The Arena

by Bradford Bates

  Her minion was quick to supply her answer. “Much has changed, my queen, such as the vehicle we are riding in now. People no longer use horses to get around, and vast roads have been built to make transportation between places easier. You will also notice that the sheer volume of humans has grown beyond anything we had expected. The city we are heading toward now houses well over a half million people.”

  The minion looked up at his queen; she simply motioned for him to continue. “It has become easier for us to blend in. Most of the humans do not even believe in us anymore. There are so many now, and some of them even live in the streets. When one of them goes missing, it almost goes unnoticed. We walk a fine line; if the humans ever truly believed, then they might be able to offer some resistance.”

  The queen made a snort. “I doubt even in such ridiculous numbers they would stand a chance against the full might of hell.” She waved his fears away as inconsequential before continuing. “How are there so many? Is there no famine, no war, no disease? It seems as though it might be time for a proper culling of the herd.”

  The minion smiled for the first time since being sent flying into the night. “A proper culling could be set in motion, if that is what you desire. As for your other questions, most of the world’s wars have been reduced to words, food is produced in such quantities, every person could be fed, yet some still go hungry, and diseases have almost been eradicated. Food may be the tipping point for the humans. If they keep breeding at the same pace as they do now, eventually the world won’t be able to sustain them.’

  A fond smile reached the queen’s lips. She looked to be thinking about something that pleased her. “So many humans, so much death, and they can be so easily corrupted. All of this will make it easier to come back into the power we deserve. Soon they will remember why they pray to their God. Tell me about the boy?”

  For the first time that night, her minion looked worried, fidgeting in his seat. “The boy has already been secured by the Ascendancy. In fact, it was there that he killed someone, ensuring that we could raise you from the pit.”

  The queen did not even look up, which somehow was even more frightening than when she fixed one with her gaze. “That will have to be rectified.”

  The car pulled up to a mansion in the hills surrounding Las Vegas; the city lights twinkled bewitchingly in the background. The stone structure resembled a castle from the middle ages, some wealthy man’s small eccentricity. It was the perfect home for a queen.

  Her minion opened the door for her, and she was pleased with what she saw. A palace was fitting for someone of her stature. She walked inside the castle and was again pleasantly surprised by the open, modern feel of the place. The outside reminded her of the last time she walked this world, while the inside was full of new delights. Her minion motioned for her to follow. She noted that this time he kept his eyes lowered, like a good slave.

  He led her into a bathing room built from solid white tile. The water in the pool in front of her steamed softly into the air. The queen noticed that the water had been scented by rose petals, and she shivered slightly at the thought. She dropped her cloak to the floor, and her minion picked it up before closing the door on his way out. She stepped toward the water, and two women moved silently from the side of the room to assist her. All three of them entered the water together.

  The queen stood in the center of the steaming pool of clear water while the two women slowly scrubbed her skin. One of the women moved behind her and started to work on cleaning her hair, while the other moved in front of her and continued to gently scrub her flesh with a sponge. The queen felt a slight flare of passion at the soft caresses on her skin. She tilted the slave’s head up and placed her lips to hers. She sighed when a tongue flicked out and she tasted her for the first time. It had been too long since she had enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh. For now, she must content herself with waiting. There would be time to fully indulge in them later.

  When the queen exited the bath, her two servants followed, wrapping her in a warm towel before retreating back to the sides of the room. She enjoyed the feel of the soft cloth against her skin, but it wasn’t necessary. Dropping it to the ground, she used a small burst of power to heat her skin. Steam rose from her perfect flesh, as the fires of hell burned inside of her. When her skin and hair had dried, she turned off her power with a thought. She moved into the bedroom and looked for the clothing her minion had been asked to prepare.

  Her minion had done well. The outfit she requested was laid out on the bed before her. It might not fit into this world, but she found the clothes fitting for what she would need to accomplish. The light leather armor was fitted with small metal plates, the loose-fitting pants offered freedom of motion, and the low-soled leather shoes would add comfort if she found herself in a long battle. Her sword was a simple blade, roughly as long as her arm. Its razor sharp edge glowed faintly in the room’s light. The red hooded cloak with gold scrollwork finished off her outfit, adding the only shade of color to her ensemble.

  Fully dressed and armed, she walked out onto the balcony to address her followers. As she stepped out onto the terrace, the moonlight made the gold on her cloak shimmer. The city lights behind her helped to make her stand out against the dark stone of her home. She looked down on her servants, and a faint smile touched one side of her lips. They cheered as she walked forward to address them.

  “Tonight is the first step in taking this world back from the humans. They are weak and will fall easily as our numbers grow. I have already reached out to some of these so-called Pretenders, and have secured a deal with the Fae. While they will not aid us in our quest, they will also not help any of the others oppose us. Their time will come when we have secured this plane for my master.”

  The Demons assembled below continued to cheer. Most of them had never laid eyes on a Demon as powerful as her. “For us to win this battle, we must slowly build our strength. The dealers will be instrumental in making that happen. Emptying the souls from a human’s body to make room for a Demon is just the start. After we raise my master from the depths, he will be able to summon stronger Demons to bolster our ranks.”

  The queen picked up her drink and held it in the air. “To Adramelech, may he come into this world and burn it all.” She lowered her glass and took a drink. The Demons below her broke out in a frenzy as the music filled the night’s cool air. She had much to do, but one night of celebration would not slow their plans. Things were going to be moving forward quickly from this point forward; she hoped that her servants were up to the task.

  Stepping back into the house, she found her minion waiting for her. At some point, she would have to give him a proper name, but not yet; he had earned nothing so far. “Is everything prepared?”

  He bowed low, keeping his eyes away from her. “It is, my queen.”

  “Take me there now.”

  She followed him through the home’s hallways, thinking about what she would need from her dealers. They would need to secure financing for what she had in store. The dealers could offer a person their deepest desire for a price. Normally they would have to forfeit their souls after a period of ten years. With the soul vacated from the body, it became the perfect vessel for a Demon. Tonight she had more in mind than filling meat shells with her brethren. Tonight was the chance to think past that, the chance to take over companies. The vast wealth would be used to have the humans bring themselves to the upcoming slaughter.

  Her minion opened the door to the chamber and, after she stepped in, closed it behind her, sealing her inside. The room was simply constructed out of concrete. The walls and the roof were smooth; the floor was etched with a pentagram. The queen undressed, laying her clothes on the table by the door. She looked toward the far end of the room at the naked man huddled in the corner. Her mind opened as she took control of the man, moving him to the stone basin at the edge of the circle.

  The queen pushed her control further into the man, swatting aside his feeble attempts to
regain control. Slowly he lowered himself to his knees, placing his throat above the basin. The queen walked forward, handing the man a ritualistic-looking knife, and then stepped into the center of the pentagram. Once she was seated in the center, she commanded the man to slit his throat. Blood gushed into the basin and slowly filled the lines of the pentagram. As the man’s blood continued to flow, the queen started to cast her spell.

  The concrete floor seemed to vibrate around her as she repeated the spell again and again. Finally, she felt the magic take hold and she called out for her master. “Adramelech, I summon you.”

  The room grew cold around her. She could see the faint swirls in the air as his form took hold in front of her. She watched as his Demon body slowly transformed into the likeness of a human.

  He stepped forward, a red glow around him. “I have come to your call, Jahi, but my time is limited here.”

  “Thank you for heeding my call, Master. I have found that we lack numbers for launching any real offensive at this time. I am putting a plan in place to swell our ranks and our finances. This world will be yours, Master. Soon we will find a way to bring you here to rule.”

  Laughter filled the air. “Things have gone better than expected already. The Gifted delivered the boy, and his killing of another raised you from the depths. To think, he thought his bribes were enough to bend me to his will. I wonder if even now he realizes what he has done. You have a task to accomplish; do not fail me.”

  With that, her master faded from sight. The queen slowly rose from her place in the center of the pentagram and moved toward the table to get dressed. Fully dressed, she opened the doors to the chamber, and her minion scuttled forward. “Do with the body what you will. Have the dealers assembled in the morning for their orders.” The queen walked away; the sounds of ripping flesh filled her ears. Earth wasn’t that much different than the pit, after all.

  21

  Stillman

  I was sitting at my desk, having a few drinks. Probably not the best time for me to be drinking, but sometimes when the shit hit the fan, I liked to indulge myself. How could this have possibly happened? A death in the arena committed by the very student I had placed there. No matter how far I distanced myself from what happened, I kept going back to the fact that my plan had killed a Councilman’s son. There was only one way this could end, badly.

  As I sat there, all I could do was pour another drink. I had two calls coming and neither of them were going to be a pleasant experience. Both of them would test my abilities to bend the truth and to shade the events of what happened. How could I tell a man his son’s death wasn’t my fault? How would I be able to explain that I had used someone I professed to serve? It was going to be a long night; maybe the fear would help keep me sober.

  When the phone rang, I felt myself jump. Not my finest moment, but I was scared and I wasn’t sure which call it was going to be. I waited a few moments, composing myself, before I picked up the phone. “This is Stillman.”

  The silence seemed to hang in the air. Finally the person on the other end of the line spoke. “You helped kill my son, you bastard! For that, I will see everything that you have burn.”

  There was no good way to answer an accusation like that, especially when it was true. I had to go on the attack and quickly. “Councilman Darden, do you remember what you said to me before I pulled every string imaginable to get your son back into the academy?”

  Only silence greeted me.

  “Since you are being so quiet, let me remind you. My son will win, is what you told me. My son is one of the best fighters at the academy, you said. You even tried to turn down the gifts we gave you to help your son succeed. So when you blame me for your son’s death, I think it is only because he failed you so greatly. You assured me he could handle the task, we put our faith in you, and now you try and lay the blame at my feet?”

  I started to think the Councilman must have hung up, but then the faintest sound reached my ears. He was sobbing ever so softly. The Councilman moved closer to the phone as he started to speak again. “You should have told me who he was up against; you should have told me so I could have stopped him.”

  “You knew who he would be fighting; I remember very clearly when I summoned the Demon to locate the boy. That alone should have told you how formidable an opponent he could possibly be. I would also like to remind you at this time that our previous conversations have been recorded, and if anything happens to me, they will be released to the people you want to have them the least.”

  This time his response came almost instantly. “What is it you want, Stillman?”

  “What I want is for you to gracefully give up your seat on the Council. Say that you need more time to spend with your family after the tragic loss of your son. Then I want you to put my name forward for your seat.”

  “You bastard! Is this what you planned all along, to have my son murdered and to take my seat on the Council? I’ll do what you want, but know this: I will never forgive you for what you have done, and you will be hunted.”

  The line went dead.

  I knew that, somehow, I had managed to win that round. I was still alive, and soon I would be moving up to the highest position a man could attain: a seat on the Council. The cost was high, but it could prove to be worth it. I took another long drink. My night was not over yet; I still had one more call to deal with. This one, I feared, would not go as smoothly as the first one. This time I would be forced to eat a huge helping of humble pie; even then, it might not be enough to save me.

  I had to convince him that I had not betrayed him. If I failed, this would be my last night alive. I knew for a fact that he would not hesitate to come to my home and kill every single one of us.

  Before that call came in, I had some work to do. You never knew who could be listening, and while I should have checked before my last call, pouring a drink had seemed slightly more important. I used a small piece of equipment to check the room for electronic anomalies. The beep told me the room was free of any kind of surveillance equipment. I pulled out my laptop and opened another program to run a trace on my phone line; after thirty seconds, it came back telling me the line was clear. All this new technology was tough to get used to, but my men assured me that it was needed.

  This time when the phone rang, my veins filled with ice. This would be the call that truly determined my fate. “Stillman.”

  “Stillman, is this a secure line?”

  “Yes, Adam, it is. I knew you would be calling, and I made sure we were clear.”

  “You have some explaining to do,” Adam growled.

  “Tell me what you would like to know?”

  “Don’t play smart with me, boy, or I might come down there just to reaffirm what kind of relationship we have. You had better be one-hundred-percent truthful in your answer, or else I’ll finally pay you the visit you earned eighteen years ago. Then I can ask the question again, this time with you strapped to a table.”

  I muted my phone and took a deep breath to calm myself. This was already going worse than I had planned. I took the phone off mute and spilled my guts. I told Adam everything: summoning the Demon, getting Jackson into the academy, the strings I pulled to get Ted back into the academy at the Council’s request, and finally about my new seat on the Council itself. When I finished, I took a long hard swallow of my drink. My life hung in the balance; nothing would stop him now if he felt like I had fully betrayed him.

  Before Adam could speak, I whispered into the phone. “We had to know, didn’t we? Was there any other way to find out if he was the chosen one?”

  The line remained silent longer than I would have liked. Then Adam spoke. “I think I have left you in the position of turncoat too long; maybe it is time to bring you back into the fold. It seems you have forgotten what it means to be a member of the Ascendancy. How could you risk the lives of two young men on a hunch? When I contact you again, you had better be ready to make the move.”

  The line went dead again; that
was the second time tonight I had been hung up on. It was starting to wear on my nerves. I was still alive, but for how long? Would Adam truly call me in when I had finally achieved what he had always wanted, a spy on the Council? He was right; I had overstepped, but I had also accomplished his overall goal and my own.

  I started to wonder now if I had accomplished something else. It dawned on me that I could have just put in place a path to fill our world with Demons. Had I been tricked into fulfilling Adramelech’s needs and not my own? I couldn’t think of it any more tonight. Every time I turned my mind back to that time, I just heard the Demon’s laughter.

  22

  Jackson

  When I felt Adam’s spell break, my ears popped again. We have a landing, Houston. I looked over and watched as he stood up and made his way back toward me. When he saw me watching him, the hard lines on his face melted away and were replaced with a concerned look. I fell back into the couch, still thinking about what he had just said. My mind was trying to process everything he had told me. It was just so much information. My life to this point had been a lie. I wanted to be angry, to be scared, but all I felt was a sense of relief. I was finally where I was supposed to be and the truth was out there.

  Had I just seen my mother and father in a dream, or was it a vision? I wondered if what I’d seen had actually happened. I had so many questions I wanted to ask. Would Adam tell me the truth, or was he going to lie to me? At this point, there wasn’t much I could do but trust him. I had made my decision when I joined the Ascendancy here. There was no turning back from it now.

  Before I could ask anything, Adam started to speak. “Well, this clearly changes everything.”