposes.

  It’s true, then, the prisoner thought. The warlords brought Polik in because he could be managed, and the high priest and circle kept him in for the same reason.

  Polik was not looking at him, but was arguing with another minotaur, an armored figure that Kaz guessed was a member of the circle. He was tapping his chest again and again. It took Kaz a few moments to realize that Polik was complaining about the medallion. Even from so far away, most would recognize it as a symbol of a high-ranking champion. Those who still recalled Kaz would likely also remember that he could have challenged Polik if he had not abandoned the circus. The emperor did not like to be reminded of that.

  The emperor pointed at Kaz, then at the warriors. The minotaur beside him shook his head, but Polik was adamant. His companion signaled a guard. A few quick words were shared, then the guard hurried off.

  Horns blared. Kaz glanced to the side and saw a herald walk out. They were about to announce the battle. Not caring what the herald was going to say, he continued looking around. Polik and at least three members of the circle were in the audience, but the only representatives of the priesthood were Merriq and a pair of lesser acolytes. Of Jopfer there was no sign.

  His target would be Polik after all.

  “Wake up, you fool!” whispered one of the guards. “Or are you planning to just stand there and let them run you through?”

  Kaz snapped out of his reverie, realizing that the herald had finished and the warriors were readying themselves. Once they were all in place, eight surrounding Kaz and the other eight forming an outer circle, the guards backed out of the way and returned to where Ganth and Hecar were being held.

  Kaz had only a moment. He had to dispose of the weapon, distracting his opponents at the same time, then summon Honor’s Face to him. Only Honor’s Face, with its magic, could do what Kaz desired. Only the axe could fly as straight as he desired, and end Polik’s reign once and for all.

  Another horn sounded. The gladiators paused, clearly confused. Kaz was also confused. The new signal commanded the gladiators to retreat, which they undertook in slight disarray.

  Yet another horn sounded. This time, no gladiators paraded out. Instead, a gate to the side opened. The minotaur’s eyes widened. He knew what the gate meant. Someone had made a change in plans. Kaz no longer faced warriors.

  A roar echoed from the corridor behind the half-open gate. Instead of gladiators, Kaz was to fight an animal.

  The second roar was greater than the first. The crowd was excited. The audience, too, knew this was to be no ordinary confrontation.

  Then, a great head thrust out of the tunnel, massive nostrils sniffing the air in suspicion. Reptilian eyes slowly adjusted to the light. A maw of dagger-type teeth opened, and a thick red tongue darted out and in.

  A meredrake, a creature larger than the largest bear and resembling the dragons of lore, lumbered out. While only a reptile and not related to the great leviathans, it was still a vicious beast. This one was nearly full-grown.

  Many in the audience clearly saw the unfairness of the match-up, and even though Kaz was supposed to be a criminal, there were grumbles of protest. Polik pointedly ignored them, watching the prisoner with satisfaction. The reptile stalked toward the center of the field. The meredrake’s tail swished back and forth, the beast growing more anxious as it smelled so many minotaurs.

  Then it saw Kaz.

  The meredrake hissed. One minotaur was not a threat to it, but rather a meal. Meredrakes were always eager to eat.

  Kaz gripped the short sword in one hand. He did not want to make his move right away. He wanted to study the monster for a minute to determine how to fight it. If the meredrake moved true to form, he had some hunches. If it surprised him, then it was very possible that Kaz would die, ripped to shreds by claws and teeth.

  It was not how he had hoped to die. He only wished he could take Polik with him.

  The beast raised its head and opened its jaws wide. To anyone else, the sight might have been enough to terrorize the hapless victim. Kaz, though, had faced dragons and other creatures far stranger and more deadly than a meredrake.

  Hissing, the meredrake abruptly charged to Kaz’s left, moving with a swiftness and dexterity that its lumbering, reptilian form did not suggest. The crowd roared, protest mingling with cheers.

  Kaz roared at the charging beast, which stumbled momentarily. The seasoned warrior shifted his grip on his blade so as to be able to throw it, then threw the worn but still serviceable blade at the monster.

  The sword flew with the accuracy of a javelin, and the speed with which it moved was so great that its intended target had no time to get out of the way. The blade sank into the meredrake’s shoulder. This time, the monster did more than stumble. It roared in pain as it raised one paw to knock the projectile from its wounded body.

  Even as he released the blade, Kaz held his other hand high. Honor’s Face materialized. The crowd’s tone shifted to confusion, but Kaz did not care what they thought. The great reptile had already batted away the sword as if it were a twig, something Kaz had not expected it to be able to do so swiftly, and the minotaur needed something better.

  Kaz stumbled back as the monster charged forward. The meredrake got one set of claws on the bottom of the axe head and pushed down. Honor’s Face was ripped from the minotaur’s grip.

  The huge monster charged forward again. Kaz threw himself onto the back of the beast, which hissed and tried to shake him off. The minotaur held tight and willed the axe to come to him.

  It did … just in time for the warrior to lose his seat. Kaz slid off the reptile’s back to the loud reaction of the crowd. He did not know whether the audience was disappointed that he had failed or hoping that now the meredrake would turn around and tear his chest open.

  The meredrake turned. Kaz fell on its tail, seizing the appendage with his free hand. The tail dragged him along when the reptile moved, at first baffling the beast. After a few almost hilarious turns, the meredrake finally realized what was happening and whipped its tail to its open maw.

  Kaz released the appendage and rolled in the opposite direction. Rising to one knee, Kaz brought Honor’s Face around and dug the gleaming blade deep into a half-raised paw. Blood splashed over the minotaur’s head. Kaz tried to blink away the blood, which stung his eyes so much he could barely see.

  It nearly cost him his life. In agony, the meredrake swung wildly about, throwing Kaz and the axe into the air as easily as a child might toss a pebble. Kaz could do little to control his fall. He struck the ground with enough force to shake Honor’s Face from his grasp.

  Only the enraged reptile’s thundering movements warned the minotaur that he was once again in its path. Kaz rolled quickly to the side. His vision had returned, just in time to catch sight of the meredrake’s jaws trying to close on his leg. The warrior snapped his leg back and kicked it forward into the meredrake’s snout.

  The action stunned the beast, but not as much as Kaz had hoped. It managed to raise itself high on the three limbs it had that still functioned. It clearly intended to fall on its prey and crush him.

  Body aching, Kaz willed Honor’s Face to him as the meredrake fell on him.

  Honor’s Face formed in his hands. Kaz did the only thing he could. He tried to shift to the side with the head of the axe edgewise against the ground. That left the other edge in the monster’s direct path.

  Several hundred pounds of reptile drove the air from the minotaur’s chest as the meredrake landed. Kaz was certain he would be crushed to death, until the monster shivered and rolled away, a fresh stream of blood dripping over the
minotaur. The magical weapon’s astonishingly sharp edge had saved his life.

  Yet the meredrake was still not defeated. It breathed in long gasps. Its chest wound was deep, and one limb was nearly useless, but the massive jaws were still a threat to Kaz. Fortunately, Kaz had access to its throat. He rolled onto his stomach, Honor’s Face cradled in his arms. The angle was such that a strong swing was impossible, but the axe could be just as deadly a thrusting weapon. The tip was sharp and long enough to kill.

  He rose to his knees immediately after rolling onto his stomach, but as he positioned himself to dart under the massive jaws of the beast, the meredrake shifted. It was clumsy and stiff, yet the combatants were in close proximity. Honor’s Face was the only way Kaz could prevent the meredrake’s jaws from getting at him. Kaz thrust the magical axe up into the creature’s maw as hard as he was able. And there it stuck, in the meredrake’s mouth, with Kaz holding on for dear life.

  He gritted his teeth.

  Paladine … Kiri-Jolith … guide me now, the warrior prayed. Releasing his hold on the axe, Kaz threw himself forward. Hissing, the reptile swung its head to the side, knocking the weapon to the ground.

  Kaz gored the meredrake in the throat and neck so hard that both his horns sank deep.

  Hundreds of pounds of monster threatened to fall on the minotaur, but he remained where he was, pushing upward as hard as possible. Cold blood poured down on his head. The meredrake tried to swipe at him with its injured paw. Kaz felt the beast shiver.

  With effort, the minotaur pulled free. The meredrake barely noticed. It rocked its head back and forth, its life fluids draining onto the circus grounds, then stumbled a few steps. Kaz scrambled away as best he could, exhaustion preventing him from going too far.

  The meredrake shivered, gave a gurgling sound … and collapsed on the field.

  The crowd roared. In all his time as a champion of the arenas, Kaz could not recall a cheer as great as the one that now echoed through the circus.

  Forcing himself to stand, Kaz retrieved his axe. It was still not too late to kill Polik. Honor’s Face would fly straight and true.

  All of a sudden, from the entrance emerged a squad of gladiators. They swarmed toward him, ready to do battle. The cheers of the crowd turned sour. Clearly most did not think that even a criminal deserved such a short reprieve. Kaz had likely vindicated himself in the eyes of many.

  Polik did not care for that. The emperor had risen and was demanding that the gladiators charge the prisoner. All he cared about was that Kaz died and died quickly before sentiment for the renegade increased.

  The gladiators did not move toward Kaz with much enthusiasm. Any warrior who could single-handedly kill a meredrake was one to be reckoned with, even one as exhausted as Kaz. He was grateful for their hesitation. Each second meant he would be able to give them a better struggle.

  “All right,” he growled. “Who’ll be first?” His brave words were intended to make them even more hesitant.

  A roar from the other end of the arena made even Kaz lose concentration. Both he and the gladiators turned in the direction of the roar, duty giving way to surprise.

  A lion charged out onto the field. It was a full-grown male. Even before the shock of its appearance could subside, it was joined by two, then three females, all roaring fiercely.

  The animals’ escape had only begun to register on those on the field when a second meredrake the size of a large wolf lumbered out. It snapped at the lions, who, despite their numbers, decided it was risky business. They spread out, coincidentally creeping closer to the guards and Kaz.

  Smoke began pouring out of the entrance to the menagerie.

  “Fire in the menagerie!” someone with a high voice called. “The animals have all escaped!”

  There was something faintly dubious about that voice, but those able to hear it registered only the alarm. Weapons were forbidden in the audience, due to the minotaur tendency to end all disputes, especially wagers, with combat. Only the State Guard, clerics, members of the Supreme Circle, and the emperor were permitted weapons here. Minotaurs were not fool enough to go up against a lion or a meredrake with their bare hands, not even after watching the great feat of Kaz. The fire was also worrisome. Many of the spectators near the menagerie began to abandon their seats.

  Other animals began emerging from the smoky entrance, horses, bears, and more. Kaz could not even identify some of the beasts, but anything that had teeth as long as his fingers or claws as big as his hand was to be avoided. There were bulls and sheep, the latter used mainly for feeding the predators. Some of the animals fell upon other animals, but other predators seemed more inclined toward two-legged meals, perhaps because they had been trained to attack when in the arena.

  Kaz was forgotten as the gladiators moved to defend themselves from the more immediate threat. There was no sign of the handlers, but Kaz guessed they were either dealing with other animals that had not made it outside or were already dead.

  “Delbin!” he muttered. The kender had promised to create a diversion, and had. It was up to him to see that Delbin’s efforts were not in vain.

  He backed away from the animals and the gladiators, Honor’s Face at the ready. One of the other warriors glanced at him, then evidently decided that Kaz was the lesser of two evils.

  Two more warriors passed Kaz, holding nets and tritons. Deciding he was momentarily safe, Kaz turned to see what had happened to Ganth and Hecar.

  They had taken advantage of the confusion caused by the escaping animals and sought to escape as planned. The pair had made it out in the open. Ganth had grabbed a short sword, but now they were being harried by one of their guards and the stubborn old jailer. For an old minotaur, Molus was quick with a weapon.

  Ganth and Hecar were still bound, which made it difficult for the former to wield his blade. Somehow Kaz’s father was managing to fend the pair off.

  Roaring, Kaz charged in their direction. Molus turned first and actually smiled when he saw who it was who was coming. He turned away from Ganth and started toward Kaz, but suddenly another figure darted between them. The figure held an axe almost as large as Kaz’s own.

  “Take care of your prisoners,” snarled Scurn. “I’ll deal with Kaz.” The look he gave the jailer allowed no room for argument. Molus backed away and went to help the other guard.

  “I beat you in the arena, and I beat you when you came for me, Scurn. Don’t try again.”

  “You should’ve killed me the last time, Kaz. I asked you to. I couldn’t face the clan after such a humiliating defeat!”

  With that, Scurn attacked. His swing was more precise and swift than when he had faced Kaz in the past. Startled by both the vehemence and skill the other minotaur displayed, Kaz backed up.

  Smoke almost distracted him. New fires had started up in more of the underground sections of the Great Circus. Kaz wondered exactly what Delbin was trying to do. If he continued like this, it was possible the kender would burn the colosseum to the ground, in the process killing his friends as well as his enemies.

  Scurn swung again, his axe nipping the air just in front of Kaz’s muzzle. Kaz brought Honor’s Face up and caught Scum’s axe head. The two weapons remained locked for several seconds, then the disfigured warrior pulled his weapon back and tried to ram Kaz with the axe’s long, pointed head. Kaz managed to fend off the attack, but the head of Scum’s axe sliced the air just an inch or two above Kaz’s horns.

  Kaz’s injured arm began to act up, causing his grip to loosen. Struggling against pain, he knocked aside his opponent’s axe and struck Scurn in the jaw with the lower end of the shaft. The other minotaur grunted, stumbling back. Kaz pursued his assault, striking Scurn again.

  Disoriented, Scurn brought his axe around again and chopped at Kaz. His swing was off, however, and he was left wide open to his adversary. Kaz wasted no time. Again he struck with the shaft, driving the blunt end into the other’s stomach. Scurn fell to his knees, dropping his axe. Unable to bring himself to
kill so helpless a foe, Kaz took the only recourse left to him. He raised a fist and punched the gasping figure before him.

  Scurn collapsed.

  “Consider yourself fortunate,” Kaz muttered. He then turned to the guard and Molus, who had forced Ganth back. Ganth was obviously tiring. Raising the axe, Kaz gave a battle cry and charged at the guard. The guard turned, and his eyes went wide at the sight before him, but to his credit, he charged back.

  Molus was pushed back by a revitalized Ganth. Worse for the jailer, he had to keep an eye on Hecar, who began to swing around to his left.

  The guard was not the warrior Scurn was. He tried to defend himself, but Honor’s Face slashed through his guard and, at the same time, severed his sword hand. Kaz thought that would be the end of it, but the guard snatched up his bloody blade with his remaining hand and made a run at Kaz. Grunting, Kaz gave his adversary no quarter. This time he struck to kill.

  The axe buried itself deep in the other minotaur’s chest. Kaz did not even wait for the guard to fall as he pulled the weapon free. He moved in on Molus, but the jailer saw him and, abandoning his attack on Ganth, fled.

  “Let’s get going, lads,” Kaz’s father cried.

  “One thing first!” Kaz took one edge of Honor’s Face and ran it across the older minotaur’s bonds. The severed pieces fell to the ground, joined there a moment later by the remnants of Hecar’s bonds. “Grab a weapon and a net if you can, Hecar! We have to hurry now!” His last words were punctuated by the noise of a gong. Kaz looked around and saw smoke coming from yet another area.

  Most of the crowd on the menagerie side of the circus had chosen to flee rather than face the fire and the animals, but many others remained, doing what they could to alleviate the problems. Some of them served only to further the confusion, for which Kaz was grateful.

  The trio hurried toward the menagerie entrance. There were several dozen creatures scattered throughout the arena floor, and at least two had climbed into the lower seats, where members of the State Guard were trying to control them. The first meredrake to escape had been joined by a second, smaller one. Wolves darted around the nets of gladiators. At least two minotaurs were down, what was left of their bodies not a sight Kaz cared to dwell on. Several of the predators had been captured, but every now and then, one or two other beasts would charge out into the arena from the opening the prisoners needed to reach.