by Penny Rose
The gladiators prepared to enter. The announcer’s voice boomed across the stands as drones buzzed through the crowd, getting the best shots.
“Welcome, everyone, and thank you for participating in the red wave of the arena. We all understand the meaning behind it. It is the color of blood, and isn’t that what we all want to see today?”
The crowd cheered.
Cade shuddered involuntarily and glanced at Arc, who was glowering. The new recruits looked nervous. The veterans were more composed, but even they looked a bit shaken. This couldn’t be normal. If it was, he would have heard of it before.
“For today’s entertainment, we are going to witness a battle featuring two challengers from each of the four houses competing. The last two houses to survive at the end will go to the capital. Now let’s introduce our combatants.”
One by one, the challengers were introduced. Two from each house. Ostia and Garash from House Denoris. Stuas and Ech from House Rogo. Sanir and Kelum from House Prinzton. And finally, Arc and Cade from House Maizon.
Cade bumped his fist against Arc’s tentacle. “Let’s do this. I’ll watch your back, and you watch mine.”
The other gladiators from Cade’s house patted him on the back.
The gates opened, and the men were led one by one into the arena. Just as Cade stepped onto the sand, someone smeared gel on his back. He turned to find out who did it, but he didn’t recognize him as they shuffled past the gladiators into the tunnel. Whatever was on his back, it didn’t burn. It had a weird smell to it, but nothing else. Perhaps he had brushed against him by accident. Cade tried to wipe it away, but Arc called to him.
“Cade, let’s go. What are you waiting for?” He pointed a tentacle to the arena.
Ignoring the gel, Cade trotted over to the other men. He had bigger issues to worry about than whatever was on his back.
After bowing to the crowd, the fight began. The gladiators stuck near their teammates at first, sizing one another up. A loud bang drew their attention toward one of the underground gates. The gate opened, and a gigantic winged creature waddled through. It emerged from the tunnel and unfurled wings the width of a small spaceship. It snapped its razor-sharp beak before taking to the air.
“What the hell is that?” Arc gawked at the creature.
“I don’t know, but whatever you do, don’t let it pick you up with that beak.” Cade took a step back as the monstrous creature flapped its massive wings. Cade had a feeling he knew who was behind this most recent development.
Almost immediately, the beast turned toward Cade and dove. Wings tucked, it barreled through the air. The gladiators scattered, but the creature kept its sight locked on Cade, extending its claws. He swung his sword and hit one of its talons. The creature squawked before ascending again. Drones darted around it, getting the best footage for the streams.
It circled the arena, and every time it attacked, it only seemed interested in Cade. He swung time and time again, fighting it off as best he could, and it still came after him.
Arc was the only gladiator that had his back. He tried to attack it every time it dove. “That thing has it in for you.”
Cade had a dawning realization. “They put something on me. Dammit! Whatever is on my back, they marked me before I got in the arena.”
“Those bastards,” Arc hissed, swinging as Cade narrowly dodged another attack.
Cade had been lucky so far, but eventually, his luck would run out. He wasn’t getting anywhere with the creature, and pretty soon, the other gladiators would realize the advantage they had against him. The creature was relentless, and the gel had been absorbed into his skin.
Arc and Cade stood back to back. When the creature dove, they separated, and Arc slashed at its talons. Cade rolled out of the way. When he got to his feet, he saw Sanir approaching Arc.
Sanir shouted something, and the two started talking. Cade couldn’t focus on them at the moment, because the giant monster bird was diving again. This time, Cade was able to stab his sword midway through its wing. Blue blood spilled across the arena, and the beast tumbled in the sand. It rose with a screech, thrashing its head as it hopped around.
Arc and Sanir took a fighting stance in front of the wounded creature.
“I’m sorry.” Sanir held a trident in his webbed blue fingers. “I can’t sit by as Prinzton chooses to fight without honor. It is not the gladiator way.”
Sanir extended a hand to help Cade to his feet. As Cade grabbed Sanir’s hand, a spear pierced Sanir’s chest, showering Cade in blood. Sanir gurgled, but no words came out.
Sanir’s partner, Kelum—a man with a beak and feathers on his shoulders—stood snarling behind him. “You do not help the enemy!” He kicked Sanir in the back, pulling his spear free. Sanir’s body crumpled to the ground as he drew his last breaths.
Kelum took a step toward Cade, and Arc intervened.
Arc twisted his blade in his tentacle. “One more step and I’ll end you.”
Kelum clicked his beak, and the four others from Denoris and Rogo stood to both sides of him. “Only two houses make it through, so we might as well get rid of you first.”
Cade looked into Sanir’s lifeless eyes. The man was dead because he tried to help Cade. He was betrayed by his own team for doing the honorable thing. And now Arc was about to do the same. It was two against five. He couldn’t let anyone else die because of him. He roared, feeling rage build up in him. Somewhere behind him, the wounded monster answered. Cade stood. It was time to unleash his fury.
He turned back to the monster and ran at it. As the rage took over, all he saw was red. It had been a long time since he let it free. He leaped into the air and buried the sword deep in the creature’s chest. It screamed in agony, but it was short-lived before it died.
Before the monster had even hit the ground, Cade moved toward Kelum. Two men to the left of Kelum rushed Cade. With deadly speed and precision, he ducked the first blow, slicing through the man’s neck as he spun toward the second attacker. The second man held a warhammer. As he lifted it overhead, Cade thrust his sword into the man’s throat until it emerged on the other side.
Kelum pointed, and the two others attacked. Cade didn’t have time to wonder why gladiators from a different house were listening to him. The first lunged at Cade, but he fell forward into the sand as Arc buried his sword in the man’s back. The other gladiator turned to run, but Cade sliced his heel and sent him sprawling. Cade planted his blade in the base of the man’s skull.
A bell rang, signaling that the fight was over, but Cade wasn’t done. If they wanted entertainment, he would give it to them. Kelum flinched as Cade stalked toward him. He held his spear in a defensive stance, jabbing it at Cade to keep him at bay. But Cade wasn’t afraid. The rage that pumped through his veins eliminated fear. All that was left was the beast. Kelum jabbed, and Cade parried. As it slid to the side, he took his chance and charged. With a swift movement, he slit Kelum’s throat. Blood spewed out in pulses, painting the sand red.
The crowd roared. A deadly calm washed over Cade as his rage ended.
“What was that?” Arc’s mouth hung wide open.
“Kondorian battle-rage.” It was the reason Kondorians were prized as great fighters. When the rage overtook them, they were nearly unstoppable. The only downside was that they had no control over when it came, but it only ever happened in the most stressful of situations.
The next thing Cade new, Maizon was standing beside him in the arena. His owner grasped his shoulder. “Well done.”
Maizon sighed with frustration when it was announced that Prinzton’s team would be allowed to advance because his man was the last to die. Cade understood the sentiment. He just couldn’t catch a break. That meant that Prinzton would be at the finale in the capital. He was determined to have Cade killed, and Cade wasn’t sure how many more times he could evade these attempts on his life. He would keep coming until Cade was dead.
As he walked out of the arena, Cade looked up at the b
alcony where Eldredth sat. He prayed he could deliver on his promise.
****
Eldredth’s heart was still in her throat as she watched Cade leave the arena. The crowd was on the verge of madness after watching him go into a rage. It had been a difficult fight for her to watch, almost unbearable. She found no enjoyment in watching men kill one another.
Not a single fighter had been spared by Cade’s rampage. Perhaps it would send a message to Prinzton, but likely not. Would he ever let up? Why couldn’t he just let them be? She was in love with someone who had a target on his back, and it was all her fault. If it wasn’t for her, Cade wouldn’t be in danger—well, more danger than the arena already brought—and there was nothing she could do about it. Prinzton was relentless and wanted Cade dead. She wondered if she should go to Maizon and tell him, though that behavior would not shine a good light on her either. She could end up getting herself in trouble. He might not believe her, and then where would she be?
She looked back to the arena and was shocked to see Sanir moving. His arm twitched against the sand. She had thought he was dead. Everyone had. He’d had a spear driven through his chest, and men didn’t come back from that kind of wound. She hurried from the balcony to where the attendants were loading the corpses for disposal.
“Wait!” she shouted. “Wait, that man’s not dead!”
She went to Sanir immediately and placed her hands on him. If she could save him, she would feel like she had served a purpose that day. Prinzton was nowhere to be found. This was his man, but he had sided with Cade in the arena. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as his master.
Sanir’s eyes fluttered open as she pressed her hands to his chest.
“Thank you.” The words came out labored.
“Don’t thank me yet.” She smiled at Sanir as he crawled to his feet and rushed out of the arena. Where he was going, she couldn’t begin to guess. She stood to find Prinzton standing behind her. She gasped.
He struck her across the face without warning, and her head snapped dangerously to the side.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Prinzton’s eyes were slits.
“I was helping him. He was still alive.”
“Who asked you to do that? No one,” he snarled.
She looked at him in shock. “He’s one of your men.”
“If I wanted him alive, he would be.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. But before she could say anything to him, he punched her in the face. She felt the bones crunch under the impact, and blood splattered over her face. She tried to breathe, but it was difficult. Icy fear ran through her veins. She fell to the ground, and he kicked her repeatedly in the ribcage. She heard one of her ribs crack, and she cried out in pain. Was this it? Was this where she died?
“You need to learn your place, Eldredth. Don’t you dare do anything like that again without my instruction.”
He walked away, leaving her whimpering in the bloody sand. No one came to her aid. She got up gingerly, being careful with her ribs. She didn’t want her rib to puncture any of her internal organs before she could get to a healer. It was unfortunate that she couldn’t heal herself.
She slowly made her way back to the healers’ sleeping quarters. Every step sent a sharp pain through her side. It hurt to breathe, and she thought she might pass out. She knocked on Aira’s door, and it opened quickly.
Aira’s mouth fell open as she gasped. “Eldredth! What happened?”
“Prinzton,” she whispered.
“What? Prinzton did this to you? Come in.” Aira motioned her into the room.
Aira led her to the bed, and she laid down. Every part of her body hurt, but she could only wait for another healer to care for her. Aira immediately placed her hands on Eldredth, and the pain started to ebb. The bones in her nose rearranged, and she could finally breathe again. It took longer for her rib to move back into place and right itself. While she was being healed, Eldredth explained what happened. When Aira was finished, Eldredth sat up.
“You need to tell Maizon about this. Prinzton is not allowed to treat you so disrespectfully. You are not employed by him. All you did was heal someone. Maizon wouldn’t have punished you for that, especially if it was one of his own men.”
Eldredth felt anger burning inside of her. “I hate him, and I’m not going to let him do this to me any longer.”
“Eldredth, don’t do anything crazy. If he was willing to do something like this, then who knows what he’s capable of.”
Eldredth knew all too well what he was capable of. She thanked Aira and walked out of the room. She had to see Cade, and she didn’t care who knew about it. She was watching him in near-death situations almost every day, and now she had nearly been there herself. She was living in a sick world and needed to go to the only place where she felt safe and loved. She went to the barracks and made her way to the same room that she had met Cade before. She knew that it was the room he slept in. She knocked lightly and when he opened it, he stared at her in shock before quickly ushering her inside.
“Eldredth, what are you doing here? What were you thinking? Do you want to die too?” His eyes were wide with panic.
“Prinzton beat me close to death.”
Cade was speechless, but his panic quickly turned to anger. “He did what?”
“Aira healed me. I’m okay now. But we are both in a lot of danger.”
“Which is why you shouldn’t be here.”
“I love you, Cade. Every day, I have to watch you fight for your life. We are going to the capital next, and he’s going to try again to kill you. He might succeed this time because he has gotten pretty close so far.”
He sighed. “I know. Today was unreal. I would love to know what was in that gel to have that monster chase me down like that.”
“Please be careful. Don’t let anyone near you at all. I worry about you every minute of the day.”
He kissed her softly, and tears welled up in her eyes. She was livid, but she was also scared to death. She hated Prinzton for his jealousy, for his inability to just let her go. She hated him for trying to take the only man she had ever loved away from her.
“Why did Prinzton beat you?”
“I saw Sanir moving on the ground and went to heal him. I thought it was the right thing to do. Prinzton saw me and told me I had no right to do that. He had to teach me a lesson.”
Cade walked out of the room in anger, ready to go fight Prinzton once and for all. He ran into Arc, nearly knocking him over. Arc looked from Cade to Eldredth.
“Whatever you are thinking of doing, don’t. I can tell by the look on your face, you are up to something bad.”
Eldredth grabbed Cade’s arm. “Please, don’t. You will only make it worse for the both of us.”
Cade turned to Arc. “She saved Sanir, and Prinzton beat her for it.”
Arc nodded. “Don’t do anything stupid, Cade.” He walked away, giving them space.
She pulled him back in the room and out of sight, closing the door behind them. She kissed him, wanting to forget about the horror and violence that she had witnessed and experienced that day. She wanted to forget that Prinzton was obsessed with her and hellbent on killing the man she loved. She wanted to forget it all.
“Make love to me.” It wasn’t a question.
He sighed. “Eldredth, all I feel is rage right now.”
“Please, Cade. What if tomorrow is our last day alive? We will regret this moment.” She pressed her lips to his again.
She felt lost when his body wasn’t next to hers. Their lives were hanging by a thread, and it was likely that one or both might not make it through the next tournament. Prinzton could have easily left her for dead in the arena if he’d really wanted to, and they both knew that Cade’s days were numbered if he didn’t win his freedom.
“Please, Cade. Let’s pretend this is the last night we have.”
Cade opened the door and asked Arc to keep watch.
“I’m alive becau
se of you. I’ll do what I can.”
Back inside, Cade pulled Eldredth in and kissed her passionately. Her tension began to melt the moment his tongue touched hers. They went straight for the bed, pulling off clothes as they walked. They didn’t have much time and they both knew it. By the time she was at the bed, she was stripped of all her robes. She turned around and he stood behind her naked in all his glory. His body was what women dreamed of—chiseled from top to bottom, and strong in every way. He looked like he could take on the world, and that’s what he did every time he was in the arena. She liked the idea that he could take on anything, protect her if she needed him. He was hard and ready for her with the most powerful part of his body, and he was all hers.
He reached his hand around her neck and pulled her face toward him. Her lips met his and a current ran through her body. She shivered deliciously despite herself. She was no longer tired. In fact, she didn’t care if she ever slept again.
“Make love to me, Cade.”
His mouth possessed hers once again and his tongue found hers with urgency, claiming it for himself. She backed away from him and laid down on the bed, spreading her legs. He was beside himself with passion as he kissed her lips, face, and neck.
“I’m ready, don’t worry.”
He slid his hand between her legs to check and smiled when he realized it was true. He pushed inside her roughly, eliciting a cry from her. Her head tilted back, and he pushed into her rhythmically.
“Eldredth, you feel so good.”
She moaned with pleasure as he rode her, unable to get enough of him. This man possessed her body with very little effort. She was a slave to the pleasure he was giving her. Her mind grew hazy, and she thought she would lose control when she came onto his member. She shook violently as the orgasm overtook her.
“Yes… Oh, Eldredth, I can feel you.”