by Thomas Green
Thrash after thrash, the stone cracked. The pain built within her skull, allowing her to start regaining control. Blood poured down from her forehead and the wall, mixing with the rubble piling on the ground. As the ache subsided, replaced by numbness, she finally conquered her own body. Are you insane? What was that about?
The beast huffed. ‘I needed to set some boundaries.’
Like what? That you are the alpha wolf and he is to listen to you?
‘See? You are learning.’
Luna roared in frustration, wishing her spirit was a girl. As she washed the blood off her face, she heard approaching steps. A slender man carrying a vase filled with lavender entered her cell. He bowed when he saw her. “Please accept my apologies for disturbing you. I have brought the final touch to the room, which I pray you find to your liking.”
Within her mind, Luna thanked him for not commenting about how much of a mess she must have looked like. She took the vase from his hands and gave him the keys to Raven’s cell. He bowed and left.
She sniffed the flowers. The scent of lavender calmed down her soul. This fragrance is good.
Luna spent an hour examining the entire arena complex. She was surprised by how boring the place was. Most cells lay empty, and the only door that caught her eye had Healer’s Quarters etched upon them. Those, the armory and the kitchens were the only areas where she met any people. Why can’t I shake the feeling that the entire purpose of this place is to house Raven?
‘Whatever. The healer’s quarters sounds like a place full of delicious food though.’
Shut up, Wolfie!
The beast sneered. ‘Why do you keep calling me by the childish moniker instead of my real name?’
Because I want to. Luna forced the raging beast out of her mind and left the arena complex. The city still buzzed with life as the chatter of the last match echoed from every corner.
She pulled her pouch from beneath her tunic to check its contents, marking in her mind the need to hunt for food, to find an alchemist’s store and to steal toxins to keep herself calm in larger crowds. She advanced into the town, paying attention to the buildings. The decorated houses embellished with ornaments turned into smaller, undecorated ones. Luna flowed through the crowded streets, and an hour later, she found a district so desolate she was sure this was the right place to search for food.
The long-broken and decaying shacks of the slums stood full of people. She roamed them, sniffing. Through the ever-present scents of sweat and misery, she caught the scent of Cattria, the most popular relaxation toxin. The trail of its smell led her to a small house with sealed windows.
Since the lock was a mere shadow of what it should have been, she entered, sliding inside akin to a ghost. Within the circular ruin of a building lay four humans, all crumbled on the ground. Two were twitching with their eyes ticking while the other pair was entangled in each other’s arms, motionless. She closed the door, trying to rationalize to herself that this was the best way to handle the hunger. Out of all the people in the city, these seemed like they would not be missed. Her mouth stretched from ear to ear, filling with vicious fangs. By a swift glance, she confirmed they possessed enough toxins for her need to calm herself down in large crowds.
The stinging feeling of guilt burst through her insides. She wished she knew a better way, one where she didn’t have to do this. Luna wondered if she could have been someone else, anyone other than herself. She couldn’t. As a tear slid down her cheek, she reopened her eyes and allowed the beast to take over the control of her body.
***
Luna washed the blood off her face, staring at the barren room. I’m sorry. She ducked, turned the tip of her index finger into a claw, and scratched a symbol of the sun onto the ground. May you find peace.
She stepped out of the now-empty house with her pockets full of toxins while wearing a frown. Why am I like this? No answer presented itself. As she walked through the city, her eye caught an irregularity on the wall. Luna spun to take a closer look. While it was barely visible at first, the limestone plaster was different. She couldn’t put the finger on what disturbed her, but she knew something was wrong. She approached, studying it more carefully, realizing the there was a twenty-feet wide section that appeared worse than the rest.
As if the architect who designed this part of the fortifications was an incompetent fool next to the one who did all else. She narrowed her eyes. By the base lay a dust-covered plaque, which read In the memory of the men and women who fell to the Forsaken Prince.
She remembered her father telling her the story of the Forsaken Prince, who conquered Illysaeas by digging a hole beneath the wall, stuffing it with barrels of black powder and exploding a part of the fortification. As she gazed at the plaque, it suddenly looked a lot less like a fairy tale.
She rose and headed back to the main square, thinking the black powder could be useful in the arena. Plus, she still needed something to make the dungeons smell tolerable.
She soon stood before a shop with Alchemy Mart etched upon its sign. The store was clean, guarded by two armed men standing by the entrance and filled with jars, vials and hundreds of fragrances. Luna tried to sniff her path to the lavender essence she craved, but the blend of scents turned her efforts futile.
An older man approached her. “Can I help you, milady?”
A short discussion got her to order what she wanted.
“One moment, please.” With surprising agility, the old man rushed through his shop to collect what she asked for from the supply room. Luna abused the free minute to roam through the store, unable to shake the feeling of unease. In tales of the past, alchemists were crazy men who made poisons and explosives. Yet now, she stood in a boutique full of perfumes, fragrances for anything and everything, lotions for one’s hair and skin, and colors to paint whatever she would want to any color. She found nothing dangerous, nothing that could be used for combat, nothing exciting. I guess reality differs from James’ stories.
The alchemist returned to her with a neatly packed box containing four jars of lavender essence.
Luna threw him a smile. “I have heard legends of how alchemists create the black powder, which can make entire castles explode. I would like some of that.”
The old man chuckled. “That is long forbidden, young lady. Alchemists of ages past almost destroyed us all with the black powder. Ever since The Upheaval, all the mines for its ingredients have been closed, and any attempts to re-create its formulae are punishable by death.”
“Punishable by whom?”
“The city lords and the holy orders.” The man smiled. “The one thing that is common through all the laws of different regions is that black powder is illegal.”
She guessed the books her father used to teach her how to read were older than she had thought. They apparently looked ancient for a reason. “The Upheaval happened over a hundred and fifty years ago, so that sounds a little harsh.”
“Well, the legend has it that the demons entered this world only thanks to a fool who threw a barrel of black powder into a portal. From then onward, both portals and the powder have been forbidden.”
And no kingdom has been formed since the fall of the Old Kingdom. Luna took the box, handed over the coin and found a blacksmith. He wore a puzzled face when she asked him for thin steel rods, but he sold them to her in the end. With her shopping done, she approached the city fountain and tossed in all silver coins she had left as change. After making sure her pouch contained only gold and copper, she returned to the arena.
She traveled down through the complex, covering her nose with a torn piece of cloth. Once she arrived at her room, she splashed the lavender essence all over the stone walls, washed in a barrel and slid into the bed.
Yet sleep did not come. What’s wrong with me? So, it’s my first night in a big city, and I’m fifty feet under the ground, with only one person nearby. There’s no reason for me to be unable to rest.
The beast laughed into her mind. ‘Admit it.�
�
Shut up.
‘You realized James might not know where you are for the first time in your life. It is natural for you to be scared.’
Shut. Up.
‘Why don’t you move to his room? That would solve it.’
Luna’s cheeks flushed. There’s no way I can do that. It would be too awkward, embarrassing and—
‘Whatever.’ The beast used the moment of weakness and forced itself into Luna’s body, taking over. He made her burst from the bed, dress, and waltz to the door of Raven’s cell. They were locked. With a smirk on her face, she bent the thin steel rods she bought from the blacksmith, turning them into lock picks. With ease, Luna opened every door leading to his room.
Raven was standing in his chains, soap smeared over most of his body, and was trying to wash it off using a small barrel of water, one too tiny to offer any chance to succeed.
The beast burst into laughter through her. Raven stared at her, mouth gaping.
The beast spun around, leaving the room while slamming the door shut. When she returned to her room, Luna used the moment to regain control of herself. Her mood sank. She felt like she was the worst being to have ever walked this world. He was trying to be nice, and she couldn’t even stop the beast from mocking him through her. Wait, how did he get soap?
Curiosity took her over and made her re-check her supplies. While nothing seemed out of order at first, a closer look revealed dozens of marks of an animal’s feet and tracks of missing bars of soap. Did a rat steal my soap to bring it to him? How did it succeed?
She tracked the tiny prints the rat’s paws left behind, finding a small crack in the wall. Aww! That’s so sweet! I might not even kill it.
‘I wasn’t finished.’ The beast pushed her out of her body, gaining control. Luna sighed into her mind, unable to do anything. Through her, the beast tore off a piece of cloth from the table and wrapped her nose before grabbing two jars of the lavender essence and walking back to Raven’s place. He was sitting down by the end of the room, still embarrassed and confused.
The beast made Luna throw him a glare. “Keep your mouth shut and don’t move!” She poured the contents of the jars over the entire cell, especially around the hole that served as a toilet.
Still controlled by the beast, she walked back to her room, leaving the door open. She pushed her bed into his cell, followed by the table, wardrobes, chairs, water barrels, paintings, and flowers. Once done, the beast ripped one closet apart and used its pieces to build a provisory barrier in the middle of the room.
When done, she threw Raven a curious stare. He had not moved an inch and did not say a single word. Yet his eyes were fixed upon her, his gaze inquisitive.
I’m so sorry. Luna wanted to fall through the ground, but all she could do was to watch the beast having fun through her body. She drew her shortsword and traced a set of lines onto the floor. “Everything beyond this line is my part of the room. Neither you nor the little thief will cross it. Nod if you understand!”
He nodded. A rat slipped out of his hair onto his shoulder and squeaked in agreement.
The beast made Luna sigh. “Now I’m going to change and sleep. You won’t move, won’t talk, won’t peek. If you need to shit or piss, you will hold it until I wake up! Understand?”
Raven smiled.
Luna changed and slipped into her bed. “My name is Luna, and I’m your new teammate!”
“Raven. The rat’s Nibbles.”
Luna shook her head. “We start training tomorrow, good night.”
“Good night.”
‘There. Problem solved.’ The beast left her body. Luna’s face turned to the color of an old tomato as she dug into the duvets. Too embarrassed to speak or move, she soon fell asleep.
3
Luna
Upon the next morning, their cell lay filled with nothing but awkward silence.
Luna dressed and peered at Raven. “Can you get out?”
“No.”
Of course, I’m such an idiot! She approached him to examine the irons. The shackles themselves had no unlockable mechanisms, but the chains attached to them did. She picked the locks, freeing him. He stretched.
With a satisfied smile, she rolled her hair around her finger as heat filled her in awkward places. He’s tall. She forced the thought out of her head. “We need to go practice!”
Raven followed her, wearing a mysterious smile on his face. In the bloody light of the dawn, the arena complex lay empty, as if abandoned by time itself. The armory door was unlocked, inviting them in. Racks filled with all sorts of weapons and armor stood scattered across the room, most of them sprinkled in dust.
They grabbed a few pairs of practice swords, shields and armor and headed to the main arena. The carnage of the yesterday’s match was now lost to the past, washed away by Stallington’s slaves. As Luna entered the grass-covered ring, the realization of how massive the tribunes appeared from down below filled her with awe.
The pair of wooden longswords served them well as they engaged in a warm-up spar.
Steps echoed from the gate, soon followed by Prince Stallington and a dozen guards. He pierced them both with a sharp look. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Luna froze, realizing she would be the one to bear the blame for this. Her mind started racing, searching for an excuse to use, one good enough to let her keep the job, realizing she had no backup plan or money for another attempt.
Raven smiled. “Hello, Jonathan.”
The tone and smile made Luna’s skin crawl. Stallington’s guards turned pale and cowered.
Yet the prince stood calm, undisturbed. “Was that an attempt to intimidate me?”
Raven shrugged.
“Ah, well,” the prince said in a conversational tone, “I suppose you could do with some practice since you failed to leave unharmed from your last match. To prepare for the tournament, is there anything you two would desire?”
Raven looked at Luna.
I’m saved! The boulder rolled off from her heart, allowing her to breathe. She cleared her throat. “Morning and evening food service straight to our room, lunch brought here into the arena, lavender soap and bath supply for Raven and we need a place to train, in private.” She signaled Raven to add something.
“Food for Nibbles.”
Stallington smiled. “All right. I will allow you to use the arena for practice until the qualifiers start. Once they do, I shall have my men prepare you a suitable room within the complex.”
Raven arched an eyebrow toward Luna, the unsaid now what? shone in his eyes.
Luna smiled at Stallington. “Sounds good.”
“Excellent.” The prince spun on his heel and left, his guards trailing behind him.
Unable to shake the feeling the prince was merely toying with them, Luna readied her practice sword and spun to face Raven. “Alright! Let’s spar more seriously.”
He took his stance, his shield in front of him and his blade pointing over it.
For the next hour, she kept attacking while he dodged or parried her every strike.
Is he playing games with me? Luna growled. “Fight me for real!”
He sighed. “Sorry, but don’t want to kill you.”
Anger flared within her, searing and bright. “I can take a hit! Now move!”
He did not. She attacked him with a furious barrage of blows, but he stuck to mere parrying.
Luna stopped the flurry of strikes. “Fine! Watch this and tell no one!” She drew two of her real daggers, gritted her teeth not to shout in pain, and stabbed the blades into both of her own eyes. With a scream of pain, she plucked the eyes out. In her sockets, a new pair of eyeballs remade themselves within a moment. She arched an eyebrow at Raven. “So?”
He stared at her, mouth gaping.
She clicked her tongue. “I will heal out of any wound, so stop treating me like a little girl.”
For the next hour, they sparred as before while he weaved an occasional attack into his otherwise
defensive form.
Yet Luna could not shake the strange feeling creeping up her spine. Every time she thought she could strike him, he moved with unnatural swiftness, a blur across her vision. He stilled after each display of speed and continued as if nothing had happened.
She remained silent for a while, but the specter of unease only grew stronger. “I’ve had enough!” she shouted. “Hit me the strongest you can.”
“Don’t want to hurt you.”
“I already showed you I would heal.”
He shook his head.
Luna sneered. “How do you expect this to lead to anything? How am I supposed to fight with you when I don’t know how fast and strong you are? You are sabotaging this!” And making me feel inferior!
Raven sighed. “Will hit you once.”
Luna charged toward him, planted her foot in the ground and lunged at his right side. He parried the blow but, in a movement too swift for her to follow, he sunk his sword into her chest, piercing all the way through her.
She leapt back, her wound closing. A sense of dread filled her veins, grabbing her heart with an icy grip. “What the hell was that? I’m not this easy to hit!”
He smiled. “Your fighting style relies too much on your regeneration and the toughness of your bones and muscles.”
She stared at him, gaping. “How can you tell that so fast?”
He sat down by the wall, sagging against the stone. “It’s what I do.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How long have you been fighting in the arena?”
He shrugged. “Time has little meaning in here.”
“How many winters have you seen since they brought you here?”
“I guess… sixteen?”
She shook her head. “We will be together a lot, but I don’t know how to make friends with people and neither do you, so how about we tell each other the story of how we got here?”
Raven gazed upon the sky as if he were to read from it. “First thing I remember from my life is being shackled while standing in a long queue of prisoners.