by Jake Daniel
One by one, the other champions were hoisted up into the air and carried toward the castle. Alysain moved close behind me and wrapped her arms under mine. She tightened her grip and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear. “You can trust me. I’m a friend, I promise.”
The first thing that ran through my head was that anyone who insists they are your friend, is usually the one who ends up as your enemy. I craned my head to the side to see her face as we flew high above the buildings and followed the others toward the castle. “How do I know that I can trust you? How come you didn’t save them? You knew they were being forced into the labyrinth with me, yet you let them die.” I knew it wasn’t fair to take out my anger on the griffon but I couldn’t stop myself.
She remained quiet as I hung several hundred feet above the ground. I closed my eyes and my Sight returned. The spirit that surrounded the Capitol was nothing like I was used to. It was a dark shade of purple and pulsed slowly around each of the buildings. It was similar to the energy that flowed around the small town of Kilney during my fight with the spider woman, just on a much grander scale. I opened my eyes again as we neared the castle. Alysain set me down and looked at me pleadingly.
I nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay, I still don’t trust you. Hell I don’t trust anyone any longer, but I don’t have much choice. There has to be a reason you keep reassuring me that I will make it out of this alive. So, feel free. Tell me how I can use your help to kill the motherfuckers who stole my bonded’s lives.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Alysain checked behind us and spoke in hushed tones, as if she still didn’t trust we were alone. “Make it through dinner without dying. The fight will take place tomorrow as the sun reaches its peak. Here, take these.” She pulled open my hand and set three small round items inside. They were each about the size of a pinto bean, smooth on each side, and made of stone.
I closed my hand around them tightly. “I’m going to assume that I’ll know when to use these?”
The griffon held her hands around mine and closed her eyes. A sudden blast of spirit entered my body and I immediately felt calm. My core pulsed inside my chest, ready to lash out at a moment’s notice. She nodded and squeezed my hand tightly. “You’ll be allowed to use your skills tomorrow, don’t hold back, the other three will not hesitate to use their advantages.”
“Wait, is Aether able to cultivate as well?”
Alysain shook her head. “No, but that does not mean he’s not dangerous.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle.
I immediately recognized it. “An influence potion? Are the others under its influence as well?”
“Yes, among other potions. Potion use has infiltrated the highest levels. Let’s just say you were not supposed to make it this far, and the fact that you haven’t used any sort of potions to get here is nothing short of amazing. Don’t be surprised if they try to slip you something this evening. The last thing they want is for the Mystic Vale to fall into someone’s hands other than who they choose. They want you to be puppets of the Capitol, and you can probably guess who they’ve chosen to be the champion this year.”
“Let me guess, not me.” I shook my head. “I knew better than to get wrapped up in all of this. To think that there would be any sort of rules adhered to was foolish of me. They probably won’t give the Mystic Vale to the winner if it isn’t who they choose anyway.” I ran my hand back through my hair.
“They have to. A magical parchment will be in full view tomorrow during the fights. There is no way the land will not transfer to the winner. That is why it is so imperative you win. The Mystic Vale is key to monster survival across Aurilon.” She stared at me pleadingly with her beautiful jade green eyes. “You have to win, not only to avenge the loss of your bonded, but to stop the spread of tyranny.”
It was obvious who they wanted to be their champion. Aether would fit into their agenda to push humans over monsters, giving them their first human victor in over ten years. I turned back to Alysain and furrowed my brow. “Why Aether, and how come they have him under the influence potion. Something doesn’t seem right.”
“Trust me, there is much more you have not discovered yet.” She glanced back as a pair of footsteps echoed from the hall behind us. “Stay alive, be smart, use your instincts. There’s no time to explain, you’ll know what to do.” By the time the two guards had turned the corner, Alysain was gone.
I opened my hand and to my surprise the three small bean-like stones were glowing. This is some jack and the beanstalk shit. I tried to think about what I needed to do with them, and wished she would’ve given me three bullets for my next fight, rather than three fucking glowing beans. Maybe I can force Aether to choke on one, although his throat is probably stretched so wide from sucking daddy Striker’s cock all day that it would never work. I quickly tucked the stones away safely in my pocket and followed the guards inside the castle.
They led me to a very large, packed, dining hall. At the front of the room was a table, apparently reserved for the guests of honor, one of which included me. I walked past full tables of elegantly dressed people, some with monsters at their sides. Humans overwhelmingly outnumbered monsters throughout the room. As I passed each table their conversations stopped and they eyed me cautiously. As I continued forward they continued their conversations in hushed tones. I focused on a small squat man seated at a table closest to me and used my Sight to read his mind.
He stared at me nervously and dabbed his head with his silk napkin. I focused on his thoughts, trying to block everything else out around me. How did he win? Amos has to have something to do with it. I hope he takes a drink of his wine. I reached my seat and a round of applause rose throughout the room as the King held out his hands to prompt the response. I grabbed my wine and held it to my lips, looking around the room to see who was watching me.
The table directly in front of me all held their collective breaths as they waited for me to take a drink. I messed with them a bit and raised the glass to my lips at least ten times, holding it there for a second before pretending to be distracted by a side conversation. Fucking idiots.
Amos entered the room and gave me a small wave as he sat at a table directly across from the table that was trying to poison me. I grabbed my glass and walked over to meet Amos and Mona as they sat down.
Amos eyed me cautiously as I approached. I gave him a forced smile and raised my glass. He patted me on the back and nodded. “Big day tomorrow. Make sure you don’t drink too much, you still need to wake up in the morning.”
His statement drew stifled laughter from the table next to us. I smiled and walked over to the same man whose thoughts I’d read earlier. I gave them all a wide smile and slapped the man on the back. “I hope you all enjoyed the show earlier.” The gathered group shared nervous glances and nodded slowly. “It was an especially nice touch to kill the women I loved. I guess I should’ve seen that one coming.” I lifted the man’s glass off the table and laughed, a laugh of a man who was about to snap, as that was exactly where I currently was. “If you thought today’s show was great, just wait until tomorrow!” I covertly switched my glass with the man’s and handed him mine. “How about a toast?” I sauntered around their circular table and Augustus watched me curiously from at the champions table along with Aether, the Orc, and well, I wasn’t exactly sure what the skeleton was looking at. He just sat there with hollow, glowing blue eyes. The gathered guards shifted closer, as if expecting me to go off at any second.
The man chuckled nervously and lifted his glass. “A toast would be great. How about we hear some of that Huntsman wisdom?”
“Perfect… Huntsman wisdom, huh?” I rubbed my chin with my free hand and stopped with all eyes locked on me. “How about this? One does not hunt in order to kill, no, one kills to have hunted.” This drew confused looks from the entire table. I raised my glass high. “To trust, honor, and fair play.” I lifted the glass to my mouth and took a sip.
The gathere
d guests did the same, all keeping their eyes locked on mine. They lowered their glasses and set them down on the table in unison. Two seconds later the man who I’d switched glasses with frothed at the mouth and convulsed wildly.
I walked behind the man and gave him a hard pat on the back. “Trust, honor, and fair play.” He fell still after several seconds with his head down on the table, prompting screams from several of the women gathered nearby.
Augustus shot to his feet and looked around frantically, and his eyes landed on Amos. “I know you had something to do with this! Guards, please show this champion his quarters for the evening.” His eyes settled on mine as the guards neared, his face redder than I thought was even possible. “It’s a shame we already killed your girls. I could’ve used a good fuck tonight. Hell, maybe there’s a little warmth left in their bodies to do the trick.” He spit the words at me and sat down slowly, laughing loudly.
I clenched my teeth but didn’t give him the satisfaction of letting him see how pissed I actually was.
King Augustus scanned the room, and everyone who’d turned to look at him quickly averted their gaze. He motioned uninterestedly toward Amos and Mona before addressing his guards. “Take them with him.”
Two large bear-men grabbed my arms and guided me out of the great hall while two lion-kin grabbed Amos and Mona and led them out behind me. As we exited, the King addressed the crowd. “Don’t worry ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for our feast, please take a seat.” I glanced back as I was about to exit the room and met his eyes. He gave me a half smile and continued speaking again. “At least we can all agree on who we don’t want to win the tournament tomorrow.” A round of laughter broke out as I exited the room.
We continued down a long, dimly lit corridor and stopped at the end of the hall. A guard opened the door and motioned for us to enter. The second guard stopped me before I entered and spoke in a growly whisper. “We know who you are. Our people appreciate what you’ve done to give monsters hope once again throughout Aurilon.” He paused and looked down the way we came before continuing. “You’ve brought some honor back to humankind. We’ve left you some food next to the bed.”
“You really didn’t have to do that.” I wasn’t about to trust any sort of foreign food. If anything, I’d eat Alysain’s magic beans before I’d ever consider eating anything here at the castle. No matter how hungry I was. “I appreciate the gesture.”
The bear-men nodded in unison. One of them stopped as they exited the room. “We have to lock you in, King’s orders. We’ll be back early to let you out, though. Good luck tomorrow. Try to get some sleep.”
I walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Amos limped over and joined my side and shook his head. “How did you know?”
“I could read the man’s mind. Alysain warned me before heading in there as well.”
“Alysain?! I knew she’d come through for us. Everyone has always thought the Griffon Guard of Ambirn was impenetrable.
“How did you get her to help?” I asked as I looked around the room for anything useful.
“She’s seen what’s happened over the past several years. She has great respect for what Ambirn is meant to be and has vowed to uphold the treaty that was formed after the Great War.”
“So she’s basically seen enough of your brother’s shit show to know it’s only going to get worse from here?” Mona asked.
I chuffed and shook my head. “Sounds about right.”
“Exactly.” Amos nodded his head and paced across the room. “She’s a great friend and one of our closest allies.”
I stopped at the large table and rested my hands on the back of one of the tall wooden chairs. Every second that passed I felt my anger rising. “If she knew something was up from the start, why didn’t she do anything? She could’ve dropped me near them and I could’ve protected them, but she gave me nothing.”
Amos walked over and let out a long breath. “Try to remain calm, Logan. I know you are going through an extremely rough time right now. You have to understand, with all eyes on your group during the labyrinth, she couldn’t do anything without risking her or your life.”
Inside I knew that Alysain couldn’t do anything, at that point I wasn’t sure anyone could’ve. I was angrier with myself than anyone else. I felt it was my fault they’d lost their lives. “Amos, I will have my revenge, there is no doubt in my mind.”
“I know you will, I can see it in your eyes.” Amos walked over to a table across the room and poured three glasses of wine from a wooden cask. “Have a drink with me, Logan.”
I looked at the glass and shook my head. “I’ll pass.”
Mona grabbed a glass and quickly downed it without hesitation. I waited for her to fall over dead, but after several seconds she poured herself another without any ill effects from the first. She licked her lips and held her second glass at the ready. “Don’t worry, it’s safe. I can sense poison, and this is clear.”
Amos picked up the other two glasses and shrugged. He handed one out toward me and I declined. “I need something that packs a better punch than a little wine. I doubt that’s here, so I’ll keep my mind clear for the time being.”
Amos downed the contents of one of the glasses in one gulp. “Suit yourself.” He sat on the bed and laid his cane down next to him. “I imagine Alysain is working hard behind the scenes. The guardians are the only beings in the Capitol that I truly feel have a sense of what is right and wrong and will hold themselves to the highest integrity should they face a decision.” He took another gulp of his wine. “Let’s just hope she doesn’t wait too long, eh?”
“Agreed.” I sat next to Amos on the bed and rubbed my temples. “I need to know who killed them. I need them to know what they did will not go unpunished.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get your chance at revenge. Although, sometimes things need to fall in place perfectly for everything to work out.” Amos sighed. “Did Alysain mention anything else that may be of interest?”
I brushed a hand over my pocket and remembered the beans she’d given me. At this point, I didn’t feel like I had too much to lose by telling Amos about what else Alysain had given me, and hoped he may have an idea about how I could use them. “After she brought me over here and told me to be cautious, she gave me these.”
I pulled out the three small beans and held them in my opened palm. Both Mona and Amos walked closer and leaned down toward my hand.
They exchanged confused looks. Amos wiped his brow with his handkerchief and let out a long breath. “Hmm, well I’m not not quite sure what those are, but if she gave them to you, there must be a reason. Guard those things with your life.”
I closed my hand around them and stuck them back in my pocket. “I hope they blow up that whole fucking arena.”
Amos held up his hands. “Easy, let’s not do anything we may regret. Remember, there will be plenty of innocent bystanders watching the final rounds.”
I knew he had a point, but I’d run out of fucks to give. My mind raced in a hundred directions, and a thousand different ways I could exact my revenge. I paced in front of the bed, deep into the night, much to the chagrin of Amos and Mona who tossed and turned restlessly on the bed across the room from me. I pulled out the three stones and stared at them in my palm. As I watched, each one brightened until they lit the entire room. I knew at that point that Amos was right, there was a reason I had these things, I just wished I knew what the hell to do with them.
I couldn’t wait any longer, I needed to get out of the room, I felt like a caged animal. As I reached for the door, a blast from a horn filled the room, rooting me in place.
Chapter Thirty
Amos and Mona leapt off the bed and we hurried to the small window, but it was still too dark outside to see. When I used my Sight, I could only see the outlines of the buildings and walls closest to the room we were in. The sound of a key unlocking the door to the room drew my attention. I stepped in front of Amos and Mona and we appro
ached the door together. They’d taken my gun and my knife before they shoved us in the room, leaving us mostly defenseless. I felt the tips of vines rise to the surface of my wrists, ready to shoot forward at a moment’s notice.
The door swung open and a bear-men guard appeared. “Time to go.” He stepped to the side and motioned for us to exit the room.
I moved out into the hall, and the second guard joined my side as we walked through the long corridor to the great hall. The tables that were set up the night before were gone. A few young girls and boys were scattered about the room, using mops and brooms to clean up any remnants from the reception.
We exited out through the front of the castle where three griffon women guardians stood. I looked around, hoping to see Alysain, but she never arrived.
The bear-man guard at my side rested his enormous paw on my shoulder. “Good luck today.”
I gave him a nod and walked up to the closest guardian. The angelic woman wrapped her arms around me from behind and lifted into the air with such speed that I lost track of my bearings and couldn’t see if Amos and Mona were following behind. The guardian barrel rolled through the sky and propelled herself forward with ease by using her large wings. The feeling of flying like this was exhilarating. I had a renewed sense of hope as the arena came into view, and I thought about the possibility of reviving the others. While I should’ve been worrying about the battle to come, I really didn’t give a shit. All I could focus on was their faces and how I was going to bring them back to life.
I twisted my head to face the guardian as she carried me. “Where’s Alysain?”
She remained straight faced for several seconds before lifting higher in the air. She burst through the clouds and soared higher, eventually leveling off. Her voice came out flat. “They’ve imprisoned Alysain.”
“For what?”
“Treason. She directly disobeyed orders from the King.”