“You should both go,” she told them quickly. “Tomorrow is another day of this. After the evening training, you can come here, bathe quickly, then head out to find places to sleep.”
“Thank you again, Mave,” Mat said as he pulled on his cloth shirt and breeches.
“Of course.” She closed the door on them the moment she could.
Lying down, she sighed. Another day done.
But it hadn’t been like the day before it or the day before that. It hadn’t been like any other day she’d ever had.
8
Mave
Mave crossed her arms and watched the males continue to spar. A week they had now been there and things were easing into a pattern, a system. They rotated through sparring in the mornings and evenings. During the midday training, they would each pick a different weapon, something the other gladiators would use and practice with it or test each other against it.
She knew the Empress had bought them to later torture them for information about their mercenary company, the Ivory Shadows - but she was glad the Empress had bought them, even knowing that. Selfishly glad. She was glad to have two others in her area, in her space a little now. Like the other gladiators, she was settling in with a crowd, others to watch her back, and she could watch theirs by making sure they survived the sands.
I have people now.
It wasn’t just the training. In the evenings, they followed her back to her room, and she let them take quick turns in her bath before her own. They wouldn’t talk about much, keeping the conversation to what was going on around them in the pits, but it was nice to have someone she could talk to, regardless the subject.
They noticed things she didn’t, like a couple days before, a newer, younger male had given Seventy-Two a hard time during the morning training session. The new male wasn’t there the next day. She had told them it was bound to happen. Seventy-Two was questioned about it, but he claimed to know nothing and it didn’t go anywhere. The body was found the day after that. It had been a stark reminder to them that they were living in a lawless hole now.
“How was that?” Rain asked her, leaving the circle. He’d been able to clip Mat several times. They were no longer holding back in front of the other gladiators, which was good. They needed to inspire fear. It would only help all three of them.
“Very good. Next we’ll-”
The lunch bell rang, cutting her off. Mat chuckled, shrugging as the other gladiators walked down into the chow hall.
“Sounds like it’s lunch,” Rain said, grinning. “So, we arrived the day after the monthly fights. Which means there’s another three weeks until fights?”
“That’s right. The night before, the fights will be posted for us. It keeps us from trying to kill each other during the week to get an upper hand. Normally, chosen fighters are removed from the general populace as well. So if you’re chosen, you will be given a small private room to stay in. It keeps owners from having their fighters murdered and other influences to sway the favor.” She thought about it for a moment. “It’s a newer change. They decided that the jumps happening before the fights were a bad thing. Lost them money when they shouldn’t have been. It’s not perfectly implemented yet.”
“Everything is about money to them, it seems.” Mat looked upset by it but didn’t say anything more.
“It is all about money. We’re property, and they want us to stay alive as long as possible. It’s okay to die on the sands - that’s the risk of owning a gladiator - but the incidents down here upset many owners. They are constantly looking for ways to make it stop.” It was actually a good thing too. It made the pits safer with every change, which made surviving just a little easier. Only a little. A very marginal amount, but it was something.
“Not very well,” Rain muttered, looking over the males in the chow hall when they entered.
“No, not very well. They might get upset and claim changes need to be made, but in the end, we’re just slaves. Some think the pits, the danger of them, just make us better fighters.”
It made me a better fighter.
They grabbed their food, letting the conversation drop. Sitting down, she took a moment to lean back and get comfortable in her simple wooden chair.
“You seem easier today.” Mat had noticed.
She moved her shoulders very little, to shrug. I like having you two around. I like finally having a community. “This is a good day and we’re falling into a good pattern. I feel a little easier for it.” She hoped it wasn’t going to come back on her. So far, she and the males had done nothing wrong. The other high-prize gladiators shared their baths as well with their closest allies, so that wasn’t a concern. The guards in there didn’t even care when tons of other gladiators came into the section to all be with their groups for a short time. Mat and Rain were nothing new to them. It was only new for her.
“It has been a good rhythm. We even found a place to sleep last night without others in our space. A smaller room, like you said. Apparently there’s older rooms that used to be for gladiators that no one uses anymore, deeper in the pits.” Rainev continued to eat his slop after that. She found it humorous when he talked during meals now, even if he talked too much. He was expressive. He waved his spoon around and moved his arms. He never could sit still. The expressiveness felt honest, and she appreciated that too.
“Yes. The pits have been remodeled and expanded countless times. Areas have been abandoned on accident. I knew you would be able to find something.” She was glad for them. It had taken them the entire week, but they were managing.
The chow hall went silent, which caused them to go silent as well. Mave looked around and her eyes fell on Dave walking toward them. Oh no. Not today. Please. I’m having a good day. Please, Dave.
“Who?” she asked as he grew closer. Every gladiator in the room was listening in now.
“Lord Fenoth,” he answered, trying to remain professional.
By the Skies, of course it is.
Twice in a month. That was too often for him.
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she told her training partners. “You’ll need to go the night without bathing if you don’t want to use the communal baths.”
“Where-” Mat started to stand as she did.
“Go do your duty, whore!” a gladiator called out, a nasty jeer.
To think, I would free you if I had the chance.
She met Mat’s eyes and watched his grow dark in rage. Don’t judge me. Please, for the love of anything, don’t judge me. “Time to make the Empress money,” she whispered. “That’s what we are to them. Never forget that. On the sands or on our backs, we’re just here to make them money.”
Hard truths. Until I find a way to change any of this, these are the hard truths.
She followed Dave out of the room. When she turned to her quarters to bathe, he stopped her.
“He wanted you immediately. The Empress approved it. You go now. I’m sorry.”
“He hates when I’m dirty.”
“I know.”
He wanted her to show up dirty so he could beat her for it. She swallowed the anger. Killing him got her nothing. She had to remind herself of that.
It would feel so good for just a moment. To roll around in his blood. To paint the damn white city red with it.
And it would solve none of my problems.
She followed Dave then. They got their escort at the gate and walked to the palace. This time, he took her in a different entrance, one that would lead her quickly to the Lord’s quarters. She was called and entered in silence. Still in her dusty, sweaty armor, she stood before Lord Fenoth and his guest, the damned Prince Lothen. She wished she would have known he would be there as well. They were both a little drunk. She knew why they had gotten her. The Empress would give nearly anything to her son, and Lord Fenoth was an on and off lover of hers. Mave was a gift from the Empress to them on this day.
“Disgusting slave, right?” the Lord said to the Prince, who sneered at her.
“At least she’s good at her job and just following orders.” The Prince waved at her, lifting a glass of wine in toast to Lord Fenoth. “Happy birthday, Rogen.”
If she didn’t need to live through the day, she would have said something, anything. She just kept her mouth shut. Her normal day, as good as it got in the pits, evaporated.
She was in a different ring of hell now, one where there was no such thing as a respite.
It was dark, except for the red moon overhead, as she staggered through the streets of Elliar back to the pits. Back to something that resembled safety. She had no idea the time. Dave said nothing, only walking at her side. The guards said nothing, not even to make her move faster, since her pace was nearly a slow crawl. When they had to stop, it was for her to catch up, but still, none of them said anything. It was the nicest thing they could do for her.
The only nice thing they can do for me.
Everything hurt. Blood covered her. They had used her, beaten her, then used her again. And again. And again. All to have some entertainment. All to have some goddamn fun. They had reveled in her pain, a gift from them because of their own lust. This is what they did. They lashed out in rage and hurt her when they couldn’t tolerate their own self-hatred, stemming from how much they wanted a dirty barbarian.
Sick bastards. Fucking Elvasi nobility. I’m going to kill all of them one day. I’m going to free the Andinna and burn this fucking city to the ground.
She made it into the gates, leaving Dave and the guards behind. The damn human. He had tried to be sympathetic when she was sent out of the room. He had no idea what centuries of this did to someone. He would never know. He would be dead before he could even begin to understand.
She fell down the last few steps into the chow hall, groaning in pain. Laying there for a moment, she knew she was bleeding out of the cuts, and she couldn’t tolerate the throbbing pain. She needed to make it to her bed, but wasn’t sure she wanted to get up yet. It wasn’t safe where she was, but everything hurt so bad.
She had to move. She knew she did. Mave rolled to her side and then onto her stomach. She pushed up slowly, seeing the blood all over her arms, from where she had tried to wipe her battered face, which was still leaking onto the floor.
She was able to stand back up. She didn’t care if she was leaving blood on the floor. One of the human slaves, the criminals forced to toil below the earth during their work hours, would clean it. Blood was common in the pits. They would get up before any of the Andinna and deal with it.
She saw her guard and he ignored how she looked, only moving to open the door to her hall. She ignored whoever was in the hall with him.
“Mave.” Rain’s voice, tired. “We’ve been waiting on you. We wanted to see how you were…”
“Damn the Skies.” Mat’s hushed voice was like a death sentence.
So that was how bad she looked. A lot of it would be thankfully gone by morning. The rest would wear off in a few days if it didn’t get further injury.
I can’t do this right now. I can’t have them with me. I can’t defend myself. I can’t be so weak with people around. She stopped ignoring them and turned. “Go away. Please.” She walked through the door and motioned for the guard to close it.
“Mave!” Rain’s voice jumped up in urgency. “You need some help!”
“No, I don’t.”
It was the guard who made the decision. In a rare act, he kept the door open. “Go help her. If you make it worse, I’ll have you executed, or beaten just as bad.”
She looked at him and frowned. The Elvasi said nothing more, just kept his stony face. His pale gold eyes only stared at the wall ahead. He’d been a night guard in this area of the pits for over six hundred years. He had never done something like this and was notoriously silent. What the hell was his game?
Why would you do this to me? I’m supposed to be allowed my privacy.
She staggered away, knowing Mat and Rain were hot on her heels. She pushed into her bedroom, staggering towards her bed, when an arm wrapped around her waist. She snarled, trying to pull away to then go for the male’s throat.
Rain’s dark blue eyes looked back at her when she turned, though, completely unafraid. Her mind immediately recognized the non-threat. He wasn’t a threat. He didn’t want her. He wouldn’t take advantage of her. It was okay. Her body vibrated with the need to trust him tonight, which she didn’t understand. Her instincts just kept saying one thing: he was safe.
“Mat can’t touch me,” she whispered to him. It took her a lot to say it, but Mat was a threat. He couldn’t touch her, not now. Maybe tomorrow or in a few days, but not now.
“I know,” he whispered back, helping her to her bathing room. Mat didn’t follow, closing the door so she had some privacy. “I’ll get this off you. Don’t worry. I got you.”
She tried to help anyway, fumbling to untie the breeches after she shoved her pteruges off to the floor. He got her belt off and tossed them out of the room while she fought with those ties. He deftly undid the buckles of her armor, which she had barely been able to put back on when they had been done with her.
It took time, but she was finally nude and he led her into the bath. It was cramped, but it would work for both of them. She noticed he didn’t bother stripping down. She was glad for it. She couldn’t handle a nude male, not then. She would have cut a cock off if she saw it.
He touched her gently as she stood there. He picked up water in his hands and rinsed off the dirt, sweat, and the blood, dried and fresh.
“Tell me,” he murmured. “Tell me who does this and why.”
“I was whored to a Lord and the Prince for the Lord’s birthday.” She tried to say it. She could do this. It wasn’t like this was a secret among the gladiators. This was just their life. “They’re both violent. In tandem…”
“Prince Lothen?” he asked softly, continuing to clean her.
“Yes.” His hands were so gentle, carefully going over her in a detached manner that made her feel safe. She almost couldn’t resist answering him thanks to his calming presence.
“I’ll kill him for you one day,” he whispered like a dangerous promise. “And that Lord Fenoth.”
She believed him. Deep in her heart, she believed every word coming from him. She held on to that belief. He cared about her enough to kill for her.
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and brought some water to her face. Even the gentlest touch she could manage sent pain through her. They had messed up her face then. “Is anything permanent?”
“So far? No. They…they, um, kicked you a lot it seems. I can see bruises becoming boot prints.” That, she knew would be there. “Some areas were broken open because of that, and are still bleeding. I bet you have some bone bruising. That will take a bit longer to heal and is probably the source of the most of your pain. They didn’t damage your wings.”
“They will be closed by morning,” she mumbled, getting dizzy for a moment. He steadied her when he realized, her swaying becoming more noticeable by the second. “They aren’t allowed to damage the wings unless it’s a real punishment, overseen by the Empress herself. Only her.”
“I’m going to say you’ve suffered a few head injuries. I think your nose is broken and needs to be set so it heals in the right direction.”
That got a whimper out of her. She knew how much that was going to hurt.
“We’ll deal with it now.” His voice was so strong and yet gentle with her. She felt weak, but she felt like if anyone could see her weak, it would be Rain. Rain wouldn’t betray her. “Mave…why is the damage so bad? Other gladiators have disappeared to whore since we’ve been here and none of them come back like this. Tell me while I get this. It’ll keep your mind off it.”
She began to ramble. Her personal mantra. The why they worked so hard to hurt her. “They always want me to scream and beg. So I remain silent. They want me to break, so I must remain steady. Never give them what they want. They want me to die on the sands, so I live. Th
ey want me to fall and so I stay at the top.” His thumbs went to the sides of her nose, ready. “Never give them what they want, Rain.”
“Okay, Mave. Now, let’s get this nose fixed. It’s not terribly crooked. It’ll start bleeding worse, but that’ll stop quickly. Just don’t get hit in the face for a week.”
She took a deep breath and held it. He moved her nose, and the pain had her screaming into her mouth as blood gushed out. She jerked back, hitting the edge of the pool and the wall. It sent fiery pain over her back and wings. He grabbed her again and held her close, tears filling her eyes. Anytime she reset her own nose, she did it last. She normally passed out from the pain.
“I got you. That was it. It’s done. We just need to finish getting you clean and to stop that bleeding. It’s over, Mave, I have you.”
She sat on the edge of her pool and let him slosh the water over everything to finish. When he was done, he helped her stand again and walk to her cot. Mat stood quietly in the corner of the room, saying nothing, doing nothing. She knew he would have heard everything she told Rain. As long as he stayed over there, it would be fine, she hoped.
She hit the bed and tried to lie on her side. Rainev put her blanket over her. “We’re going to stay here and watch your back, illo amyr. We have you.”
“What…?” she groaned. What was he saying?
“It means big sister,” he explained, moving her wet hair from her face. She didn’t argue. He wasn’t her younger brother, but she wasn’t going to argue. He claimed her as family. That was something new. Her eyes drifted closed, too heavy to stay open.
The Gladiator's Downfall Page 11
