by Jake Daniel
I watched them intently for several moments before meeting Dahlia’s eyes. She gave me a small smile from across the table. I returned her smile and reached out to grab her hands. “It’s going to be okay. This will be over before we know it.”
Dahlia shifted her eyes down to the table. “I really hope so. There are so many powerful fighters here, just please be careful.”
“I will.” I lifted her hand and kissed the back of it before lowering it back down slowly to the table.
Mona rolled her eyes and left the table to join Amos. I took advantage of her departure and motioned for my bonded to move closer so I wouldn’t be overheard. “We must stay together. Do not let those two separate us. We’re going to find Isobel’s father. I overheard some kids talking about champions in the arena. I think that’s where we’re going to find him.”
Isobel straightened and gave a skeptical glance toward Mona who stood next to Amos a short distance away. “It will be nearly impossible to get away from them, they treat us like we are their property, it’s disgusting.”
“I agree, but Amos is our ticket inside this place, so we have to be patient.” I scanned the area and spotted the satyrs that greeted us when we arrived, sitting at a table nearby. “Gwen, do you think you could get those satyrs to help us?”
Gwen pushed up from the table and nodded. “Of course. They’re my cousins, they’d do anything for me.”
“Perfect. Create a distraction. As soon as they occupy Mona and Amos, we’ll make our way inside the arena.”
Gwen leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll meet you at the entrance. You’ll know when to go.”
Mona turned and stopped Gwen. “What are you up to?”
Gwen laughed and pointed toward her cousins. “I was just going to say hello. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to see me the entire time, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Mona crossed her arms and watched with contempt as Gwen walked over to the table in the distance with her cousins.
I shifted my eyes between Isobel and Dahlia. “Be ready, I have a feeling we are about to get our distraction sooner, rather than later.”
I turned my attention on Amos and the strange newcomer. After a few seconds, Amos looked around and pulled his coin pouch off his hip and handed it to the man. The man pulled out a small book and wrote something down inside. He replaced the book in his suit coat pocket and shook Amos’s hand.
A commotion rose from the table of satyrs, and I knew Gwen’s plan was already in motion. The group of eight satyrs total stood and danced together on top of the long picnic table, motioning for others who had gathered around to join them. Within seconds, three of the girls hopped off the table and grabbed Amos and Mona’s hands and pulled them toward the table.
The rest of the satyrs joined in and surrounded Mona and Amos as they danced wildly.
“Okay, now.” I leapt up from the table with Dahlia and Isobel at my side. We scurried through the crowds, ducking behind several groups of revelers and making it to the front entrance of the arena. I waited for a few seconds, and to my relief Gwen appeared through the crowd, grabbing a partygoer’s red scarf along the way and wrapping it around her neck playfully.
She reached us and wrapped the scarf around Dahlia’s shoulders, prompting a slight smile from the Alraune.
“Excellent work. Now, let’s get in here and see if we can get any idea where they’re hiding Isobel’s father.” The entrance was guarded by several hulking giants that stood at least nine feet tall. Each held spears at their sides with full sets of plate armor. They were letting people enter and exit freely, but I was sure that wouldn’t last as we approached the start of the tournament.
I motioned for the girls to follow as I walked toward the entrance. It was easier to blend in than I expected. I figured most people assumed I was a spectator and not an actual champion. The guards didn’t even acknowledge us as we passed through into the central atrium. Stairs led up in either direction with two large closed steel doors at the end of each. Another set of guards stood watch directly in front of the doors, which most likely led out into the seating areas of the arena.
Isobel stopped and raised her nose in the air before turning to me excitedly. “This way. I just caught his scent. He’s got to be in here somewhere.”
We hurried through an archway to the right, passing several food and trinket vendors. The dull roar of voices was about five times louder inside than it was outside, and the excitement of most of the attendees was palpable. We followed the main corridor, which had a guard positioned at each gate leading out to the actual arena, preventing anyone from passing.
After following the corridor for several minutes, I was unable to spot a straightforward way to get into the actual arena itself. A stout man who was offloading small wooden kegs stopped us. He carried two at a time and stacked them in a tall pile. I waited for the dwarf to turn back to his cart and snatched two of his kegs and set them off to the side. After I’d secured four barrels. I turned to the girls and handed a keg to each of them before securing one for myself. “Okay, follow my lead.” I strolled up to the first guard I spotted that looked less than enthused to be there. I assumed it had to do with the fact he’d been stationed near a kid’s play area. Small human and monster babies and toddlers played and laughed loudly as they climbed over a statue that depicted a fight between a minotaur and a man.
The guard’s eyes were bloodshot, and his shoulders were slumped. I wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, but after only a minute of witnessing the utter chaos of all the children and their shrill screams, I knew the guard had to be on edge. I ambled up to the entrance and the guard nearly let me through, realizing his mistake as I made it within two feet of entering.
“Stop, you’re not allowed.” The guard said matter of factly. “What’s your business here?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
I glanced at the guard and knew I’d have to come up with a decent excuse in a hurry. “We’re delivering these down to the guards below. That dwarf over there said he was running behind and needed our help.” I stared at the guard’s eyes and waited for a response.
He eyed the keg curiously and froze as an obnoxious child screamed louder than a wounded rabbit. A shiver ran through the guard’s body and he waved us on. “Deliver and come right back out, all of you.”
I gave the guard a nod and proceeded forward with the girls close behind. We set the kegs down as we reached the first landing and continued down to the bottom level. I stopped as several guards passed through and headed out into the arena to the right. To the left was a corridor much like the one above us, except instead of vendors it was lined with cells. I turned back to the others and nodded. “Gwen, I’m going to have you stay here out of sight and stand guard. Use your Sight to warn me if anyone is coming.”
Gwen backed against the wall and smiled. “Will do. Please hurry, we might still catch the rest of the fireworks.”
I continued into the corridor and looked inside each of the cells as we worked our way around. Men and beast alike were inside, many with the cell doors open. Most ignored us, while others gave us unapproving glares as we passed. A few sponsors were huddled together and appeared to be reviewing notes, and making wagers. With as much money as I’d seen exchanging hands since we’d arrived, I had no doubt that many of the champions here didn’t stand a fucking chance.
Isobel perked up after several minutes and swept the area with her eyes. “He’s close, I can feel it.”
“I’ll trust your instincts, lead the way.” I took a second to inspect a large snake-like man who was sharpening a blade in the back of a cell. He looked up at me, a cigarette hanging lazily out of his mouth, and scars stretching across his face. He gave me a cocked smile and returned his focus on his blade.
Isobel hurried from cell to cell, stopping at each one and frantically looking inside. Finally she stopped outside of one and cried out. “Father?!”
I hurried over and joined h
er side with Dahlia close behind. As we reached the bars, Gwen’s voice broke through my mind. “We’ve got company. You need to hurry.”
I looked inside the cell and saw a hulking, but broken and scarred wolf-man. He lifted his head slowly. “Isobel? Is that you, my daughter?”
“Yes, father, I’m here! I made it, I’m going to get you out of here. Just hold on.”
The voices of several men echoed through the corridor as they made their way down closer.
I returned my focus on the cell door. “We have to get him out of here, now.”
Gwen’s voice cut into my mind again, and I immediately tensed up. “I’m going to cause a distraction to buy you some time.”
A commotion rose from the corridor in the distance. It was beyond the curve of the arena, so I couldn’t see what was going on.
Isobel looked to me pleadingly and pulled on the bars. “We have to get him out of there. He’s bleeding.”
I turned to Dahlia. “Has your core replenished yet?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve only been able to bring it up to about half of its full capacity.”
She wasn’t alone. My core had yet to replenish itself, but it didn’t matter, we were out of time. “Grab the bars. On the count of three we pull.” She nodded and readied herself in front of the cell. I joined her side and held my palm aimed toward the door. “3, 2, 1...” We shot our vines simultaneously and wrapped them around the bars. “Hold on.” She wrapped her arm tightly around me as I turned away and activated my Charge skill, ripping the door off its hinges.
We broke the vines from our wrists and hurried back to the cell where Isobel was already inside with her father. He removed an amulet from around his neck and handed it to her. Tears poured from her eyes as she whispered something back to him. I tried to rush Isobel and her father out of the cell, but her father’s wounds were too great. He slumped onto the floor, his breathing labored. He looked up at his daughter with tears in the corners of his eyes. “I love you, Isobel.”
Two guards rushed down the corridor with weapons drawn. The nearest guard called out as they spotted us. “Stop, or you will die.”
I knew that unauthorized fighting was supposedly magically banned during this week, but I wasn’t going to let them decide our fate if I could help it. I activated a charge and raced toward the two men with my knife drawn. With a quick swipe, I sliced both of their throats before they even knew what had happened.
I turned back to Isobel. “Get your father out of here, now! There will be more of them.
Isobel wrapped an arm around her father and propped him back on his feet, struggling to get him out of his cell.
I turned back in the direction of the two men I’d just killed and froze as Gwen rounded the corner. Her arms were secured by a guard on each side and one had a knife to her neck. I heard footsteps approaching from behind and I knew that we were outnumbered.
A familiar voice drew my attention. “Well, well, well. Look what we have here, boys.”
I clenched my jaw and met the man’s eyes as he came into view. “Striker. Surprised to see you here. Didn’t take you for much of a swimmer.” He was surrounded by at least ten armed men, all with identical shit-eating grins plastered across their faces.
His eyes locked on mine. “Likewise. That reminds me, you still owe me a ship.”
“Maybe you should’ve taken a little better care of your explosives.”
Striker turned and met Dahlia’s eyes. “And the bitch who blew up my ship is here as well. What are the odds?” He paused and looked over to Isobel and her father. “Oh, and here you are trying to steal my champion. It just keeps getting better.”
“Your champion? So you’re the bastard that’s been hunting down their clan? I suppose I should’ve known.” I shook my head.
“Everyone knows wolf-kin instincts make them some of the best fighters in Aurilon. It’s a shame those instincts weren’t enough to alert you I was coming.” He paused and laughed. “I see you brought me a present, and she’s much younger. Maybe instead of killing you, I should thank you.” He pointed at Isobel’s wounded father. “Anything will be better than this broken piece of shit.”
“Fuck off. You’re not getting either of them.” I snapped, keeping my eyes fixed on Striker the entire time.
Striker laughed and motioned toward the two guards who held Gwen. “Take her up to the keep.” He turned to the other guards and motioned toward Isobel and Dahlia. “And those other whores as well. I’ve got an idea of what I can do with them.
I was about to activate a charge to attempt to take out Striker but Gwen’s voice rose in my mind, stopping me in my tracks. “I’m okay, I know what I’m doing. Please stop, there are too many of them. We will be fine.” As she finished, another group of guards entered the room and pushed closer.
I exhaled slowly and focused on Striker’s eyes as the two men I had used my knife on were bleeding out on the ground. “What do you want?”
“Nothing that you can give me. These three will be enough for now.” He laughed and stepped closer to Gwen. “Now, if I’m not mistaken, you have a tournament to prepare for. I’ll take good care of your girls for you.”
Two large men rushed forward and grabbed my arms. One of the men grabbed my rifle and kicked me in the side of my knee, buckling my leg. I pried my arm free and swung my knife in a wide arc, sinking it deep inside a guard’s neck. I pulled it out and several other guards rushed forward.
Striker stepped forward once the guards had my arms secured. “I almost forgot to give you this.” A crooked smile rose to his face as he pulled out a knife and jammed it into my stomach.
I felt the spirit from my core rush out and surround the blade. I glanced down and saw blood rise to the wound before turning my eyes back to Striker.
Dahlia released a rage filled scream and shot a vine from her wrist as I pulled Striker’s knife out of my stomach. The vine met its mark, and plunged into Striker’s left eye. With a quick flip of her wrist, she pulled back on the thick cord and his eye came with it, tearing his eyeball out of its socket and free from the optic nerve. It rolled down onto the ground like a rotten grape and came to rest by my feet.
Striker released a primal yell and clutched his face. Several guards rushed to aid him and pull him out of the reach of another of Dahlia’s vines. She looked up to me with a determined look as they finished binding her wrists. The shy, tentative woman Dahlia once was, had officially transformed into a badass. Words couldn’t describe how proud I was.
Seemingly inspired by Dahlia’s display of bravery, Isobel wrenched her wrists free from her captors and used her sharp claw-like nails to slice both faces of the nearest guards from their foreheads down to their throats. Both guards dropped to their knees in agony but were immediately replaced by several additional guards who grabbed Dahlia and bound her arms before she could attack again.
Gwen laughed in Striker’s face as he straightened with a hand covering the bloody socket where his left eye once resided. His face contorted in rage. “Get those whores to the keep. I’ll take care of them tonight.”
One of Striker’s men motioned with his head over toward Isobel’s father. “What about him?”
I watched through hazy eyes, trying to stay conscious as Striker spit on the ground by my feet. Striker picked up his knife off the ground. “Well, it appears we have a last-minute change in our champion.”
Striker nodded toward the guards and they lifted me up off the ground. Blood poured down the side of his face. As soon as I was flat-footed, he punched me in the stomach as they held me steady. “We have little time to prep them, but we should be okay. Tournament starts at dawn.”
I turned and looked at Isobel, who fought against the men. I closed my eyes and spoke to her by using my Sight. “I will find you. Don’t give up. Stay with the others if you can.”
Striker punched me in the chest, followed by a blow to the jaw. The second sent grey stars darting across my vision. He unloaded several more st
rikes, forcing all three girls to watch. Finally stopping to rub his blood covered knuckles, he grabbed my knife and plunged it into my chest. I felt the blade enter my body and I struggled to take in a breath.
Laughing, Striker turned to the others. “Feed him to the hellhounds.” He spit on the ground, pulled the knife out of my chest, and walked over toward Isobel’s father. He crouched and held the blade to the wolf-man’s throat. I tried to concentrate but things began to blur and I knew I didn’t have long before I passed out from blood loss.
Isobel had tears running down her cheeks, but still maintained a stoic expression as Striker leaned closer to her father. “This one was a disappointment anyway. Washed up, way past his prime.” Everything blurred around me, but I knew what was about to happen.
It was as if time stood still. The only sound that rose in that corridor was a small whimper that escaped Isobel’s lips as Striker sliced her father’s neck and left him to bleed out on the ground of the cell next to me.
A cold shiver coursed through my body and a second later, everything went black.
Chapter Twenty-Five
It wasn’t my time to die; I was too pissed for that. I rolled over onto my side and coughed several times. I spit several large globs of blood as I tried to regain my bearings. I concentrated on my core and as if directing a medical team, I sent out individual strands of spirit to attack my wounds and heal me wherever possible. I realized that in order to heal myself I needed to combine several skills at once, especially my Sight, Nature Manipulation, and my new Instinct skill. By combining all three I was able to isolate strands by spirit type and send it approximately where I felt it would do the majority of the healing by using the Instinct skill. I was sure once I ranked that skill, I’d be able to weave a strand within millimeters of where it would be the most effective. I concentrated on the process and tried to block out everything else around me. One by one, the strands moved toward my injuries. Each time one would reach the wound, it would slow substantially, allowing me to weave it through my skin like a suture. After what seemed an eternity, I felt like I was finally getting the upper hand on my injuries, even though my body shook uncontrollably.
