The Summit

by K. A Knight

  I react instantly, my knife flying through the air and imbedding in his stomach. When it only slows him down for an instant, I grab my whip and coil it ready. I sense my men getting ready to join the fray and I hold my hand up, mimicking Priest.

  “No, he’s mine,” I shout before ducking under the punch and sliding across the floor until I am behind him. Kicking off the floor, I jump onto his back and wrap the whip around him. He tries to buck me off, spinning wildly with me attached. Using his elbow, he hits back making me grunt, but I stay locked around him as he starts to get winded, his thick neck contorting against the black leather whip until he falls to his knees. Jumping off his back, I plant my feet firmly and use the floor to hoist the whip harder. It doesn’t escape my notice that both me and Dray have tried to choke someone out in the last ten minutes.

  “Enough. The Summit has been called, peace will be upheld here,” Major’s voice booms as he strides into the corridor and our little impromptu meeting. When he sees me with a whip wrapped around the no longer hooded man, he throws me an exasperated look. Twisting the whip, I knock the man out and drop him to the floor, offering Major an innocent look as Priest starts to laugh hysterically. The laughter cuts out as suddenly as it started and leaves an uncomfortable chill in the air.

  “No peace was broken, we were simply airing some unfortunate issues which arose. There is no ill will between me and the Champion, isn’t that right?” Priest asks, and they both look to me waiting for the answer.

  Gritting my teeth, I nod, after all if I want him to fight with us, I can’t go around issuing challenges, and it’s not like he knew that was my father even if he did know something was off. Stepping back, I look around to see Dray cleaning his knife against the wall as if he hadn’t cared who would win. Maxen, Thorn, Drax, and Jax are standing close, but not too close, their fists clenched, obviously wanting to kill the man.

  “Plus, my man was at fault. I told him no, he did not listen.” That is aimed at the man who is slowly coming to at my feet. The anger in his voice has us all stepping back as he approaches the mountain of a man.

  “Michael. Kneel,” he demands, his voice echoing around the corridor.

  Dray steps to my side again as I wait, my curiosity piqued with what Priest will do. He leans into me and whispering loudly says, “I like the whip, you can use that on me anytime.”

  Rolling my eyes, I tie it back to my waist. “Crazy bastard,” I mutter, and I hear him laugh.

  “Then tell me you didn’t just imagine using it on me,” he replies in a whisper, making me shiver. I mean, I should be concentrating on what is happening in front of me, but with Dray whispering dirty thoughts, which yes, I did imagine, it’s hard.

  Using the toe of his shoe, Priest raises the man’s head. I get my first good look at him and he is just as monstrous as I first thought. Scar after scar crisscrosses his face, some on top of each other until his eyebrows, nose and mouth are all distorted. It looks like someone took a fence to his face, but I can see the scars are old and whitening, with only a few laid-on top still pink and fresh.

  “Michael, you dare defy me?” Priest demands, his eyes flashing dangerously.

  “My lord,” he gasps painfully, panic in every word.

  “I said no!” Priest screams, his chest heaving with every breath. He reaches up and runs his hand through his hair, shaking it back in to place perfectly. “You know the price for your insolence,” he finishes, his voice deadly.

  The man nods, his breaths gasping out still, now in panic and not in his effort to breath. I watch––I can’t seem to look away––it feels like I am getting a sneak peek look into the private world of The Worshippers. Didn’t I just say I wondered how he kept his men in line? Watching now, I realise it is not just pure unadulterated worship, but fear. It is the screaming of the man kneeled at his feet. This small man wields and plays with terror like I play with knives, and that makes him dangerous. No, not dangerous, deadly. Sands below, I am glad he is on our side.

  Priest hands him his knife, one that I didn’t even see him produce and in amusement watches as the man takes the blade. Meeting Priest’s eyes, he holds it to his forehead.

  “Priest, forgive me for I have sinned,” he yells as he drags the knife through his skin. I hear someone behind me gag and someone laugh, but I can’t look away as the red blood splashes on his skin. Holding the knife back to his temple again as the blood drips to the floor he carries on. “Priest, forgive me for I am merely a sheep to your wolf.” Screaming raggedly, the sound reverberating around and making a horrifying noise he drags the knife through his skin again.

  I hear someone get sick as the smell of copper hits the air and you can taste the blood on your tongue. “Priest, forgive me. I am not worthy,” he whispers brokenly, as he slashes his own face one more time. Blood pools around him and he has to close his eyes as it drips everywhere. With a clatter, the knife drops to the floor, blood covering the blade. The man yells wordlessly as he holds his own face together.

  Priest stands above him, his face calm and empty. Like he sees this daily, and he probably does if the existing scars are anything to go by. “Stand my child, for you are forgiven. What was given, is now received.”

  The man at his feet weeps and crawls towards him until he kisses the shoe in front of him. “Thank you, my lord,” he whispers.

  “Well fuck,” I hear Drax whisper behind me and I nod. Yep, that pretty much sums this up.

  I thought I had seen all the crazy this world had to offer, clearly, I had never met Priest. He makes me look like a kid.

  “Err-okay.” Major coughs and offers me a wide-eyed look, as if to say what the fuck. “Shall we go back to the room? The others are getting restless.” I nod and look at Priest who straightens his sleeves and offers us an ‘after you’ wave of his hand.

  I don’t let him walk at my back, not now that I know what he can do. Instead, I walk by his side with my men behind me.

  “Oh, and Michael?” he calls as we walk away.

  “Yes, my lord?” Michael answers.

  “Clean up that mess before you join us.” Turning, he walks away and I join him.

  Sands below, The Summit has not even started yet, and the blood is flowing.

  Major leads us into a different corridor, with only a brown door at the end. No one speaks, but I feel a few hands brush against me, offering me their strength.

  Stopping in front of it he throws me a look. “You ready?” he asks.

  I nod, and he opens the door wide and utter chaos spills out.

  The Summit

  “Ya fucking call me that again, you fat old bastard and I’ll shoot ya!”

  Blinking, I take in the scene before me, Nan in all her pearl and cardigan wearing glory, has a shotgun double the size of her aimed at Reeves. The man has an arched eyebrow, but I can see the fear dancing in his eyes. He’s twice the size of Nan, with a little more weight around the waist. His hair is solid grey and his eyes a deep brown. Wrinkles stand out on his tanned cheek and only confirm that he is older than most in this room. Nan stands there, her frail chest heaving but her stance steady and strong, and a serious anticipation etched on her face.

  “Come on then, you fat bastard!” she screams at him again, poking his chest with the gun. Reeves holds his hands in the air, signalling peace and also stopping the scavs and roadies from his clan from inching forward, and causing Nan to pull on her itchy trigger finger. I spot a few of Dray’s Seekers lingering around the edge of the room, seeming to blend in with the woodwork in here. Major also has a few, and Nan has three men at her back, obviously who she brought from The Rim.

  The room is big, a long rectangle with a large wooden table taking up most of the room. Old world paintings line the wooden walls and there are only two large windows in here, one to the left and one to the right. Six large leather chairs are pushed around the table, with one at the head, obviously where Major was sitting. Figures the cheeky bastard would put himself in prime position, just another
calculated move to prove his dominance and stake his territory. The room is filled with stifled violence and it feels like a bomb is about to go off, everyone is waiting for the action to start, their bodies tense and thrumming with anticipation. Rolling my eyes, I step in further, Priest steps back to the wall with his eyes locked on me, waiting to see what I will do. Mumbling under my breath, I take in the old lady and man locked in a death stare, someone needs to defuse this before a war starts here, and Ivar has no one left in his way.

  “Really, Nan? I leave for two minutes and you gon’ shoot the place up? I think Major likes this room,” I say casually, my voice breaking through the staring contest. All eyes swing to me and my congregation of men behind me. Nan’s eyes dance with amusement before she masks it and pokes Reeves in the chest again.

  “Aye, this fucking fat prick is tryin ta tell me how ta rule ma place!” she yells, her accent more pronounced than ever, and Reeves sighs.

  “All I said was, you should kill them.” His deep voice rumbles out of him, calm and collected, though I see his hands itching with the need to pull a weapon.

  Sands below, I hate politics.

  “Drop the gun,” I demand.

  She swivels it around to me, a dare in her eyes. “Ya trying ta tell me what to do, girly?”

  Making a quick decision, I stride up to her and knock the gun away, not a good idea but the only one I could think of. “You know better than to point that at me, you think I give a shit if you kill each other? Go ahead, it means Ivar will have your land and people that much easier.” The room goes quiet and I watch as Nan deflates, dropping the gun so it points to the floor.

  “Ya right girly, we here for a reason. I wouldn’t want to break the treaty.” She nods and turns to look back at Reeves. “We good. But you ever talk like that to me again and I will blow you to the next fucking room.” With that she waddles back to her chair and sits down heavily. I have to bite my lip to hold in my smile, but when I see everyone is still looking at me, I quickly wipe it away and gesture for everyone to resume their places.

  Priest slides past me, whispering more crazy as he goes. “And they follow her, even in death.”

  He takes his seat next to Nan, and Major squeezes my arm before sliding to my side. “Everyone is here, let The Summit begin.”

  I nod and go around the table to stand in a corner with my back to a wall when Major stops me with a hand on my arm. I look at him and he grins. “Your seat, Champion.” I follow his gesture to see he means the seat at the head of the table. My eyes widen and swing back to him, I wanted to fade into the background, not play centre stage. When he notices my look, he drops his voice. “They are right, this won’t work without you. You know Ivar better than most, you know the laws. This is your Summit.”

  With that he walks to the chair on the left of mine, dramatically pausing before sitting down. I hear people gasp, for Major to give up his chair means he thinks I am above him. That I rule him. Unwilling to show him any more disrespect in his house, I stride to the chair and sit down, all eyes locked on me. I sit straight and confident, not showing them any weakness.

  “Interesting,” Reeves mutters and I narrow my eyes at him.

  I watch as Dray holds my eyes and sashays until he sprawls in the chair to my right, showing his support and respect also. Fucking hell, did I mention how much I hate politics? Even where to sit is a fucking mind game.

  My men quickly enter and fan out behind me. When the leaders spot Vasilisy, they roar and slam back from the table, all shouting to be heard over one another as the Berserker grins madly at them.

  “Come on then, ya twats!” he yells as the warriors leap at him.

  Slamming my head against the table and knocking myself out sounds like a good idea right about now, twice now weapons have been drawn and within the first three minutes. How the hell are we supposed to get through a whole meeting, never mind a war?

  “Enough!” I scream, standing up and smashing my fists on the table to get their attention. Everyone freezes like naughty school children, even as Dray chuckles next to me.

  “Enough,” I say again, sweeping my eyes across the room.

  “He’s a Berserker!” Reeves shouts while someone else yells, “Traitor!”

  I watch as Dray stiffens.

  “Enough, he is here as my guest and he will be the reason we can bring down Ivar, so if you would be so fucking kind as to remove the axe from his neck?” I ask, well more like demand. The warriors slink away from him, but everyone is on edge.

  “A guest? Girly, what have ya done?” Nan asks, looking at me like I am the crazy one.

  “He renounced Ivar, he has paid his price and has saved my life. You might not trust him, fuck, you don’t even have to like him but if anyone, and I mean anyone,” I sweep my eyes again to meet all of theirs, “kills him, then the treaty is broken, and your life is forfeit.” Grumbles sound through the room and I narrow my eyes, bringing my whip down next to me on the table. “Is that understood?” I demand. I hear a few ‘yeses’ and see a few nods. I relax slightly until I hear “Fuck it,” and a scav bursts into action from my left, aiming at Vasilisy who is still glaring at an assassin creeping closer to him. Not thinking, I unravel the whip and launch it through the air until it wraps around the scav’s neck.

  Yanking it, he flies onto the table, his face turning pink and panic stretches across his features as he faces down my anger. Leaving him there, I glare at Reeves.

  “Does this one speak for you?” I ask in a deadly voice.

  He stands, making sure to move slowly. “Champion, he does not.” He glares at the man before looking back to me.

  “He broke the treaty, brought arms to my guest,” I yell the last, as the man gasps for breath as I tighten the whip around his throat. “You know the law,” I finish, and when Reeves nods, I release the whip and pull it back to myself, coiling it up around my arm just in case.

  Reeves looks at the man sadly as he gasps and slides from the end of the table to the floor, holding his neck as unwilling tears drip from his eyes. “Sirla, what did you do?” he asks the man.

  “Re–” The man coughs before carrying on, “Threat, to you. Had… to… protect.” He finishes in a hacking cough.

  I can see the understanding and sadness in Reeves’ eyes, even as his face hardens and his hands flex. “You know the laws, no matter the reason.” His voice carries through the room, his decision ringing clear. Not that there was one. If he does not punish his man for breaking the law, then he too is breaking the law, and a direct push from the leader of the meeting. A game, yet another in which we must all play carefully. He is out of moves and by the look in his eyes he knows it. He has no choice.

  “Forgive me,” he whispers as the scav looks at the floor, holding his throat as he coughs for air. I watch as the gun is raised and the trigger pulled, and I feel nothing. The man’s body falls to the floor lifeless, and I watch it do so, his blood adding to the ones already on my hand. I might not have pulled the trigger, but I sure as shit gave the order. Reeves looks at me, and I await his reaction. When he nods, I let out a breath I didn’t realise I was holding.

  I should feel guilty, I should feel sad. A life was just snuffed out, but it was necessary and in war there are casualties.

  “Let The Summit begin.” I knock the end of the whip on the table as everyone sits back down in their seats.

  “He’s a fuckin’ coward!” Nan yells, glaring at Reeves and Priest who just lean back in their chairs. Reeves looks pissed but Priest just looks blank like always.

  Before it can come to blows I lean forward and draw their attention, I have been doing that for the last hour, they clash on nearly every word with only me to smooth over the differences between the clan leaders. “What he is, is crazy. Let’s not beat around the bush. His mind is warped, but he has an army behind him. It makes him a deadly threat.”

  Priest nods and smiles at me. “Thee who faces the demons, will come out stronger for thy have seen the face of evi
l and chose the path of light.”

  Everyone goes quiet before I hear Nan mutter, “And ya thought Ivar was crazy.”

  I have to stifle my laugh by grabbing a drink of water from the cup in front of me. Priest’s head slowly turns to face Nan and he wipes all expression from his face. “Madness is only the beginning.”

  Major grunts. “None of this matters, we must come up with a plan and furthermore, a truce.”

  Reeves flies to his feet, dramatically bashing his meaty fists down on the table making the cups jump. “Why must we be involved at all?! This is not our fight, I will not send my men to death for one girl. I say we let Ivar have her.”

  With his words, the room erupts in chaos, but I continue to keep watching. I’m glad he got straight to the point, he is right, why should they fight? I go to stand when out of the corner of my eye I see Dray already beat me to it. “No one will be giving Worth to him or I will cut off their cocks and wear them as a necklace.”

  Reeves’s face turns red as he starts to wind up for a fight. I can see Nan grinning, obviously enjoying this and Major looks tired. Standing slowly I face them all. “You are right, you could give me to Ivar. It might calm him, for a while, but we all know as soon as he kills me or gets bored of me, he will be back to his ways. He will never settle for staying still, he wants to expand. He believes the Berserkers are the best of the clans and he won’t stop until no one stands in his way. I was with him for years, I know the way his brain works, and he spoke often of leading this world into a new time. That means killing all of you. So yes, you could hand me over now and buy yourself some time, but then you are only signing your own death warrants. He is coming and he will kill us all. We need to work together or nothing will be left in the Wastes but dust.”

  Two hours later, I call a break and the leaders start to file out, obviously intent on getting some fresh air––I wish I could join them. Instead, I need to talk to Major, get some advice, and a crash course on Summit rules. He notices my look and nods before sitting back down, waving his men to the door. They nod and leave; the only other person left is Nan who is downing a drink of whiskey like it’s a lifeline.