by T. C. Edge
Moving to the dungeons, she looked up to the balcony she was on last night. There was a decent view from there. Then, her eyes lifted higher, and she saw that the roof of the house was unobstructed by the surrounding buildings. It would give her a clear view around the immediate streets in all directions.
She nodded to herself. Tonight, she needed to get up there.
52
The first person to greet Kira as she entered the cell was Gwyn. By the looks of things, she'd been hanging around just beyond the gate awaiting Kira's return. As soon as she saw her, her face exploded into a smile and she, perhaps inadvisedly, wrapped Kira up into a hug.
"You made it! You survived!" she said.
Only when she peeled herself away did she realise that she'd just taken a coating of blood off Kira's robes. Her white tunic was no longer clean, but stained crimson all over.
"This isn't yours, is it?" she asked, looking down at the blood.
Kira shook her head.
"Redmane's. Lots of blood in a man that big."
Oom observed the conversation as he stamped past, still looking at Kira approvingly as he ventured towards the rear of the cell. Shadow had already slipped away down some dark passage. Finn, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen.
Rufus didn't stay long. He passed on a few instructions to the remaining gladiators, Lee and Malvo among them as they emerged to see who'd returned. They were also quite impressed to see that Kira had survived. Their respect would only increase when they later learned about the difficult conditions Kira was forced to fight in.
Before leaving, Rufus looked at Gwyn's newly soaked tunic.
"I'll have a clean one brought down for you," he said. "Kira, get washed up. I'll be back down to get you soon."
As he left, Gwyn frowned.
"Get you?" she asked. "Where are you going?"
"Into the villa," said Kira. "Domitian wants to debrief me, whatever that means."
Gwyn smiled.
"It means he wants to spend more time with you. I don't remember anyone else getting a debrief after their fight. And...you did spend a lot of time in the villa last night."
The suggestion was obvious but Kira ignored it. She had other things on her mind.
Taking hold of Gwyn's arm, she began moving off down her private passage. Before Gwyn could question what she was doing, she'd put her index finger to her lips with an order to keep quiet. They ventured as deep as possible, far from all listening ears and prying eyes. When Kira spoke, her voice was as quiet as a mouse. Thankfully, Gwyn had powerful hearing too, though not to the same level as her friend.
"That thing we spoke about," she started, causing Gwyn to lean in, her ear close to Kira's lips. "I'm giving it more consideration."
Gwyn drew back and raised her eyes. It was clear she needed further clarification.
Kira waited for her to get it. Either she was being deliberately stupid or, more likely, believed Kira had put the whole idea of escaping to bed.
When Kira mouthed the word, however, a smile began to form on Gwyn's face.
"Really?" she whispered, perhaps too loudly. Kira looked down the passage for a deliberately long time. The intimation was clear. Keep your damn voice down!
Gwyn nodded her understanding, and when she next spoke, she'd calibrated the volume correctly.
"What changed your mind?" she asked.
Kira referenced the blood all over her.
"It's not mine, but it could have been," she said. "The Empress isn't going to stop until I'm dead. We're corpses here, Gwyn, just waiting to die."
Gwyn was nodding.
"Yeah...so what's the plan? You do have one, right? This is what you do, isn't it? This is your profession..."
"Well, technically speaking, I've never broken out of a jail cell and gone on the run in a foreign city. So, not my profession. But I get what you're saying. I need more information on the place to make a proper judgement."
"Right. So, the villa? Maybe you could, I don't know, find something there?"
"I've thought about it," said Kira. "There's a viewing spot up on the roof. If I could get up there, I could map out some of the nearby streets at least. It's a start. Something to work off."
"So how would you get up there?" asked Gwyn. The doubt was clearly etched across her face.
"I'll think of something," said Kira.
"It's gotta be with Domitian," suggested Gwyn. "If you go sneaking off and are found, they'll think something's up. He does seem to like you. The longing gazes make that pretty obvious," she smirked. "Maybe...just ask him? Say you'd like to see the stars or something. Guys like that."
Kira's eyes were flat. She didn't care for such talk.
The idea, however, sounded plausible.
"OK. That sounds...possible," she said.
"And what about Rufus?" asked Gywn.
"He'll be there too, I imagine," said Kira.
"No...I mean, do you think he might help?"
Kira huffed.
"What?" said Gwyn. "He seems like a good guy. And he's a slave here too."
"He's here by choice, Gwyn. Yeah, he's a good man, but he's loyal to Domitian and would never betray him. If he gets even a sniff that something's happening, it's game over. The same goes for the rest of them."
Her eyes drifted off down the passage, and Gwyn's followed.
When they returned, they came with a question.
"How about Finn? You two seem to be friends. Or...you were, at least. He could be useful. If you think you can trust him, that is."
"We can," said Kira, with some conviction. "But right now, there's no point in telling him. There's not much he can do to help from here. Let's just keep it between us, OK?"
"OK."
Kira looked down again at her sticky clothes. The smell of blood was heavy in the air, wafting up her nose at regular intervals.
"I need to wash and get changed," she said.
She stood from the bench, but was stopped by Gwyn's hand. She pulled her back down again, her eyes now growing frightened.
"I don't suppose you heard anything about tomorrow's schedule from Dom or Rufus?" she asked.
Kira shook her head.
"Sorry, nothing."
Gwyn rubbed her head anxiously, marking the skin with blood. It seemed an ominous sign.
"I might have to fight tomorrow," she said, gulping. "I don't suppose we could..."
Kira gripped her hand.
"Not tonight, no," she said. "We can't even try to escape until we know we have a good chance. The odds have to be better than surviving in the arena."
"But my odds of surviving out there are zero," said Gwyn. "Without you, I won't have a chance."
"You will, Gwyn," Kira said quickly. "You really held your own during the cull. Have some faith in yourself."
"Faith? Here? I'm just being realistic. You said it yourself, we're just waiting to die."
Kira somewhat regretted those words now. She needed Gwyn to be strong.
"I did. But...I didn't say when. If you fight tomorrow, it won't be against a high seed. You'll have a good chance."
"You don't know that. You fought Redmane. I saw him during the celebrations before the games. I know he was one of Lucius' top seeds."
"Yeah, he was. But that was because of Vesper. She set it up to make sure I was killed. It backfired. But next time it won't. Trust me, Gwyn, I'm just as eager as you to find some way of out this place. But we need to be smart about it. If we try something too early, and take too big a risk, we'll both end up dying in a much worse way than we would on the sand."
She placed her hands on Gwyn's shoulders, and squeezed supportively. And as she did before and during the cull, her words were inspiration enough to give Gwyn some hope.
"OK," the short haired girl whispered. "I guess you're right. Just promise me one thing..."
Kira nodded.
"Anything."
"Say it."
"What?"
"Say 'I promise'".
"Bu
t, I don't know what I'm agreeing to," said Kira.
"Just do it."
Kira let out a breath.
"Fine. I promise. Now what is it?"
Gwyn suppressed a sudden bout of emotion. It looked as though she was about to cry.
"If I die," she whispered, her voice about to crack, "and you escape, promise me you'll find my mother..."
Kira saw the pain in Gwyn's dark eyes. They faltered and grew wet with a sheen of tears. Her own chest tightened at the sight, and she thought of home.
"Tell her what happened to me," Gwyn went on, steadying her voice. "I can't bear the thought of her not knowing..."
A tear escaped, and Kira pulled her new friend into a hug.
"Promise me, Kira. Promise me," her voice trembled.
"Shhhh," said Kira, stroking her hair. "I promise you I'll find her. But I won't need to, Gwyn. You're going to live. You're going to survive this, and can tell her all about it yourself."
She said the words, and had to believe them. And as she hugged Gwyn, her eyes drifted up and over her shoulder. Down the passage, away across the dungeon, she saw Finn watching from the shadows.
And his own eyes were creased in pain.
53
The main living space of the villa, up on the second floor, was lavishly adorned and sumptuously decorated. A large portion of it was taken by a sizeable seating area, fitted with deep maroon sofas stacked with comfortable silk cushions, the floor warmly carpeted and the lighting pleasing and, from a certain point of view, romantic.
Dom had entertained many a lady here over the years, and had configured the lighting accordingly. As he saw it, it was perfectly suited to showing off ones assets in the best possible way, concealing blemishes and highlighting a woman's most pleasing features. And though this evening wasn't set for that purpose, he still felt a familiar throb in his chest as Kira entered the room.
Though dressed in only a simple white tunic with a brown leather belt, she was quite stunning. The curve of her hips and bust were readily available to his eyes, and her red hair, now cleaned of blood, remained wet and hanging wildly down her neck. He looked upon her pale skin and those sparkling green eyes that caught the light, and felt his breath catch for a moment in his lungs.
He stood, and bowed his head, as he would with a lady. Again, he didn't need to with her, and had never done so before with any of his gladiators. But he did. It was an impulse he couldn't deny or ignore.
"Good evening, Kira," he said. "Please do take a seat."
Kira moved deeper into the room, following the shape of Dom's hand as he gestured her towards the sofa opposite him. Rufus, who entered by her side, moved right past and towards the third sofa, the three of them arranged around a beautifully carved wooden table, topped with a fine array of foods and various flasks of water and wine.
Dom noticed Kira's eyes fall to the banquet. He knew she hadn't eaten since earlier in the cells before her bout, when Rufus had made sure she didn't go hungry and had enough energy to fight.
"Please, do eat," smiled Dom.
He watched her tentatively reach forward and take a chicken leg, before nibbling politely on the skin.
"No need to stand on ceremony here," said Dom. "You must be starving. No etiquette required."
Kira didn't need to be told twice. Her nibbling turned to a gobble, and the meat was swiftly feasted off the bone. Dom suppressed a smile and nodded to Rufus, who began pouring drinks. His was water, as always. He looked at Kira and offered her wine. As with the food, she seemed to hesitate.
"It's fine," said Dom. "Your fight's over now. You can have some wine. You deserve it."
Rufus nodded his consent, and Kira quickly acquiesced. A hearty goblet was filled, and Kira drained half the contents.
For a minute at least, the two men merely observed Kira as she gulped down as much food as she could handle and completed her wine with a serious lack of grace. Dom, who might have been put off by the sight, was in fact endeared by it. She was wild and beautiful, like a tiger in the jungle. And despite the warnings, and his best intentions, he was entirely enthralled by her.
Only when she'd finished a third portion of chicken and wolfed down a thick piece of bread did she lean back, her fingers covered in crumbs. She glanced around, as if wondering how to clean them, before Rufus handed her a napkin, and set about refilling her cup.
She polished off her fingers, took up the wine, and then set her eyes on Dom.
"So, this debrief?" she said.
"Yes indeed," said Dom, her words snapping him out of his gaze. He sipped his own wine with a little more sophistication than her, and relaxed into the sofa. "I thought, given the circumstances, you deserved to be more included in our discussions. This has become a unique situation given my mother's, ahem, behaviour. For that I can only apologise."
"Thank you," said Kira. "But, I am to blame, as you said last night. I take responsibility for that."
Dom nodded appreciatively.
"You did manage to ruffle her feathers, that is true. However, her unstable state of mind is the primary factor here. I feel, given my relationship with her, that I owe you full disclosure. My mother is, to put it lightly, struggling to maintain her mental faculties. And with a mind as powerful as hers, that is a dangerous thing."
"Hmmmm," murmured Kira. "I know all about people like her. Director Cromwell, back in Haven, is equally callous, if in a different way. He kills and reconditions scores of people, making them his slaves. I've lived my life fighting such rulers, Dom. But here...I don't have much power."
Dom lowered his eyes, feeling shameful. He was a part of the machine that destroyed lives. Speaking so candidly with a gladiator whom he'd stolen from far away was entirely inadvisable. It only served to shed further light on how terrible this place, and his mother, truly was.
Yet, he remained torn, and trapped within the system. Looking upon Kira, and hearing her passion for fighting injustice, he only wished to set her free. To take her down to the docks in Ostia. To put her on a ship and send her back home. Part of him wished that dearly, but he knew it wasn't possible. He was merely a pawn, serving at the whims of the Empress, and though Kira was under his charge, she really belonged to Vesper.
As long as she ruled, Dom's hands were tied. Were he to set Kira free, he'd have to do the same with the rest. And that would reveal the true wrath bubbling within his mother's mind. Heir or not, the city she formed, the games she devised, were sacred. Interfere with that, and defy her, and Dom might just find himself on the executioner's block along with his entire household.
As far as he saw it, all he could do was help her as much as possible while staying within the system. And outside of it...well, that was another matter entirely. And it was time, perhaps, for Dom to step up.
Fixing Kira with his dark brown eyes, he offered apology through a soft expression. Sometimes, there were no words that would suffice. He wished to show her, instead, that he was truly sorry for what he'd done, for what he was. He was only fully waking to it now. And whatever happened, this would be the last year he'd serve in these games.
Filling his lungs, he spoke again.
"You have more power here than you realise, Kira," he said. "The crowd have taken to you as their favourite. That is power here in Neorome. You probably were not aware during your fight, but my mother's expression was quite telling, and her face was launched onto the big screens and across the city. The people are not stupid. They know it was her who stacked the odds against you. And if she continues to do so, they will not stand for it."
"You speak as if they matter," said Kira. "The Empress doesn't seem to care."
"Oh, she cares," said Dom. "Her hold on this city is threatening to slip. It's only fear that keeps her on the throne now, fear of her Imperial Guard. But fear only takes you so far. One day, the people will have had enough. I can assure you, the cracks are starting to appear."
"And...what about you?" asked Kira. "You're next in line, right? You'll be the Empero
r once she's...gone."
Dom's eyes flickered and moved away, the doubt behind them obvious. This was never the life he wanted to lead, and his concerns for his own mental gifts, for the corruption such power might cause, remained as a dark spectre, haunting his mind.
"Yes," he said. "I am next in line."
Kira leaned forward.
"Then..." she started, before stopping. She looked away and didn't continue, but Dom knew just what she was about to say.
"It's not as easy as that," he said. "I cannot have her killed."
"I didn't mean..."
"You meant it, Kira, and that's quite all right. You have every right to consider such a thing, and I have little doubt that, given the chance, you'd see the deed done yourself. But the reality is that, while changed, she remains my mother, and has the protection of the Imperial Guard at her side. Even if I wished it, it could never happen, not while she commands the loyalty of the guard. You saw Ares when she came here, yes?"
Kira nodded.
"The large man in fine armour?"
"Yes. He's the head of the Imperial Guard, and the greatest living warrior of any I've ever seen, quite possibly in the entire world. It would take an army to defeat him alone, and those under his charge are all highly competent warriors, many of whom competed in the games before. And besides all of that, he is a fine, humble, and honourable man. Any attempt on my mother's life would be folly."
"Then, what? I mean, I'm new here, but it's pretty obvious the place can't go on like this, not with her in charge. I've heard things down in the cells, things about disease and crime and awful atrocities over in the poorer areas of the city. And I saw it myself during the cull...those poor people, sent out there to be executed. Did they really deserve that? Do the people really agree with what Vesper's doing?"
"No, to both counts," said Dom quickly. "They did not deserve to be there from what I've heard from Merk. His account was harrowing, and those who shared his cell were nothing but normal people dragged to the slaughter. An atrocity, as you say, and becoming all too common. My mother's tolerance for anyone who speaks out against her, who even thinks out against her, is non existent. She believes such punishments pervade fear through the masses, and she's right. But like I said, fear only goes so far. The people will soon have no choice, and so it comes back to you, Kira. Putting you in another unfair bout will further inspire their wrath. As Rufus has told me, Merk remains safe for that very reason."