by Farah Cook
Thrashing through the rain, black clouds move in on me – a storm might be brewing. I sense it in the toxic air and this part of the West – a bleak underground and hole of despair is not far from the reach of the endless tall black towers and wealth – the only place in the Triangle with steel buildings and large granite mansions.
A dead-end brick wall with graffiti confronts me, and when I look closer, I see the hidden door camouflaged in bricks. This has to be the entry that leads into Zenghis according to Hildebrand's map. Before I knock on it I read the poetic wall.
If you keep out you may not know how badly what you think you desire is reachable. Enter and you shall see – death is only an illusion for those who believe in battle.
With my sore and red knuckles, I knock gently on the door. Behind the wall, I hear people breathing heavily, muffled sounds, and grinding teeth. When there’s no answer I knock again, and this time harder so I feel the pain crack trough my nerves.
From above a shadow appears through the window.
“What do you want?”
“I want in,” I say.
“What do you want?” the hoarse voice repeats.
“I’m looking for an Elite Raider, Maja Gustafson,” I say persistently.
“We were expecting you Nora Hunt?” A vision of my trembling blood-covered body thrown into the gutter flashes by. Will Maja defeat me? I take off my hood, let my hair spill over my shoulders and show the Jarl Dynasty’s crest tattooed on my arm.
“I'm a raider and you need to let me in,” I say and soften my eyes. “Please.”
“Sure, why not… everyone loves a kill.”
After a while the door opens. I step inside to the damp open space and lean against the door hoping I’ve made the right choice in coming here alone. Without looking, the shadow with a cobra tattoo on its narrow bony shoulders slopes away.
There’s a smell of burning and I’m greeted by rotten spider eggs caught in a thick web and black mold on the cracked ceiling. Frozen in fear and unable to move any of the muscles in my limbs, my inner voice shouts: Get out quickly and don’t look back. I don’t. Instead I take slow steps toward the red burning embers across the room. The lights are like a force pulling me in, and the only sound filling the space is a crackle coming from the glow about to die out.
Several feet below a drumming sound is getting louder – I sharpen my ears using my new senses and hear the defeated land like timber through the floorboards. Cheering crowds smash their hands together – crying, shouting and swearing. For a moment, I want to run away screaming. The person that has conquered their opponent is not pleasant. Nothing in the underworld is, until you’ve won the crowd. That one moment of victory defines a short-lived happiness, and once inside the underworld it’s either defeat or triumph.
Maja tricked me well, and knows that by pulling me to the underworld she’ll face a fair trial in battle. Little concerns me and I will settle matters by killing her – for her betrayal against me, our dynasty and the Empire.
“Once you get a taste for killing, it’s hard not to want more,” a voice from above echoes, as strident steps close in on me. “Tell me, are you in need of it or is pain what appeals to you? Or is it perhaps even death?” asks the same voice as it takes shape. And it is the shape and form of a man looking intensely at me with one eye planted in his forehead and just enough space to see the scar that made him who he is – a feared underworld mobster who goes by the name K-yal.
His appearance is mysterious and fiercely threatening, and I’ve heard things about him. He’s half human and half giant. Seeing him for the first time in flesh and bones shakes me a little. The foul scars on his face, and his tall oval-shaped head is ghastly, but I keep my eyes steady.
“Is it not obvious?” I ask. He curves his spine like a cat and leans in close. Terrified, I try not to look away.
“Pain?” he whispers.
“At any cost,” I say and hide my desire to kill. I’m not here for fun. I’m here to kill the person who wants me dead and who is spreading toxicity through the veins of our dynasty. If I don’t kill her fast, Karen will die. I can’t let that happen.
“You are aware of the consequences?” he asks, curiously. “Coming to the underworld uninvited to kill someone…”
“I am.”
“And yet you are here,” he says. “Are you not terrified?”
“Petrified.”
“Someone depends on you?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Who?” he asks, uttering a deep laugh – the kind that echoes long after the sound is gone. He cracks his large fat fingers – black filth under his yellow square nails.
“A woman named Karen, she’s… she’s my mom.” A long silence ensues and his facial expression changes. Before he gets another word out I turn around to face him. “Please, K-yal. Let me fight against Maja.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he says in a deep croaky voice.
“I know,” I say. “Your rules are different from the ones I follow.”
“I doubt it. Very few do, and the rest don’t.
“I’m not like the rest,” I say. “And I’m not your burden.”
“But you are,” he shouts. “This is my world. I decide everything.”
“Why are you hiding her?” I ask. “Does she have an alliance with you?”
“Zenghis has no alliances,” he says. “She’s here because she knows she has to die soon. You’re here because you must kill. Two Raiders in a death match is a not a good day, it’s a great day.”
“Then let me fight her.”
“If you lose, Miss Hunt,” he pauses and rubs his chin. “I get to keep that glittering sword of yours you hide behind your back.”
I should have known K-yal is no fool.
“You have a deal,” I say firmly and stare into his red eye. There’s no denying I’m out of my comfort zone. In this world, only one rule applies – trade.
Every night Zenghis opens its doors to death matches that become an evil circle, for the city’s outcast battling for a prize – gold and cash to escape the besieging misery that haunts them. The rules evolve depending on the fighters. The first defeat is what they call a “warm-up.” Unlike other places, Zenghis believes in second chances.
If the defeated decides on a second fight, but loses, the defeater gets to kill and rob its opponent of everything – including teeth, hair, ragged clothes, shoes and all other belongings. Should the defeated win the second battle, they get to disappear without fear of being tracked.
Killing Maja in this place will not raise any questions or investigations. She’s doing me a favor really by bringing me here. The underworld hides deformed creatures of all sizes and shapes. Wolf-headed trolls, and fairies with ogre’s bodies. It’s the only place away from the rules and laws of the Triangle where people coexist without having to worry about any division laws.
Most are weak, tired and damaged, and stand to lose nothing. The underworld is an abnormal place, with misshapen beings. This is a world where life is a bitch and then you die. But I don’t want to die. I have everything to lose.
“This is it,” I say, knowing I may not come out alive, but it’s still the most appealing choice I’m drawn to and it’s out of my control. It’s almost as if I want to kill – or even that I have a need for it.
When I enter the muddy pit K-yal’s narrow eye shadows me like a moth follows light. Surrounded by cheering scoundrels I hide my pulsating nerves. The room is filled with angry roars and the stench of rotten blood – a mob of hundreds or more just waiting to watch me die and the only consolation is my heightened intuition although I still have no control over it.
The judge, a frail little man stands in a round pen above the blood-spattered mud pit. He receives a signal from K-yal and shouts my name. I see K-yal clearer now. Long dark hair runs down his cape – his face black, motionless and poised. He interlaces his fingers: the right index finger taps the bone on his left knuckle. In slow-motion, the t
ime between taps feels like an eternity and I think to myself that this may well be the end of everything.
“Nora Hunt. First battle. Step forward.”
I’m at the point of no return and hear the combat drumbeats thundering. With each thud my heart races faster and the beads of sweat my stern face expels are like burning fire when I enter the pit to face Maja.
I dry my sweaty and sticky palms against my jeans. I turn my stern glare towards Maja – she looks tall and firm as she broadens her shoulders in a predatory manner. Dressed in black from top to toe, her face is covered up showing only her striking blue eyes. I try to control my erratic breathing. It’s easier to kill what you don’t know, but then what do I know – I’ve never killed anyone before.
The judge declares her name clearly: “Maja Gustafson.” There is a swarm of mutters throughout the crowd surrounding the fight pit – they sound like wild bees.
“She’s an Elite Raider,” whispers one. “What is she doing here?”
“She either wants to die,” says another in low voice, “or to kill, what else?”
Memories of all my encounters with Maja flicker by while she keeps her stare locked on me. Her masked face is unreadable. I turn my face to the suddenly silent crowd, excitement plastered all over their red clammy faces as they anticipate a fight between two raiders. The inevitable question plagues my mind, why did she do it?
I’m left with no choice. I’ll have to kill Maja Gustafson.
19
THE TRAIN RUMBLES several stories above my head, shaking the uneven black rocky walls and ceiling. The passengers traveling in the train are heading to unknown destinations, but no one gets off to enter Zenghis unless they have a death wish.
The crowd forms a circle of faces – some abnormal and bigger than others, and others smaller than small and not entirely human looking. Heavy breaths synchronize, except Maja’s. She inhales the damp air deep into her lungs before releasing it back out in puffs. She’s waiting and I’m waiting. Her knuckles are red, feeling the pressure from her fingers, and I sense her mind is occupied, but her heart is calm – unlike the hungry mob that surrounds us, and is growing restless.
“Maja!” I shout. “You betrayed my trust, and now the death spell you cast is hanging above an innocent life.”
“Nora, you’re a foolish girl,” laughs Maja, and tosses back her long braid. “If you think you can just walk in here and kill me and don’t talk to me about an innocent life for all is fair in love and war.”
“I thought you were my friend – a sworn Elite Raider,” I say without letting sadness take over my voice. “Why do you want me dead? We’re in a sisterhood.”
“Why?” she shouts. “I’ll tell you why.” Maja storms toward me and grabs my neck with her arm pulling me down into the mud. She holds me close and whispers into my ear, “He loves you, when you don’t deserve to be loved – that’s why. He makes you the dynasty leader, when you don’t know any of the raiders. I spent years building a pact with each member and I know their names by heart,” she spits.
I release myself from her grip, roll onto my stomach and cough out pockets of air. I get up and stand to my feet. When I glare at her, I see nothing. No emotions and no regrets.
“Why didn’t you just say something?” I say angrily. “It seems a bit extreme to kill me for reasons of your own don’t you think?”
“There’s another reason Nora. The price on your head was simply too great.” says Maja. “That’s right. Lord Wilhelm paid me in gold if I bring him your head. He knows his son is cursed to love you, and as long as you’re alive…”
“That bastard,” I say controlling my anger.
“I want to kill you anyway and Wilhelm made it easier for me.” Maja laughs.
The crowd cheers hysterically, shooting voices, laughter and screams into the pit. I feel the burning on my neck, and prop myself up into a plank position, and feel Maja bury her foot deep into my stomach. Use your senses, Nora, or you will die… My inner voice has little power when reasoning with me.
Maja jams her foot against me harder, and her kicks are coming faster, putting me out of breath. I crumble like a broken shell and curl onto my side, huddling against the crowd. Some small humped creature with a curved spine so long and thin it shifts like a snake vertebra by vertebra, walks toward me and rolls me back into the middle of the pit.
“Do you want more?” Maja shouts with glee. The crowd goes silent for one second, and then roars wild and loud.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!” They sound like a broken record player stuck on the same tune.
Maja’s feet contract in her leather boots as she extends her arms in the air continuing to excite the roaring crowd, taking slow paces forward, and backward passing by me in the pit. Then her eyes make a clicking sound, and she turns to face me. She doesn’t have the eyes of a killer.
She grabs me and yanks me to the side and is about to smash down hard on me when she stops. In the same moment, I release my face from my hood’s shadow and rise. With her eyes, she sees me the way she saw me for the first time – a friend not a foe. Doubt arises, and her icy blue eyes turn mellow and warm.
“Why stop?” I ask, with no control over my erratic breathing. “Is it not what you want Maja? To kill me.”
“I know what I want?” She grabs me by the throat. The blood from my nose colors her hand red. “Do you?”
“I never saw you as my enemy, till you made me yours,” I say.
Maja jerks away.
“One thing is to betray me, our dynasty and the Empire – but to play with magic and place a death spell on me proves how cowardly you are.” I say. “The Empire is rising and will rule the Viking Empire, and you will be dead and forgotten.”
“A failing Empire is no Empire,” smirks Maja. “First it must rise – and thinking you, a Viking assassin, who grew up among savages can save us…” she laughs. “Nora, I want you dead not for one reason but for many.”
“I didn’t ask for all this,” I shout.
“Neither did I,” she says. “But die you shall.”
“You are a coward,” I say. “And I pity you.”
“Soon you will be dead Nora. Save your pity for the creatures in Hellheim because that’s where I am sending you.”
I lunge toward her and grab onto her waist. Fast like a kitten she writhes around to wrench me loose. I fall back and Maja shoves me hard to the ground. If this lasts I’ll be dead in no time.
“Kill her! Finish her!” Screams from the mob are getting louder. Maja doesn’t make a move. She’s suddenly frozen with fear, terrified of the choice that seemed easy to her. But what do I expect from a traitor like Maja? Her mind is poisoned. She has become ruthless and obsessed with the idea that I am her enemy. I pull her toward me and then push her with all my force so she lands in the pit. She rolls around sharply and runs toward me bringing her fists across her face striking me. I move backward, each step squelching into the muddy ground beneath me.
“If I can’t have Magnus, then neither will you,” she punches me and that’s when I snap. All the anger, frustration and fear jolt through me setting my core on fire. My skin feels electric and my senses heightened. Maja continues to charge at me and that’s when I spin around and raise up my leg, kicking her hard in the stomach. The kick sends her staggering back, groaning. I jump forward and sit on her, locking her head between my knees.
Zenghis is not a place of kindness. This immoral place knows nothing of humanity or love. It’s a dog-eat-dog world – the look in Maja’s eyes is changing dramatically, as if a secret is plaguing her like a virus. I see that clearly now.
“Say your last prayer,” I say, and take her head between my hands.
“Don’t, Nora!” she cries. “I’ll break the death spell.”
“It’s too late for that,” I say. “You broke all bonds and rights to claim anything when you turned your back on me.”
“All I wanted was his love,” she cries. “You do know how that feels don’t you?” My
heart falls and keeps falling. Frederick – it’s pounding his name. Do I want to go against the code of ethics and let Maja go? My heart is still falling and it blows into a million pieces.
I hold Maja’s life between my hands. One twist and the strings in her body that supply her brain with oxygen will come loose. All it takes is one turn and I break her neck. Her blue eyes are tormented with regret. I release her and rise toward the mob who are waiting with bated breath.
“I redeem her,” I say. The silent crowd starts buzzing and whispering. Uncertainty plastered all over their faces. Have I deceived them out of a victory? My announcement may have come as a surprise and K-yal makes his shadow visible from the pen above the mud pit.
“Nora, do you know what this means?”
“Yes.”
“You still choose to redeem her?”
“Yes, I redeem her,” I say and leave the pit. I think I might be dreaming, and in my mind, I’m still trying to figure out what outrage I’ve just caused announcing my own death by choice. For redeeming Maja, there’s no way I am getting out of the underworld alive.
But at least I don’t have to live with the guilt of killing Maja, but I will live with the guilt of Karen’s death and it saddens me. She is the mother I never had.
K-yal relaxes the muscles in his face, and looks at me with condemnation.
I pull the hood from my cloak over my head, and tuck away my hair. Maja’s curious eyes instantly seek answers, but she already knows she’s not going to get any. Amid this insanity, I tune out from the whispers and thoughts harassing my tense mind. I’ve just brought on my own death to save someone who betrayed me and wants me dead at any cost. There’s no escaping what the underworld may do to me now.
Mercy and compassion I do not lack – and it feels good knowing that because I may not be the assassin the Empire wants. I am fearless, but I am not heartless.
The sting doesn’t hurt at first, but when blood dribbles down my neck I realize what’s happened. I try to control my breathing. My left index finger finds the wound that’s exploding, adding pressure to it.