by Thomas Green
“Are you getting ready to conquer the world?”
“Merely protecting my city.”
“Of course. My spies report you have recruited over a hundred thousand men, and put on contracts for siege weaponry, which makes me wonder if you have a name for the kingdom?”
Salazar smirked. “No, but it shall have a red flag with golden Palai symbol in the middle.”
“Sounds as if you planned to make Palai the official faith of the kingdom as revenge for me forcing you into this.”
“Indeed.” Salazar’s face hardened, his voice cold and detached. “I know it won’t be soon, but you will pay for making me do this.”
A smile flashed beneath the man’s hood. “Not afraid I will coup you for power?”
Salazar laughed. “Why would you? To become a king? Such a position would give you nothing of what you desire.”
“Here I thought you were more interested in ruling a kingdom than being its king.”
I am working on it, and you, my friend, will not like my solution. “We all need to retire one day and what is the point of forming the first kingdom after The Upheaval if I do not get to be its king?”
The stranger disappeared as unexpectedly as he appeared. It took almost a minute before the others realized the man was gone and they closed the formation around Salazar.
Mark turned to the count, eyes narrowed. “Mind me asking who was that?”
Salazar waved him off with his hand. “An old friend of mine.”
Mark grunted but said nothing.
They reached the arena. Salazar put on a half-face mask and pulled a hood over his face. On the one hand, he was pleased to see he wasn’t recognized. On the other hand, he wished he were more famous, making a dark feeling of dissatisfaction to settle within. His father was once known as the most famous man in the world. He shook his head to dispel the emotion. Why do I feel the need to chase my father’s shadow?
They entered the arena after registering by the team’s name and headed to their designated room. The looks he received from his team members grew increasingly curious. He kept Yvonne’s gaze for a moment, enjoying to see her blush and then wanting to slap himself for doing it.
They walked through the maze of cells, seeing monsters and teams mixed in a spectacular display of chaos. The organizers were trying, but there were only so many places that could contain large demons, and they weren’t clustered together. After a while of searching, they found their cell, one large room with sixteen stone beds.
Salazar frowned, certain he had arranged for their room to contain furniture. Before his team noticed his displeasure, he tossed his backpack across. “I take that one.”
The others froze in place.
The count grinned. “I hope you did not think I would leave my team in a cell while I would seek a luxurious bed in the most expensive inn I could find. I would be offended if you thought so low of me.” Within the stunned silence, Salazar walked to the stone bed and made himself as comfortable as he could, which wasn’t much. “I will take a nap, so wake me up for the festival. I suggest you all do the same, for this will be a long night.”
8
Luna
Luna lay in her bed, wrapped in duvets, sore and hurting. She had spent there the entire day and had yet to find the strength to get up, much less to make the beddings like she would usually do. As if not seeing the world would change the reality, she rested hidden from sight, hoping a miracle would turn the time back to two days ago. It didn’t, and the ice grip of backlash was her ever-present reminder, not mentioning the pain, for while her wounds had long since regenerated, her brain still thought her body was broken, making her feel pain as if she was.
Raven stepped above her, clearing his throat.
She moved the duvet so she would see him.
His face twisted with awkwardness. “Sorry to disturb, but we are supposed to get going.”
Luna examined him closer and realized he was dressed in a white suit, fashioned, so the cloth mostly covered the shackles at his ankles and wrists while he wore a scarf covering his neck. “Where did you get that?”
Raven looked around, confused.
“I meant the suit.”
“Ah, it’s from Jonathan. Samantha didn’t say it straight, but he was afraid we would embarrass him at the festival, so he made sure we wear appropriate attire.”
He also got his hair cut. “Whatever.” Luna pursed her lips and dug into the duvets, turning away from him.
He raised his eyebrow. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Alright, I will go ahead then.”
Wrong! You were supposed to come to comfort me! She sighed. I don’t know what I expected. “Wait. I’m going too.”
Raven shrugged. “Okay.”
Luna got up, made her bed, washed as quickly as she could and peered at the dress Stallington had brought for her, finding the white gown uninteresting. Do I look like Raven to wear white? This was a disgrace. She kept cursing within her mind as she donned the cloth, every move giving her a jolt of pain. The dress was too tight, the shoes uncomfortable and the sharp needle beneath the heel seemed like the most useless, the stupidest thing anyone could ever put on a shoe. The only positive thing she could say of the attire was that it was easy to hide a dagger in the gown’s folds.
She stepped to the door, learning how to keep her balance with every step. “Let’s go.”
Raven followed her with a smile. The dungeons of the arena complex were a simple maze of stone and bars. As they walked, Luna examined a bunch of brown molds she held within her palm.
If I got it right, these toxins should prevent me from eating anyone tonight. It dawned on her that this would be the first time Raven would step out of an arena complex on his own feet. She hoped he wouldn’t freeze in the doorway because backlashing left her unable to use aether and therefore utterly defenseless.
The beast within her laughed. ‘Nah, the pretty-faced bastard will be fine.’
I hope you are right, Wolfie, because I want him by my side the next time the silver-haired monster shows up, so the guys can sort it out between each other.
The beast withdrew. They passed through the cell area and walked into the upper complex of the arena, connected to the mansion that held the festival. Did the guards open the door for us and bowed as we walked by?
Another guard bowed deeply as they passed him. “Enjoy the event, your grace.”
Raven wanted to stop, but she nudged him to keep walking, wondering how they looked because the guards treated them as if they were royalty. As if Raven was royalty since they spared her not a single glance.
The scene kept repeating itself as they continued through the complex. Luna knew not how to feel about this.
The amount of decorations within the halls increased, and soon the stone walls turned to marble, and the dirt-covered floor became a thick carpet.
Raven threw her a quick glance. “Ever been to a place like this?”
“Never by invitation.”
“Got no idea what to do. Will be my first time out of the arena.”
Man, not a chained beast. I need to keep telling this to myself because it is hard not to forget. Luna shrugged. “Everywhere is the same. The people are the same. Do what you usually do, and things will go fine.” And save me from the silver-haired pile of shit.
Raven smiled. “Need my sword to do what I usually do.”
Luna laughed, her muscles relaxing if only for the moment. A sharp explosion of pain from her ribcage was her answer, making her mind go blank for the moment. When she came to her senses, Raven held her by the shoulder as he saved her from collapsing.
He arched an eyebrow. “You alright?”
She breathed out slowly, careful not to move more than she had to. “Somewhat. Despite regenerating, my brain thinks I’m still half-dead, so everything hurts.”
They faced a large door. The guards by the walls opened the wings, but as Luna and Raven stepped forward, he froze in his tracks s
traight before the threshold.
“Is everything all right, sir?” the guard asked.
“Yes,” Raven answered and stepped over the threshold.
Just like that? She found no words
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Come, let’s go enjoy the party.”
Luna’s stare froze as she gazed at his face. A shimmer of aether soon vanished from Raven’s expression, leaving behind an image of unspeakable, divine beauty.
He extended his hand toward her. “You alright?”
Luna drew a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slowly exhaled. “Sure.” She took his hand, her heart pounding wildly.
He led her through the hall straight toward the music that weaved through the air. His eyes turned dreamy. “Music’s so loud, but I like the tune. So different from the drums of the arena.”
Luna shook her head. “It’s good.”
They passed through the hall into a small, decorated foyer. The music became loud, but she enjoyed the rhythm. When they walked past the last door, the view of a small balcony opened before them. Next to it stood stairs leading downward. In front of them was the main hall of the festival. People were everywhere, all dressed in their best clothes as they weaved to the music or chattered by the sides. Draperies decorated the windows of the hall. Paintings and statues covered the walls, so the stone beneath was difficult to see.
The smell of all the people inside overwhelmed her senses. The blend of sweat and perfumes assaulted her from all sides, suffocating her, making her heart beat in a frenzy.
All these young people, all these girls… half-naked girls with perfumes. This place was like a grand buffet of tasty little presents. Luna reached into her dress, grabbed the toxin molds, but stopped herself. She turned to her beast. Would you stop salivating over my shoulder? It’s not like we can eat anyone while backlashing.
The beast snarled in response, not having a retort.
Her face split into a satisfied smile, knowing all she had to do was to not get out of the backlash. To verify, she scratched the back of her hand, seeing the wound did not regenerate. The easiest way to do that was through a light poison, which would keep draining her strength, like alcohol. She turned to Raven. “Fancy a drink?”
Confused, Raven let her lead him down the stairs.
Right. He has no idea of what going for a drink means. She grabbed his hand to guide him forward, the image of a good night looming before her. “We go to the bar, now.”
Raven obliged and followed her, throwing her a worried glance. “Is there something wrong with my face?”
Luna realized everyone around them stopped and stared at Raven while a woman dropped a glass as she saw him.
I’m not going to share! Searing heat burst through her, but soon succumbed to the freezing backlash. Luna moved her eyes back to Raven. “It’s ugly and out of place, so keep moving!”
The crowd made space for them to pass through while she navigated to the bar. A group of girls and ladies gathered behind them, hounding her steps. Luna sneered over her shoulder. He’s mine!
She snarled and motioned them away. No reaction. They kept acting as if she wasn’t there. Luna and Raven reached the bar. The barman stared for a moment before he took out what looked like an expensive bottle and offered Raven a full glass. “On the house, sir.”
Even the men? AARRGGHH! She pierced the bartender with a murderous glare. “Something strong!”
“Right!” He served her some clear liquid in a small glass. “That will be one silver coin.”
Why do I have to pay? That’s so unfair! She grabbed the drink and turned to Raven. He wasn’t there. Where is he?
Luna scanned her surroundings, but all she saw were backs of some women. Oh no, no, no, no, no! This was supposed to be her night with Raven. Not anyone else’s.
She tried to push through the crowd, but they shrugged her off like an annoying pest. Over twenty women surrounded Raven, offering no entry. How do I get past them? She considered her option, discarding her favorite method of passing through and stopping at the thought of what would she do afterward. The crowd clearly intended to follow Raven everywhere and while she found his confusion adorable, she saw nothing she could do.
Luna scanned her surroundings, looking for a familiar face. There was none. She frowned, her heart sinking. She emptied the glass and ordered another one. This festival is horrendous!
9
Salazar
Am I that unknown? The question kept running through Salazar’s head. He wore his traveling clothes not to attract much attention. Yet he expected someone to recognize him, a few people, at the very least, which did not happen.
Talk about a new experience. He coursed through the stacked halls of the festival while Katherine walked by his side, pretending to be invisible.
“Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Is that you?” A woman he passed started shouting.
Finally! He turned around with a smile.
The woman stared past him. “Captain d’Airelle! I never imagined I would meet you. It’s such an honor.”
Seriously? Salazar swallowed his sneer.
The woman rushed to Katherine, beaming. “I am a huge fan of yours, please let me offer you a drink.”
He slipped away to disappear into the crowd, deciding that if he is not having fun, he might as well work. He combed through the hall to find any threatening opponents. The first thing that hit his mind was the ever-present foulness of demons. While the feeling was thin at the start, he gradually realized it was everywhere. Yet he saw no demons, meaning it had to come from their followers.
Since he found little of anything useful, he let the thought be. The teams were evenly split between slaves and volunteers. While the slaves were unreadable, except for possessing strong demonic odor, the volunteers were what he expected, a wild mixture of good-for-nothing adventurers, aether wielders, and bounty hunters.
He smiled. As he found nobody famous, he asserted two threats among the competition. The first was the team of Urushnii, men of the deserts surrounding the city of Redwall, from which he recognized the eight-feet-tall, suntanned giant known as Tal’Sec.
If they had a decent aether wielder, they might have posed a threat. Salazar spun on his heel, heading toward the bar. Look at that. He narrowed his eyes as he watched a godly handsome man trapped within a crowd of girls. Despite his careful examination, Salazar saw no imperfection in the aether that was the foundation of the beauty. If this spell is controlled, he could be a problem.
He stopped to order a shot of bourbon. A few feet away from him sat a girl with mud brown hair. While her skin bore the shade of light blue and her lips were indigo, scars covered all of her visible skin while she was downing one drink after another, hypnotizing the ground beneath her stool.
His entire royal guard had fewer scars than she did. He reached out with his aether, passing it through her to check how much her own aether resists. Her backlash foiled his effort, for there was not enough strength in her for a reliable comparison of the density of her aether in relation to his. She could be a problem depending on what exact manifestation she possessed.
Salazar downed the shot, enjoying the burning aftertaste within his throat before he left the bar for the meeting area of the tournament’s organization. He pondered how shall he steal the presentation of the grand reveal from the chairman, but he decided he will solve it on the spot.
Katherine intercepted him along the way. “It is good to see your highness has stopped hiding from his guard.”
“And here I was thinking the captain of my team would appreciate me inspecting the competition.”
She smiled. “I will expect your written report tomorrow.”
He arched an eyebrow. “What else did you think I was doing?”
“I thought you went to impress Yvonne with the grandness of the count.”
He remembered the laws of his father, especially the ones that allowed him to execute anyone for any reason. While he did abolish these laws l
ong ago, moments like these made him understand why they were enacted in the first place. He discarded the thought, putting on an innocent smile instead. “Oh, please, Katherine, you know my loyalty to Countess d’Ielle is unquestioned.”
“Until you leave Xona.” She chuckled. “Outside, I could not help but notice you sometimes disappear at night and happen to be uncharacteristically happy by the next morning.”
He pierced her with a glare. “Would you like to imply something, captain?”
She flinched before his gaze. “This time, yes. I don’t care what you do with others, but I would appreciate if you kept your secret romances outside the team.”
A reasonable request. She had saved herself a lot of trouble. He forced out a smile. “I agree.”
They approached the remaining organizers. Salazar put on his most amiable face and stepped forward. “Greetings, gentlemen.”
A tall, bearded businessman with sharp eyes arched an eyebrow in his direction. “Ah, Count Salazar, I am glad to see you, for I have not noticed your presence earlier.”
Salazar glowered at the man, Edward Collward, the second vice chairman of the tournament, wondering how badly would his reputation suffer were he to be connected to a mysterious, unsolvable murder. Yet the professional smile remained as perfect as ever. “I decided to keep a low profile.”
Almost everyone else had already gathered. The seven directors of the Slaver Union on the continent, six lords of the cities where the Union nested the core of its business, now missed only the Union’s chairman, Benedict Palcher.
Salazar greeted the other men before he returned to Collward. “I fail to see the chairman. Yet I have assumed he would be present for the grand reveal.”
Collward’s face betrayed no emotion. “He seems to have encountered minor issues and shall be here presently.”
“What if he is not? After all, we cannot deviate from the schedule, else we would make fools out of ourselves. Two hours before midnight is what we have announced, so no other time is acceptable.”
The lord of Cinderwell joined them. “Count Salazar is correct, for we must not start with a failure.”