“Yeah, I’m the last,” Darius said.
“Follow the tunnel toward the East Bank and you’ll find the arena. And remember the rules, kids. No names, no phones, no cameras. Don’t ask about powers, and for God’s sake, don’t tell. ’Specially you two.” He gestured at Allie and Aidan.
“Got it,” Aidan said.
They headed down the gloomy tracks through the darkness.
“I don’t think I care for rock climbing,” Graham announced. “I prefer the indoor recreational walls without all the wind.”
“Me too, little dude,” Aidan said.
“Allie, Aidan, walk with me.” Darius gestured them to fall back with him. “I know this goes without saying, but you two don’t need to play all your cards tonight.”
“We know. Best not to talk about it.”
“What?” Allie asked.
“I trust you’ll fill her in?” Darius asked. “And be cautious.”
“Got it.”
What’s he talking about? Allie frowned.
Watch your facial expressions when we talk like this. The guards are really weirded out by us—all of us. But as you might imagine, you and I completely freaked out a couple of them.
Did you expect them to knit us sweaters?
No. He tried not to laugh. But we need to do as much as we can to appear less threatening.
How?
Well, for starters, no one here needs to know we can do this.
That’s a given.
Stick to your basics tonight, Lex. Keep it simple. You fight well, but neither of us should win this thing.
And you?
Help me stay out of the zone? If I look like I’m getting too into it, can you pull me back?
I’ll pay close attention. But what if they pair us together?
Then I’ll let you win. He winked.
Maybe I’ll let you win—
“Are you kidding me?” A familiar voice echoed down the long tunnel behind them.
“Really? Who invited her?” Allie groaned.
“Lovely to see you too, little one.” Naomi gave her a perfect sneer.
“Don’t you ever call me that again,” Allie said.
“You have clearly lost your mind,” Naomi said, turning to Darius. “Bringing the young ones with you.”
“Shut it, slim,” another familiar voice said. “They aren’t much younger than us. And I think we were even younger when you brought us here the first time.”
Allie turned to see Aidan’s cousins Erin and Dean with Naomi.
“Let’s go, guys,” Sasha said.
“Just a second.” Aidan motioned Allie and the others to come in closer. “Let’s remember why we’re here. Be careful, but if something happens and we get separated, get to me or Red.”
“Right. We all know they’re our best chance of sticking together,” Darius added. “And everyone please keep an eye on our little newbie.”
“I’ll be fine!” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Let’s just do this, guys.”
Allie and Darius moved ahead of the group. As they stepped away from the series of open arches where they’d climbed through, they entered the enclosed subway tunnel, black as night with the dim glow of torchlight far in the distance. Four lanes of track stretched out before them: two sets on either side of a wide center aisle, with a narrow aisle on the outer sides of the tracks.
Allie was in awe of the classic twenties American architecture. The Roman arches flanking each aisle held that idealistic Roman look that was indicative of the Art Deco and revival architecture of the period. The brick path was rough and cracked and some of the pillars crumbled with neglect. She could hear others ahead of them on the left aisle of the tracks and others behind them on the right. They seemed to be the only ones arriving along the center path.
The rough concrete walls gave way to white tiled walls, cracked and dull with age. The torchlight glowed brighter and she could see the paint peeling from the once-white arches. Orange graffiti-covered pillars sent a pang of regret through her. The artist in her saw this place as a work of art and she hated to see it left to crumble in the dust.
The path widened ahead and the sound of a crowd reached them.
“Nearly there now,” Darius mumbled.
The rough brick path became smoothly packed dirt. Torchlight glowed from the brackets where gaslights once burned. The sound of contemporary music filled the silence. Between the music and the graffiti, there was an air of danger—a taboo element to the atmosphere. It was perfect.
Dozens of people milled about the open arena. Some looked uncertain. Others looked like they’d been there before. A cool breeze blew in from the open arches nearby. Allie gazed out at the city that was completely unaware of what was about to take place right under their noses.
Wooden benches stood around the perimeter of the makeshift arena. The ceiling was higher there and the span between the arches was wider. In some ways it was seedy and sparse, but one glance across the river and the city skyline became the backdrop of the arena. The noises of the highway right above them filled her ears and reminded her that the mortal world was but a stone’s throw away.
It was all very well planned. A perfect place for an illegal Immortal gathering of her peers. Everyone here looked to be in high school or college at most. Several groups had formed, and some of the more adventurous were busy socializing, waiting for the fights to start.
“It’s actually a pretty clever location,” Darius said. “We’re secluded enough not to be seen, but close enough to be dancing on the edge of discovery. That’s one of the many reasons some people would like to see Amrita shut down.”
People continued to arrive, but Allie and her friends stayed together. They would venture out at some point, but for now they had an unspoken agreement to stay put until the events began.
“I didn’t expect to see so many people here,” Allie whispered, staring at the crowd building up around them as more and more people arrived.
“Hey, you guys going to skulk in the shadows all night or are you here to play?” Erin’s voice rose above the din of the music and conversation as she and Dean crossed the pit. Erin was so much like her father, Aide, it was uncanny, while Dean was more like their mother, Hélène.
“No skulking here.” Aidan grinned as he and Dean did that stupid jock-boy handshake-back-slap thing.
“Everyone gather round!” The booming call sent the crowd into silence. “Welcome to Amrita! I’m Bob, your commentator for the events.” He was clearly of Persian decent and probably the oldest one in the room by a few thousand years. If “Bob” was his name, it was short for something much more complicated to pronounce.
“Here we go.” Erin beamed eagerly, cheering with the crowd. “Ooh, how ‘bout a rematch, Red?” She poked Allie playfully.
“You’re so on,” Allie giggled. “But don’t expect to win this time.”
“I bet I’d get my ass handed to me.” She grinned like she couldn’t wait.
“All right, everyone take a seat till you’re tagged for round one. My man Joe here has been busy making the lists.” Joe was the guard from the gates. “Some of you met him on the way in, but sit tight and he’ll be quick about it while I tell you the rules.”
Allie watched as Joe walked the perimeter of the arena, tagging everyone with his special marks he would use to reveal each match.
“My rules are law,” Bob continued. “You break them, you’re out! Everyone will have a chance to fight because we don’t tolerate spectators. If you’re here, you fight. We will pit you against a fair opponent. He or she might be more or less powerful, but we’ve chosen each pair to ensure a good, fair fight.”
“We’ll go three rounds. Hand-to-hand, weapons or gifts, I don’t care. Anything goes. The best of each round will compete in the final melee. The last one standing then will be our winner. And then we party.”
The crowd roared their approval, all eager to make it to the melee. Allie had no intention of moving on that far.
“‘Scuse me, princess.” Joe tapped her shoulder as he made his way through the crowd, pairing up the matches.
“No names, no phones or cameras,” Bob continued. “Once you leave here, no gossiping about talent or lack of—you think I won’t find you, but I will. No hospitals and absolutely no stealing. You break my rules, you will regret it. I reserve the right to kick you out of my club at any given moment if I feel you are even thinking about breaking my rules. If you’re caught stealing power that does not belong to you, I’ll hand you over to the Senate. If you’re an ass about it, I’ll hand you over to the Coalition. Do not test me on that. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.”
Allie was pretty sure no one was stupid enough to test this guy on his rules.
“Round one starts now. Do we have our first match, Joe?”
“We do.” With a nod, Joe revealed the first match up. The handprint on Dean’s shoulder glowed in the torchlight.
“First up.” Erin grinned. “Do us proud!” She shoved him forward.
Allie watched nervously as he stepped confidently into the pit, shrugging out of his shirt and stretching like he did this every day.
It’s called training, Lex. We all do this every day.
Oh, right.
He’ll be fine. Look.
Allie watched as Dean’s opponent met him at the line drawn in the dirt. She was strong and powerful. A good match for Dean, but Allie was certain he would do well.
“At the sound of the bell, fight’s on, kids,” Bob shouted. “Get us off to a good start!”
~~~
CHAPTER
TWENTY
Allie watched nervously as Dean took his place in the dirt arena. His opponent was a tall, slim girl with henna tattoos along both arms. She looked like he could break her in half, but Allie could sense her power. The girl would give him a fair fight, and from the look on her face, she meant to win it.
“Don’t look so nervous, princess. It’s all in good fun.”
Allie turned at the unfamiliar voice to find a handsome, stocky young guy at her elbow.
“Can I help you?” He was at eye level, something she didn’t experience often, especially with boys. She could see it instantly in his smile. He made up for his short stature with a cocky attitude. And he was fairly powerful too.
“Come on, princess, relax.”
“Lost cause,” Aidan said in a friendly tone.
“Why’s everyone calling me princess?” Allie gave New Guy her best glare, but there was something about him she liked. His cocky act was a lot like Aidan’s, but her judgy gift told her he was a decent guy—with a little more than his fair share of arrogance.
“It’s the hair,” he said. “You can call me … Jim.” He gave her a wink that said, “That’s so not my real name.”
“All right, Jim, you can call me Red.”
“Sure thing, princess.”
“I have more nick names than a thesaurus,” she muttered under her breath.
“Defense!” Aidan clapped and cheered Dean on. “Watch your back!”
Allie watched as Dean and his opponent circled each other, each making a lunge here and there. They were moving so fast, they were almost a blur.
“I can’t keep up.” Chloe sighed beside her. “They’re too fast.”
“Pay attention to the individual movements as a whole,” Allie said. “Don’t watch the way you always have before. Use the power of your new sight to slow it down and look at the big picture. You’ll start to see it all more clearly when you concentrate. Eventually, it’ll click and it will get easier. It’s just a new way of using your eyes and the information they give you. It takes a while.”
“Look at you, being all teachy,” Chloe said in a teasing tone.
“Who knew, right?” Allie elbowed her friend as they turned back to the fight.
Dean grappled with the girl, who gave just as good as she got. In a flash, she had him flat on his back in the dirt with her knee to his throat. But with a grin that was so reminiscent of Quinn’s, Dean was back on his feet with his chest to her back and her head in a chokehold.
Quinn. That’s why we’re here. She glanced at Aidan.
Right. Let’s just ease in and talk to some people and see what we see. But don’t forget to watch the fights. That’s why everyone is here, so it will be suspicious if you don’t pay attention. Aidan drifted away from her just far enough to chat with some other spectators, leaving her alone with Jim. The rest of her friends were within sight, but everyone was busy doing what they came here to do.
“You might not want to drift too far away from your friends tonight, princess,” Jim said. “This place can be misleading.”
“Uh … thanks.” She resigned herself to the new nickname for the evening, hoping no one would actually make the connection to her true identity.
“Big stretch over there your boyfriend?” He gestured at Aidan.
“Nope.” She turned toward Jim with a smile. It was time to do some digging, and it wouldn’t hurt to start with the one who approached her first.
“Nice to meet you.” Allie smiled, reaching to shake his hand. Touch would give her a better sense of his character, but she had to be careful not to make it too obvious.
As he took her hand she noticed a mark on his neck, half obscured by the collar of his shirt. It wasn’t a tattoo. It looked more like a brand—but what kind of brand didn’t heal on an Immortal?
Probably the same way Erin’s tattoos don’t heal and fade because it’s part of her gift. But a brand would be strange. Get a closer look.
Working on it.
“Your friend seems to be flirting rather than fighting.” Jim gestured at Dean in the ring with the beautiful but ferocious young woman. They were clearly having a good time.
“D doesn’t get to hang with many Immortal girls who aren’t his sisters.”
“Story of every straight guy’s life around here.”
Allie took a step closer, trying to get a peek at the mark on his neck. She was certain she’d seen something like it before.
The crowd roared as the fight in the ring escalated and Allie finally had a chance to see the brand clearly. It was a snake in the shape of a circle. The snake held its tail in its mouth—the ouroboros from her dream.
She caught herself before she said anything. She was dying to ask him what it meant, but this was not the right time and definitely not the right place.
Allie forced her attention back on the match and cheered for Dean. What started as a flirtatious sparring match had turned into an all-out battle. She almost missed the winning strike. The girl took a running leap for Dean; her intent was a fly kick to his face, but he intercepted. With a whirling roundhouse kick of his own, he knocked her to the ground where she landed with a loud thud.
The sound of a whistle ended the fight and Dean was declared the winner. He graciously helped his opponent up and the two left the ring together, smiling and laughing like they were having the time of their lives. Allie wondered what it would be like to attend Amrita just for fun, without the worry of getting caught somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be, or worrying about how powerful she was compared to everyone else.
“Let’s hit the buffet, killer.” Darius slipped up behind her, nodding to Jim.
“Ohh, there’s food? Yes, let’s. You coming, Jim?” Allie invited him. She wanted Darius to see the brand.
The three made their way around the arena and through the crowd, nodding at Sasha to follow them. Allie wasn’t going anywhere without several friendly faces nearby.
As they passed through a huge set of arches into another section of the subway tunnel, the atmosphere changed. People milled about with drinks in hand and plates of appetizers like it was some kind of garden party. But Allie was on edge. She was missing something. The familiar green aura danced in her peripheral vision—her gift’s way of telling her to pay attention; that she was on the right track. There was much more going on here than any of them realized. She just c
ouldn’t put her finger on it yet. The fights, all the young Immortals … none of that was the point of Amrita. It was the draw, but it was also a smokescreen for what was really going on. She just had to find out what that was.
“You ever come to Amrita before?” Allie asked Jim as they waited in line for the buffet. The sounds of the fights echoed behind them in a bizarre mixture of the barbaric and civilized activities. She wondered if this was what it was like back in the gladiatorial age—at least for the wealthy Roman spectators. Watch some fights, drink some wine, eat some food. She’d have to ask Gregg about it since he had a first-hand account of the Roman arenas—from the crappier side of that situation.
“Yeah, a few times. It’s a fun distraction.”
She didn’t quite buy his story. She got the sense that he had a lot of experience with Amrita.
Sasha trailed behind them, piling her plate high with appetizers, listening and watching everyone around her.
As Jim leaned over the buffet to reach for a slice of roast from the carving station, Allie gestured for Sasha and Darius to look at the brand. When Sasha saw it her eyes widened.
“Hey, we’re going to go get a drink. See you in a bit,” she called over her shoulder gesturing for Allie to follow.
As Allie stepped away to join her friends at the bar, a hand wrapped around her wrist like a band of iron.
“Hey.” She glared back at Jim.
“Sorry. I have a message for you.” He chanced a look around, and Allie realized he was afraid.
She narrowed her eyes at him, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She didn’t like this.
“He doesn’t blame you.”
“Who?” Her voice came out in a whisper. But she knew he meant Quinn.
“He wants you all to forget about him and stop trying to find him. But I’m adding my own message. He doesn’t belong where he is. It’s not too late for him, but he won’t leave without trying to save everyone.”
“Who? Who’s everyone?”
“Not important right now.”
“How can we help?” Allie asked.
“You see that room up there?” He nodded toward a section back in the recesses of the tunnel. Beyond the arches where the fights were taking place, there was a raised section for spectators. It had a VIP feel to it. Tucked safely beyond the tracks and behind the aged, golden Art Deco railing, a small crowd of well-dressed men and women stood watching the fights. She saw money changing hands and the whole scene started to come into perspective. Illegal gambling.
Immortals of Indriell- The Collection Page 69