The Warrior Race Trilogy BoxSet

by T. C. Edge

  Kira sat on the bed, wrapped in her blanket, the sound of whispers audible just outside the room, and a general murmuring further beyond it.

  She knew full well that news of what had happened was quickly spreading, the many important guests gathered here tonight taking up the debate. It would spread further in the hours to come, right through the city. And soon enough, everyone would know that The Red Warrior had struck Master Lucius, an action that would be her end.

  A cloud of despair had begun to cover her, brought on by the assault to her body. It was the sort of fight she'd never had, her powers stripped from her, her body so unusually defenceless. She felt a growing grief building inside her, her emotions strained and on edge. She took a few sharp breaths and saw that her hands were shaking, and suddenly longed for Dom's arm on her shoulder again, for the comfort of his whispering voice.

  She was strong, but this was a new experience. She did her best to cast away her nerves, to set them to one side and put her mind back to work. It was tough, her mind refusing to work properly, scattered images crossing her eyes. She shut them tight but that didn't help, her limbs starting to fidget and tremble.

  Her eyes worked up towards the wall, and she saw the table of food and drink. She stood on weakened legs, and moved over to fill a glass of the darkest looking liquid she could find. She picked out what she took to be a whiskey, and filled a cup right up. The liquid slid down her throat as she gulped, burning her insides.

  And it felt good.

  Yet she coughed, several times, and loudly. It forced the door to open suddenly and Dom's frame to reappear.

  "Are you OK..." he started, before seeing the cup in her hands.

  She nodded.

  "I'm just...not used to this stuff," she said.

  "Um...drink as much as you want. It helps," he smiled. "I've called for Silia to take you upstairs. No other guests will see you tonight. And don't worry, you won't be going back to the cells."

  He smiled and shut the door again, and now Kira's mind starting kicking into gear.

  Did he mean just tonight? Or...until her punishment? She needed to get back down the cells, to see her friends. And...what would her punishment be?

  The final question brought a swift answer - execution. It might be the decimation, or something far worse. Whatever it was, Vesper had gotten what she wanted. It was clear enough from Lucius' behaviour, and the things he said, that his strings were firmly within her evil fingers.

  She began pacing now, the gears grinding in her head. She'd always thought that her next fight in the arena would be her death anyway, but there was always the hope that she might somehow get through it. It wasn't quite definitive, and that gave her time.

  But now...now she needed to know just what would happen, and when. If she was to be executed, she had to form a plan to get out of here before then...

  Then the thought flashed like a bolt of lightning in her head.

  She was to be taken upstairs, Dom had said. She wasn't going back to the cells...

  She dropped into a chair, and set her glass down. It seemed a terrible choice was rising before her.

  If she was in the house, and Merk was too, it would surely be easy to escape. The guards were all stationed outside. Within the villa, Kira had only ever seen servants and maids, barring this evening when the gladiators were here. If she had no guard stationed outside her door, then she and Merk could sneak away in the dead of night, and be gone before anyone found out.

  It was a tantalising prospect, but came with a horrible proviso. If she did that, then she'd be condemning her friends to die. They'd get no help, and even if they somehow got into the villa, they wouldn't know where the secret passage was. Their hope would be stripped away, and Kira would never be able to live with herself.

  So, though her mind blossomed with the beautiful scent of leaving this horrible place, she knew she couldn't do so without Gwyn and Finn. They were either leaving together, or not at all.

  That was the decision that Kira made.

  72

  Having spent the day being utterly humiliated, Merk spent the evening in his room on the first floor.

  After returning to the villa, he'd been taken by Rufus to see Dom, who desired a recounting of just what had happened in Southside. The telling was brief, and wasn't discussed in depth. Rufus had updated Dom on their progress already during the day, and the master of the house had guests to prepare for that evening. He completed the meeting by telling Merk that everything would be fine, reiterating the point that he was safe there in the villa under his protection.

  "You did your bit, Merk, and you tried your best," he assured the old man. "I'll inform the Empress as such when I next see her."

  Merk wasn't so sure, and knew Master Domitian wasn't either. It was fairly obvious he was just telling the old man what he needed to hear at that point, his attention required elsewhere.

  Following the brief meeting, Merk escaped to his room as the guests began to arrive. After the day he'd had, he was grateful for the solitude, and the idea of mingling with some of the city's rich and powerful was unpalatable to say the least. Mercifully, Merk wasn't required to do as such, and he felt extremely sorry for Master Domitian to have to spend the evening entertaining.

  Still, it was something Dom did very well indeed, and he was sure he'd put on a good show, even if he wasn't around to see it. That became obvious as the evening went on, because while he never ventured from his room, Merk did hear a growing clamour coming from below. It was the unique sound of rumbling voices that filtered up through the floor, gathering pace at a certain point not long after 10PM. To Merk's ears, it sounded like something had happened, enough to get a hundred tongues wagging at once.

  He put the thought to bed, however, as he sat on his, worrying about the current state of affairs he found himself in. Whatever Dom told him, he was under severe threat now. The Empress would not take kindly to his failure, and protected here or not, he knew that, when it came to it, he'd be given up freely should a cohort of Imperial Guards come marching through the gate.

  He trusted his master, yes, but he also knew him to be a pragmatic man. He'd protect Merk while he could, but when push came to shove, he'd have little choice but to hand the old man over in order to protect his own interests and the interests of his household. The manner in which Dom had been acting lately made it clear that even he was under threat. If the Empress would act in such a way against her own son, what chance did Merk have when she turned her mind to him?

  No chance was the answer, and so Merk had to forge his own. With the mission to Southside over, he'd redouble his efforts in devising an escape. And if it really came down to it, and he couldn't figure out a way of helping Kira, then at least he knew of the secret passage, and could use it for himself.

  It was a last resort, but a comforting one. If the wolf came snarling at his door, Merk knew the coward would take over, and he'd tuck tail and run.

  As the rumbling of voices continued below, Merk heard a few footsteps outside his room. They passed right by, moving down the corridor, until a door opened and clicked shut. He sat up from his bed, intrigued, and moved towards his own door. Opening it up, he peeked out into the passage, his eyes turning to the right.

  A couple of rooms down from his, a door opened once more, and he noticed Silia appearing from inside. She began moving back down the corridor in his direction, and quickly noticed him spying from the shade.

  "Oh, hi Merk. Did you need something?" she asked.

  He relaxed a little and opened the door up fully.

  "No thanks, Silia. Just wondering what was going on. Seems there's some dramatics happening below?"

  She nodded and lowered her voice, glancing back to the door she just came from.

  "Yeah, something awful," she said, shaking her head. "It was that pig Lucius...and Kira. I'm not sure of the details yet, but I think he tried to force himself on her. She hit him and might have broken his nose. Such a shame..."

  Mer
k was listening closely. His eyes lifted to the door down the corridor.

  "She's in there now?" he asked.

  Silia nodded.

  "Master Domitian didn't want her going back to the communal cells. He's so nice, isn't he?"

  "Too nice sometimes," said Merk. "How did Lucius get away with that? Forcing himself on the poor girl...that's awful."

  "All in a day's work for him," growled Silia. "He does what he wants."

  "And Kira? Is she OK?"

  "She's erm...quiet," said Silia. "I'm going to keep an eye on her for Master Domitian. But she'll be punished for this. It's so unfair."

  It was more than unfair as far as Merk saw it. Kira had been vilified since she got here, and this was no doubt the Empress' doing again. Dom's rules were clear - no touching at all. If Lucius crossed that line, Kira would be safe. Unless he had been given authority by someone to do whatever he wanted. And the only person who could grant such authority was that hateful bitch in the palace.

  Merk felt a new swelling of anger build within him at the thought.

  "Can I visit her?" he asked the olive-skinned servant girl.

  Silia nodded.

  "Oh, of course. I'm sure she could do with a friendly face. You don't have to get permission from me, Merk."

  "Force of habit," smiled Merk. "Do you reckon she's up for a visit right now?"

  "No harm in trying," said Silia. "I've got duties to attend to, so I'd best be off. Go ahead and cheer her up."

  As Silia moved back off down the corridor, Merk took a few tentative steps towards Kira's room. He stopped at the door and lifted his knuckles to the wood.

  He hesitated.

  And then, suddenly, the door opened up.

  Kira was there, standing before him. Merk was slightly surprised, and took a half step back.

  "I heard you out here," whispered Kira quickly. "Come in."

  She stepped to the side and ushered Merk hurriedly into the room, before shutting the door tight. Merk watched her to check her mental state. She appeared in control, her emotions stable. It didn't surprise him to see her so collected.

  Still, he decided to ask, "How are you feeling? I heard what happened."

  "Fine," said Kira immediately. Her voice was controlled, though a little frayed at the edges. "My death here was never in doubt. This just makes it official. Do you know what the time-scale might be on my execution?"

  "Um...I'm not sure," said Merk, a little taken aback by her frankness. "Are you certain that will be the punishment?"

  "Quite certain," said Kira. "The Empress has played me, and used her puppet Lucius to do so. I suppose I should feel honoured to be so central to her thoughts," she grinned ironically.

  "I...guess. You're taking this very well," said Merk, raising his eyes.

  Kira shrugged.

  "I tend to accept my circumstances quickly when I have no control over them," said Kira. "There's no sense in getting emotional about it. Now, how did your mission to Southside go? Not well I assume?"

  "Oh, yeah...terrible, actually. I'm not Merk the Mighty anymore. They're calling me a mole, a sellout, a traitor, and a whole lot worse. I won't be safe outside of this ludus now."

  "I thought as much," said Kira. "But you're here now, safe and sound. So tell me exactly, how are we getting out of here?"

  The question sparked Merk's thoughts of escape back into life. Suddenly, he had the very clear realisation that their escape plan had been decided for them. This whole attack on Lucius had, in fact, paid off handsomely. Enough, in fact, for Merk to wonder whether Kira had done it on purpose.

  "Well...it's easy now, isn't it," he smiled as the realisation dawned. "I'm here...you're here. We can go whenever...tonight, we can go tonight!"

  The state of sudden hope inside him didn't appear to be mirrored by Kira. Her expression remained quite flat despite the rather fortuitous circumstances.

  "I'm afraid we cannot leave yet," she said. "It's more complicated than you know."

  "How? What am I missing?"

  "Well, we're both missing my two friends in the dungeon," said Kira. "Gwyn and Finn are coming too. I should have told you this before."

  Merk stood, dumbfounded for a moment, just staring. Was this a joke of some kind? They'd been dealt a lifeline here, and she wanted to pass it up for two people she barely knew?

  "I can tell that this isn't good news to you, Merk," Kira went on, cutting the silence short. "However, I've made promises I have to keep. I won't leave here without my friends."

  "Then you probably won't leave here at all," said Merk, shaking is head. "We have a golden ticket in our hands. What if your execution is set for tomorrow? This might be your only chance to escape."

  His words had some impact on the girl. He could see her mind ticking over, considering the risk. Then she shook her head.

  "It won't be for tomorrow," she said. "The Empress will want everyone to witness my death, and tomorrow's not the day for that as I see it. She'll want the build up. I've got some time."

  "And you're basing this off...what, exactly?" asked Merk. "You don't know for sure, and you're going to risk your life to save two people you hardly know?"

  "It's what I do for a living," said Kira bluntly. "I risk my life daily for strangers. I risked it for you if you recall, Merk."

  The old man ducked his head, sending his eyes to the floor.

  "And I'll be eternally grateful for that," he whispered. "But this...it makes no sense."

  "It does to me. And you have a duty to me, Merk. We have to try, at least. If it comes down to it, you can always go yourself. But I can't leave without my friends."

  Merk huffed.

  "Honestly, if I leave alone I won't make it far. I need you with me."

  "And if you had Gwyn and Finn as well?" asked Kira. "Added protection."

  "And added problems," countered Merk. "I have no idea how we'll get Gwyn and Finn out of there. The guards are always on watch around the cells and in the yard, even at night. Master Domitian is afraid of a repeat of Bastian's Bloodbath..."

  "Whose bloodbath?" queried Kira.

  "Oh, it doesn't matter," said Merk, waving it off. "It's just a horror story all lanistas worry about. Anyway, the point is, security is always high here, day and night. If they try to fight their way out, they'll be chased down. To make this work, it needs to be in secret."

  "Exactly my thinking," said Kira. "But you're forgetting something, oh mighty Merk."

  "And what's that?"

  Kira smiled.

  "We have you," she said.

  Merk waited for her to go on. She didn't.

  "Right. And what can I do?" he had to ask.

  "You're an inside man, Merk. Everyone knows how much Dom cares about and trusts you."

  "Hmmmm. Don't remind me," grumbled Merk. "I don't feel good about betraying him."

  "Honestly, Merk, he'd be happy for you to betray him in this case. You're doing something good, and for all the right reasons. Dom seems a good enough man to understand that."

  Merk didn't reply. He preferred not to even think about it.

  "OK, so that trust carries weight," continued Kira. "It means the guards will trust you too, by extension. They'll trust what you tell them, and we can use that."

  Merk's head was shaking.

  "I don't think you appreciate how little people respect me. Guards don't like me, Kira. They never do."

  "That's your insecurity talking," said Kira. "And it doesn't matter if they like you. Only that they believe you when you lie to them."

  "Lie? What am I lying about?"

  "About Dom wishing to see Gwyn and Finn," said Kira. "He's set the precedent of having gladiators invited to the main residence. And only yesterday, Gwyn and Finn fought together. It stands to reason, maybe, that Dom might want to speak with them. So, you go down, tell the guards that the two have been summoned, and bring them into the house. I'll meet you there, and we'll go down this secret passage you mentioned."

  Merk's face wa
s displaying a great deal of doubt as Kira outlined her admittedly basic plan. She was fully aware of that.

  "OK, I know it's hardly elaborate," said Kira, "but what else do we have?"

  "Except for the idea of the two of us leaving tonight?" said Merk with a rare note of sarcasm. He shrugged. "Not much else. In fact, nothing else, unless we get another stroke of luck."

  "Well there you go then."

  "No, don't say that like this is happening," hurried Merk's voice. "So many things can go wrong. The odds of it working..."

  "Are much better than my odds of getting out of here alive," cut in Kira. "A whole lot better, in fact. And the same goes for the others. Gwyn has no chance. She's been super-lucky so far, and won't be again. Finn...well, he's gifted, but I'm not sure what he'll be able to do against the likes of Jaeger or Shadow. They'd be too quick for him. Merk, the point is that none of us are surviving this, unless we escape. So yeah, it's risky, but it's worth it. And, like you say, we don't have anything else..."

  Merk drew a long breath, and continued to display his disapproval of this plan with all manner of facial expressions and negative physical gestures. He couldn't get past the idea of escaping that very evening. It was as though the stars were aligning for the two of them, illuminating this path to walk. His mission to Southside had been a disaster, and now one had befallen Kira that night too. But, in some warped stroke of fortune, it had brought them together, right here right now, and given them a chance.

  He believed, with a great deal of conviction, that they should take it. Yet he could see that Kira's mind was not for turning. It was extremely frustrating for the old man, and he made that frustration clear.

  "Right, let's say it worked, and I managed to get Gwyn and Finn into the house. And, you left your room without being noticed, and we all got to the secret passage safely as well. Let's say all that goes to plan, which I have to say is unlikely. If it did...how long do you think it would take for Dom to realise? Or one of the guards? Or, more likely, Rufus? They know I'm aware of the passage now, and would surely just send soldiers to chase us through it, or gather at the other end to take us into custody. Have you thought about all that, Kira?"