by S. E. Green
Ten percent.
I lift my sandaled foot, and even though Alexior told us not to, I step out of line and stride down to the end.
“Valoria!” Alexior reprimands, and I blatantly ignore him as I come to stand right in front of Sera.
She lowers her one good eye to mine. What am I doing? sneaks into my mind, and I push it out and replace it with Lena. I lift my shackled wrists and punch Sera in the neck.
Several of the rich scream and back away, and Sera charges.
She slams her shoulder straight into me. Our bodies fly through the air in a weightless moment, and we land in the shallow pool. The jarring impact knocks the wind right out of me, and we roll through the rose petals as the slave girls scream and scramble from the water.
Immediately hands fall on both of us, yanking us apart.
“You little bitch,” Sera spits. “I will kill you.”
I jerk at the two soldiers holding me, purposefully putting on a show. “Let’s do it.”
In the background I see some of the elite backing further away.
“Enough!” Dominus shouts. “You two will settle this tomorrow in the final round.” He jabs a finger toward the tunnel gate. “Now get them out of here.”
Soldiers drag me from the villa. I’m thrown in the same cell that I was in when Bareket visited me. Sera is thrown in a separate one.
I close my eyes and try to focus on everything my dad taught me, on everything I’ve learned here, but all I can think of is Sera and how badly she beat me up. I shake my head. I can do this. I have to do this.
In the morning Alexior lets me out. “I’m fully aware you’ve done all this on purpose. You need more training. You’re not ready.”
I tilt my head and look up at him, ignoring the truth of his words. “I’m as ready as I can be.”
“No you’re not.” He steps to the side. “Go eat.”
Though nerves have taken over my hunger, I grab a bowl of oats and fruit and sit down across from Camille and Gem.
“We don’t know if we should offer you cheers or sympathies,” Camille says.
I make my lips curve into a reassuring smile. “We’ll go with cheers.”
Gem holds up an index finger as a show of surrender. “Please remember this.”
I nod even though I know I have to win this thing.
We eat in companionable silence for a few minutes and my thoughts trail to last night. “How are you?” I ask Gem.
A faint, sad smile curls her lips. It’s been so long since I’ve seen a simple thing like an easy smile.
“I’m all right.” Gem glances over to the warrior who went in that back room with her. He’s shorter than the others, but just as layered in muscles, and his accent is odd. Like he’s from a mixture of countries, not just one. “Razo was kind to me.”
“What did they make you do?” Camille uneasily asks.
Gem presses her lips together and moves the oats and fruit around in her bowl. I shake my head at Camille indicating we should just drop the subject.
Gem glances back over to Razo. “They made us have sex,” she quietly admits, “and they watched.”
Camille gasps.
My throat tightens and I reach out and take Gem’s hand. I squeeze a little too tightly. “I’m so sorry, Gem.”
She brings her eyes to mine. “Like I said, he was kind.”
My gaze tracks over to Razo. He’s just as much a victim as Gem.
~14~
I stand at the iron gate that leads from the holding cell out into the sandy fighting area of the small arena. Actually it’s more like a large, circular, outdoor theater. It’s definitely the structure I saw the day I arrived and was transported across the island.
The sound of stamping feet vibrate above me. The cheering crowd echoes off the stone walls down here in the holding cell. I try to block it out and focus on preparatory thoughts, but I end up watching Gem fight one of the other recruits instead of Felicia.
Because of me the original pairings got jumbled around now that I’m fighting Sera.
There’re several hundred people here. In the stands sit an array of men and women all dressed in ancient Roman outfits. Above the stands are private balconies filled with the most elite. I twist my head to see up to where Dominus sits along with his wife, a few others, and Bareket.
I look back down to the stands, wondering how all this works. I imagine people come here to “vacation”, and like any resort—how much money you cough up determines you’re experience while you’re here. Obviously, the people up in the private balconies have the most to spend.
“I can’t believe I broke her arm,” Camille solemnly mumbles from beside me.
My eyes shift over to the corner where Felicia sits huddled, sniveling, cradling her awkward, disjointed arm. She was half hysterical with wails when they dragged her off the sands.
Weeks ago I would’ve felt pity. Now, I don’t. She’s weak. She spends every day complaining and half assing. I have no more patience for her.
“She won’t last in this place,” I tell Camille as I take in her bloody face. “You fought well.”
She shrugs. “Suppose I get branded now.”
“True.”
We both go back to watching Gem as she submits her opponent. One finger goes up. The fight is over.
“You’re next,” Camille tells me.
Jitters spark through my nerve endings and I use the sensation to fuel me. Focus. I beat Sera once. I can beat her again.
I watch as Gem exits via a wooden door on the other side of the fighting area and then Dominus begins speaking. “Good people of Saligia, the fight you have been waiting for. Some of you have heard of Valoria, the defiant one. She is the tiniest fighter I have ever owned. She is the only fighter to have bested Sera.”
He points to my gate and a soldier opens it.
I inhale a deep breath, blow it hard through my lips, and enter the arena. The crowd goes wild. They jump to their feet, stomping, screaming, leaping up and down. I absorb their energy and lift my fists into the air, and they scream even louder.
I do a back flip. “Yeah!” I yell, and the crowd echoes me.
Dominus waves them quiet. “And we have Sera, the Serpent of Saligia. She’s never lost in this arena. Let’s see how she does with one eye, courtesy of Valoria.” He motions across the fighting area to a different gate that slides open.
Sera steps through, and the crowd goes from wild to uncontrollable insanity. She stomps around in a circle, snakes her tongue out, and waggles it at the people. Several of the women flash Sera their boobs and wiggle their own tongues. Sick.
“Sera. Sera. Sera,” the crowd chants.
Obviously they favor Sera. I tell myself not to let it get to me. Focus.
A slave comes out pulling a wagon that holds our weapons. My footsteps falter as I go to approach him. I search the wagon for my spear, but don’t see it. He hands me a heavy metal helmet, a just as heavy chest plate, a hefty sword, and an enormous shield.
My shoulders drop. “Where’s my stuff?”
He shakes his head. “This is what they gave me.”
“But…” I glance up to the balcony where Dominus sits to see Bareket smugly smiling down at me.
I clench my jaw and she merely grins wider in return.
“Fine,” I grit and lift out the weighty supplies. Why is Bareket doing this to me? Just because I defied her in the marketplace? She’s had her fun with my sister, what more does she want from me?
The slave moves the wagon on to Sera and while she quickly dons her helmet and armor, I struggle into mine, stumbling back with the weight of it. The crowd chuckles.
With a soft grunt, I pick my shield up and let it fall right back down. It’s too heavy. The crowd laughs even louder.
Through the tiny holes in the helmet, I look over to Sera who stands tall and proud in her armor. She easily lifts her shield and sword high into the air and the crowd leaps to their feet. They love her. She looks over at me and sneer
s.
I narrow my eyes and switch my gaze back up to Bareket, who is full on giggling now. I hate her. I hate all of them.
Dominus lifts his hands for quiet. “Good people—”
I snatch the sword off the ground and charge. The armor is heavy and dulls my usual quick speed to near slow motion. It only aggravates me.
With a yell, I lift my sword and swat it at Sera. Right. Left. Right. Left until my arms shake and my heart seems as if it’s going to burst right out of me. She blocks each blow with her shield and on my next one, shoves me, and I stagger back.
She looks right at me through her helmet and lets out a deep chuckle that’s meant to be a scare tactic. It doesn’t work.
The crowd echoes her amusement, and she stalks a wide circle around me, lifting her sword and shield and enthralling the onlookers.
I use the break to surge to my feet and attack. With a yell, I ram my sword straight up under her armor. She spins at the exact second of my lunge, and my sword slices her side instead of puncturing an organ.
Blood immediately gushes, and the crowd goes wild. This time for me, not her. The sound of them and the sight of Sera’s blood provoke me. I don’t wait a single second before I go in for another stab.
She blocks it with her shield, and her eyes bore deeply into mine. “You have no idea who you’re up against.” That’s the last thing she says before she full on attacks.
Her sword swings and stirs the air around us. Right. Left. Right. Each powerful motion driven by her enormous muscles.
I duck and swing and duck some more, struggling to breathe, but she’s fast and I can’t keep it up. My heart pounds so quickly it hurts, and our muffled grunts fill the air. Her sword clangs off my armor again and again and again, and my ears ring.
The blade connects with my lower leg and my skin splits open. The searing pain trips me to the sand. I inch back, and her foot slams down on my hand that’s holding the sword.
She grinds it into my fingers and I clamp my jaw so I won’t scream. I release the sword and she kicks it to the side. I struggle and kick and she comes down on top of me, planting her knee right into the armor covering my chest.
Though I know the sword is out of reach, I still fumble my fingers for it.
She puts the tip of her sword at the edge of my helmet and pries it off. Cool air immediately soothes my bared head.
“Stupid, stupid cunt,” Sera sneers. “They’re not going to let you live.”
The tip of her sword presses into my throat, and I concentrate on staying very still. One millimeter more and she’ll puncture my voice box.
I’m allowed to surrender. I need to. She will kill me if I do not.
I’ve heard life flashes before your eyes upon near death. But that doesn’t happen to me. I feel only the bracelet burning into my wrist. I see my sister giggling as we swam in the ocean. I would rather be dead than live without my sister.
My sister. I have to live.
I lift my arm straight into the air and hold out an index finger. It’s the first time in my entire life I’ve surrendered at anything.
The crowd boos. They don’t want to see me live. They want to see Sera cut my head off. They’re beasts. All of them.
I don’t dare move my head. I stare up into the side of Sera’s face as she looks up to where Dominus sits. The crowd’s boos get even louder.
Then she’s off of me, strutting away, and I lay in the dirt gazing up at the sun in the sky. I’m alive. For now.
~15~
That night I sit on my cot, staring at the stitches in my calf. Pain prickles through the puffy skin. Other than that, a few bruises, a stinging elbow, and tired shaking muscles, I am unharmed. The armor saved me.
“Valoria—”
“That’s not my name,” I mumble.
Alexior sighs. “You needed more training.”
I glance up to see him standing in the tunnel looking at me through the iron bars. I nod. “I know.”
“What did you learn?”
“That Sera’s good. Armor’s heavy.” I think of my spear and how Bareket purposefully didn’t let me have it. “That the rich and elite call the shots. Always.”
I think of my index finger. “The humility of surrender. And that my pride gets me into trouble.” Though I already knew the last one.
Alexior nods. “Good. The best warriors, the ones who survive, are vicious, cunning, and know how to use their disadvantage for success.”
“What’s Sera’s disadvantage?”
“That’s for her to know. Not you.”
“And mine?”
“What do you think they are?” he prompts.
“My temper,” I immediately answer. “My size.”
“I concur.” He casts me a long determined study. “You needed to lose. Losing makes you stronger. More focused. You come out tomorrow ready to train. You listen and do everything I say, and I will make you into a winner. I will make you into a champion. Agreed?”
I breathe deeply. “Agreed.”
~16~
All the next day Sera struts around like she has a golden vagina, and Dominus lets her. She’s allowed privilege into the villa to watch our training from the terrace. She’s handfed by a house slave and drinks so much wine I hope she pickles her liver.
The rest of us are back to training. Felicia is over by herself, practicing against a wooden post with her one good arm. She stops to bite a cuticle and then starts back up. For such a strong looking woman, she’s the weakest among us.
I try my best to block her and Sera out and concentrate on training with a sword and shield and in full armor, as that’s clearly where I’m lacking strength.
Alexior walks among us. “Study your opponent. Use your wits. It is the intelligent warrior that conquers. Always maintain eye contact. That is an act of challenge. Of power. There is power in control.”
He stops right beside me and studies me in a very concrete way as I lunge toward Camille with my wooden sword. She blocks with her shield, sweeping down, and catches me off guard by bringing the blade straight to a stop at the side of my neck.
I nod. “Good job.” She won that round.
“Power should be given to those who do not abuse it,” Alexior tells us. “Mutual respect and trust is the most powerful of all.”
He walks off, and Camille and I hold each other’s studied stare. Power should be given to those who do not abuse it. I think of Dominus and the others abusing their power every day.
Then I think of me and Camille and Gem down here. If we were given that kind of power, what would we do with it? We’d set everyone free and bring this place down.
Respect and trust. Though I feel that for Camille, I know she hasn’t been able to maintain that of me. Because of me she spent a day in the sweat box. She hasn’t been able to trust me to keep my temper in check. I’m ashamed to admit it.
Respect and trust. Alexior’s quiet, assured way has earned my respect. I do not trust him, though. While he might have some begrudging respect of me, he doesn’t trust me either. I’ve done nothing to earn it. If I’m going to figure a way out of this place, Alexior is someone I could use on my side.
Camille cuts her sword to the ground, bringing me from my thoughts, and I leap over it, spin, and soft kick her shin.
She goes down to one knee, rolls, comes right back up and our swords collide. Both of our arms shake as we hold our stance, muscle pressing muscle, staring at each other through our soft practice helmets.
She crosses her eyes and sticks out her tongue and a laugh bursts from my lips. She laughs, too, and we both drop our swords. God, it feels good to laugh. I can’t remember the last time I did.
I take off my helmet and laugh some more, enjoying the heat rushing to my cheeks, and it occurs to me, I’m probably about to get into trouble. About to get both of us into trouble.
“We better stop,” I tell her, glancing across the training area to Alexior. His lips twitch, and he turns away, and I find myself smiling at the
simple fact we amused stoic Alexior, if only for a second.
“Alexior!” Dominus shouts from the terrace. “Put Valoria in the cell.”
My laughter immediately dies. I glance to Camille and her expression flattens to caution. The last time I was in there, Bareket visited me.
I strip out of my practice gear and follow Alexior into the cell. He doesn’t shackle me to the wall like last time, but he does secure my wrists behind my back. Do they think I’m going to hurt Dominus? Probably.
I won’t, though. But it would do no good to say that.
Like last time, Alexior stands over in the corner and I stay in the center of the cell staring at the door Bareket came through.
Minutes tick by and finally the door opens. Dominus nods to Alexior and then looks right at me.
Submissively, I nod my head. “Dominus.”
He huffs an unamused laugh and shakes his head. This can’t be good. Slowly, he begins pacing the cell, circling me, studying me. My eyes follow his movement, but I force my body to stay extremely still.
“You have cost me so much money.” He levels chilly eyes on mine. “The fifty thousand I lay down on the block for you. The training and general upkeep. The failed arena fight cost me over a million. I was counting on you not submitting so Sera would slice your neck off. That’s right. I didn’t bet for you, but many of the elite did. And they are pissed. They hate you. The crowd hates you.” Dominus gets right in my face. “I hate you.”
Though I try very hard not to, I can’t help from nervously swallowing. Dominus tracks the movement with his wicked gaze and his lips curl into an equally wicked smile. Why confront me now? Why not last night after the fight?
He chuckles. “Oh, I bet you thought you were doing just fine. Nothing like getting comfortable only to find out your master is pissed at you.”
“Dominus—”
“I thought you and I had an agreement,” he keeps going. “You fight. You win. I find your sister.”
Panic surges through me. “We did. We do!”