by Anya Nowlan
Kiya’s last beacon of hope—that Aurelius Clavius would not join the evening—was dashed when the doors leading to the banquet hall were pushed open and he emerged. His hands were raised as if he was greeting his loyal subjects, and Julius Augustinus rushed to his side to welcome him into the villa.
“Is that him?” Lucia asked.
Kiya could simply nod, a clump clogging up her throat and making it impossible to speak. She saw Erden glance at him as well and his usually hard facial lines constricted even further. He must have recognized the man from the descriptions Kiya had given him. His hand balled into a fist for a moment, but he released it quickly as a guard took a step toward him, sharp eyes noticing the small gesture.
“Aurelius Clavius! We were waiting for you! So glad you could join us! Gods truly bless us with a magnificent night,” Julius Augustinus said, simpering like a fool.
“I felt it necessary to be fashionably late, so all the lesser goods could be consumed and I could expect only the best,” he said, chuckling as he pointed toward the women Julius Augustinus had hired.
The lanista was not given an opportunity to reply as Aelia Fausta had floated to their side and Aurelius Clavius was taking her hand, kissing the back of it sweetly. Like that, he almost looked like a pleasant man, but when he threw a quick look at Kiya, she knew it was only a façade. There was that hunger again that had scared her so when she first saw it. It made her insides turn into ice and her blood curdle in her veins.
The look had only lasted for a moment, but it was enough. She knew far too well what he meant with that, having seen the much more passionate and loving version of it in Erden’s eyes just last night. Tears burned her eyes, but she kept them at bay. She’d been made up to look like a true Egyptian woman, with dark liner and a golden-brown complexion. If she cried now, she knew it would be noticed sooner rather than later.
“Father, is it now time for the entertainment?” Aelia Fausta asked, a true smile on her lips.
Lucia and Kiya shared a look, bracing themselves for the inevitable. The wine would flow freely and touching and joking would turn to groping, moaning, and moments when they would no longer have any control, though a slave was rarely left to believe that she could have any to begin with.
“I think it is,” Julius Augustinus said with a grin. “Prepare the gladiators!” he called, his voice bellowing over the room.
Kiya’s legs went weak underneath her and she pressed her back against the wall to keep from toppling over. A tear ran down her cheek in earnest now. Between the choice of losing herself and losing her bear, she would have chosen losing herself any time.
CHAPTER TEN
Erden
Erden was pulled from the gladiator line-up and walked out of the room. The rest of the men tightened their ranks as a single circle as if he had never stood there at all. Erden stole a look at Kiya before he was carted off. He could see the single tear creeping down her cheek and it made his heart break. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to see her sad, but he knew that this evening would bring plenty of heartbreak one way or another.
“Come on,” one of the guards barked, making him move faster.
He was led down the winding stairways back toward the catacombs. He’d rarely ever taken those stairs, as the gladiators were not allowed up in the villa. Once or twice, the gladiators were shown to visitors, paraded like prized stallions, but that was it.
“Where are we going?” Erden asked, looking at the man to his left.
He knew the guard. It was the same man who let Kiya into his quarters so many times by now. If he could expect some humanity from any of these paid goons, then it was him.
“To the training yard,” he said glumly.
Erden wanted to press the question further, but there didn’t seem to be much point. What else could the guard tell him? Erden had known that this was coming. He would finally be pitted against unfair odds for the amusement of fine visitors and there was little else he could do about it other than attempt to survive. For Kiya. For their future.
He gritted his teeth as the dark corridors of the dormitories claimed him. The closer they got to the entrance to the training courtyard, the more he could hear voices, loud and laughing. When he stepped into the yard finally, his feet digging into the thin layer of sand, he could see what the commotion was about.
Two giant tigers ran and jumped in the yard, bouncing up so high that they could have grabbed the edge of the balcony if they wanted to. That was why there were several guards stationed on the wide balcony, their long spears pointed downward if anyone wanted to try anything clever. Julius Augustinus was deep in conversation with Aurelius Clavius. Erden’s blood boiled hot when he saw who was standing next to the young Senator.
On one side, he had Aelia Fausta, fawning all over him. And on the other side, Kiya stood, the Senator’s hand around her waist. Erden could almost taste her discomfort and it made his bear roar deep within him. A growl rose to his lips and his muscles tensed. The guards stepped back, but before going, one of them handed him the single sword he preferred to fight with.
Erden felt the weight in his hands as the tigers stopped their running and jostling. They stopped in the middle of the courtyard, standing next to each other. They looked like two halves of the same whole, complete mirror images of one another. The setting sun was making their thick coats gleam red and the black stripes seemed dark as night. Both of them snarled, showing their pearly white fangs to Erden, before turning their attention to the balcony.
“Friends! Honored guests! Tonight I have a treat for you! As many of you know, this ludus is the home of the Bear of the North! He is undefeated, a true champion amongst men. Tonight we have decided to finally give him a true challenge. The Jade Tigers! Macavia has long wished to see these massive warriors, but tonight, we will truly give you a chance to see these gods of the arena! And, to make things interesting, tonight the stakes are as high as they get!”
Erden kept his eyes on the tigers. Their sparkling green eyes had given them their nicknames. They were youthful and strong, but Erden had noticed a few things that could give him an edge. If he could only live long enough to use them.
“Tonight only one side can leave this courtyard! The Tigers of the East, or the Bear of the North! And the honor of controlling this fight will be given to the man who has made this evening possible! Aurelius Clavius!”
Erden didn’t need to look up to see the demonic smirk that Julius Augustinus must have been wearing. There were loud hoots and hollers and the same laughter Erden had heard before. His heart was pounding in his chest. He snuck one more look up at Kiya and the worry in her eyes gave him determination.
I will live through this, he promised himself.
“Gladiators,” Aurelius Clavius called, keeping his grip on Kiya. “Begin the fight!”
The tigers stretched their bodies and then perfectly leisurely shifted into their human forms. One of them turned his back to Erden, the ultimate show of disrespect, and grabbed two spears that had been stacked against one of the high walls surrounding the courtyard. It was of simple construction, mostly oval, but with a few corners and pillars that kept the sunscreens up during the grueling days.
At least in that, Erden had an advantage. He knew the arena they had been afforded.
Erden tossed the sword from one hand to the other, before settling on the right hand for it. He could wield the blade with equal deftness with both hands, but he preferred to keep that as a surprise for the tiger brothers. They were tall and dark-haired, with eyes just as green in their human form as they were in their tiger form. They spread out and the crowd hushed, the tigers stalking around Erden.
He kept his back to the walls and carefully moved away from the door. He preferred not keeping his back to something that could allow in more surprises. There was no doubt in his mind that he was supposed to die in this fight, but he would not make it easy for anyone. He snarled as the tigers grinned like the servants of Hades.
; Their reputation preceded them. They had never lost, just like Erden, and by all accounts, they had many victories in the arena waiting for them still. Unless Erden could stop them. Their movements were swift and calculated, like cats both in body and soul. He crouched forward, waiting for an attack, while the crowd yelled and cheered.
Finally, after sizing each other up, one of the two tigers came for him. He was leaner than the other and called Jare. A split-second after Jare started running toward Erden, his brother Jao jumped as well. Jare’s spear missed him only because Erden dodged to the right at the last moment, but that meant that Jao’s blade hit him in the side. Erden sucked a breath in and grabbed the spear with his left hand. He yanked the tiger shifter forward and the man stumbled enough that Erden could slam his elbow into his face, and then bring down his sword.
Just as the blade was about to connect, Jao pounced on Erden from behind and made the sword only graze against Jare’s back. Erden stumbled forward and tumbled over the sand. He could hear the sweetest voice gasp and he knew it was Kiya who was worrying about him. The sand stuck to the golden oil he was covered in and when he rose, he looked like a god standing up from the underworld.
Jare and Jao came for him again and Erden growled, meeting them halfway. He blocked one of the spears with his sword, letting the blade meet it straight-on, and grabbed for the other. The tigers were strong and Erden felt another deep cut gnaw into his side and his triceps, but the pain seemed unimportant now. There would be time to be in pain later. When he was still alive.
With a well-placed spin, Erden cut down on the spear again and a moment later, he heard a satisfying crunch as the wood splintered under his sword. Moving faster than his wide frame would have hinted at, he jumped away from Jao and Jare, going right behind them. He was beginning to pant already and the tigers were certainly pissed. The polished wood of the other spear was shoved against his back as he jumped for safety, but he slashed blindly behind him before he made it too far. The terrified yelp of Jao told him that he had made contact and when he spun around, he could see Jao holding his back above his right kidney. Blood gushed freely.
Erden bared his teeth. The world fell away from him. All he could think about was Kiya and making sure nothing could happen to her. His face turned into a mask of rage, the bear coming to the forefront of his mind. Jare looked from Jao to Erden in surprise, anger flashing over his face. Anger was good. It made a man weak, uncoordinated. Erden grinned to himself, crouching down again and readying his left hand.
Jare covered the ground in a few short steps and leapt into the air, coming down on Erden with his spear pointed right at his heart. Erden ducked out of the way, changing the hand that held the sword in the same movement. He almost bounced on Jare with his full weight, ignoring Jao who was coming at them from behind. Erden struck and the yowl of pain that filled the air as his favored blade struck skin and flesh was like music to his ears.
The sword cut right through Jare’s chest on the right side, sticking right through him. The crowd gasped and Jare screamed. Before Erden could yank the blade out, Jao was on him, pulling him back by the shoulders and tossing him on the ground. Erden scrambled up, reeling from the impact. He glanced up at the balcony, blocking Kiya out of his sight and only looking at the young Senator. He stood stoic, not raising his hand. His animal could still not be unleashed. But that didn’t stop the tigers.
Jare’s screams morphed into snarls, the tiger taking over his body. Jao followed his lead and by the time Erden got up, he was staring down at two fully grown tigers. He gripped his sword again, adrenaline driving his motions as well as the bear did. When one of the big beasts came for him, he sprinted behind a pillar. The other tiger tried to block his path, but Erden lifted himself off by the wall and bounded over the cats, disappearing between the pillars again.
Raucous laughter filled the air as Erden barely dodged the two cats, breaking the laws of combat. He couldn’t follow their lead, because he knew that even if he won, he would be beheaded for it. His back and sides burned with pain as the long claws of the big cats got in a few choice swipes, just close enough to hurt, but not to kill. He felt like a mouse in a maze.
After several minutes, finally the call came. “Now,” the Senator called, laughing.
Erden ducked behind pillars once more but the next time he came into view, he was standing as the great, graying bear. He roared and to the tigers’ credit, they didn’t pause. They came for him straight on, though Jao moved faster than Jare did. Erden stood his ground like a rock. Jao collided with him first, and he tossed him off, ignoring the long, deep gashes the tiger left. But when Jare came, he didn’t hesitate. His jaws clamped down around the neck of the tiger and with a swift twist, he was holding the cat by the neck and underjaw. He crunched down and the crack that sounded—along with the satisfying gurgle from Jare’s throat—signaled that Erden could let go.
Erden turned around, Jao trying in frenzy to reach his vulnerable stomach. Jare’s dying gurgles filled the air and the crowd roared its approval. Jao lost his composure and attacked Erden blindly. The bear reared up, exposing his stomach for a moment, and when Jao lunged, Erden crashed down on him. He grabbed his spine between his massive jaws and put all his rage into that one bite. Jao drew his last breath at the same time as Jare did.
Erden stood in the middle of the makeshift arena, panting, his head hung low. He bled from a dozen wounds. But he was alive. He looked up and the first thing he saw was the look on Kiya’s face, both filled with hope and terrified for him at the same time. The way the guests screamed his name was lost to him, but the look on Kiya’s face wasn’t.
I won’t let anything hurt you…
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kiya
Kiya had clasped her hands over her mouth as Erden started getting chased by the tigers. She started shaking when she saw them land hits and tears came freely by the time he shifted, so sure was she that he would die before he could fight back. The Senator next to her chuckled, and Aelia Fausta’s incessant chattering filled Kiya’s ears with noise. But all she could look at was Erden.
When he took out the first tiger, she couldn’t believe it. And when he broke the second, she almost fell down to her knees. The Senator’s strong arm kept her on her feet. He chuckled as she shook like a leaf and bent toward her.
“Shh, little gem. Are you worried about your bear?” he asked, his voice honey-smooth.
Kiya didn’t look up. She knew better than to stare a snake in the eye. He’d dragged her out with him, marking her as his own with his arm around her. She had nowhere to run.
“Don’t worry, gem. I will fuck him out of your thoughts quickly enough,” he said, his voice getting raspy.
Then, he let go of her and clapped his hands slowly. The crowd hushed and joined him in the clapping. Kiya discreetly wiped the tears from her eyes, but she knew that her makeup had to be completely smudged now. It didn’t matter. Erden was alive. There was hope now. She clapped her hands as well, trying to hold her head up high and smile. She needed him to see her be proud of him. Damn the guy next to her.
“Well done, Bear of the North! Your reputation has been well-earned,” the Senator said, bringing silence over the people behind him. “You’ve shown yourself as the greatest beast in Rome. And for that, you’ve earned ou respect.”
He grinned like the devil. Kiya watched as Erden looked up and then with a flick of the Senator’s hand, he was dismissed.
Is that all he deserves? Kiya thought with irritation. Simple platitudes, but not his freedom?
Erden shifted back into his human form and collapsed immediately onto one knee. She could hear him wince, but he gathered himself and stood up again, shuffling toward the exit as instructed. As soon as he had turned, the Senator’s hand was around Kiya again and he twirled her around, facing the door.
“Julius Augustinus, I believe it is time for dessert now,” Aurelius Clavius said, patting the lanista on the shoulder with his free hand.
The
lanista nodded, understanding. Aelia Fausta’s happy monologue toward the Senator’s deaf ears was cut short as her father grabbed her by the shoulders and walked her toward a door that led deeper into the villa. Kiya could hear the lanista tell her that it was time to go and though she protested, he would not listen.
That cold fear filled her stomach again, the one that had been growing for days and days in anticipation of this evening. She could not run, she could not hide. The warm lights of the room greeted her, the sun having almost completely set now. Just a tiny sliver of it was still showing outside. The music started again after the lull during the fight. The dancers’ bodies started winding and grinding and soon, most of the Senators and other visitors had their hands around one young body or another.
Aurelius Clavius made lazy rounds in the room, Kiya by his side. She had to fill his cup often and the fine Senator was tasting the alcohol quite freely. He sometimes stopped to chat to someone, but whenever Kiya tried to slip away during the pause, his grip would tighten. She still shuddered. When the sun had completely set, his intentions became painfully clear.
Kiya was led to a door that she knew opened into a smaller room off the main hall. It had another exit, but it was used solely for one reason. Pleasures of the flesh. The Senator motioned the guards to step aside and grant them passage into the private rooms. Just as he was about to lead Kiya in, Julius Augustinus caught up with them.