by Aaron Oster
There were a few narrow slats to allow light in, and both Morgan and Sarah had their faces pressed up to them, staring out at the approaching stadium. It was massive, at least four to five times the size of the one back at the academy. But Morgan guessed that something like this was necessary, due to the vast amounts of people who’d come to watch this spectacle from all over the Five Kingdoms.
Given that the tournament had only been announced three weeks ago, Morgan was honestly shocked at the turnout. Even with some having the ability to travel quickly, there was still no way that so many should have been able to make it. When he mentioned this to Sarah, she reminded him that in the last stage of a staged beast zone, there was a portal that could take the user anywhere.
She guessed that the other Kingdoms must have cleared a path for people wishing to watch the tournament. She was also pretty sure that they’d charged each and every one of them a ‘service fee’ to pay for the men’s time, and the effort it would take to keep the Arch dead. The wagon finally got through the crowds and entered under one of the massive arches that dotted the sides of the arena.
They were stopped by the guards, who opened the back and looked inside to confirm the passengers, then they were shut in again and the wagon rolled down a long corridor. Morgan was fascinated that they’d managed to get such a massive piece of stone up in such a short amount of time. He wondered how much it had cost the Queen to get this done.
The wagon finally came to a halt, and the back door was flung open to reveal Percival and Eric. The former was glowering and the latter, smiling pleasantly.
“Good to see you didn’t run,” Percival said as the two of the hopped down. “Now, follow me.”
With that, he opened a door set into the corridor wall and headed inside.
Morgan gave Eric a questioning look, and the man let out a small chuckle. “He likes to be dramatic sometimes.”
“Why?” he asked, as he and Sarah headed into the room and found themselves in another corridor, this one dotted with doors on both sides.
“You ask the strangest questions sometimes,” Eric replied, his chuckle turning into a full -on laugh.
Morgan turned a confused look on Sarah, but she too was laughing. For the life of him though, he could not figure out what was so funny.
“Quit your laughing and keep up!” Percival barked, turning back to glare at them
At least someone around here still has some common sense, Morgan thought, rushing to catch up with the man.
They headed down to the end of the hallway and stopped outside a heavy steel door. Percival pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open with little effort. Morgan had to wonder about the heavy duty door, but walked past the man without commenting on it. This new room was too interesting to be bothered with minor details like metal doors anyways.
It was set on the ground level of the arena, as Morgan could see the wide open area through a huge pane of transparent crystal that spanned the length of the entire wall. Walking over to the wall, Morgan rapped his fingers against it. Instead of hitting something solid as he’d been expecting, his hand passed right through.
He was about to take a step out, when Percival’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “If you go out, you’ll have to come back around the long way.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, turning to face the man.
“That wall is designed to only allow people out. It is also only see-through from this side. If you leave, all you’ll see is a blank wall of stone. If you try to get in, all you’ll feel is a blank wall of stone.”
He delivered the message mechanically, as though reading it straight from a book.
“Why was it designed like this?” Morgan asked, passing his fingers through the insubstantial wall.
“So the competitors would have somewhere safe to relax in between matches, without the fear of being attacked.”
“Wait, we’re not leaving until the competition is over?” Sarah cut in, walking over to join them. “Isn’t the tournament like three days long?”
“This is where you will remain until the tournament is over,” Percival reiterated. “As you can see, the accommodations are quite nice, and all your needs will be provided for.”
Craning their necks past the man, they saw that the room had indeed been set up for an extended stay. There were a few beds up against the back wall, a table and chairs, and a cupboard that was likely filled with food. There was a small doorway leading off the main room, and Morgan guessed that was where he could take a bath or use the privy.
There were several couches set up facing the arena, and Morgan guessed that this was where they would be watching him compete.
“So it’s just the four of us here for three days?” Sarah asked.
“No. Just the two of you. And while Morgan is competing, just you,” Percival replied. “Eric will be on hand for healing after each challenge, but the Queen has ordered you two to be left alone.”
This particular piece of news surprised Morgan. The Queen had been adamant about keeping them under tight lock and key the entire time they’d been here, and now she was just going to leave them alone? It made no sense. Even if they locked the door, both of them could just leave through the arena.
“How will I get back in here after each challenge?” Morgan asked. He didn’t know why the Queen had left such an obvious escape route, but it would serve them just fine. As soon as the tournament was over, he would come back here, grab Sarah and leave.
“I will be around to let you in and out. There will be several guards outside the door if you need anything. The competition will begin in about three hours. When the announcer calls your name, all you have to do is walk out into the arena and join the others. As we’re the hosting Kingdom, our champion will be announced last.”
“Why would you have to let me out?” Morgan asked, confused. “Can’t I just walk through the wall?”
“Only when this is active,” Percival said, pulling a flat piece of glowing blue metal from his pocket.
Flipping a small switch on the device, it went dark, and when Morgan placed his hand against the crystal this time, it was as solid as steel.
Well, he thought with a sigh, there went the escape plan. It looked like the Queen had indeed thought of everything.
Percival flipped the switch on the device and it glowed blue once more.
“The rules for each stage in the competition will be announced once you’ve all gathered in the arena. I know I don’t have to reiterate this, but you will be banned from flying, so don’t do it unless you want them to disqualify you.”
Morgan nodded. The judges had already known about his flight skill, and had banned him from using it during the tournament. He wasn’t sure how they’d found out, or how widespread the knowledge had become, but he was going to kill whoever had been going around and spilling his secrets.
“Very well then. Best of luck and don’t you dare lose!” Percival said, then turned and marched from the room.
“I’ll see you after the first challenge,” Eric said, bowing slightly at the waist, then he too left the room.
A moment later, a guard stuck his head in and looked around. Confirming that no one else was there, he grabbed the handle and pulled the door shut with a bang. A moment later, a heavy bolt slid into place with an audible click, leaving the two of them alone once again.
“Out of one prison, and into another,” Sarah said, flopping down on one of the couches with a sigh.
“Looks like it,” Morgan replied, sitting down next to her and leaning back into the soft cushions. “At least this one has a window though.”
“Yup, awfully considerate of the Queen to let us have that much.”
The two of them lapsed into silence then, staring out at the arena as people began streaming in. Turning his head to the side, Morgan saw that they’d been left another present: a clock. It looked like it was just past seven, meaning there were two more hours before the start of the tourn
ament.
“It’s not too late to leave,” he said, turning to look at Sarah. “I know you wanted me to compete, but we can still go if you’ve changed your mind. They left the wall active, so we can technically walk right out of here.”
Sarah didn’t answer right away, but that was fine with Morgan. He would give her time to make the decision on her own. She was the one who wanted to stay, after all, so he would leave it up to her.
“I know we’re taking a big risk,” Sarah finally said. She spoke in a subdued voice, as though not sure of herself, or what he might say. “But we take risks on an almost daily basis. If we can risk our lives fighting beasts for power, then we can risk them for a prize like this.
“I don’t know of any other opportunity, short of taking Samuel’s deal, that will get you your memories back and restore your body. Not to mention that this artifact is supposed to give you a massive power boost. If you want to leave I won’t try to convince you not to. But I think we should stay.”
Morgan grinned at her, curling his fingers into a fist and holding it up in the air.
“Well, guess I’d better win then. Otherwise, we’ll have risked both our necks for nothing.”
***
A light shaking on his shoulder woke Morgan from a deep sleep. Cracking his eyes open, he was confused for a few moments when Sarah’s face didn’t come into view. He blinked a few times, staring out into the stadium. There were a whole lot more people out there now than there had been before.
Yawning, he turned his head to the side only to see Sarah standing a few feet from him. He was about to call out to her, when he noticed something very odd. She wasn’t moving. At all. She was frozen in place, like a statue.
That made Morgan grow instantly more alert, and staring out into the stadium, he noticed that despite the throngs of people, not a single one moved. Morgan would have begun panicking then, if his mind hadn’t already come to a rational conclusion as to why nothing was moving.
“What do you want, Samuel?” he asked, not even bothering to turn and face the god.
“You know, I remember a time when you trembled in fear at the mere sight of me,” Samuel’s voice came from behind him.
“That was before I realized how completely powerless you really are in this world,” Morgan answered. “You may be a god, but you can’t do shit.”
“Not the most elegant way to put it, but I have to agree.”
Samuel came into view then, walking around and facing him. He leaned back against the glass wall, but didn’t sink through it. Not that it was a surprise to Morgan.
“You still haven’t answered my question,” Morgan said, folding his arms and staring levelly at the god.
“Always right to the point with you, isn’t it?” Samuel observed, the pleasant smile slipping from his face. “Very well. I’ve come to offer you a new deal.”
“Not interested.”
“You haven’t even heard what I have to say.”
“Don’t need to,” Morgan replied. “I know what you did to me all those years ago. Having Gwendolyn take care of me, only to take me from her. I’m still not sure when you ditched me, as the only memories I recovered were the ones she’d altered. Right now, my memories are extremely disjointed, no thanks to you I’d bet.
“They go from being with Gwendolyn, to suddenly being in City Four. Then they abruptly vanish, only to restart two years later. So, whatever you’re peddling, I’m not interested. I don’t trust you, and I want nothing to do with you. And if I honestly thought I had the smallest chance of killing you, I’d attack you right now.”
All of this was delivered in a flat tone, with not a hint of anger or malice leaking through. His tone was though he were casually remarking about the weather, rather than telling a god to get lost.
Samuel’s face had been going redder and redder the long he spoke, and by the time he was done, was practically shaking with rage.
“You are who you are because of me! I made you, you ungrateful piece of garbage, and now you think you can just spit in my face?! I am ordering you to back out of the tournament! If you don’t, you will regret it.”
With that, the man abruptly vanished. A moment later, the world restarted.
33
“So what you’re saying is that he basically threatened you,” Sarah said.
“Pretty much,” Morgan replied.
They were both seated on the couch, watching as a stage slowly rose in the center of the arena. Sarah was very confused as to how Morgan could be sound asleep one second, and sitting wide awake the next. He’d explained about his unexpected visitor and what he’d told him while he was there.
“I’m glad you told him where he could shove his offer,” Sarah said with a wide grin. “That asshole completely ignored me when you were lying dead in the desert. He doesn’t deserve anything from you!”
Morgan flashed her a grin, then turned his attention back to the stage.
“Looks like they’re just about ready to start,” he said, nodding to the figures gathering in the center of the stage.
Even on the ground level, it was hard to make out much detail of the people up there. The arena was so large that the area designated for fighting was massive. He saw a lone figure raise something to their lips, then a deep voice boomed out over the arena and a translucent screen flashed across the crystal wall.
It was so unexpected that both Morgan and Sarah jumped.
“What the…?” Sarah yelled as the man began his speech.
“Welcome one and all to the Skyflare Tournament! I am your host, David, and I will be presiding as Master of Ceremonies over the course of the tournament,” the man, who they could now see clearly displayed across the crystal wall, announced.
He was tall, dressed in an immaculate royal blue tailcoat, and had a smile bright enough to blind. David then continued speaking, thanking the West Kingdom for hosting this year and went on to introduce all the royal parties representing their Kingdoms.
Each time he did so, the picture on the wall would change, moving to focus on the people in question. Sarah had visibly tensed up when they’d announced her father, and the screen had displayed Lord Simon in all his glory. He was standing upright, fist clenched in the air as booing sounded all over the arena. Apparently the North Kingdom wasn’t very popular, due to their war with the Central, but Simon just ignored them all.
The screens then moved to a group of four people sitting behind a table. The area was very heavily guarded, and they could see at least seven guards showed up on the screen, despite it zooming in as close to their faces as it was able without cutting any other others out. The announcer introduced the judges one by one. Each judge waved to the crowd as they were announced, after which the screen focused back on David.
He then went on to explain the glorious history of the tournament. How once every twenty-five years, the Kingdoms would put aside their differences and fight for glory. The part about the Skyflare was completely left out. Morgan was just wondering how they’d explain where the tournament had gotten its name, when an explosion of colorful lights lit up the sky.
The crowd’s cheering redoubled when they saw that, and the announcer was forced to wait for them to calm down.
“Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s time to meet your champions!”
The man drew out the end of each word, causing it to echo around the arena for several seconds after he stopped talking. He stayed silent as the crowd cheered again, and Morgan noticed that every time he did this, the wall would change over to the crowd, slowly moving over various parts of it or zooming in close on individual people.
Morgan stared at the screen, wondering just what type of skill would lend itself to creating such a marvel. He’d seen something similar back at the academy, but nothing on this sheer scale. The crowd finally calmed and the announcer called out the first name.
“Representing the North Kingdom is a young woman with many years of experience under her belt. Sitting
at rank 38, and sporting a super ability, give it up for Sing!”
The crowd went wild again, but Sarah seemed utterly shocked. Morgan, on the other hand, wasn’t as surprised. When he’d seen her rank back before they’d broken into the palace, he’d expected as much.
“What can you tell me about her?” Morgan asked as he watched a woman with features eerily similar to Sarah’s appear from thin air, and walk out into the arena.
The screen stayed on her the entire time, and Morgan could see she was dressed in red and white, the colors of the North.
“I don’t know much about her skills,” Sarah said, biting her lip nervously. “She wasn’t around much when I was growing up, as she was always out on one mission or another. She’s very dangerous though, and I wouldn’t put it past her to come straight for you when the tournament begins.”
Morgan nodded, filing the information away and turning his attention back to the screen. Sing walked up on stage, ignoring the cheers and booing of the crowd. She stopped before the announcer, and he motioned her on where to stand. They watched as she moved over to her dedicated space and the announcer moved on to the next champion.
“Representing the South Kingdom is a man shrouded in mystery. Not much is known about him, but he can slug it out with the best of them. Sitting at rank 38, and sporting a super ability, give it up for Arnold!”
“Holy crap!” Morgan exclaimed, followed by Sarah’s “holy shit!” just a moment later.
They both stared as Arnold, the man who had led the attack on the academy, and had hunted them for nearly half a year, sauntered into the arena.
“What the hell is he doing here?” Morgan asked, watching the man dressed in his Kingdom’s colors walking onto the stage.
“No idea, but I’m guessing that my father won’t be too happy to see him. Maybe Sing will go after him instead of you,” Sarah said with a smirk.
Watching closely, Morgan could see that Sing and Arnold already seemed to know one another, not that he was surprised, but their body language gave something away that he couldn’t have prepared for.
