“I am sure I have no idea.”
Reena had a very good idea of why. If she developed a false sense of confidence out there on the training fields she would take that with her into the arena. That alone would guarantee her death, and would it would not only guarantee her death, it would guarantee that the citizens of Aretula would be happy to see her die.
“Are there any blind gladiators Hector?”
Again she thought she saw an almost imperceptible twinkle in his eye, and a slight twitch at one corner of his mouth. “No, but we have several who do not appreciate women. At least not in that way.”
“Would it be possible for me to train with them?”
“I believe so.”
He tossed the uniform through the bars of the door and said, “you better hurry because breakfast has already been served in the hall. Get there too late and you will get only scraps.”
He turned his back, but he did not leave. Reena gathered up the training uniform and stared at it. She would have to wear this and she would because she had no choice, but she was not going to like it.
She took off her own clothing and put it away carefully hiding it below her pallet. She pulled on the thin leather shirt: it had no sleeves and it stopped right above her belly. It barely covered her breasts. The kilt was a solid piece of leather with multiple strips of leather over it. There was a plain belt that came with it and she had a tight knit all the way to the last hole and then passed it in order to keep it up on her narrow hips.
Hector unlocked the door and stepped back to allow her to pass. If he noticed that she had worn her own shoes instead of the sandals they had provided for her, he pretended not to.
The gladiator’s dining hall was a huge echoing chamber filled with plain tables. Long benches sat in front of the tables and every table was covered with wooden plates, most of them bearing the remains of breakfast.
Hector and Reena sat at one table, and the same boy that had brought her tray the night before hurried up to them. He plopped down tankards of water and something that looked like wine and then dashed away again. When he returned she had two wooden plates, one in each hand, and almost plates were piles of soft scrambled eggs, dense brown bread covered in butter, and some kind of meat.
Reena was too hungry and too nervous to take her time with the food. She ate quickly, her only thought that she should’ve saved her bread and cheese that morning. When they were finished eating Hector said, “it is time to go to the fields.”
He stood and she stood as well. Her legs trembled and her mouth was dry despite the amount of water that she had drunk. She followed him out of the hall and out into a large courtyard.
She stood there, blinking in the sun and was dazed by the sight before her. Men, and some younger boys, fought viciously. They held wooden swords and some held long spiked wooden balls on narrow chains attached to sticks; they swung those things around their heads aiming at straw stuffed figures propped up along the walls.
Some of the combatants grappled in the dust, their arms and legs flailing as they fought to gain control over their opponent. How was she to survive this? How could she survive this? There was no way, she was going to die long before she ever went to the arena.
Hector called one of the men over and Reena wanted to shrink backwards as he approached. He was huge! He wore no shirt and his muscles bulged, veins stood up from those muscles pulsing under the skin. Scars marked his chest, his belly, his legs and his face. That he was a gladiator who had survived many battles was obvious, and that he was not happy about being called over to where Reena stood was equally apparent.
“What is it Hector?”
“Kale, this is Reena.”
“And what do you expect me to do?”
They were talking about her like she was not even there. Or even human! Reena stepped forward, “I do believe he wants you to be my training partner today. Do you know you’re named after a leafy green vegetable?”
Kale narrowed his eyes, “Are you trying to get me to kill you? It will do you no good, you must know that we’re not allowed to kill you on the training field.”
“I also know that to even say that to me could get you killed for treason.”
They faced each other, the untested girl and the battle-weary gladiator. Hector broke the silence, “I told you she had spirit.”
Kale shrugged. “Spirit alone will not keep her alive in the arena.”
Reena said, “Then tell me what will. Show me what will. I have got to win twelve battles.”
“You are never going to win twelve battles.” Kale sounded almost sorry.
“Not if you don’t help me.”
“Perhaps not even if I do.”
“I suppose we won’t know until you try. Would it kill you to try?”
“No, it would not.”
Hector asked, “Do you have a weapon that you prefer?”
“Werebane.”
Both men laughed. “That would be a neat trick wouldn’t it?” Hector looked at Kale who simply shrugged. “You need to pick a weapon, you need to get good with at least one weapon. You need him to become skilled enough with it that you can take on an opponent and kill them with it.”
How could she kill somebody? It was different in the woods, and even so she had never killed anybody out there on purpose, not until she killed the soldiers with the werebane. To just walk up, to thrust the blade deep into somebody’s body; she was not sure she could do it. She had not been able to do it in the arena when she placed the Governor, as much as she had wanted to.
Still, there was no choice. She looked around taking stock of the men who were fighting in the arena. “Which one of these will I have to fight?”
Hector looked surprised, “what do you mean?”
Reena asked again, “when I go into the arena, which one of these men will I be fighting?”
Kale said, “oh, I forgot. She has never been inside the city in her life. She has no idea how the teams work.”
Reena said, “Well don’t just stand there! Illuminate me! Explain this to me because I feel like you’re laughing at me and I don’t like it!”
Hector said, “Nobody is laughing at you. You will fight none of these men; these are gladiators. Your battles will be against those who are convicted, who are sentenced to die in the Games. Or at least, your first battles will be. If you survive those then you will move up to the next tier. Then you will be fighting against those who are seasoned by battle; this is only one of the training fields. On the other side of the wall there are others. Those convicts who have survived their battles are trained over there just as are gladiators are trained over here.
“Also over there, are those who were Culled, but deemed unfit or they were too rebellious, or they committed some other form of treason. Or they were just found to be perfect to fight. However they wound up there that’s where they are.”
“How am I supposed to know how to fight somebody if I can’t see them fighting?”
“That is part of being a gladiator.” Kale looked around him, his eyes scanning those fighting there in the courtyard. “We need to find a weapon that will suit you. You do not have the arm strength that these men do. And you don’t have the body strength either. You need to be able to keep somebody at bay; if they get you on the ground you are dead.
“A sword might be ideal, but a sword is usually not any good against a mace.”
Reena asked, “What is a mace?”
Hector pointed to a man swinging one of the spiked balls on the chain and stick combination. “That is a mace.”
Crap. How was she supposed to fight against somebody holding one of those things? It looked incredibly deadly, and if that was just one used for training instead of actual battle she was in a lot of trouble! “Could I use one of those?”
“Yes, the training ones.” Hector stepped one sandaled foot into the sand. “The ones used in the arena are far heavier, almost ten pounds heavier. It surprises a lot of the people on the other side of the
wall.”
“You mean the Game is fixed.” Reena knew that accusation would not be taken lightly and it wasn’t. Hector grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her so hard that her head flopped about on her neck her hair flew all around her face.
“Don’t you ever say that! If you are ever heard to say that out loud you will be murdered before you can ever take your next breath or step, do you understand me?”
Hector let her go, and she stepped back dizzy and slightly sick. She had to blink several times to clear her vision and Kale stood there looking at her, his face unreadable.
“I understand.”
“Then let’s begin,” Kale said.
“I would like that very small blade thing that that man is carrying,” Reena pointed to a man standing on the sidelines. He was the only one not fighting and unlike the others he wore a simple brown homespun robe tied with a rope belt. Tucked into the rope belt was a small dirk, its silver handle gleaming in the sun.
The surprise on Hector and Kale’s face was almost laughable. Hector said, “What do you think you’re going to do with that? It is practically a toy!”
“It is something I can fight with,” Reena said.
Kale called the man over and he came, his feet puffing up dust as he walked. Kale said, “Give me your blade.”
The man lifted an eyebrow, “Whatever for Kale?”
“Because I said to.”
“Surely the girl is not going to try to fight with an eating utensil?” He was laughing at her! It was obvious, Reena felt her shoulder stiffen her chin came up. “It does not matter what I fight with,” she said in the sternest of voices she could muster up. “Only that I fight.”
He plucked the knife from his belt and handed it to Hector, “May the gods be with her, because if they are not then surely they will not be with you either Hector. The arena will not be the same without you.”
He walked away and Reena looked at Hector, a frown between her eyes. “What did he mean by that Hector?”
“I told you, if you fail I fail.”
She was responsible for his life too. The Governor was indeed a sadistic and cruel man. If she lost the fight Hector would die; he was her trainer and he was responsible for her. Just as the Governor had killed the beast master whose beasts had failed the day before in the arena, he would kill Hector if his beast failed. To the Governor she was nothing — as insignificant as the tigers and lions that had been chained up and let into the arena to fight and die.
“I will not feel you have.”
“Perhaps you should put a hefty bet on her Hector,” Kale said.
“Why would he do that?”
Kale said, “The man whose knife you just demanded is the one who sets the odds for the matches; he watches all of the training and reports back to his own masters. I am quite sure that now the odds he gives you are going to be very low, but then again he has not seen your spirit just yet.”
They were betting on her. They were going to be betting on her very light. She would have been right; she was nothing more than entertainment — a way to while away an afternoon. Some people would make money on her death others would lose money on it. That depressed her more than she could say.
Kale said, “It’s time to start your training.” A fist crashed into the side of her head knocking her three feet backwards. She landed on her bottom in the dirt with her feet spread out and her hands flailing as she tried to catch herself. She landed wrong, bruising her shoulder. She stared up at him stunned and unsure of what to do.
“Get up! Get up right now!”
Reena scrambled to her feet. Kale circled her and she instinctively crouched down circling in the opposite direction. He was so focused on what she was doing that she did not notice the others in the courtyard pausing in their own battles to watch her. Kale’s arm snaked out, and he had her again that time on the other side of her head.
She saw that one coming, however, and managed to turn her head just enough to deflect most of the force of the blow. It still knocked her sideways, but it did not knock her down. Liam had taught her years ago to never get angry. It had been one of the things he always said to her, if you had to fight — fight smart, do not fight with anger.
That was harder than she would’ve imagined. She wanted to be angry; she was angry underneath the surface. She held that at bay however, keeping her eyes on Kale’s hands. That turned out to be a mistake because while she was watching his hands he was using his feet. He gave her a hard kick in her belly that doubled her over and took all her air.
In the woods there was an animal called a loosome. The loosome would pretend to be dead to lure its enemies in so that it could attack them while they were off-guard. Reena remembered that an idea came to her. She rolled her eyes back in her head and fell to the ground, where she lay still.
Silence reigned. Reena kept her breaths slow, shallow and steady. She resisted the urge to open her eyes to see if she was about to be murdered right there where she lay. The sand below her body was fine, gritty and it covered her body with a powdery dust. The breeze ran across her body, cooling her down and she could feel the shirt rising up along her back showing more skin than she would’ve liked. The temptation to reach behind her to pull that down to save her modesty was strong but she resisted it.
Finally she heard the sound of footsteps crunching along the sand. One of them was coming closer! She waited, not moving, pretending to be motionless and limp. She could smell him, smell the sweat and aroma of the food on his skin.
With her eyes closed all of her other senses took over, and she could hear him, sense him squatting down beside her, with one thick finger prodding her in her ribs. She allowed her body to move slightly but she did not open her eyes.
“Did you kill her Kale?”
“I did not think I hit her that hard.”
Reena was lightning fast; the blade came down as she rolled over and Kale let out a surprised yelp. Reena was on her feet, crouched down, the blade in her hand and her eyes glowing as she said, “You have a gigantic hole in your sandal.”
The look on his face was almost comical. Hector roared laughter. “That was good! We might make a gladiator out of you yet! Or, you might at least survive the first battle.”
“I have to survive an even dozen.”
Kale asked, “Why a dozen?”
Reena replied, “To save my father’s life.”
“Then you better learn faster. Your first battle is in two days.” Hector’s face was grim.
“Two days? How can I hope to be able to win in the arena if I’m only allowed to train for two days? Did I answer that, I already know the answer. Do you know who I am up against?”
Hector shook his head, “No, they never tell the trainers for fear that we may give you an unfair advantage.”
Reena dusted her hands off. “It seems to me that whoever I fight will already have an unfair advantage. I am a girl, they are going to be bigger, faster, and stronger. The two of you were gladiators; you had to have seen people when they did not think you could. You have to help me. I do not want to be responsible for your death Hector.”
Kale said, “Then let’s get back to your training.”
**
By the time Reena was allowed to go back to her cell that night she was bruised, bloody, and her body ached all over. Hector escorted her herself and said, “I will send food for you.”
Reena knew he was doing her a favor. All the other gladiators had to go to the Hall to eat. At some point during the long day she become aware that all of them were staring at her, that none of them thought that she could win, and that the gladiators were taking bets amongst themselves as to how quickly she would die.
To have to go and sit in that hall next to them, to have to eat with them knowing that they thought she was on death’s door was too much to ask. She could not face that. To her surprise a small pitcher of water, several soft cloths, and a bar of soap as well as a basin sat on the shelf in her cell. She washed and put on her o
wn clothes once more. She barely finished dressing before the young boy once again showed up with a tray of food and a small pitcher of water. That time Reena did not even offer up a protest; she simply gathered up the food that was on the tray and went to sit on her pallet, too tired to talk or to care about anything else except eating and getting some rest.
The food that day was thick pieces of bread with more of the meat that had been at breakfast stuffed in between them. Alongside that was another huge hunk of cheese, this time yellow and firm instead of soft, sweet, and white. There was a small stem of grapes, and several peeled and cooked vegetables sitting in a small bowl that almost tipped sideways when she dragged it through the bars of the door. She could not identify the vegetables; they were unlike any she had ever seen before, but upon tasting them she discovered that they were delicious and wolfed them down.
Loud laughter and shouts erupted from the street beyond her window. Reena staggered to her feet and stood, wrapping her hands around the bars of her window once more so that she could see out. There was a parade! There were people dressed in outlandish costumes, and others who looked like priests; or what she had been told priests look like anyway. She had never seen one in real life since they were not very abundant in the woods.
What were they doing? She was not sure. The priests carried large silver containers that dangled from chains which they swung before them as they chanted and sang. There were people dressed in the skins of animals, she even saw one man with the head of a wild boar stuck over his own head. What were they up to? Were all of these people insane?
The procession stopped at the building that housed the training fields. Drumming began and those who played the drums came to the front of the lines. Dancers whirled and clapped, and women laughed and threw small favors: handkerchiefs, flowers, perfumed ribbons and the like into the open gates of the building.
“They cannot wait for tomorrow’s game.”
The young serving boy was back. He stood looking at her, his face pale and tired. Reena asked “Why are they doing all that out there?”
Call to Arms (The Girl In The Arena Book 1) Page 5