Taming The Ringmaster

by Erin O'Kane

  “Wake up, slaves!” comes a yell from outside my cell, jerking me awake. My whole body is sore after the fights and Alcide’s tryst last night. I felt like I was floating, but now I am crashing back down to reality. Afterwards, I had been escorted back to my cell where I fell into a deep sleep. Groaning, I pull myself to my feet using the bars and peer at the guards, who are banging on the metal to wake up the other fighters. “Fight starts in an hour, get your asses up! Chow time!”

  “Fight?” I whisper to Nixon, who is standing at my bars, watching me with a frown etched onto his face.

  “First we’ve heard, come on, you need to eat,” he grumbles.

  I nod, and when my cell is opened, I meet him outside. Xavier trails behind us as we head to the tables. I flop down between them, perking up with a grin when I spot Alcide here today. He holds his head high as he joins us, a twinkling in his eyes that wasn’t there yesterday. He winks at me.

  “Morning, cariño.” His accented voice washes over me and I can’t help but recall our time from last night. My pussy clenches in memory, which is embarrassing since we are in public and I am pressed between my other men...

  “Morning,” I greet with a smile that is split by a yawn as a tray bangs down in front of me. Blain drops a kiss on my forehead as Rex squeezes my shoulder, both of them sitting on the other side of Alcide. Without any further words, we start to eat, aware of the clock counting down.

  The room is filled with tension as all the fighters share looks, wondering who will be against whom today, speculating what the Masters have planned now. I lower my face and ask Alcide, “Who do you think is fighting?” He shakes his head with a frown.

  “I don’t know, this wasn’t planned though,” is all he offers, and I don’t know if that comforts me or unsettles me more.

  Once I’m finished eating, I lean into the person on my left, thinking it’s Nixon as I lay my head on his shoulder, but when the body freezes against me, my eyes fly wide as I look up to see Xavier staring down at me. Shit.

  I go to lift my head up and scoot away, my cheeks burning, but he softens against me. “Lean on me, it’s okay,” he encourages, pressing his arm to my back to help support me. Licking my lips nervously, I stay where I am, my eyes meeting Alcide’s across the table to see that he has a strange smile on his face as he watches us.

  “Whatever happens today, we stay together,” he instructs, his eyes flicking between us, and I can’t help but notice that Xavier is included in that.

  “No shit, boss man, glad you are finally back on the team,” Blain mutters.

  “I agree.” Rex bobs his head, still eating and half asleep.

  “Do not let each other out of your sight, something is coming,” Nixon adds ominously. We all look to him to see him blinking and shaking his head before he carries on eating like nothing happened.

  “Something’s coming?” I repeat, I wonder what…

  “Chow time is up, animals, to your feet!” comes an order from a guard as they stream into our midst. We are obviously not moving fast enough for them, because they start yanking people up and pushing them towards the tunnel entrance where more are waiting.

  Xavier stays behind me, while Nixon is in front, as my other guys spread around us. They are never far, close enough that I can reach out and touch them, making sure to heed Nixon’s warning as we march along the hard earth towards the racks of weapons. I peek around Nixon, frowning when I realise that no one has been given weapons yet. Shit, is it going to be us fighting again?

  When Xavier and I reach the rack, they pass our weapons over…only it’s not just us. Alcide, Rex, Blain, and Nixon all get weapons too...but no armour. What are the Masters planning? Are we going to be fighting together? Is this their punishment, their way to finally break us and control us?

  Worry surges through me, waking me up fully as my body jitters anxiously, our feet crunching against the ground as we walk slowly forward, the guards leading us to the sand above. The gate hinges squeak loudly against the silence, the only other sounds coming from the whispering of the other slaves and the pounding of my heart.

  The sun is blinding, and I have to cover my eyes as we step out into the arena. A shove causes me to stumble into Nixon as we are pushed from behind. My family is being forced farther into the arena as the other fighters are led to their cages and locked up.

  The Masters’ box is full today and I can’t help glancing at them as we all move closer together, trying to predict what they are going to do. The crowd is fuller than ever, seats so busy people are actually standing, cramming to get close to the edge to see us. I can almost taste their excitement on the air...they know what is going to happen.

  This has been announced.

  I look over at Alcide to see the same conclusion and fear reflected back in his eyes. Is this where we die? Where our family, our circus finally ends? If it is, at least we’re together. I have a passing moment of regret that I couldn’t free our animals, but it’s gone as soon as a hush falls over the crowd and the Masters stand, their hands raised to silence everyone.

  Like the amassed people, we turn our eyes expectantly to them to see what fate they are offering us today. Death or life, they hold it all in their hands, and I am acutely aware of just how powerless I am right now to protect my family.

  How foolish I was, thinking I could win this game. That I could manipulate them, use them, turn it on their heads and escape. I should have learned with Jessie’s death, but I didn’t, and now it’s going to cost the ultimate price.

  My eyes flicker to Chester, only to see him watching me also, and something passes over his face, almost too quick to see. Was it regret? Anger? Or simply acceptance? He told me once it was easier to be led than to have to feel, I guess for him that is true.

  Me? I would rather feel it all, the pain, the love, the anger...everything if it means I get to hold these people close. That I get to actually live my life. Just another way we are different.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a true treat for you today!” one of the Masters begins, the crowd letting out whistles and excited yells. “A month ago, we captured those you see in the pit, the circus, a place where they boasted about their differences. Freaks, the lot of them.” The voice is full of disgust and contempt, making my heart sink as a bad feeling settles over me. “Taking our money and eating our food as they openly mocked us! No longer! Today, we bring them to you as slaves, their final act, if you will! Their finale!”

  Cheers go up once again as my suspicions are confirmed.

  “Today, we will turn the circus on each other, family on family...lovers against lovers. Who will come out victorious?” he yells, further amping up the crowd.

  A surge of white-hot anger races through me, but I push it away for now, we need to be smart. We need…a fucking miracle at this point. If we refuse to fight, we die at their guards’ hands. If we fight, we die at each other’s hands.

  There is no way out, maybe there never was. Is this what all slaves feel, this impending doom, the crashing of reality, before they die?

  Only, I won’t die a slave. They can kill me here, kill us all, but we will die the way we lived—together and free.

  “Slaves! You have your orders, you will fight each other. The one who survives will win their freedom! The rest will sadly be lost to the sands!”

  The crowd starts stomping now, ready to see us die for their entertainment.

  “Ready? Fight!” a Master screams, as they all sit back into their seats.

  We look at each other, lost on what to do, until Alcide steps forward. He cups my face, blocking out everyone but him. The crowd, the cheering, even the angry cries of the other slaves fall away until all I see is him, my ringmaster. My lover.

  “Cariño, you have to win, no, listen to me for once.” He stops my protests before they can even begin, his intense eyes locked on mine. “We are going to die no matter what, you have to win. Gain your freedom and get as far away from here as you can, start a new life. Be hap
py. I’m sorry I got you into this, all of you into this. My pride was my downfall, I won’t have it be yours as well.”

  I shake my head, tears filling my eyes and making him swim in front of me. “Alcide,” I whisper, but he covers my lips with his, kissing me so soundly, so fully, that he wipes away the memory of anything and anyone else just for a moment. All I can feel, all I can taste, is him, but it’s over too soon as he pulls back, smiling at me sadly.

  “I was a fool to wait so long. I was scared, Rhea. Scared of how completely I love you, how much you consume me. I need you to know how much I regret not holding you close every day and night, never letting you go. I wish we had one more day, one more night, just one more minute together...even one more show. I wish I could see you sparkle under the stage lights again, charming the audience the same way you charmed me.” His hand comes up to rest over my racing heart. “We will be in here, always. You can never lose us, not really. I will be waiting for you in the next life, where we can have our happy ending.” He steps back then, even as I try to cling to him, and Blain takes his spot.

  “Harpy,” he starts, his voice cracking. He swallows, stands up taller, and his cocky look comes over him, his protection. “Win, you have to.” Then he grabs me, his arms wrapping around me tightly, like he might never let me go. He kisses me too, sweeping his tongue inside my mouth and tangling it with mine before pulling away. He presses his forehead against mine, his dark eyes filling my vision. “I love you, Harpy, even when you’re a pain in the ass, I can’t think of anyone else I would gladly die for…so I need you to live. For me.” He covers my lips when I go to protest, smirking at me in the way only Blain can, but I see emotions swirling in his eyes, too many for him to hide. “Otherwise, I’ll come back and haunt you, you hear me?”

  “I hear you,” I mumble against his palm.

  He nods and steps back as Rex moves to fill his spot. His eyes are downcast, his face pale. He licks his lips and it’s me who steps forward now, rushing into his comforting embrace. Rex, my softie, the man who brought me to my family. “I love you,” I tell him.

  He sighs, wrapping his arms around me. “And I you, Wildcat, more than you can ever know. When you love something so fully, so completely, it can never truly disappear.” But then he does, he steps back, and I am turned to face Nixon.

  He stares down at me, saying nothing, as his hand rises and strokes my face, his eyes tracing my features as if trying to memorise them. “Love you.”

  I sob then, unable to help myself as he, too, steps back. I look to Xavier to see him shaking in anger as he paces. “There has to be a way,” he snaps, looking at me helplessly. “You have to survive, this wasn’t the plan!”

  He rages, screams, but none of it does any good.

  “Fight, or we will make you!” comes the order from the Masters.

  I wrap my arms around myself, watching my men as they stand in a line facing Alcide, who is standing tall with his shoulders thrown back, but his eyes are tight and his hands are shaking slightly.

  “We performed, lived, and loved as one. Today, we die as that,” he declares loudly. “For her! For our future! You will never stop the freaks!” he yells, then turns back to his men, they all nod at him, closing their eyes, ready to meet their fate…

  No! He can’t!

  I leap, throwing myself in front of them. If we die, we do it together. There is no life without them, there is no me without them. They want me to survive, to go on, but how can I when they would be gone?

  “No!” I scream, just as a loud bang comes from outside. We all turn slowly, frowning when a plume of smoke goes up beyond the colosseum. “What the…” I whisper, confused.

  Another boom has me jumping, and I whirl to see the gate that leads to the slaves’ cages exploding outwards as splintered wood rains everywhere. It’s dark for a moment and I squint into the smoke, trying to see into it. Then, there is a scream, a collective cry of outrage, and from that darkness flows men...and women…

  All holding weapons, all with the slave symbol. The mark of freaks.

  Of the rebellion.

  They rush onto the sand as guards jump down, their weapons clashing. The two forces, the enemies, come together. I can hear the Masters shouting orders, and the cries of fear from the audience as they try to escape the bloodshed and death...the war occurring before them. Once they craved it, now they fear it—how the tables have turned.

  “Rhea!” comes a yell, and I turn, my hand already rising as Xavier throws me a sword. I grab it, holding it in front of me as the rest of my men close in on either side, their own weapons gleaming in the sunlight. But the fighting moves around us like water around a rock as screams of pain fill the air. The scent of death and blood is so strong I crinkle my nose.

  “Here!” comes a yell. I turn again, my head swivelling to keep what is happening in my view to protect my family. Is this what the man meant? Was this their plan? But who are the good guys here? Guards are crying out for mercy, trying to escape the never-ending horde of freaks, some who aren’t using weapons now but their powers.

  One burns alive.

  One is ripped to pieces.

  It’s a massacre.

  “Rhea!” The shout catches my attention, and I spot the hooded man at the gate to the slave tunnel, holding out a sword covered in blood. “Here!”

  A guard stumbles towards him, his arms binding his stomach as blood and guts spill between his fingers. He falls to the floor before the man who, without hesitation, slices his neck with his sword.

  Is this really what the world has come to?

  Death and bloodshed brought us to this world, the bombs killing everyone and everything. It feels like we are reverting to old ways, is...is killing the only way to solve anything? I don’t know, but sometimes you have to trust that the universe has a plan.

  Something grabs my free hand and I turn, swing my sword, just stopping it centimetres from Xavier’s face. “Come on!” He has to yell to be heard over the sounds of the fight. He yanks me after him, carving his way towards the tunnel. I look behind me to see my family close by.

  Once we reach the tunnel entrance, I stare into the darkness of the hood the mysterious man wears. “Remember your promise. Outside the gate, you will find the freedom you requested. Go, now. It won’t be long before reinforcements for the Masters arrive.”

  I nod, unable to do much else as I am yanked down the tunnel by Xavier, leaving the sounds of fighting above as we race on quick feet down the passageway. We burst out into the slave quarters. It is empty, silent almost. Dust rains down from above from the amount of people in the pit, while bangs and cries reach us as if from far away. The sound of running footsteps echoes around the room and I spin just as someone comes into view.

  “Jessie?” My words are soft, unbelieving. Has all the fighting finally made me go mad? Or have I died? Is this the afterlife and I’ve been reunited with him? When I heard my nickname on that rebel’s lips, I convinced myself I was hearing things I wanted to, that he couldn’t possibly be alive...but now, here he is. Standing before me.

  His signature grin spreads across his face at my surprise before he breaks out into a run, colliding with me.

  “Hey, Firecracker.” His voice is muffled by my hair as he nuzzles against me, my arms holding onto him tightly as if he will disappear if I let go. An awkward cough and shuffling feet remind me of the others, and I realise this is real.

  “H-How are you alive?” I stutter, my body shaking, whether from the adrenaline of fighting or seeing Jessie alive in front of me, I don’t know. The others gather around us, their questions echoing in the dusty air, all of them wanting to be close to the brother they thought they had lost.

  “The rebellion, they saved me—” He begins, but a loud bang fills the arena above us, causing the room to shake.

  Xavier steps forward and grabs my shoulder, steering me towards the exit. “We don’t have time for this.” I nod in agreement, but my eyes keep falling on Jessie as we run.
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br />   “The animals!” I gasp, my heart in my throat as I think about the other part of my family we nearly left behind.

  “No time!” Xavier shouts, but I tug free and turn to see Rex and Blain already gone.

  “Where are they?” I scream, starting to run back up the tunnel, but Nixon catches me around my waist and yanks me back. Hammering my fists against his chest, I struggle against him. “Let me go! We can’t leave them!”

  Just then, a growl sounds, making me freeze as Rex appears, followed by Blain rushing towards us. Fluffy bounds in front of them when he sees me, his face lighting up. Tiny is behind them with Sid weaving through their legs. Bubbles/Rumple is wrapped around Rex’s arm, holding on.

  “Go, you idiots!” Blain screams, and Nixon lets me go, pushing me ahead.

  I race to the other stairs, hearing the sound of boots heading down the tunnel entrance, undoubtedly looking for any survivors. Friend or foe, we don’t know.

  I leap up the steps two at a time as the gate comes into view, the exit lighting our route ahead as we climb. My breathing saws from my chest, my lungs tight and legs aching, but I still push on. I smash into the gate and yank desperately on the metal, fearing we will be too late. Nixon grabs me, moves me to the side, and kicks at it, slamming it open with the force. I run outside and collide with a boy waiting there.

  A familiar boy, and I realise it’s the one I fed when I first came here, when we first arrived. He shows me his tattoo, and now I know what it means. It was meant as a mark of slavery, of ownership, but the rebels turned it into a rally cry.

  “Come with me!”

  My eyes widen as he turns, ready to lead us away, but a grinning guard pops around the corner, shoving his sword through the little boy’s stomach before yanking it back. “Not so quick, rebel scum,” he spits, and swings at me.

  I scream and fling my out hand, my powers reacting to my fear and anger, causing a wave of power to push into the guard, making him fly backwards. Knives quickly imbed into his chest as Blain uses his powers. Knowing we are safe from the guard, I rush to the child’s side just as he starts to fall. I hold him, cradling him in my arms, his hands clutching at his bleeding stomach. His face is pale, but his eyes, his eyes haunt me. They are so accepting. There is no fear, nothing.