The Arena

by Bradford Bates

  “They both have pretty tough matches. What should I be looking for when I watch them?”

  I couldn’t believe that Britta was sitting here with me and wanted to talk about my friends. That was more than I had expected from her. She always had a smoking hot flirty side, but now I was starting to see more.

  I let a smile spread across my face. “Well, they both have different styles. Marcus is all about magic; he can cast faster and better spells than I have seen from anyone else at the academy. The only way to beat him is to find a way to close the distance and turn it into a physical battle. That won’t be easy with his talent at keeping people away from him. I think his battle will be a little more fun to watch.”

  “What about April?”

  “She is the exact opposite end of the spectrum. April likes to solve everything with her fists. The magic she likes to use is all about defense and deflecting attacks so she can close the distance to her opponent. I can tell you from personal experience, when she does, it hurts.”

  “Is that the only kind of personal experience you have with her?” Britta asked casually, but I could hear a little bit of hope in her voice.

  I had wondered when she was going to ask about April’s relationship with me. I was happy with the way she did it; it came off as open-ended. I could say as little or as much as I wanted to in response. I had the feeling she was waiting on a more serious answer, trying to confirm my status as single. “April and I are just really great friends; she is like the sister I never had.” Granted; she would have been the kind of sister who routinely kicked the crap out of me, but hey, I had never had one of those either.

  I could see some relief cross Britta’s face. “So you guys aren’t together.”

  This time I got out a little chuckle. “No, we aren’t together.”

  “So when are you going to man up and ask me out?” She leaned into my shoulder again.

  Her physical presence against my arm really made me lose focus. She was so pretty, and I had no idea why she would be interested in me. “I’d love to go out with you sometime, Britta. Do we ever get to leave for personal activities? I’m just not sure how all of this stuff works, especially now that we are here.”

  “Me either, but we have to be able to get out sometime. We can’t live our entire lives at the arena. That would just be crazy. That doesn’t mean we can’t get together before then; maybe we could curl up on the couch and watch a movie.”

  “I think that would be awesome!” Since I’d joined the academy, all I had been focused on was not making too many mistakes. I’d started so far behind the curve that I knew I had to put all my focus into training. “When the tournament is over, I think we both deserve a little down time. I can’t think of anyone else I would rather spend it with.”

  “Then it’s a date.”

  “It sure is.”

  I was spared from ruining the moment by the fighters for the third round marching out onto the sand. It wouldn’t be long now before my friends started to fight. It was going to be hard to keep my eye on both matches, but I would try my best. I didn’t want to miss a moment of my friends’ battles in the arena.

  With Britta nestled against my shoulder, I watched the arena floor as Adam’s voice carried across the arena. “Fight.”

  April sprinted directly at her opponent. Her course never deviated as she deflected the hasty casts of her challenger. Her talent for deflecting attacks was an art form. She used her magic to move them just enough that she wouldn’t have to slow down or change direction. The ground to the sides of her was scattered with the signs of her passing. Scorch marks and craters littered the arena floor in her wake. Her first offensive spell shattered her foe’s shield, and before I could blink, she had her arms and legs wrapped around her opponent. It was like watching a snake catch a mouse and squeeze it to death. As her opponent struggled for breath, April was relentless in her attack. Finally, the referee signaled the end of the match. April had won her first match in less than two minutes.

  Britta cheered with me as I jumped to my feet, clapping. Her enthusiasm was contagious. I felt the excitement of the fights rush through me. April was walking off the arena floor now, and I turned my attention back to Marcus’s fight.

  Marcus’s fight was as different from April’s as it could get. He was standing back, using his magic to counter his opponent’s spells while gauging his strength. Fire was countered with ice, bees with wasps, and huge thrown boulders were shattered in midair. Marcus then cast one of his favorite spells. I liked to call it scatter. It was the one spell he was trying to teach me that I just hadn’t been able to master.

  The half of the arena where Marcus had been standing was now filled with six different versions of himself. It was impossible to tell which one was actually him; they all ran around waving their arms in the air, causing a huge distraction.

  Britta started shouting next to me. “That’s amazing!” She was bouncing up and down with excitement. I found it hard to tear my gaze away from her bouncing form. Hey, I never said I was a man of higher principles. Of course, I had seen this spell so many times when we practiced together that the novelty of it had worn off. Taking a moment to enjoy something as wonderful as a bouncing Britta was not only understandable but completely warranted. I knew the end would be coming quickly for Marcus’s opponent, so I reluctantly turned my gaze back to the match.

  All six Marcuses started running in different directions, arms still waving crazily about as if he was in a panic. The distraction the extra movement caused always helped to make it harder to tell which of the duplicates was actually him. Marcus’s opposition went on the attack, casting six ice balls simultaneously and sending them at each of the targets. It showed his skill as a caster, to be able to actively track so many targets at once. I felt Britta tense next to me as each target was hit and vanished in a puff of smoke.

  The other man looked wildly around Marcus’s half of the ring, trying to figure out where he could possibly be hiding. I watched with amazement as Marcus stepped out of thin air behind his opponent. He gently tapped the other fighter on the back of the head. That single touch sent his opponent slumping to the ground, unconscious. The arena erupted in cheers at his display and control of his magic. Britta and I were holding each other, jumping up and down and screaming. I was happy that both of my friends had won; I was even happier to be holding Britta in my arms for the first time.

  Britta and I headed back toward the dorms. Exhaustion threatened to pull me down before we made it back. I had spent the last night so amped up, thinking about the day to come, that I hadn’t gotten much sleep. I could tell Britta was suffering from the same kind of sleep deprivation that I was. I gave her a huge hug in the hallway. Before I could turn away, she gave me a little kiss on the cheek. She turned without saying a word and walked slowly away. I held a hand up to my cheek, shocked about the kiss. I had spent my senior year of high school as a social pariah. It had been a long time since I had a kiss, even one on the cheek.

  Two of the most talented kids at the academy were my best friends. If I was lucky enough to keep learning from both of them, I would find my place here. To my great surprise, I also had a girl who liked me. My experiences with women hadn’t been so great or extensive before now, so I wasn’t sure exactly what to do. The good news was that Britta seemed to know exactly what she wanted, and I was happy to follow her lead. It was crazy to think just a few months ago I was working at the copy store with Alby and hoping I could get out of town. Now I was using magic and would one day fight to make the world a safer place.

  I turned on the oven and pulled a huge dish of pasta out of the fridge. The kitchen had been stocked while I had been in the arena fighting. I was happy someone had taken the time to sneak something so delicious into my fridge. While the pasta was heating, Sarge appeared at my door again. We repeated the same ritual as the night before, and I was left with a new scroll and uniform for the match tomorrow.

  I was surprised to see that my oppone
nt for the next day was Ted. I thought he had left the school before we came to our new campus. My understanding was that he had been called home by his parents, due to their decision to stand with the Council. I could have sworn April had told me something about seeing his girlfriend crying because she had decided to stay. I guess it really didn’t matter now; the match was set and I finally had a chance to shut him up without getting in trouble. Instead of feeling awkward about fighting someone, I was looking forward to putting Ted out of commission. This match would let me show off my abilities without me feeling any of the fear or concern that I had while facing Grace. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but for Ted, I’d make an exception.

  I ate my pasta in silence, wondering how my dad had felt during these matches. Had he been as nervous as I was? Did he have friends to support him through the ups and downs? Was there a woman in his life yet? Maybe my mom? All of these thoughts rattled through my head, drowning out the nervousness I was feeling. I knew Ted wouldn’t hold back. He was probably going to try and inflict as much pain as he could. Tomorrow I could be leaving the arena seriously injured. This was the time to finally let go of my feelings. It was going to be me or him, and I wanted to come out on top.

  I crawled into bed and hoped for a dreamless sleep.

  18

  Jackson

  When my alarm sounded, I jumped off the bed. Normally I was not a morning person, but this morning I awoke full of energy. I was going to be battling in the arena this morning, and my body was ready for the challenge. Last night I had slept incredibly well. With my initial fears of failing in the arena put well behind me, I was looking forward to facing off against someone I hated. This was a real chance to put everything I had learned to the test.

  I had just enough time left to grab a quick shower and some food before my escort showed up. Just as I finished dressing, there was a knock at the door. I was as ready as I could get. When I opened the door, my escort simply waited until I started to follow her down to the arena floor. Today the battle was going to be faster and more intense; there was a sense of finality in the air. This battle would not be my last if I won, but the stakes felt higher and I was eager to get started.

  Positioned in the starting box, I started to stretch again. This time I let my mind wander, trying to relax myself. The one thing that kept coming to the surface was Britta. Movie night was going to be worth the wait. There was just something about her that made me feel comfortable. Watching a movie and relaxing would be the perfect way to kill the stress from the arena battles. I spent the last few moments centering my thoughts while I watched Ted. He was standing in his square, just staring at me. It was kind of creepy really, just seeing him standing there staring at me with murder in his eyes. My initial thought was that he was trying to look intimidating. I had dealt with bullies all my life. He was nothing special. His looks just rolled right off of me. I couldn’t wait to wipe that smug expression off his face.

  I barely heard Adam’s voice call out the signal to start the match. I had become so hyper-focused on my opponent, that the command almost didn’t register. Ted walked slowly toward me; every step he took forward oozed arrogance. He was one of those people who tried to make you feel inferior just to prop himself up. For him, it was more about things and power. One of those guys who if you told him you got a new Hyundai, he talked about his brand new Corvette. It was a simple game of one-ups, and I refused to play.

  I had to admit I wanted to buy into the myth, that he was just simply better than me. It was much easier than knowing this would be the kind of fight that left you with more than a few bruises. He was six foot three and two hundred and twenty-five pounds of pure muscle. During class, I had watched as he beat another student unconscious. He liked to take risks to try and draw you in, leaving a wide-open hole in his defenses and absorbing the blow so he could land a devastating hit. It was a reckless style that might have worked in school, but would probably leave him dead out in the field.

  Was it wrong to smile as you rushed into a fight? I hoped not, because my smile had turned into a rictus grin as I rushed across the arena to meet Ted’s charge. I could see the surprise in his features as we rushed toward each other. Neither of us cast a spell. This was going to come down to pure physical violence. The best man would win, at least I hoped. Most people reflexively pull up short when facing a large person charging at them. I figured Ted would expect this, so I did the opposite. A small burst of speed, and we collided.

  The move would have normally been devastating to me—think of running into a brick wall head-first. Right before impact, I covered myself in a shield of dense air. So instead of crashing to the floor dazed, with Ted on top of me, when we hit, he actually flew a few feet backward, landing in a crumpled heap.

  He quickly rose back to his feet, shouting, “Nice trick, loser. I wouldn’t expect you to have the balls to stand toe to toe with me.”

  “Maybe after you lose, you can tell me all about how that first mouthful of sand tasted.”

  With a fierce yell, Ted charged back toward me. Wrapping myself in dense air wouldn’t save me this time; he would be ready for it. This time I cast my version of scatter. I didn’t have the spell anywhere near as refined as Marcus, but I could make two of myself appear. As Ted rushed at one of my phantoms, I dropped to the ground and slammed an air-wrapped fist into his knee. I watched as it buckled and he fell to the ground again. I quickly rushed forward, landing a quick double tap to his ribs, followed with a kick to his jaw as he tried to scramble away from me and back to his feet. It was extremely satisfying, watching the blood spray from his mouth as he fell back into the sand.

  Not too many people would be getting up from a kick like that. It was a testament to the rage and embarrassment he felt. The thought of losing so quickly to someone like me gave him the strength to find his feet again. Swaying slightly, he launched himself at me again, swinging wildly from the side with a haymaker. I simply ducked away from the punch and landed a few of my own to his ribs. Quickly moving to put distance between us again, I reflected how that punch probably would have knocked me out a few months ago. Now I could see it coming from a mile away. Thanks, Sarge.

  Ted rushed at me again, almost repeating the exact same swing from the other side. I countered with one shot to the ribs this time, before stepping around him and planting my foot in his ass. I let another smile crease my features as Ted landed on his face in the sand. He was too good a fighter to be fighting this poorly, even with the blow I dealt to his head. He was setting me up for something, and I had to be on the lookout for it.

  Still, I found myself unable to resist. “It’s not an all-you-can-eat buffet, Ted.”

  When he stood up this time, he didn’t charge right in. “You are going to pay for that. You had better hope they can stop this match before I kill you.”

  I knew better than to respond to his taunt. I just changed my stance to a more defensive position. Ted launched himself at me with a snarl that would have made any hyena proud. This time, I couldn’t completely dodge the blow, and his fist bounced off my shoulder and into my head. Blinking to clear my vision, I was surprised by how much force he had been able to put behind that punch. A punch that glanced off my shoulder shouldn’t have enough force behind it to have me seeing stars.

  We fell into a rhythm of Ted trying to break my defense, and me landing maybe one punch for every five or six of his. None of the punches he threw were making direct contact, but my arms were getting tired of absorbing the blows. Ted finally lost his patience again and tried to lay me out with an uppercut that started down by his knees. I stepped just out of reach, feeling just a tickle as his knuckles scraped by my temple. Letting my movement carry me in a slow half-circle, I sent him sprawling on his face again.

  This time I didn’t have the energy for another bout of witty prose. My forearms felt like blocks of lead. Whatever happened next, I had to try and end this fight soon, or I risked losing a battle that I had dominated from the beginning. This time
I was surprised when he rolled further away from me instead of attacking again. His unintelligible snarl turned his features into a mask of hatred. The blood dripping from his face mixed with the red sand of the arena floor. It left him looking like some kind of feral Demon. Stepping back from Ted to create distance, I wondered if those snarls were actually the start of some kind of incantation and not just from frustration. There was nothing I could do now to close the distance before whatever he was preparing hit me.

  There was no way to have guessed what his spell would do. The words and snarls stopped, and a sword of pure blue light appeared in Ted’s hand. That wasn’t strictly legal for an arena match, but I was under no illusions about what it meant. There was no way either of the referees could reach me before he cut me apart. I could see them shouting and running toward us from the corner of my eye. Ted wouldn’t be stopped so easily, though. Again he rushed toward me, and I felt a sense of dread fall over me.

  As he ran toward me, sword lifted above his head for a killing blow, he tossed a vial toward my feet. The small bottle cracked at my feet, letting out a shimmering red light. Dropping to my knees, I created the strongest shield around myself that I could. I tried to double my shield’s strength, and then I doubled it again. I put all of my power into it, and still had no idea if it would even stop his magical blade. I poured as much air as I could into the space between the shield and myself. If my shield didn’t hold, I hoped to turn the blade with the force of the air.

  The first strike of the sword bounced harmlessly off my shield, filling me with confidence that I could still win. The respite also gave me a chance to look around and try and figure out what the vial had accomplished. Everything outside of the twenty-foot circle around us was moving in slow motion. I watched as the referees sprinted toward us; each step seemed to take a lifetime. There was little hope of them reaching us before Ted found a way to hammer through my shield.