by Mark Tufo
“I’m listening to whatever you might have in mind,” I told him.
“Yeah, we’ll fight our way out with the giant cotton swab,” Cedar said sourly.
The food was surprisingly good, though I could barely identify any of it. Although thinking on it, rat would have been delicious after the two weeks of the protein bars we’d been relegated to eating. Graylon was boisterous as people came up to him and clapped him on the shoulder or wished him luck in the arena. But they were laughing as they said this, like they knew it for the slaughter it was expected to be.
Porter had worked his way over to his brother. It was loud around us, but I could still hear them talking.
“Graylon, I do not presume to ask you how to conduct your battle, but I am imploring that you do not kill the human.”
“If she is who she says she is, then she should be all right. If not, we solve a lot of problems by her demise. How can we possibly explain their presence here? It would be better for all involved if they ceased to exist.”
“Can you use that thing?” Cedar broke me out of the conversation I was listening in on. “It’s pretty heavy,” she added, as if I didn’t already know.
“Win, this doesn’t seem like a good idea.” Tallow was looking from me to the much larger Genogerian. I didn’t think it was such a good idea either; I couldn’t tell him that Graylon wanted to make it look like he had inadvertently killed me.
The Genogerians were having a grand old time as we headed to the arena. Whereas my group was looking a little sullen, which was not doing my psyche any wonders. If I could not prove my worth to Graylon and his troops, it was likely we would find ourselves disposed of in a rather inconvenient manner. And by inconvenient, I mean we’d be dead.
“Bring them to the South entrance,” Graylon told Porter. We were escorted by a dozen of Graylon’s troops.
Porter appeared to be warring within himself. “Winter, we do not know each other all that well and I have no idea your fighting ability. Challenging Graylon to combat plays into his strengths. There is something I must tell you.” He leaned down so I could hear him better. “He does not wish for you to exit this clash; I fear that I have brought you and your friends here to die. That was not my intention; I thought you would be the flashpoint that would ignite the rebellion that has been long overdue. My brother is not willing to see it, yet. And by the time he does, it may be too late for you.”
“It is my understanding that Genogerians are very spiritual beings. Has that changed?” Frost asked.
“No, that is very much still a part of our culture.”
“Then you must have faith that Winter will have the ability to show your people the correct path,” she told him.
“Thank you, Frost. I appreciate your confidence, even if I’m having a hard time finding it for myself,” I told her. “Plus, I didn’t challenge him.” I felt that I needed to make that clear.
“Graylon already believes he has defeated you; use that against him,” Frost said.
“She’s right. Much like Haden, his hubris is his undoing,” Lendor said. “But if you wish, I will gladly stand in for you.”
I was shaking off the doubt. “No, I will not send someone else in to do what I must.”
“Come. The rest of you will follow me to the spectator section,” one of Graylon’s men spoke. I’d like to say he was a host, but he was a guard, making sure we did nothing to disturb what was to happen.
“I love you, Win.” Tallow kissed me before he was pushed away and in.
“If he hurts you, just know that every one of us is going to rush him,” Cedar said. “You touch me and I’ll break your face!” she shouted at the guard getting ready to move her along. Incredibly, he just pointed to where she needed to go instead of ushering her along more forcibly.
I was alone, well, except for Porter and three guards. I should have felt better knowing that they thought it took three of them to watch over me, then I figured that they were probably here to make sure Porter didn’t do something stupid.
“I am sorry, Winter,” Porter said as a guard opened the door I was supposed to enter. I don’t know what I’d been expecting when I walked in, but this wasn’t it. I was in a large, round area, a wall more than three times my height circling the entire perimeter. There were filled seats surrounding the arena. The Genogerians were buzzing with excitement for the spectacle they were about to witness. The crowd stood and turned to where Graylon had entered; there was a thunderous applause to greet him. He put his stick-laden arm into the air; this small action stirred them into a frothy frenzy. I found where Tallow, Cedar, and the rest were. They were dwarfed in a sea of the massive bodies and they were the only ones looking in my direction. Cedar was pointing at something; I followed her line of sight. How I’d missed the weapons hung at random intervals on the wall, I’m not sure. Most appeared entirely too heavy to wield, as they were created for much larger beings. But there was a spear and an axe that looked like they might do, if need be.
“Genogerians of the Warring Forty-Seventh! We have a special event for you today!” A voice boomed throughout the entire stadium. “In the challenger, we have a legend in the making! She is a direct descendant of the man and woman who helped to free our kind from the yoke of slavery!” The announcer paused for dramatic effect and the crowd was eating it up. “Winter Talbot!” If the announcer was expecting them to be riled into a raging passion, he’d missed the mark. The place couldn’t have been any quieter if it were empty. “Winter Talbot!” he shouted again, maybe thinking they hadn’t heard him say it the first time.
He moved on quickly, realizing he wasn’t going to get what he was looking for. “In the champion’s corner, we have the one and only leader of us all, Graylon!” There was a smattering of claps, but nothing like the rush of sound there had been when he had first entered. I suddenly realized they were stunned by what was going on.
“Roll changes!” Graylon growled, he was not a fan of the sudden change in the atmosphere of the arena.
I stepped back as the blank gray terrain before me began to shimmer and shift. The ground was now a brown, sand-stone color and was laced with low, rolling hills throughout, peppered occasionally by stunted plant life. It would have been hard to miss the vicious thorns that protruded from most of it.
“We cannot allow this to happen!” Porter shouted. “Is this how we treat kin to the one that put us on our path to greatness?” The crowd somehow became even quieter, then a small hissing sound began which slowly grew in volume. I didn’t know what it was, at first, but when I saw Graylon looking around, I noticed that each time he turned, he looked angrier. The sound was something he didn’t like. Like maybe they were booing him.
“You do not understand the danger they bring upon us!” he yelled. “You will thank me for this!” He slammed his stick down and picked up a large spear. Well, any pretense he had of this being an exhibition was over; he was going to drive that thing through me like I might spear a fish. I was terrified like I’d never been before. He was storming toward me and I could do little more than watch him come. I figured I would still be like this as I felt the spear tip break through my sternum.
“Get your ass moving, Winter!” Cedar yelled.
“What she said!” Tallow echoed.
I gave a quick glance over to them, thankful for the figurative slap across the face, because Graylon had spanned half the distance between us while I was mired in my dread. I reached down in my mind, concentrating hard on that part Brody had worked so diligently for me to find. I felt a ripple at the base of my neck travel up and over my skull before exploding outward. I don’t know what happened, but Graylon suddenly appeared to be several feet further away than he had been.
“…moving Winter!”
“What she said!” Did they really just say that again? My mind was racing while time itself seemed to be dragging out. Graylon looked like he was traveling through a thick tacky syrup, his face a mask of anger, his spear was dipping down for a bett
er killing strike. All of this I was watching in vivid detail. As if that weren’t strange enough, I watched a droplet of sweat fall from my head; it shimmered and pulsed as it fell through the air. I could see a tiny upside-down reflection of the crowd through it. When it hit my hand, the splash happened in what I would consider real time, but the minuscule spray that flew up from the impact were once again much, much slower.
“No way.” I was astonished. I knew the time dilation gave me an advantage in that I could see what was happening at a very slow speed, but it had not previously given me any added speed; I wasn’t faster than my opponent, I just had the benefit of knowing what they were going to do a fraction of a moment before they did it. That seemed to have changed. I would be like the rabbit running around the mountain. I moved toward him; I was many strides closer; I could see as his eyes grew wide as he attempted to adjust his weapon. I reared back and struck his exposed knee with a resounding thwack. He stumbled from the contact and pain. He was turning to once again face me, but I had already circled around and leveled a crippling blow to the back of the leg I had hit before. My stick broke in half from the force and he fell to that knee.
The noises coming from the crowd were drawn out; they sounded low and menacing. I couldn’t tell if they were cheers or jeers, and ultimately, I didn’t care. Graylon had made this a life or death struggle, he’d brought this on, and I was going to take that seriously. I went to the wall to rearm. I seriously considered taking a large metallic ball with spikes protruding from it. My first concern was whether I could even lift it; secondly, would I be able to wield it? A distant third was, did I want to kill Graylon? Not only did he threaten my life, but the lives of those I cared for. Fair is fair, is what I would have said as I stood over his body, the large ball forever embedded in his skull. In the end, I took the axe. I would imagine for the Genogerians it was used as a hand axe; for me, it was a two-handed weapon, and even then it was exceedingly top heavy. I stayed a considerable distance away from Graylon as I removed myself from whatever phenomenon I had created. The crowd had quieted—except for Cedar. She was jumping up and down and cheering like a mad woman.
“Do you yield?” I asked my opponent. His knee was still resting on the ground. His mouth was open and his eyes half-lidded in pain. He begrudgingly stood. He said not a word.
“I will not ask again,” I told him. He motioned to me with his free hand to come closer. “Fine, have it your way.” He braced as I moved. I stopped once again, reaching inside my mind for the back of my neck where it seemed this power resided. I felt the small vibration as I initiated the sensation. When I looked up, I realized how close I had come to losing my life. Graylon had thrown his spear with enough force that, had it connected with me, I would have flown through the air and been pinned into the wall by it. It had come no more than five feet from my midsection before rewinding twenty feet. I stepped to the side; at first, I was going to let the projectile harmlessly pass me by; instead, I swung with my axe, shattering the shaft into pieces. The front end spun into the air and landed tip first into the ground. Graylon’s features changed from the satisfaction of knowing he had delivered a killing blow, to the astonishment that he had somehow missed. And soon he would be once again registering a blistering pain.
“That is not possible!” he roared. “What sorcery is this? My spear traveled backward!”
I was confused; hadn’t I somehow rewound time? If that was the case, did not his memories go back as well? Not only was he angry he had not struck, but now he might realize he never could. I was shaken; some by how closely I had come to carelessly yielding my life, and some from the fact that he had witnessed it. Then, instead of falling to his knees and begging for mercy, he grimaced and spun, heading to the nearest wall and the fearful metal ball weapon I had forgone. If anyone still harbored any ideas that this was merely an exercise, they had been nullified the moment Graylon had attempted to impale me at the end of his tree-like spear.
It appeared to all involved, meaning me, that the only way I was going to be able to end this was with his death, and no part of me thought that would give us a free ride out of here. I took a step toward him, unsure what I was going to do when I got there. That was before I was hit with a crippling dizzy spell. The arena spun circles around me, though I wasn’t moving. I was certain my eyes were swimming spirals inside my skull. My stomach cramped up and I fell over; I was on all fours, attempting to regain some sense of equilibrium. The crowd was quiet as Cedar’s voice rang out.
“Get up!” she urged. “No time!”
“Win, I’m coming!” Tallow shouted out.
It took everything I had to concentrate enough to raise one hand up in a stopping motion. He would be killed before he ever landed a foot on this false terrain. I turned my head enough that I could see Graylon’s massive legs making their way to me. I took a macabre sense of satisfaction in the fact that he was dragging the injured leg. Not sure where that was going to get me when I was melded to the ground with a metal spike through my head, though. I never once heard him ask if I yielded. Lesson learned. When you have the chance to finish a brutish opponent, do so, because they will not hesitate. All I wanted to do was curl into a ball and die. If I stayed like this, I was going to get half my wish. I swayed like tall grass in a field as I pushed up and onto my knees. It bought me a few seconds as Graylon assessed how much of a threat I was. If he got close enough, I’m sure I could have bitten hard on his ankles.
I could see Cedar, Tallow and the rest leaning up against the wall, a ring of guards around them. Their expressions were panicked. From their perspective, they had no idea why I was down on the ground. It must have looked like I was wounded. And I was; just not by my opponent. I stood up with some effort, somehow still holding on to the axe. I no longer looked like tall grass in a breeze as I got onto my feet. Now I was a tree trying to dig its roots deeper into the ground as savage, gale force winds threatened to rip me free from my moorings. Even thinking of taking a step sent my head into a mind-numbing vertigo. Graylon could sense I was struggling, but he was not so comfortable as to take me head on. He was circling to the side and I was doing all I could to shuffle my feet enough to always keep him in front. Really, if he had just rushed me, this would have been over long ago, and I might have actually welcomed it. Graylon motioned for me to attack him. I laughed. It was absurd.
“Your turn,” I told him, unsure why I was goading the giant.
He snorted out a great gust from his nose and muzzle. If he was looking to intimidate me, he was doing an admirable job. Slowly, I was coming back into my own, and Graylon’s opportunity was diminishing, but I couldn’t let him see that. My next attack would likely be my last, and that meant the same thing for my enemy.
“Do you yield?” I asked one more time, not because I expected his answer to be any different, but it gave me a few more seconds.
“You look as if I were to blow on you too hard you would fall over,” he snorted.
“Yet, you do not attack.” That quieted him quickly.
He raised the weapon up and over his head; seems I’d pushed him enough. His left leg staggered and locked as he came closer, but it was not going to be enough to stop him. He began his arc, starting the swing of the enormous weapon. I stumbled backward as it whooshed by me. The momentum moved him a few steps to my right; I could hear him grunting as he had to use his injured left leg to halt the progress and bring it back around. He finally let it fall from his hands when the task became too burdensome. “Arrrh!” he yelled out as he spun-hopped around.
This was my chance; I would not let it go again. I got everything I had left in me and raised that axe above my head. He was just turning back to me when I swung; it was high over my head when it crashed into the left side of his skull. His eyeball exploded outward in a thick, viscous bulb. As he was falling over, I fell with him; his arms had come up to fend me off but did not seem to be working of their own volition. His entire body was twitching with violent spasms; they were his
death throes as we collided to the ground. I rolled off to the side and before I could even consciously think upon it, the shiver struck out from me once again, with the rewind. Graylon’s heavy weapon had, for a second time, thudded to the ground. I fell over; my entire body an electrical storm of bright pain flaring along the edges of my mind. I could not see. I could not think. Moving wasn’t even on the list of possibilities.
I thought I was dead, but how horrible would death be if it was a neverending all-encompassing pain-fueled ordeal? A killing blow repeating endlessly, a fall…pain, repeat. Life, even with all its aches and heartaches, would be a world better, but what chance did I have? I was on the ground, writhing in agony. As far as I knew, Graylon was rearing up to drive me into the dirt now that I’d given him a second chance, again. Between the static-laced micro-bursts floating through my field of vision, I could see Graylon’s legs as he straddled my body.
“I yield,” he stated as he reached a hand down to help me up. My brain wasn’t firing well enough that I even knew what was happening. I remember a ride in his cable-like arms and then sweet blackness as, I believe, I passed out.
10
New Friends
My eyes opened slowly. I thought something was wrong with my vision, as I could not focus. Seemed about right that I had somehow made my brain explode, because that was sure how it felt. Come to find out it was an over-zealous Tallow hovering less than three inches from my face.
“What happened?” His breath washed over me.
“Give her air, you oaf.” Cedar pushed Tallow away and somehow got even closer than he had. “Yeah, what happened? You alright?”
“Where am I?” I gently pushed Cedar away.
“Genogerian meddie facility. Their beds are huge; we can almost all fit on it!” Cedar said, bouncing up and down.
