“Watch out!” Rokaa called from the box.
Sedom spun around to Rokaa, her eyes wide with surprise. She knew his face, but from where? As she thought, the hammer smashed her across the shoulder and into her arm. The impact dropped her to her knees. Instantly tears welled in her eyes as she felt the bone crumble in her skin. She wiped away the tears, jumping back to her feet as the man’s hammer came at her.
She ducked and rolled to the ground, missing the hammer’s head by inches. Her eyes turned to Rokaa as she jumped back to her feet.
“Who is he?” she asked. “I… know him.”
She jumped up onto the man’s shoulders, using his belt as leverage for her foot then proceeded to dig her elbow into the base of his skull.
The man tumbled to the ground, unable to move. With a quick jerk, she snapped his neck. She jumped up in time to miss the other man’s hammer. His hammer wildly flew from his hands, crushing his partner’s skull. He attempted to lift the hammer, finding it lodged with in the bone and brain matter.
Sedom seize the opportunity, jumping on to the man’s shoulders. She wrapped her arm around his throat, cutting off his air supply, all the while babying her other arm. He tumbled to the ground, unconscious. With one quick thrust, she broke his neck killing him instantly. With his own ax, she chopped off his head.
“As I said, looks can be deceiving,” Lord Wyice mentioned. He stood, raising his hand to Sedom when she noticed him sitting in the box. “Syrok, you are in the presence of the Cassaus,” he called out as a warning.
Sedom lowered the head she held in her right hand, tossing it aside. “Next time!” she snarled.
Rokaa slowly inched back into his seat, closing his eyes to gather himself. “That was… intense.”
“You should have seen her fight three days ago. She went through six men like they were made of paper,” Santurra mentioned. “How many does this make now?” she asked Lord Wyice.
The Lord sat back in his chair, his fingers drumming against each other. “Twenty-seven before this match, so this makes twenty-nine. At least she’s obeying today.”
“She’s only been fighting for a few weeks. How is that possible?” Rokaa asked.
Santurra turned to him in question. “I thought you said you didn’t follow the arena games?” she mentioned.
Rokaa shrugged. “You told me she’d only been in the arena for a few weeks,” he covered.
“Terrill, her owner, is a greedy man,” Lord Wyice mentioned with a grin. “If you will excuse me, your Excellency. Marnet,” Lord Wyice bowed to both then hurried from the box.
“Unusual man,” Santurra mentioned.
“Typical Windrit genius, I suppose,” Rokaa joked.
Santurra stood, gazing down at Sedom. Rokaa followed, holding onto the railing that surrounded the box. Below, Sedom’s guards were securing her with chains around her collar.
Terrill entered the arena with a fanfare. He took up Sedom’s left hand, hoisting her arm into the air, declaring her the champion. Sedom cried out, forcing her arm away from his grasp.
“You’re injured?” he asked her in a hushed voice. She nodded, seething from her pain. She pulled her arm away from her chest, showing him her fast darkening skin. “Damn. Fine, come with me,” he insisted, taking her by her good arm and leading her back into the tunnels.
Inside the tunnels, they were met by twenty more guards. “She’s injured. Watch her arm,” Terrill insisted as he guided her towards the medical room.
In the medical room, the doctor was already waiting.
“On the table,” Doctor Cesserin ordered, pointing to the table with his gloved hand.
Sedom jumped onto the table, staring directly at the doctor as he ripped away the sleeve of her uniform. Beneath, her arm was a mess of bruises and blood. To her surprise, a thick piece of bone was protruding from her forearm. The doctor removed the bone with long tweezers and held it up to examine it in the light.
“Piece of a finger bone,” he determined.
“Whose?” Terrill asked from behind the doctor.
Dr. Cesserin shrugged. “Check her victims for anyone missing a finger,” he mused as he continued to examine Sedom’s shoulder and arm. His tender touch caused Sedom to howl out in agony. She jumped off the table, cowering in the corner. She dropped to her rear, holding tight to her arm against her body.
Dr. Cesserin knelt to Sedom, taking her good shoulder firmly in hand. “This is a bad break. There’s no way of healing this quickly. I’m removing her from the arena until she has time to heal.”
“How long?” Terrill questioned anxiously.
“A week, maybe two. I’ll see how her people heal in a few days before I schedule treatment. Until then she isn’t to be touched at all,” he said.
“Not possible. We have a fight in three days. You fixed the last broken bone. Fix this one,” he demanded.
Dr. Cesserin shook his head. “I could have if she hadn’t continued to use it in battle after she broke it. The bone has been crushed. It’s practically sand. You should be more concerned if she’ll ever use it again.”
Sedom pulled her arm away. It felt strange, as if no bones were in her arm. The swollen skin even sagged slightly within the break. “I’m alright, Terrill. Put me in the arena,” she said, gulping back her pain.
“You heard her. She’s fine!” Terrill argued.
“Master Terrill, there’s a Lord Wyice wishing to speak to you,” Cizel said from the doorway.
Terrill paced a moment, his teeth gritted. “Damn, fine, after she receives her honors, take her to her cell and let her rest,” he decided. “I’ll be back.”
“Her arm?” Cizel asked the doctor.
“Crushed. She’s out. I’ll reevaluate it in two weeks,” the doctor explained.
With Terrill gone, Sedom turned to Dr. Cesserin, glaring at him. “Thanks to you, I’m stuck staring at bars for the next few weeks, starving!” she growled.
The doctor wouldn’t back down. “Better than dying. There is no way you can fight,” he snipped back. He glanced over at Cizel who nodded then left.
She glanced over at Terrill, “If you say so,” she returned low, pulling herself off the floor. “Can you give me something for the pain?”
Dr. Cesserin watched Terrill speaking with Lord Wyice in the hall. “I heard that Lord Wyice wishes to purchase your contract,” he mentioned low as he pressed a syringe to her shoulder. “This should help.”
Sedom’s eyes turned to slits. “Why tell me this?”
He shrugged. “By saying your arm is worse that is, I can prevent the sale. Would you like that?” he asked.
Sedom thought a moment, brushing her tongue over her front teeth. “No,” she returned, an amused smirk unfolding on her lips. “Let him buy me.”
“You’re truly masochistic. You know he’ll take you to the Cariou? There are no rules for game slaves there. He can make you fight as often as he wants,” the doctor explained.
Sedom thought a moment, shaking her head. “No, he won’t.” She continued to sit on the table as the doctor inched out of the room. From inside the room, she could hear Terrill speaking with Lord Wyice over old debts the Lord had recently procured from Terrill’s previous relations.
The walls of the medical bay shook with the impact of Terrill’s body being pounded against it.
Sedom jumped off the table, stepping outside to see what was going on. Lord Wyice had Terrill pinned against the wall, his left hand around his throat.
She cleared her throat, causing the Lord to turn to her. “Unhand him,” she demanded in a low, gravely voice.
“I… haven’t fed her yet. She… get’s moody when… she’s hungry,” Terrill said between gasps.
Lord Wyice lowered Terrill to the ground, his eyes peeled tensely on Sedom. Terrill jerked away from Lord Wyice’s grasp.
“My answer is still no. She’s mine. As for the other part of our conversation, I’ll make arrangements for your payment,” Terrill growled back to the Lord.<
br />
He hurried over to Sedom, who watched Lord Wyice in a battle stance ready to attack. As soon as she was confident Terrill was far enough away, she hurried over to keep up with him.
“I saved your life. You owe me vegetables,” Sedom demanded.
“Whatever you like, Syrok,” he said with a sigh of relief. “He wants your contract,” he mentioned. Sedom grunted. “I’m eventually going to have to give in. He has too much political power. I can’t hold him off for long. You need to find a way to discourage him from wanting you,” he admitted.
“I’ve thrown heads at him. What more can I do? And why can’t you prevent my sale?” she asked.
“Politics. He has the Cassaus in his back pocket. If he wants something, he’ll eventually get it,” he grumbled.
Cizel hurried up behind them, offering Terrill a uniform jacket. “The Cassaus and her guests have already begun to gather and are anxiously waiting to see her. The head of the Game Council is here also,” he informed.
Terrill nodded to his associate. “If it wasn’t for you though…” he paused, turning to Sedom. “Why in the hell did you drop your guard? You had him!” he grumbled as he slipped on his jacket.
She stared directly into his eyes. “I was distracted.”
“By what?” Cizel questioned as he continued walking behind them.
Sedom pointed in the direction she heard Rokaa’s voice. Terrill turned to Cizel for further elaboration.
“A Marnet is here as a guest of the Royal house. They say he’s half Narkoy. She probably sensed him,” Cizel explained.
“Huh, fascinating. Well, you have a vacation thanks to that animal lust of yours,” Terrill informed. He attached the chain to her collar. “For now, you have people who wish to see you.”
She followed him into the palace where everyone waited in the ballroom to see her. To her surprise, Rokaa stood between Cassaus Santurra and Lord Wyice. She closed her eyes, her memories of Rokaa tingling through her mind. She opened her eyes, coming face to face with her Ardath.
“Your Excellency and honored friends, may I present the winner of today’s arena fights, Syrok Cantro!” Terrill called out.
The ballroom echoed with cheers and clapping hands.
“She’s injured?” Santurra questioned as she approached, noticing Sedom’s arm in a sling. “Does this mean she won’t fight in the next games?”
“Unfortunately no, she will not be able to fight for a few weeks. It seems as though your… guest distracted her,” Terrill mentioned, bowing to Rokaa.
Rokaa’s face paled. It was exactly the situation they all feared. Sedom recognized him in some small way. He faked a small, deceiving grin. “I do apologize. I do have a way with women,” Rokaa said, smirking devilishly.
Santurra patted Rokaa’s shoulder. “Yes you do, for one so young,” she flirted back.
Lord Wyice neared Sedom, looking deeply into her eyes. “You two have met before?” he mentioned, speaking to Rokaa, but his eyes remained on Sedom.
Rokaa shrugged dismissively as he took a drink from a passing waiter. “Possibly.” He stood beside Lord Wyice, eyeing Sedom as if she were prized livestock.
Sedom’s eyes shifted to him, turning to slits. When he looked into her eyes, she could see the love he held for her. “Rokaa,” she screamed in her mind. It was as if all at once a smoky mirror had been shattered in her mind and she could see realities’ true form.
Rokaa noticed a snap with recognition inside her mind. He quickly looked away, silently praying she wouldn’t say anything. “I visited the Narkoy cities many times with my father before they were destroyed. Many know me, but I seldom was so privileged,” he admitted.
He guided Santurra away with talk of refreshments, leaving Lord Wyice standing next to Sedom.
“Rokaa, don’t leave me,” she cried inside her mind.
“Is she safe? Or have you still not fed her?” Lord Wyice asked Terrill.
Terrill hummed a moment, unsure how to respond. “She is a bit wild, so I wouldn’t tempt her,” he explained.
He held out his hand for Terrill to hand him Sedom’s chain. Hesitantly, Terrill complied with his wishes. “I said typically. Need I point out she’s already attacked you several times now. Are you willing to risk it?” he warned.
Lord Wyice tugged her chain, causing Sedom to walk along side him. He paused, forcing her to look at him.
“How much of you is still in there? Or, are you only Terrill’s puppet now?” he asked. He rested his hand over her cheek. “So beautiful yet so deadly.”
She grinned at him then sunk her teeth into the flesh of his hand. He dropped her chain, grabbing for his bloody hand. Seizing an opportunity, she dashed for Rokaa, catching him by surprise. She pounced on top of him, forcing him to the ground.
“Why are you here!” she whispered in Celibec as she pinned him down.
He reached into his pocket, grabbing the pill Danstu gave him. “Looking for you.” Rokaa pushed her away with a hand over her mouth. As he forced her away, he shoved the tracking pod into her mouth. “Cauch Hoosla!” [swallow quickly] he screamed in Celibec, making it sound like he was cursing her.
Three guards pulled her off of Rokaa. In a fit of chaos, they hurried Sedom out of the room. As they left the room, she managed to glance back in time to see Rokaa standing from the floor, his hair messy and his eyes irate.
“She certainly doesn’t care much for you,” Santurra mentioned as she strolled over to him.
“I say not,” he grumbled as he straightened his uniform jacket. “Remember, I’m a traitor to the Narkoy. My family backed your cause,” he mentioned.
Sedom swallowed hard, nearly choking on the pill Rokaa gave her. Her mind blanked for a moment as panic swelled in her thoughts. Was the tracking device for the Tasgool or the Rook? It was too late now. The fact that he knew she was there was concerning enough. Then it occurred to her, she knew who that man was.
“Rokaa,” she gasped.
She felt a tranquilizer touch the back of her neck, but before she could react, her world blanked before her eyes.
At the party, Jeina causally walked over to Rokaa’s side, offering him a drink. “Are you alright, Marnet? It looked a little heated there for a moment,” she asked.
Rokaa grunted, keeping the impression that he was upset over being attacked. “Someone should track her more closely. She could have killed me,” he hinted.
Jeina smirked. “Yes, they should. It’s not my department, but I’ll see they get your message,” she hinted back. “I must return to my duties. You enjoy the rest of the party, hopefully without further incident.”
Lord Wyice took her place as she left his side. “Are all Narkoy so violent?” he asked Rokaa.
Rokaa shook his head. “No. They’re actually quite timid. Introduce meat into our diet though, you’ll end up with that,” he said, pointing to the doorway where they carried Sedom out.
“Are you certain you don’t know her?” he questioned.
Rokaa turned to the Lord, showing him the other side of his face where Sedom had scratched him. “If I did, she’d be on her knees before me, not scratching my face.”
“You princes’ are all alike, hum?” Lord Wyice joked. He downed his drink, handing it to a passing waiter. “Rumors claim she may be the Tasgool’s own Chadon. If I remember correct, you two were betrothed,” he mentioned.
Rokaa chuckled. “Seriously? To that? No. I know the Chadon and that is not her.”
“But you and the Chadon?” Lord Wyice mentioned.
“That ended the day the Tasgool threatened to go to war with us,” Rokaa mentioned. “Sortec’s a bit pissed off over her people… you know, being destroyed. She hates anyone with Rook blood just as much as any Marisheio, I included,” he mentioned.
“Did you hear they found a Marisheio ship that crashed near here? They claim it was taken by the Tasgool,” Lord Wyice continued to question.
Rokaa shook his head, smirking. “It would explain the extra security,” he
mentioned.
“Perhaps,” Lord Wyice said scowling. “She’s so wild, but there is something about her. If you’ll excuse me.”
FIFTEEN
Later that evening, Jeina poked her head into the cafeteria, motioning for Zion and his team to join her. Rosanheer hobbled behind as they hurried into the boardroom. She quickly shut the door behind them. Aris and Ryn were already waiting inside.
“The Marnet made contact. It was… intense. Sortec attacked the Marnet, but he managed to get her to swallow the tracker,” she explained as she handed the tracker’s computer to Ryn.
“Did she recognize the Marnet?” Rosanheer asked.
Jeina nodded. “We believe she did. We’re not certain how much she recognized, but she did recognize him. They carried her off before we could receive further conformation. I arranged for the Marnet to join a tour tomorrow of the training facility. If I were you I’d get a hustle on the details. He’ll need something to give her,” she said and was about to say something else when Rosanheer interrupted.
“If I’m going to take position as Santurra’s guard, we’re going to need to know how much of her mind has been compromised,” he said. He paused, motioning to Jeina. “Sorry, you were saying?”
Jeina heaved a deep breath. “There is another problem. I overheard that Sortec was sold.”
“To who?” Zion growled.
“One Lord Sidoc Wyice,” she explained.
The Tasgool’s team member’s faces all paled.
“You have got to be out of your damn…” Rosanheer grumbled.
“Lord Wyice? Why would he want her? He’s the scientist responsible for killing her people,” Zion mentioned.
Aris shook his head. “Guilt? Who knows his reasoning? He is known to be a madman, but this does cause us some difficulties,” he mentioned.
Ryn crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “What does he want her for?” he asked turning to Jeina.
Jeina shrugged. “Her arm is a mess. Officials aren’t allowing her back in the arena for a minimum of three weeks, if at all. Whatever he wants her for isn’t for the arena,” she explained.
The Last Narkoy_OSLO Page 13