by Mario Routi
“And what do you do for fun?” Gregory asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I work in the mining shaft with Bull, digging for crystal,” Leylah said.
“I visit my grandfathers, Lord Life and Hercules, and we go over battle strategies to see if they can be improved,” Alexander replied.
“Do you listen to music on your smartphones?” Anna asked Leylah.
“Huh?” Leylah replied, her brow furrowed.
“Well, do you do anything that isn’t related to war?” Gregory inquired.
“First of all, training can be fun and we must always be prepared in case the next Lomani breaks out, but many of us focus on different activities that have nothing to do with war. For instance, the Amazons produce wonderful works of art. We love art here as well as music, books, theatre and sports.”
“How can people who are involved in the arts be warriors as well?” Anna asked.
“Well,” Alexander said, “painting requires a creative mind, a discerning eye, and a precise hand. Firing an arrow into a horde or fighting an opponent also requires exactly those skills.”
“On Earth, it is more about money than anything else,” Gregory admitted as he lay back on the grass to enjoy the sun.
“But at least, there are vacations,” Anna said, massaging her temple. “I don’t think I could manage without taking breaks; just going somewhere to relax and unwind for a few hours, days or weeks. Going to restaurants with friends or hiking in the mountains to get away from society - it’s all about wiping away your worries for a little while and just enjoying life.”
“That...” Leylah said, “actually sounds really boring. What do you think, Alex?”
Alexander laughed. “It makes sense that the daughter of two of the most legendary Orizon warriors in the history of Utopia would find the fun things boring. But vacations can actually be pretty fun sometimes. Getting to see the wonders of the world is good particularly when you’re under extreme stress, because it forces you to put things into perspective. Sometimes it makes problems that seemed insurmountable just melt away.”
“Okay,” Leylah rolled her eyes, “now I’m completely convinced. Vacations are boring!”
Alexander smiled and then leaned towards her. “You have something on your lip.”
Leylah’s heart pounded in her chest. “Uh... what?”
He leaned in and Leylah felt every nerve in her body tingle. He studied her for a few seconds, so close that she could feel the heat from the sun emanating from his skin. He smelt of warm honey and wildflowers and she felt as though she was being drugged.
“There!” he said, brushing a crumb from her upper lip before sitting upright again, leaving her blushing and breathless.
“Anyway, you should really come down to Earth with us soon,” Anna said, jolting her back to reality. “We’ll talk to your parents about it.”
Leylah paused for a moment to think. “I would love to see the Earth at some point,” she said eventually, “but I really doubt I’ll enjoy it.”
“Oh, you will!” Gregory stated with a powerful thrust of his chest. “My friends own one of the biggest spa resorts in Europe. You would love it.”
“A spa?” Leylah looked puzzled.
“You have a steam bath,” Anna explained, taking another sandwich, “and then someone rubs you down and gives you a massage - that sort of thing.”
Leylah scrunched her face in disgust. “Some stranger giving you a bath? That’s just weird.”
Gregory held a straight face for a moment and then burst out laughing. “Oh, we have really got to take you to Earth. You would have so much fun and it would be hilarious watching you try all these things for the first time.”
Leylah threw him a sarcastic smile. “Well thanks, Gregory.”
“No, Gregory is right,” Anna said. “There are so many things to experience that you have probably never even heard of. It would be fun for all of us. I would really like to introduce you to the Earth foods.”
“What’s so special about the foods?”
“There are so many different ones, like sushi and burgers!”
Gregory sniggered and then struck a mighty pose. “Yeah! The great burger! The ultimate food! It’s filled with all the bits of meat you should never eat and it has enough preservatives to fell an ox.”
Anna giggled.
“First of all,” Leylah replied primly, “I’m a vegetarian and so are you now that you’re here. Furthermore, after you receive the Flame you’ll never return to your old unhealthy eating habits. Why do people want to eat things that they know are bad for them anyway?”
Anna straightened herself up as if preparing to deliver a lecture. “Because they are cheap and quick to prepare and they fill you up. Companies want to sell them for the very same reasons and also in order to sell a product that no one would normally choose to eat, they must first dress it up as though it’s worth the sacrifice and tempt people to buy it.”
Leylah stared at her. “It sounds like you’ve given that speech before.”
Anna nodded. “I’ve studied advertising.”
“Advertising?” Leylah looked blank.
“Well, basically, it’s dressed-up lying,” said Gregory seriously, “in order to persuade people to do what you want them to do or buy what you want them to buy.”
“Orizons can’t lie,” Leylah said and looked at them both as if they were aliens. She was shocked to discover that there was so much about Earth she simply didn’t understand. “Why would you choose a profession that requires you to lie to people? I mean, how can you feel comfortable selling a product that you know is bad for people?”
Anna smiled. “Down on Earth, it’s often a question of which is the ‘lesser evil.’ Advertising, like the fast food industry itself, creates jobs for people who need them. Alas, Earth is like a constant political battleground. It would be hard, for example, for any human to comprehend how no one in Utopia actually owns land. On Earth, land is becoming scarce and everyone wants to purchase some. Unfortunately, everything there involves money.”
Leylah spent the rest of the afternoon learning about what went on down on Earth and started to find the subject totally absorbing. The most fascinating topic was the incredible use of cars and petrol.
“I know that a man called Thomas Parker made a self-powered car in 1884,” she said. “So wouldn’t it be more prudent to use that sort of vehicle rather than one that burns a type of fuel that needs to be replaced?”
Gregory laughed. “You do realise that that car was incredibly slow, don’t you?”
“Yes, but improvements could have been made over the last century,” Leylah protested.
Anna shook her head. “The gasoline business has too many supporters and too much money behind it for anyone to care about whether we should use electric cars. It’s not like the idea has been completely forgotten, it’s just that people on Earth gauge everything based on its monetary value and most of them are so busy worrying about their own lives, that they just don’t believe they have the time and the luxury to try something different.”
“It sounds like some people are really stubborn,” Leylah said, “and not in a good way either.”
“I hope that when you visit Earth it will change your views a little,” Gregory said. “There’s a lot of good and beautiful stuff there as well.”
Leylah was very quiet in the cart on the way back, lost in her own thoughts. She hoped that she was wrong about the people of Earth. She wondered if they might benefit from abolishing the use of money.
29
The next morning Turgoth saw his daughter hurrying out of her room, heading straight for the front door.
“Hold your horses, young lady,” he called out. “What’s the hurry?”
“Sorry Dad, but I’m already late. I need to get to the tra
ining grounds. Nemesis is waiting for me. It’s sparring day today and I’m so excited.”
“Okay, darling. You will be careful, won’t you?”
“I’m not a child, Dad, but yes, I promise to be careful. Kiss Mum for me when you see her.”
When Leylah reached the training ground in Domus, Nemesis was already waiting for her. Alexander stood beside her with a serious look on his face. As Leylah walked up he winked without Nemesis seeing.
“Okay, Leylah,” Nemesis said. “Your skills are improving. You are getting better and better by the day so it’s time now to see how you’ll fare against a real Amazon. You will train today with Larisa, who will be your sparring partner.”
Leylah felt a knot form in her stomach as she saw Alexander’s eyes flickering over towards Larisa, who was standing back waiting to be called. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it of all foolish thoughts and concentrated on what Nemesis was saying.
Nemesis called Larisa to approach and stood between them. “Larisa, I want you to fight Leylah to the best of your ability. She is not a little girl any more. She’s Utopia’s Princess and she needs to learn what it’s like to fight against a real opponent.”
“It will be my pleasure, General,” Larisa replied smartly, not taking her eyes off Leylah for a second.
Leylah looked Larisa up and down from the blood-curdling smirk curling her beautiful lips down to her perfectly toned and muscled body and flawless olive skin. Her eyes were a dark emerald green and her thick hair was auburn. No wonder Alexander couldn’t stop staring at her, she thought.
Larisa stuck out her hand. “I hope you will be able to provide me with a challenge.”
Leylah was shocked by the strength of the Amazon’s grip, which seemed to deliberately crush her fingers. “I will do my best,” she said.
“OK, girls, warm up!” Nemesis instructed.
Alexander walked over to Leylah and stumbled into her. She caught him in her arms and saw a look of cold fury flash through Larisa’s eyes as she continued doing her warm up exercises.
“Listen, Leylah,” Alexander said softly. “Larisa is extremely tough and, for such a young warrior, she fights like she’s had years of experience. You need to be careful. There are no rules with her. She is a hardcore Amazon and will not hesitate to use rough techniques to teach you a lesson. The last time I had to go up against her, both of us nearly ended up in the hospital. Even training with her feels like a matter of life or death. That’s why she isn’t allowed to participate in the War Games anymore.”
“I thought anyone could participate.”
“She has a problem controlling her temper. But the thing that makes her most dangerous is her speed. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Leylah thought she detected a note of admiration in his voice and didn’t like it at all. “You’re making it sound as if she’s a faster version of Bull or something,” she joked.
“Obviously she is not as strong,” Alexander said seriously. “Not even my father is as strong as Bull. But you are the daughter of our King and Princess - and you’re a Princess yourself - and I know that Larisa resents you for that.”
“And how do you know all this?” Leylah asked, immediately regretting it and feeling little worms of jealousy disturbing her stomach.
Alexander drew back. “Just be careful, okay? And you’d better do some warming up.”
Leylah watched Larisa carefully as she did her own exercises, amazed at the speed with which she flew around the training ground in preparation for their free sparring. She had a suspicion Larisa was deliberately trying to intimidate her but she decided not to take the bait, happy to let the Amazon tire herself out a bit before the fight began.
“Prepare to fight,” Nemesis called out after a few minutes.
Leylah sat for a moment next to Alexander while Larisa crouched a few feet away, apparently oblivious to them and lost in her own battle-ready thoughts. Leylah’s hands were clammy out of nervous tension. Alexander put a warm, dry hand on her slender shoulder.
“Relax. Just remember what they taught you in your classes and you should be fine.”
“Should be fine?” she questioned. “Is that the best I can hope for here?”
He grinned. “You did more than fine in the War Games against both me and Mo, didn’t you?”
“Well, worst case scenario, I’ll end up bleeding to death in your arms,” she teased.
“No you won’t but it will be tough, so don’t let your guard down for a second. At least you’ll learn how to deal with a real opponent.”
Nemesis walked to the middle of the training ground and took a deep breath.
“This is it girls. Please ready yourselves.”
Leylah stood up and stretched her arms, grunting loudly. Larisa was staring at her again as she played threateningly with a bat coated with rubber. Leylah turned back to Alexander.
“Well, wish me luck,” she said before turning and walking towards her foe.
“I have nothing more to say to either of you,” Nemesis declared. “Larisa, do your best to give Leylah a real fight. Princess, do your best to... remain in one piece. Let’s go!”
The Amazon sped towards Leylah as she was turning around to face her, swiping at her stomach with the bat. Leylah was ready and jumped back to dodge the blow. Planting her feet as she landed, Leylah launched a right uppercut into Larisa’s gut while swinging wildly with her left fist. She then pulled back her punch at the last moment; after all, this was just training, right? Larisa took advantage of the hesitation, slamming the blunt end of her bat hard into Leylah’s diaphragm.
As Leylah battled to get some air back into her lungs, Larisa cracked the bat against the side of her head. Leylah fell hard onto the ground as the world spun around her and the blood seeped from her skull, feeling warm in her hair. Nemesis held Larisa back to give Leylah a chance to recover before she was hit again.
“Enough!” Nemesis commanded.
“No!” Leylah cried.
Suddenly concerned, Alexander had risen to his feet and was poised to run across to help her and the two Amazons. He stood in silence, watching as the Princess shook her head to try to clear it and pulled herself up into a sitting position.
“Resume the fight,” Leylah said, beckoning Larisa forward to attack her. Nemesis glanced across at Alexander, who shrugged. She nodded her agreement for the fight to continue and stepped out of the way as Larisa brought the bat up above her head and swung it downwards in what she obviously thought would be one final blow. Leylah scooted to the side and the bat swished through the empty air, throwing Larisa slightly off balance.
Larisa continued to swing wildly and angrily down at her but Leylah’s head was now clearing and she kept dodging the blows, buying herself enough time to recover her strength. Realising that she was allowing Leylah to wear her down, Larisa made one final swing with the bat, bringing it down towards the side of Leylah’s head at an angle which would have knocked her flat again. Leylah dodged the bat once more and grabbed Larisa’s hand with her left hand while plunging her right fist deep into her stomach. Larisa was knocked back a few feet, struggling to recover the air that Leylah now had back.
Leylah stood up and glared at her. “Show me your worst,” she hissed.
“Easy now!” Nemesis warned, but neither of them was listening.
Larisa hurled the bat at her and lunged with her fists. Leylah easily dodged to the right and then to the left as Larisa flailed around. Leylah threw a kick at her shin, bringing her opponent down to one knee. Then she slammed an elbow into her cheekbone, savoring the noise as she heard the young Amazon’s perfect jaw-line crack from the power of her blow. Unable to resist, Leylah followed up with her left fist in the same spot and felt the jaw break completely.
Larisa screamed in agony as a tsunami of blood gushed from her
mouth.
Nemesis ran between them, holding Leylah back. “Okay girls, that will do for now.”
Larisa shoved her away and stood up. Leylah blinked in surprise and when she opened her eyes Larisa had disappeared from where she had been standing. Instead, she looked down to see a fist in her stomach and she felt herself flying backwards. As her feet skidded out from under her, she heard pounding footsteps coming towards her. When she struggled to stand up Larisa slammed her fist into the side of her head. Leylah fell back onto the ground as the punches continued to rain on her. She could feel the splashes of Larisa’s blood dripping down on her.
Leylah was just about to slip into unconsciousness when she became aware of Nemesis grabbing hold of Larisa and pulling her off.
“Are you okay, Princess?” Nemesis asked.
Leylah felt the world slipping away. She forced her legs to work, ignoring the pain searing through her face and head. She lurched towards Larisa but Nemesis was still holding on to her to give Leylah time to get her bearings. Leylah shook her head but the world was still spinning. As she continued forward she could feel the acid taste of vomit rising in her throat.
Leylah was given a moment to recuperate before Nemesis let go of Larisa. Once free, Larisa renewed the onslaught, starting with another punch to Leylah’s gut. Repeatedly, Larisa pounded against her until blood was pouring from her mouth and nose as well. Through the haze, Leylah spotted a moment of hesitation in Larisa’s actions - a moment of tiredness, perhaps - and swung hard at her face, wanting to make contact with the broken jaw. Larisa grabbed Leylah’s arm and, in a flurry of kicks, popped her shoulder out of its socket.
Like fire to skin, Leylah screamed in agony as the pain surged through her entire body. She swung in retaliation but Larisa easily avoided her. The pain was so overwhelming that Leylah ceased to feel it any more; it was as if she were watching what was happening around her without being able to act. She saw the sky come up fast as she landed on the ground and realised Larisa was sitting on top of her, her powerful thighs pinning her to the ground.