The Humming Bird's Choice

by Samuel J Fox

  My dad hasn’t released his grip from Monni’s hand since Sparky was chosen by the Humming Bird. His face has become pale and dark, and circles have clustered around his eyes. He stares blankly into the distance, most likely from where he has cried recently. I didn’t see him cry and I’d prefer to keep it that way. Knowing my family is in pain right now is enough.

  A door slams shut in the distance which makes him jump out of his skin. His eyes dart around the cave and slowly fall back into position of staring straight ahead.

  For every person which is chosen to compete, a family loses one of their members. The sick idea of this competition is destroying families, and I fear that it is beginning to slowly destroy mine. It makes my blood boil every time I think about it.

  For a moment, I thought we escaped the Kings control for another year. A part inside me believed that we could have walked home with our family in one piece. But now I feel like my life is one big jigsaw with a missing piece lost in space. Sparky may still be alive and well, but I can’t help but fear for my brother’s safety.

  The entire underground cave feels tense, soft murmurs can be heard from the distance but there are no real conversations flowing. I feel scared to speak myself, although I don’t really want to. Right now, I need to see Sparky, what his expression looks like, whether he is scared or ready for what he is about to take part in. I have prepared myself for this scenario, on what I am going to say, how I’ll react. But now I don’t know whether I’ll be able to keep it together or not. But you never really know how you feel about something until it happens.

  Suddenly a trumpet is blown, followed by another, then another. Causing two giant wooden doors to open beneath us. All six Hiders enter the arena floor, Sparky leading the group. He holds a spear which stands taller than himself.

  He walks without hesitation to a certain part of the arena floor, no doubt he was told to stand there. The six stand in a semi-circle formation with their hands behind their backs. Sparky lifts his head and his eyes lock with mine, he winks and smiles in the corner of his mouth. I can feel my heart rate slow down slightly after seeing him eagerly smile. He rests his head back to the floor and continue to stand in silence as the trumpets continue to hum in sync.

  “You’re in my way buddy,” I turn to see a guard standing behind my dad, waiting to get past. My dad isn’t surrounded by anyone but the guard insists on walking through him.

  “I am not your...buddy,” my dad replies. His eyes are firmly locked onto the guards’ face, this time a tear is already halfway down his cheek. “I will not move, not now, not today, not ever!” He spits and points his finger towards the guard, this time much closer than he was before.

  “If you do not move sir, and therefore prevent me from reaching my designated spot,” the guard says. “I will forcefully remove you and you will be place in solidarity confinement for restricting the Kings guard from fulfilling his duty to the King himself.”

  “Walk around me!” my dad shouts. “I am here to watch- “

  Monni interrupts, placing himself in between the guard and my dad.

  “Listen here,” Monni speaks in a demeaning manner which I’ve never heard before. “We’re here to watch the Hideout, his son is competing and we will make sure he knows we are here to watch his back and you will not prevent us from doing that! If something happens in that arena and we can’t see it, trust me...buddy, you will regret it.”

  The guard stands straight and rests his hand and the handle of his sword. His golden chest piece is scratched and dented but his helmet is surprisingly clean.

  “Are you threatening one of the Kings guard?”

  “My son is down there,” my dad jumps back in, standing to the side of Monni now holding his hand again. “No one will stop us protecting our boy.”

  The guard smirks,

  “Your boy will be dead in the hour,”

  Without hesitation, my dad pushes Monni to the side and kicks out with his front leg into the guard’s chest. As the guard falls to the floor, knocking another Centaur down with him, my dad charges at the guard and grabs him by the throat.

  “Don’t you dare talk about my son like that!” He squeezes the guards neck tighter and tighter. Until the guard swings his fist in my dad’s cheek causing him to collapse beside him.

  Pell stands alone a few feet behind Monni watching the fight unfold, I run over to her and turn her head away. To eventually watch a fight to the death occur beneath us, she doesn’t need to see anymore fighting than necessary.

  The guard jumps to his hoofs, standing over my dad. He pulls his sword out causing the metal to screech across his holster, and points the sharp blade at my dad’s throat.

  “Dad!” I shout, releasing my grip from Pell, I run towards him. But before I reach him I’m suddenly interrupted by another shout.

  “Stop!”

  A tall, slim Centaur appears from the stairway in front of us. He wears a silver chest plate and a helmet with white and pink feathers sprouting from it.

  “You will neither kill or harm any citizen on this day,” he bellows. “Especially a family member of one of our Hiders. Put your sword away or risk having your dirty hand cut off.”

  The guard holding the sword pulls away from my dad and tucks it away back into the holster. He then continues to spit on the floor next to where my dad lays.

  “Now leave, consider your new outpost on the south side of the Discussion,” The silver guard continues. He reaches down with his outstretched hand to help my dad.

  To my surprise, my dad slaps his hand away swiftly, “I can get up myself thanks.” He proceeds to push himself off the floor and walk back to the balcony, where he continues to watch Sparky.

  I understand how frustrated my dad would be right now, first my mum and now Sparky. Hopefully the guard will understand this too.

  “Thank you,” I say to the guard, drawing his eyes in my direction. “He doesn’t mean it, we’re just- “

  “Furious, upset, scared?” The guard says. “I understand Felix.”

  How does he know my name?

  “You said Felix?” I reply.

  “Yes Felix,” he says proudly. “I am Barnni the Second, captain of the Kings guards in Barndale. I was one of the guards who ordered your mum to embark on the quest to retrieve the Kunzite stone when her sister’s life was taken that day.”

  I stare at Barnni, confused on how to react to a statement like that. He ordered my mum to leave Barndale to which she never returned. My palms begin to sweat again at the thought of it.

  “I can’t explain how much I resent following those orders, and how dearly sorry I am for it. But as Captain it becomes my duty to carry out orders I sometimes don’t agree with.”

  “Yeah,” I say, still unsure how to reply. Do I forgive a man for following an order which could have cost him his life if he resisted?

  “Listen Felix, the Hideout is about to begin so I need to head off.” The trumpets suddenly come to a halt and the underground cave is silent again. “But just remember, the Kings weakest aspect is always wanting more than he deserves. No one can live off greed for that long.”

  Barnni winks at me and takes his leave.

  At least there is one sane Centaur working on behalf of the King.

  +++

  Sparky stands firm on the arena floor. Surrounded by broken bits of rubble and rusty weapons which must have been used in previous Hideouts. He presses his hands together and rests his arms horizontally along his chest, he bows his head with his eyes shut tight, his posture so calm. I can’t imagine how he’s feeling right now, I’m uncontrollably shaking and I’m not even participating.

  A few minutes of silence pass when King Helfer appears on the opposite side of the arena, holding the Didotium spear in one hand as he enters a section cornered off from everyone.

  “Is that the Didotium spear?” Hurk asks from behind me.

  I know exactly what it is, the spear appeared in one of my dreams the other week. I hesitate in replyin
g, trying not to sound too keen.

  “I think, I think so,” I say sounding unsure.

  I turn to see Hurks mouth hanging wide open. His eyes locked onto the spear, like he’s tasted hot food for the first time in years.

  I turn back to see King Helfer laying on another red velvet sofa. A girl approaches him wearing a bright white gown, holding a silver pallet of tiny nibbles. She gently picks up a silver seashell containing a variety of colourfull shredded fruit, and slowly dips it into the Kings mouth.

  The King brushes the girl away with his floppy wrist and sluggishly stands up to address Sparky and the rest of the Hiders.

  He sighs, puckers his lips and gazes around the arena until his eyes meet the six Hiders.

  “Begin.” He says bluntly, exhaling a deep breath, and then continues to slouch back down into his couch.

  Without hesitation, the entire arena floor sinks down, revealing a ginormous open plan floor layout. Further stony flooring appears underneath us. A dark blue glow creeps in from the darkness which surrounds the arena floor from where it just collapsed.

  “Oh,” King Helfer says sarcastically. “I forgot to mention, we have added two extra arenas and more hidey holes for you to play with!”

  The walls either side of us begins to fold open as he speaks. Revealing two enormous cavernous arenas, lit up with turquoise stones pointing out of the cavern walls. I can see a large hurricane shaped structure of stone built in the middle of one of the arenas.

  “You are welcome to enter and watch,” King Helfer says. “Just don’t get too close to the edge.”

  The King snorts and flops backwards into his sofa, signaling for the girl to continue feeding him.

  Almost the entire crowd stand amazed, their jaws hang low and their eyes gaze around the room in excitement. A young child laughs and yanks their parent into one of the new arenas. The parent gives in without any struggle and continues to follow through the new opened gap, laughing as he does.

  As the rest of the crowd begin to split into two, entering either arena, we stay put, watching Sparkys every move. Who doesn’t seem phased about the extra two arenas. All six hiders stand in a circle, where Sparky seems to be drawing out some sort of plan by using a stick in the sand that covers the floor.

  Pell leans over the barrier, which looks like it’s made from the dusty ground we stand on. The entire cavern is completely carved from the inside-out, yet so neatly. Only the voices of the Hiders below can be heard now, since the majority of the crowd left. She leans further and further until she loses grip, suddenly her sharp scream fills up the room. Monni grabs her ankles just in time, and hoists her back over the ledge.

  “Pell!” Monni shouts, now kneeling down so his face is level with hers. “Do you think now is the right time to be messing about? Do you want to join them down there?”

  A tear rolls down her cheek, but Monni wipes it away before it can drip off.

  “Sorry Pell,” he wraps his arms around her and kisses her head. His spectacles get tangled in her hair as he pulls away, causing them to fall to the floor.

  I turn to my dad who stands a few feet away from us. He rests his chin on his fist and stares into the distance. His face is whiter than before, and his expression seems lost.

  I walk towards him and rest my hand on his.

  “Sorry Felix,” he says.

  I stare at him, waiting for him to continue,

  “For what, Dad?”

  He turns his head and smiles gratefully at me, just before his eyes return to their original position.

  “Not taking you away from here when we had the chance. I should have taken the job in Rockathorne when they offered it to me. I would have had a simple job of forging swords and we would have been far away from the madness that lurks here.” He runs his fingers along his eyebrows and to his temples before flicking away the imaginary stress.

  I remember when they offered my dad that job. We would have been given a small house in the Rockathorne city free of charge, supplied with food and clothing every fully moon. The main purpose for the city is to forge weapons and train the guards. Last year my dad was offered the job as head sword-maker, but he turned it down because the city would be the first defense if Minotaur’s ever decided to attack. He thought it was safer to stay and continue living in Barndale where we all had already created our lives.

  “You did what was best for the family, none of us blame you dad,” I say.

  “I know son,” he looks back at me and squeezes my hand. “Just after your mum, was taken, I’m scared to lose any more of you. You realise if Sparky is killed, one of us will be chosen, and I don’t know if I can handle it.”

  I look back down into the arena where only Sparky stands pointing one of his fellow Hiders in the direction of the other arena.

  “I know Dad,” I say.

  “Felix look at me.” My dad says while turning my chin in his direction. Tears begin to build up in his eyes but he doesn’t release them. “I want you to know that I love you so much, you and Sparky are the best gift this world has given to me. You boys are destined for massive things in the future, I tell you that now Felix,” he lets out a slow breath and tears begin streaming down his face. “Ever since you used to dress up as a knight and ride round on your brothers back, protecting injured Minotaur’s and stopping the bad Centaurs from hurting them, I knew you would help make this world a better place. I know we have had a pretty rough past few years but it will end eventually, soon enough. Never forget that we are all here for each other and I will do anything to protect you.”

  I’ve never seen my dad hurt so much in my life. My dad is the person I look to for fun and excitement and to liven up my mood. But his expression of sorrow is a face I have never witnessed. Not even when mum was sentenced to leave the city.

  “So, this is why I’ve decided that if Sparky doesn’t make it, I will volunteer to search for the Kunzite stone.”

  I stand there in silence; my dad has told me he will venture for the stone if Sparky is killed. My mum has been wrongfully taken away from me and now my dad wants to add to it.

  “No!” I shout at him. I now stand further away from him with my finger pointed in his direction. “No, no, no, no, no, you will not- “

  “Felix, you will not risk your life for that pathetic stone!” My dad interrupts. “If I lose Sparky down there I will not lose you either! We’re the only two that can be chosen and you will not be it. I will not let that Centaur over there take away my wife and both my sons. If I could have offered to take Sparkys place, I would have without hesitation, but they don’t allow it. This sick, twisted game will not destroy my entire family!”

  His face is now red with anger and spit hangs from his bottom lip.

  “I love you Felix, this town needs someone like you to stop this horror show.”

  But just before I can reply, the deep sound of a single horn is blown from below. The vibration rattles through my ears, deafening me. I shut my eyes and slap my hands against my ears until it stops.

  A bronze metal gate slowly begins to rise from one end of the arena, just beneath where King Helfer sits. I watch as his lips curl upwards alongside the rattling of the chains from beneath. When the gate finally reaches the top, the Centaur which we saw as we entered the dome appears from the darkness. A trail of dust follows from behind him. He stands high as he scans the arena floor using his wide eyes.

  By this time all the Hiders have left the Discussion floor. I watch as the fifteen-foot-tall centaur steps further into the arena, my eyes do not leave him.

  The entire cavern is silent, only the scraping sound of his metal hoofs dragging along the floor can be heard. He slowly approaches the pathway that leads to another arena. But before he enters, a rock the size of my head, is flung at the Hunter from behind. The rock smashes into him, crumbling down along his shoulders leaving a pile of dust. It happens so quickly I don’t even notice where it came from.

  The Hunter swiftly turns his neck in the direction o
f the stone, and without even taking notice of the large boulder which would have potentially killed me, he charges towards the second pathway on the opposite side. His teeth locked in position, snarling in the direction of his prey, he charges into the second arena, disappearing into the blue abyss ahead.

  Without hesitation, I begin running into the same arena, fearing for the life of my brother. So brave that he lures the Hunter towards their direction. I can only hope Sparky created a plan which no Centaur has ever made before.

  I hear my dad shout from behind but I don’t stop.

  By the time I push past the densely-packed crowd of Centaurs, I reach the edge of the cliff to see the Hunter searching behind rocks and in cracks of the walls.

  The new arena is more dark and immense than the Discussion. However sapphire coloured stones are imbedded into the walls, reaching all the way to the top. Unlike the Discussion, there are two tiers to this cavernous room. These arenas must be what King Helfer was speaking about when he mentioned his new toys. After all, the Hideout is just one big game to him, he creates the rules and decides who lives and who dies at the end of the day.

  My eyes still struggle to adjust to the new surroundings, but finally I begin to make out a figure standing in the middle of the arena.

  Sparky.

  He stands just underneath one of the higher cliff edges, which I suddenly notice two fellow Hiders standing on top of. Hurks dad, Zach, and Jessy, hold still a ginormous boulder, the size of a horse, which stands a few inches away from the edge, of which Sparky stands under.

  I feel speechless, like my tongue has been cut off. I wipe the palm of my moist hands against my chest, but as much as I try they never dry up.

  Sparky puts two fingers between his lips and whistles, alerting the Hunter of his whereabouts.

  The Hunter stands about fifteen meters away from Sparky in the darkness, but the scar that runs down his arm is still easily noticeable. I begin to think whether he got his scars from the previous Hideout, making him the Hunter which wrote the letter to our family.