by Auryn Hadley
Outside the wooden gate was darkness. The sun had recently set, leaving the sky a brilliant indigo, and around the arena were dozens of tar covered torches. They formed pools of warm light, but left murky shadows between them. It was one more hazard she had to consider, but also an advantage. Leyli couldn't forget the scar on the Lion's arm. Someone had once used those torches as a weapon, and she'd do the same, if it meant she'd live.
Then the gate began to rise. Leyli moved to walk out, but the damned guard grabbed her. "Wait," he ordered.
She snapped her head around and glared. "If you touch me again, you will regret it."
He smiled, but it wasn't kind. "Yeah? So will you, when you have a couple hundred extra games."
"Oh, I won't hurt you. My team owner will. Think of me as twenty-five thousand crowns worth of investment, and imagine how he'll react."
His hand fell away. "You still can't go out. They gotta get the debtors off the sands."
"Now wasn't that easier?" She turned back to the arena.
At the point of a spear, a young man stumbled toward the opening. His eyes were wide, but each step was calculated. She remembered that feeling. Moving each muscle was a battle of its own, and the walk back felt like it would never end. The man reached the entrance and paused beside her, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the dungeon.
"It gets better," she said softly.
He turned, sucking in a breath when he saw her. For the first time, Leyli realized what she must look like. Her leather armor wasn't fancy, but it was good. Her weapons weren't cheap or pock-marked. Across her body, she was showing plenty of flesh, and not at all ashamed of it. She was a gladiator, just like the Lion had been to her that first day.
His head bobbed, probably because he didn't know what else to do. "Thank you," he panted.
On impulse, she passed her spear to her shield hand, then clasped his shoulder. "I didn't think I'd live through my first day. Everyone else was bigger, stronger, and less terrified than me, but I learned the most valuable lesson ever."
"What's that?"
She grabbed his wrist and pressed it over her breast, right above her heart. Beneath his palm, her heart was racing. "You never stop being afraid. There's nothing wrong with it, and a cornered animal is the most dangerous. The wolf will bite, the snake will strike, and a man?" She let her eyes roam across him. "Will learn how to survive."
"But I shouldn't be here," he breathed.
She nodded, understanding more than he knew. "I know." She turned for the sands. "None of us should be, and I'm going to fix that."
Barely two steps away, she heard the man ask, "Who was that?"
The voice that answered didn't belong to the guard she'd grown to despise. It sounded like Theodian. "That is the Wolf of Oberhame. Trained by the Lion of Lenlochlien, she's probably the second greatest fighter in the games."
She smiled.
The world had come full circle. Long ago, she'd been the one needing the assurance, but now she was giving it. Her first day, she'd been awed to speak to a great fighter, but now that was her. All that was left was to get free. She just had to live long enough for the guard to find her father's best friend. The Master of the King's Horses would understand. He had to. She just needed to keep fighting until he found her. Then she could afford to buy Tristan from Merino – if she couldn't convince her father to give him a rudis, first.
She barely heard the announcer call her name, but her body was well trained. Out of habit, she raised her arms and wallowed in their praise. The citizens didn't cheer like this for their king. They wouldn't applaud so much for peace. No, all they wanted was victory, and Leyli was more than willing to give it.
Then she saw her opponent. Theodian said his name was Sand, but she couldn't hear it over the noise from above. From the sound of it, he was the favorite, and Leyli could guess why. His skin was a strange brown like she'd never seen before. It was neither black like the Rhians, bronzed like her own, nor olive like the Deitons. Even worse, his limbs were abnormally long.
Reach was definitely going to be her problem. If she'd only had a sword, she would never have been able to touch him, but she didn't. She had a long, well balanced spear, and her secret little advantage. The dagger tucked behind her shield meant she could get close. The spear gave her a chance at a distance. Her small size meant that he had almost nothing to hit. And most importantly, the taunting of the guard meant that she was willing to do anything to make sure she won.
As soon as the gong sounded, she began to move. Like always, Leyli walked toward him calmly. She was terrified, but she refused to show it. One wrong move was all it took, and this man was the crowd favorite. She didn't dare make a mistake. He wouldn't give her the chance to make a second.
Then he screamed. Still too far away, Leyli didn't flinch, but her eyes were on him. The man jogged toward her, and she turned, moving backwards quickly. Her shield was still at her side. Let him use up that energy, she thought, dragging him along. Let him act like the fool. The crowd will love it, but she would be the one still fresh when they finally clashed.
She also was dragging him right toward the line of torches along the edge. If she needed another weapon, they'd do just fine. But he was closing the gap.
Just before he was in range, Leyli snapped into position. Her shield blocked half her face and her spear rested on the edge. She didn't need to bear the weight single-handedly like this. She couldn't. The weapon was just too long. Sand laughed maniacally, and swung right at her face.
She ducked, pushing the shield up and out, then retaliated. His arm was so far out, she aimed for his shoulder, stabbing as hard as she could. He swatted at the pole, his sword cutting into the wood.
Back and forth they parried and thrust. Neither could get an advantage. Above, the crowd was urging them on, screaming at them to do something, already. So close to the edge, Leyli could even make out the words. Well, if they wanted something, then she'd have to give it.
With a sweep of her foot, she kicked sand at him. It wasn't much, but the tiny grains clattered against his shield. The next time he swung, she did it again. The third time, he raised his shield to protect his eyes, just as she'd hoped. Putting her entire body into it, Leyli thrust the spear, but not at his body. No, that was covered too well. She aimed for the one part of him that everyone forgot to protect: his foot.
The metal tip pierced the skin, skittered on the bone, and then hit the sand on the other side. The man screamed, but Leyli was on him. Leaving the spear as an anchor, she grabbed the dagger, and rushed in. He tried to keep fighting, but she had this. She knew she had this.
His sword rang out on her shield, but he couldn't run. Each blow came from above, but Leyli was used to that. They were all bigger and taller than her. Lifting her arm, she hacked at his leg, cutting deep along the knee. One more crash hit her shield, but she watched his legs crumple, so she kicked. Her foot caught the middle of his shield with enough force to send it back. His face took the brunt of it. That was the mistake she needed. The impact rattled his brain for a split second, and she dropped, the weight of her entire body plunging the dagger into the only part of him she could see. If she was wrong, she was dead.
But she wasn't wrong. With a sickening crunch, the metal pierced the man's forehead, and he went limp. Even over the screaming above, she could hear his breath escaping what was left of his body. For a moment she didn't dare move, terrified that he wasn't done yet, then she looked in his eyes. Dark brown, they were locked on the wall behind her, reflecting the flames. For the first time, she wasn't the last thing her victim had seen.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, then pulled herself away, leaving all of her weapons behind.
No one heard it over the cheers. The fake smile on her lips was one she had too much practice with, but the crowd didn't care. None of them knew how wrong it felt to posture and pose before them without the man who belonged at her side – and she wasn't about to show them. No, she was on stage, and her subjects w
anted to believe that the man who'd just died meant something to them. They wanted to pretend that she was their hero, and Leyli let them.
Then she turned and walked right off the sands. Her feet found the stone of the ramp, but she didn't need to pause. She didn't need to see to know what would be on the other side of that shadow. It was all the same, always the same.
"Wolf."
Leyli kept walking. She had a good idea of the way back. She knew the general direction at least, and the guards would catch up before she got there.
"Wolf," the man said again. When she didn't stop, he tried something else. "Little bitch."
She froze. "Excuse me?"
A deep laugh was her reward. She blinked, forcing her eyes to make out the shadows moving around her, and saw a face that seemed familiar. At least the smile was a welcome change.
"Some things don't change, and others change so much. It's Tinas, Wolf. I remember when you were just a debtor."
Her mouth fell open in shock. "Is this..."
"Valview," he supplied. "I just got switched to your wing. Sounds like the man assigned to Theodian's fighters made him a little upset."
"The guard?"
He nodded. "Yeah. But I thought Merino bought you?"
"He did, then sold me just when I started making a profit. Is he here?"
"No." Tinas sounded like she felt. "He canceled. Said he was going to be hitting the big arenas for the Lion's last few fights. Wanted to make the most of him while he still could."
She grabbed his arm. "Do you know where his last one will be?"
Again, his answer sounded sad. "No. No one does. Freedom fights are something the facilities bid over, because they draw so many people. We won't know until he's already won two hundred and forty-nine."
"I have to find him!"
Tinas reached up and rubbed her arm, just like he had so long before, trying to soothe her. "It's not that easy. Now c'mon, lemme show you back and make sure there's some wine for you."
"No," she said. "Send it to the man who fought before me."
"The debtor?"
Leyli nodded. "The Snake. I'm not sure if that's taken, but I think he'll live up to it."
"I can do that," he promised, leading her down the dark hall. "I think you learned from the Lion a little too well. Somehow he always just knew the ones that would survive."
"Yeah?"
Tinas nodded. "Couple of years ago, Merino's team came here about once a month. Each time, the Lion found someone to cheer on. Said it was the least he could do. Then you showed up."
"And everything changed," she agreed.
"Yeah." He pulled open a metal door, and gestured for her to enter. "He finally found someone as mean as him."
In the cell beside her, Plague chuckled. "Meaner. Pretty sure not even the Lion is brave enough to face down that bitch when she's in a mood."
Leyli sighed, but there was a tiny laugh caught up in it. Then she dropped down on her bed. "You're not any better, Plague."
"Nope," he agreed. "I also know when I've met someone who could kill me. How the fuck did you get close to Sand? I kinda didn't expect to see you again."
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "I put a spear in his foot. It was enough to distract him."
"Damn," Plague breathed. "You killed him with a dagger?"
"To the brain. Yeah."
Tinas let out an impressed rush of air. "Definitely meaner."
Plague didn't say anything else, until the guard was gone. When he did, his voice was low enough that it wouldn't carry too far. It sounded like he was leaning against the corner of his cell.
"Will you teach me? I'm not going to live very long if I can't figure out how to deal with men twice my size."
She nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "Promise, Plague. I'll be the third fighter to win free, but you can be the fourth."
"Cept I'm ahead of you by twelve."
"You'll still be the fourth."
But she was hoping she wouldn't have to wait that long. She prayed her father would believe the man. Not many people would know that she'd always worn a pink nightdress, and maybe it'd be enough to send the King's Guard out to find her.
She also hoped that Theodian would forgive her. If she was lucky, he'd even understand.
Chapter 30
The next day, Theodian came to wish her luck before she headed out to face debtors with Plague. Not that she needed much, but any fight was a chance to die. There was always the possibility that someone could get her sword out of her hand and turn it on her. That's why Theodian liked to keep them in teams. That way, his fighters always had someone to back them up if they made a mistake.
It was just more proof that he wasn't in this for the profit, but something so much bigger. No matter how much she told herself that she couldn't trust anyone, her owner was doing a good job of changing her mind. It felt like everything he did dispelled one more reason why she couldn't tell him her greatest secret. The only one she had left was that she hadn't even told Tristan, but he'd understand. If speaking up could get her free, then she could save him, and that would be all he needed to know.
As she and Plague headed up the hall, she decided that she'd say something as soon as they were back. The first time she was positive they couldn't be heard, she'd tell her owner who she really was, then see what he did about it. That meant this could be her last fight. Hopefully, because she was free, but she couldn't ignore the possibility that selling her out to her cousin could be an offer too appealing for Theodian to ignore.
"What's the game?" Leyli asked Tinas when they stopped at the gate.
He chuckled. "Your favorite. King of the hill. Any of those bastards make it up to the top, they get to live. It should be enough to prove they're worth buying, too."
She nodded. "So what happens if we don't cut them down?"
"Then you forfeit." His voice was too calm. "They'll send all of us out to make sure you're the one being carried out for compost."
"Our owner gets no say?"
He shook his head. "No, that's the contract. You agree to fight. If you refuse, your ownership transfers to the facility immediately, whereupon we dispose of you for rebellion." With one hand, he patted her shoulder. The other pointed toward the center of the arena. "See the rope around the middle of the dais? The fools just have to make it inside that. If they do, they aren't your problem."
"Do we get penalized?"
Tinas took a long breath before answering. "Not if you have a reason. If you're engaged with someone else, or the bastard honestly gets away."
"Don't try it," Plague said softly. "Trust me, Wolf, it's too easy to tell when a gladiator pulls a shot. Your neck isn't worth it, and the Lion needs you more than these fools. You'd be throwing away your life just for them to die in their next fight."
"Right." She shrugged her shield higher up her arm. "Just kill them fast."
"Quick and clean," Plague agreed.
Once more, Tinas rubbed her arm. "It's a step closer, and that's all that matters. Keep telling yourself that, until you can believe it."
When the gates opened, the two of them walked out side by side. The crowd cheered. Plague mostly ignored them, but Leyli tapped his arm. "They love you more if you play the part," she said before raising her arms for their attention.
When the cheering swelled, Plague mimicked her. Side by side, they pretended to enjoy the moment before continuing on. Their place was in the center. As Leyli got closer, she remembered it all too well. She'd run around this thing in fear, then used the stone side to smash a man's head in.
"I'll take this side," Plague said, moving to where he meant. "Yell if you need me."
"Yeah."
He looked over his shoulder at her. "Stop thinking about it. Why is this fight any different?"
"Because I'm not scared."
He turned and stormed into her face. "Then get scared, Wolf, because if you throw this, I'll make you pay."
"I'll kill you first."
>
He thrust his sword to the dark door on the far side. "You gotta get through them, first. Bring it, bitch."
She slapped her sword against her shield and set her jaw. "Watch me."
"No. You watch my fucking back. That's your damned job."
Then the men began to pour in. Leyli knew what her partner was doing, but it worked. It was exactly what she needed. The screams of the debtors was just the final straw. Leyli held the left side, Plague was on the right, and just over a dozen men rushed toward them. Even unarmed, there were enough of them to become a threat. If the fools tried to work together, the fighters wouldn't stand a chance.
Leyli's heart began to pound. When the first man came at her, she hacked at him without remorse. Over and over, she killed each one to step foot on her stone. Behind her, Plague did the same. When they tried to gang up on her side, he darted over. When one nearly slipped past him, she did the same. They weren't a team – not like she'd been with Tristan – but it was enough. Before she knew it, the ground was littered with bodies, and the circle behind them was still empty. Only then did she have to face what she'd done.
"It doesn't get easier," she yelled over the crowd.
Plague moved to her side, tossing an arm over her shoulder. "Nope. You just learn to fake it better. Smile for your fans." Then he waved to the crowd.
His asinine remark was the balm she needed. She'd grown used to killing people, but that didn't mean she liked it. She'd just learned how to forget a little faster. Hanging on each other like friends, the two tiny gladiators made their way back to where they belonged. Theodian waited for them at the door.
"And now you're no longer the newest members of the team, so won't have to do that again for a while." He took the swords from both, passing them to a guard, then gestured for the pair to shed their shields. "But you work well together. Willing to do it again?"