Token (Token Chronicles)

by Ryan Gressett

  Yency is already passed out on his bed. I decide to go outside and walk about. I need to check the security at the house. Maybe I can get in there somehow if I can go undetected. Maybe I…… I stop in my tracks. I hear Zander’s voice coming from one of the tents. He has to stay out here too. I don’t understand why he would if he is a free man? Why he would choose to enslave himself to this life?

  “You know I can’t. It’s not allowed,” I overhear him say.

  “It is not fair. Wouldn’t you have wanted to know?” A woman’s voice.

  “Do you think it will make it any easier for them? Any easier for me? You know I can’t stand doing this.”

  “Then let’s just leave. We can find a way.”

  “You know we can’t. Our chips won’t allow us to leave the confines without jolting us. Silon warned me if I ever tried to escape, if I ever left, he would take you back. Our agreement would be broken. I can’t risk it. I just can’t.”

  “Well, it is killing you doing this to these boys. Forcing them to go through what you did. To do what you had to do.”

  “What other choice do I have? I did it all for you.”

  “I know, and I am grateful for you saving me, but we can’t do this forever.”

  “I know, I know, but just give me time. I will figure something out.”

  Drawn into their conversation, I unknowingly had drifted entirely too close to their tent. I accidentally kicked a rock outside. The rock makes a loud scuffling noise.

  “Is someone out there?” Zander asks.

  I decide tonight is not the night for defiance. I hastily make my way back to my tent for the night. Zander never discovered it was me outside his tent. Judging by the tone of his conversation, he may have been more worried that it was a Grod or someone else from the Silon camp. But the words he shared with that woman replay in my head over and over again while I lay in my bed restlessly. What did she want us to know? Why did he come back to save her? Sleep eludes me.

  Our days are the same. Waking up early, training from dusk until dawn out in the arena. Yency and I have both been drastically improving, taking less fatal blows and dealing more out to the others. Zander has praised our development, but I can’t seem to concentrate all my efforts into the training. I know my life is on the line, but I have to talk to Zander, alone. I have to know what he isn’t telling us. I have already tried to get into the house to see Isamar, but it is more protected than the mansion for the Ambassador back on the Islands. The house is layered with security at every possible entry point. Grods are constantly patrolling the grounds. My only hope is to find out what Zander knows. To find out if Isamar will be okay if I am unable to make it out of the Melee alive.

  “Let’s call it a day,” Zander yells out to all of us.

  I am relieved. Although Yency and I have both been improving, I am worn down. The constant worry, the fighting, the thrashing to my body has been taking its toll.

  “Tonight, Silon is providing us with a banquet. We are to eat like kings. Tomorrow is our final training day so I suggest you take advantage.”

  Our last day, already. I don’t feel nearly ready enough to go into the Melee. To slay innocent men. I am not ready for it. But I have no escape. There is no other way out. If I want to survive, I will have to. But I can’t ignore the fact any longer that only one survivor walks out, everyone else dies. Yency and I may both walk into that arena, but only one of us can live. I have been so distracted with Isamar, I have overlooked this fact, but I am sure he has not.

  When we get back to our tent before the banquet is presented, Yency and I strategically lay out our plan.

  “I know, but we can work together until the very end,” Yency says. “We will fight side by side, and take out as many as we can. Our odds should improve if we can work together.”

  “But what if we are the last two, what will we do then?” I ask.

  “The odds of that happening aren’t great, but if it does, I would never kill you.”

  “And I would never kill you. I couldn’t.”

  “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. We will have each other’s back until one of us cannot fight anymore. One of us needs to walk out the champion. One of us deserves our freedom, to have our life back.”

  “Brothers by choice,” I say.

  “Brothers by choice,” he agrees.

  The banquet is a sober affair. Knowing for a fact you will come face to face with your mortality in a couple of days is daunting. But I am not here for the food tonight. I am here to speak to Zander. Every day after training, he goes immediately back to his tent, and he does not emerge again until the next morning for training. I will know the truth tonight.

  Although the days are filled with a sweltering dry heat, the nights are bitterly cold. Yency, Zander, many of the Grods, and Silon are all around the giant fire. I was hoping Isamar would be here, or the mysterious woman from Zander’s tent, but no women are present.

  Silon is the only person drinking ale. He has grown increasingly intoxicated in his gluttony.

  “Zander, my boy, why don’t you go fetch us some more wood for the fire?”

  He looks back at Silon with a fierce glower of hidden hatred. Something that would not be noticed by the casual observer, but those of us from the Islands know the look all too well.

  “I’ll help,” I declare.

  As I follow Zander out to the stack of wood, we both begin to stack logs in our arms.

  “Zander,” I say. “I need to ask something.”

  He pauses to look up at me. The light from the fire is faded, and we are out of hearing distance, but his face reveals his apprehension.

  “What is it?” he responds.

  “I heard you that night, talking to the woman in your tent. I overheard everything. There is something you aren’t telling us, isn’t there?”

  The firewood drops out of his arms, and his hand immediately launches at my throat. As he has his right hand firmly clasped, he says, “You what? No, there is nothing you need to know. Forget everything you heard. Understand?” He glares at me with irritation. “Understand?!” he yells.

  He looks back towards the group at the fire afraid they may have heard us. I nod my head in agreement as he lets go. He begins to walk away back to the fire.

  “Get the firewood,” he barks.

  “Wait!” I exclaim. “I would never tell anybody what I heard, it’s just… the woman you were talking to, she said you came back to save her. Save her from what?”

  “What’s it to you?” he scowls back.

  “The girl, the girl I came here with, Isamar. We are not just from the same Island. She is more than just a friend to me. I love her. I promised her I would look after. I promised to protect her. I have to know she will be okay here. Please, just tell me the truth.”

  “You don’t want the truth. You’re better off not knowing.”

  “I am begging you Zander.”

  He huffs in frustration.

  “The woman you heard in my tent was Mable. We were both Tokens from Island 7. We thought we were fortunate enough to be purchased by the same Elitist, just as I’m sure you were. But as you can tell, this place is not what it seems. The only thing that kept me going was Mable. I wasn’t fighting for my life in the Melee. I was fighting for her. After I won, I came back to Silon, I pleaded with Samson for Mable. I told him I would do anything. That’s when he put me in charge of training the Tokens he purchased for the Melee. If he was going to free her for me, I had to offer my life back to him. A balance had to be maintained. I agreed, I was desperate. That was three years ago.”

  “And Mable, what exactly did you save her from?”

  “That’s the worst part. After he released her to me, I heard the appalling stories. The things he used to do to her. I wanted to kill him, to rip his throat out. She convinced me not to. She knew I would only get myself killed, and she would end up right back there in his house, back in his control. So I stuffed my rage deep inside, and I have to restr
ain myself from attacking him every time I see him. Every time he speaks.”

  In disgust with himself, he looks me in the eyes and says, “Benja, this is not a safe place for your friend. It’s not a safe place for anyone. The only way you are going to be able to keep her safe is to do what I did. You have to win. You have to come back here and offer yourself up to Silon in exchange for her. It’s not much of a life, but at least you will have a life together. You can save her from him. Let that drive you, and you may just survive.”

  I am crushed. If I don’t win, Isamar’s life will be a horrible existence. I must win for her. Nothing can stop me.

  Zander trudges over and places his hand on my shoulder. He says, “We need to make our way back, they will start to wonder.”

  We begin to pick the firewood back up. Before we start to head back to the fire, he says, “Benja, there is one more thing you need to be prepared for. With everything you have on the line, with everything you are fighting for, you need to be prepared to do anything. Silon has a rite of passage he makes all of his Tokens go through before they enter the Melee.”

  “What is it?”

  “Trust me, it’s better you don’t know the details. Just be willing to do anything tomorrow. If you want to save her, you will. I did.”

  He walks away back to the fire without another word leaving me wanting. As I make my own way back to the fire, I feel a burning hatred for Silon. I, too, want him dead.

  Silon, in his drunken haste, proceeds to make a toast to Yency and myself.

  “To my new Tokens, may you be gloriously triumphant in your quest, and may the spoils be abundant and splendid. Ha ha.”

  He seems so jubilant and proud of himself. As if he is doing us a favor by wishing us good luck. The thought of having to plead with this man for Isamar’s life sickens me. But I will do whatever it takes. That is what I have to keep telling myself.

  The next morning is dismal. Yency and I walk our way to the pit for our last day of training. I did not share with Yency what Zander told me last night about today. I did not want to worry him. Zander did not even tell me what was going to happen. He was too vague.

  Before we reach the pit, I see Silon standing outside waiting for us standing beside Zander. Larger amounts of the Grods are present as well. Some of them armed.

  “Welcome Tokens, to your final stage in Training. I hope you have listened to Zander with care, as today, your skills will be put to the test.”

  I look to Zander hoping he will reveal what is to come next, but his eyes are down looking at the ground. I feel uneasy.

  “Go ahead,” Silon says, “jump in the pit.”

  Yency and I look at each other with concern, but we know we have no other choice. We both jump down into the pit, and see what has been placed in our weapons usual spots. Instead of the two wooden swords, there are two real swords. Swords whose blades have been recently sharpened. We both look back at Zander, but he is still staring at the ground. Silon begins to speak again.

  “As you gentlemen know, the Melee begins tomorrow, but what you don’t know is each Elite camp only sends one Token to the battle. Only one.”

  This is great. Yency can stay behind. I will go and fight. If I win, I can come back to free Isamar.

  “The hardest thing for Tokens once they are in the Melee,” Silon says, “is the first kill. But I have come up with a resolution to solve this problem quite well,” he says proudly. He slaps Zander on the back, “Isn’t that right, my boy?”

  Zander still keeps his eyes fixated on the ground.

  “You two will fight to the death! The winner will go on to the Melee.”

  No! We can’t. I won’t. I look to Yency, and he is just as dismayed.

  “What if we won’t fight each other?” I ask.

  “Then I will kill you both, and send Zander back to the Melee. But you will fight, they always do. If you can kill a friend, you will have no problem killing the strangers in the battle. Especially the ones trying to kill you.”

  Zander drops down into the pit and slowly walks over to us.

  “I am sorry this has to happen. But there is no sense in both of you dying. Just fight, and the winner can live. One of you at least deserves a chance at your freedom.”

  “You had to do this too?” I ask in disbelief.

  “Yes, I came here with Mable and my friend Ryder from my Island. I killed him, but it allowed me to save her. I had to. You have to do what is necessary to survive. Don’t ever forget it boys.”

  Zander leaves and jumps back out of the pit.

  “He’s right, you know,” Yency says. “I heard you two last night. I went to go help with the firewood too. I overheard you talking. You have to go to the Melee, Benja. You have to win to save Isamar.”

  “I can’t kill you Yency. I would not be able to live with myself.”

  “Well, one of us has to die. We can’t both walk out of this pit.”

  “I won’t fight you.”

  “We will see about that.”

  Yency quickly drops to his knees and picks up his sword. He is lunging at me with his sword raised above his head ready to strike. I instinctively grab my sword and block his blow. My training has kicked in. He swings his sword at me from every direction, but I continuously block his attacks.

  “Yency! Stop! Stop! What are you doing?”

  My efforts are futile. He keeps coming at me again and again. I have no choice, but to fight back. He begins to swing his sword over his head again for another strike, and I go up to block, but instead, he sweeps my legs out from under me. I am lying flat on my back on the ground, vulnerable. He begins to jump on top of me with his sword raised ready to spear me. I automatically raise my sword up to protect myself. When he sees this, he doesn’t stop. He continues with his jump, but at the last second, he brings his sword back down. He lands directly on top of my sword, the blade impaled entirely through his chest.

  I now realize what he was doing. He was never trying to kill me. He made me fight back. When he saw his opportunity, he took it. He fell on my sword on purpose so I would win. Damn him! Always trying to be so noble. How could he do this?

  “I am sorry,” he barely forces out. “You have to win, you have to save Isamar.”

  His blood is dripping down the sword landing on my chest. I am forced to watch as the light fades from his eyes forever. And just like that, he is gone.

  “Very good show. Very good show, Benja,” Silon exclaims.

  I feel arms grabbing me pulling me away from Yency’s body. I am being dragged away. I can’t take my eyes off of him. Lying there motionless, with my sword still pierced in his chest. He is dead because of me.

  *

  The transport has come to a halt. We must be there. The doors fling open in the back and several Grods come inside. The transport backs up to a gate. As the gate opens, the Grods unlock my shackles and roughly toss me out of the transport into the cage. The gate quickly slams back shut. The transport is driving away in a flash.

  I walk over to the other side of the cage and look through the rusted iron bars. I can see the same arena, the same pit we trained in. I look at all the other gates, and I can see the eyes of my opponents. Silon was right about one thing. I do not care who any of these men are. I will kill them without a second’s hesitation. They are just another obstacle in the way of me saving Isamar, and I will not let that happen. I must win for her, for Yency. I look down and see my weapon. My sword. Then I hear it. Gong. Gong. Gong. All of the gates open to the arena. The Melee has begun.

  Chapter 10

  I have to be quick. Ruthless. I can show no mercy if I want to be victorious. I can only hope none of my opponents are Tokens from my Island. It will all become much more… problematic. If I don’t know them, maybe I can erase their faces from my memories after I take their lives. I already know killing a friend is something that cannot be repressed. No matter how hard I try, I will always remember the image of Yency’s life ending at my hand. I cannot go through the same
thing again. There is a possibility Kincaid or Nayze could be here from Ridian. I just hope they are not so ill fated as I.

  “Tokens, please step forth into the arena,” a voice blares from the speakers.

  As I step out of my gate, my bare feet hit the hot sand of the pit. A rush of exhilaration hits me. I am electrified with confidence. A faith in myself I did not even know existed. I will not lose this fight. I have too much on the line. Too much has been sacrificed already. I begin to charge out into the middle of the arena to take on my challengers, but I find I am unable to leave the spot in front of my gate. My feet are frozen in place the same way they were when we went through the auction. I glance around and notice all of my opponents appear to be petrified in the same spots in front of their gates too.

  The voice booms again, “From the Aut Elite Camp.”

  I look across the arena at the Token who is illuminated in a bright white light. I can see him raise his right arm in the air to acknowledge his pride in his camp. I will do no such thing. I am not here fighting for Silon. I am fighting for Isamar’s freedom. I am fighting for Yency’s sacrifice. I am fighting for my right to live.

  The voice continues to acknowledge each Token in the circle and reveal which camp they are fighting for. I couldn’t care less where they are from. I just know if I want to make it out of here, none of them can be breathing when I leave.

  “From the Ridian Elite Camp,” I hear the voice say.

  I was so overwhelmed with my blind desire for victory, I forgot to check if Kincaid or Nayze are here. I look over to the brightly illuminated spot, and I am frenzied with worry. All I can make out is the blond hair of their Token.

  “Please, not Kincaid,” I mutter to myself.