Champion of the Titan Games

by Brandon Mull

Both heads of Scipio plunged forward, gripping Gurnan between them. The warrior vanished in a flash as the heads pulled apart.

  The crowd roared. Seth noticed the Giant Queen rise from her seat and depart. The armored giant returned to the arena floor, and the dragon submitted to a pair of restraining nooses at the ends of poles.

  “Feeling eager to join the Games?” Virgil asked.

  “The challenges get harder than this?” Seth asked.

  “Some are unbelievable,” Virgil said. “It is no coincidence that nobody has won a hundred rounds.”

  While the dragon was being escorted out, a group of acrobats tumbled onto the arena floor and began to perform. They set up a big seesaw and used it to launch one another high into the air.

  Seth thought back to his earliest memories at Stormguard Castle, entering the same chamber as the Wizenstone. How many challenges had he overcome to reach that moment? Was it the equivalent of a hundred gladiator battles?

  “I intend to explore all of my options before I commit to these fights,” Seth said.

  I would speak with the girl,” Madam Ladonna said, her voice coming from well above the overturned bucket that entrapped them.

  “We have two girls,” Warren called.

  “Not so,” Madam Ladonna replied. “You have a woman and a girl. I would speak with the girl.”

  “What do you want to know?” Kendra cried out.

  “You need not yell,” Madam Ladonna said. “Giants have excellent hearing. I am no exception.”

  “How can I help you?” Kendra asked without shouting.

  “Better volume,” Madam Ladonna approved. “The rest of you, move away from the girl. I would speak to her in private.”

  “We stay together,” Warren said.

  “Then you die together,” Madam Ladonna said. “You were caught trespassing in my home. Ordinarily I would grind you all into seasoning.”

  “But she’s just a child,” Tanu said.

  “Which is why I might give her a chance to live if the rest of you step away from her,” Madam Ladonna explained with exasperation. “Now move.”

  “Be brave,” Vanessa whispered, squeezing Kendra’s upper arm.

  Vanessa, Warren, and Tanu shuffled to the other side of the bucket.

  “We moved!” Warren called.

  The bucket lifted, and a huge hand lowered beside Kendra. She looked up into the wrinkled face gazing down at her, then stepped onto the calloused hand. Ladonna lifted Kendra and replaced the bucket over her friends.

  Madam Ladonna walked out of the kitchen, down a hall, and into a large study. Loaded bookshelves covered one wall, most of the leather-bound volumes much taller than Kendra. Mermen and dolphins swam in a long aquarium that spanned another wall. In the corner of the room loomed a Quiet Box that must have stood sixty feet tall.

  Madam Ladonna set Kendra on a table covered by a purple cloth embroidered with gold thread. Nearby, a crystal ball rested on a three-legged stand, a set of balance scales hung beside a row of weights, and several corked bottles clustered together. The giant picked up a scroll from the table and rolled it up, setting it aside.

  Kendra gazed up at Madam Ladonna. “Do you have to keep my friends under a bucket?”

  The giant scowled down at Kendra. “If little folk wish to be treated like big folk, why enter our homes like vermin?”

  “We’re allies of the giants,” Kendra said.

  “We’ll see about that,” Madam Ladonna said, grasping Kendra and setting her upon one side of the scale. The tray where Kendra stood dropped and the other one rose. Madam Ladonna eyed Kendra shrewdly, then began selecting cylindrical weights to place on the opposite tray. As she added or subtracted weight, Kendra’s side of the scale wobbled up and down, forcing her to hold out her hands and crouch to stay on her feet. After a moment, the two sides of the scale leveled out.

  “Why do you care how much I weigh?” Kendra asked.

  “I don’t,” Madam Ladonna said. “I care if you are going to tell me the truth. What is your name?”

  “Must I tell you?” Kendra asked.

  “Your best chance to live is to answer my questions honestly,” Madam Ladonna said. “It also gives your friends their best chance.”

  “I’m Kendra Sorenson.”

  “I know,” Madam Ladonna said. “Now lie to me. What is your name?”

  “Stan,” Kendra said.

  The scales jerked, lurching enough that Kendra fell to her knees and one of the little weights on the other side toppled over. Madam Ladonna reached out and righted the overturned weight, making the scales sway.

  “Very good,” Madam Ladonna said. “All appears to be in order. You were the caretaker of Wyrmroost?”

  “Yes,” Kendra said, rising to her feet.

  “Did you come to our sanctuary as a spy?” Madam Ladonna asked.

  “No,” Kendra said.

  “Why did you come?” Madam Ladonna asked.

  “I came for refuge and to help defend against the dragon war,” Kendra said, leaving Seth out of it.

  Madam stared at the scales and nodded. “Some in Dragonwatch do not appreciate the methods of the Giant Queen. Do you approve of how the dragons here are treated?”

  Kendra hesitated. “Not entirely. But I like that Titan Valley seems secure.”

  “Tell me why you came into my house,” Madam Ladonna instructed.

  “We didn’t mean any harm,” Kendra said, and the scales lurched enough to make her sit down hard. She hadn’t expected the scales to move because she hadn’t felt like she was lying. Kendra stared up in fear of how the giant would react. Madam Ladonna frowned as she righted two weights on the other side.

  “What harm did you intend?” Madam Ladonna asked, an angry edge to the question.

  “We wanted to take the Waystar,” Kendra admitted.

  Madam Ladonna gasped. “What did you intend to do with my precious jewel?”

  “I’m not sure,” Kendra said. The scales heaved again, making Kendra glad she had stayed seated. Once again, she had not expected movement.

  “Answer me,” Madam Ladonna insisted.

  “We were getting it for a giant,” Kendra said.

  “Which giant?” Madam Ladonna asked.

  Kendra paused. “A good giant. One of your leaders. We want to help defend Titan Valley.”

  Madam Ladonna considered the scales as if surprised they had not moved.

  “I need a name,” Madam Ladonna said.

  “I mustn’t betray him,” Kendra said.

  “You believe him to be a good giant,” Madam Ladonna said. “That does not guarantee he is actually good. If you and your friends want a chance to live, I need a name.”

  Kendra winced. “Dectus.”

  “Ah,” Madam Ladonna said, looking away. “Tampering, as always.” She looked back at Kendra. “Why does he want the Waystar?”

  “I don’t know,” Kendra said. The scales wobbled a little.

  “You’re not telling me everything,” Madam Ladonna said.

  “Getting the Waystar is the first part of a larger mission,” Kendra said. “I only know Dectus wants us to help him protect Titan Valley from the dragon war.”

  Madam Ladonna scrutinized the scales. They stayed level.

  “I see,” Madam Ladonna said. “At times I disagree with his methods, but Dectus is loyal to our queen and to the interests of the giants. Dectus sent you to take the Waystar from me?”

  “Yes,” Kendra said.

  “A test, no doubt,” Madam Ladonna said. “But a test you were not likely to pass. More likely he wanted this interview to happen. Kendra, do you have any motives to be here at Titan Valley besides helping the giants?”

  “I want to find my brother,” Kendra said. “He lost his memories.”

  “Do you mean any harm to Tita
n Valley or the giants who dwell here?” Madam Ladonna asked.

  “No.”

  “Did you deliberately help Wyrmroost fall?”

  “No way!”

  “Did you defend Wyrmroost as best you could?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you aware of any peril to Titan Valley?”

  “The Giant Queen is entertaining Ronodin, the dark unicorn. Destruction follows wherever he goes. Here he is called the giant killer. That might turn out to be more literal than anyone suspects.”

  Eyes on the perfectly balanced scales, Madam Ladonna nodded. “You intend to use the Waystar to help Dectus protect Titan Valley?”

  “Yes,” Kendra said. “We were just borrowing it. We didn’t intend to keep it.”

  “And your friends share your intentions?” Madam Ladonna asked.

  “I’m sure they do,” Kendra said.

  Madam Ladonna smiled. “Well, for now, your good intentions have saved your life.”

  Kendra felt relief. “I’m sorry we trespassed.”

  “It earned you a cold welcome. As a former caretaker, you should be trustworthy, but I had to be sure. Dangerous items are housed here.”

  Kendra glanced at the Quiet Box. “Who is inside?”

  “Best not to speak of her,” Madam Ladonna said. “Hope that she stays there.”

  “Somebody big?”

  “Not necessarily. But yes.”

  Kendra shivered, gazing at the towering box. At that size, it could be almost anyone—a giant, or a dragon, or an enormous demon.

  “What are you going to do with us?” Kendra asked.

  “What would you have me do?”

  Kendra attempted her best smile. “Maybe give us the Waystar? So we can protect the sanctuary?”

  “I will not let you take the Waystar,” Madam Ladonna said. “But since your intentions are honorable, and because I trust Dectus, under my supervision, I will let you use the Waystar for the purpose I believe he intended.”

  “What purpose is that?” Kendra asked.

  “He wants you to have the map to the Dragon Temple,” Madam Ladonna said. “I suspect Dectus wants you to recover the Harp of Ages in case it is needed in the dragon war.”

  The news astonished Kendra. “That sounds dangerous.”

  “You and your friends will almost surely perish,” Madam Ladonna said. “But no giant can undertake the quest because the entrance and passages are far too small. All by design, of course. The dragons were permitted to build their temples by treaty to protect the talismans that helped us overpower them. Should you somehow succeed, Dectus is correct that the Harp of Ages would grant extra protection from the dragons.”

  “The Waystar is a map?” Kendra asked.

  Madam Ladonna crossed to a shelf and plucked something between her thumb and forefinger. She came to Kendra and set it on the scale with her, a rich blue jewel the dimensions of a normal-sized grapefruit.

  “The Waystar is a gemstone that makes a map,” Madam Ladonna explained.

  “It’s the perfect color,” Kendra said.

  “Always,” Madam Ladonna agreed. “For me, it’s pale green.”

  “It makes a map?” Kendra asked.

  Madam Ladonna held out her palm. “Bring the Waystar. Come.”

  Kendra picked up the jewel and hopped onto Madam Ladonna’s hand. She was carried through the kitchen, out the back door, and into the garden. Kendra had seen the bucket containing her friends but didn’t call out to them.

  Madam Ladonna set Kendra down on a sundial that seemed at least three stories tall. The giant produced a parchment that seemed large to Kendra, nearly wider than her armspan.

  “You can do this easier than I can,” Madam Ladonna said. “Hold the Waystar so the sunlight passes through it onto the parchment.”

  Kendra held out the jewel and noticed bright lines making a web on the parchment. It looked more like spaghetti than a map.

  “Move the jewel closer and farther from the parchment until the image resolves,” Madam Ladonna directed.

  Kendra raised and lowered the jewel, watching the mess of bright lines writhe until at just the right distance from the page, everything came into sharp focus and she beheld a brilliant map of Titan Valley, labeled in a fairy language that she could read as plainly as English.

  “I see the map,” Kendra said.

  “Well done. Hold the jewel steady.”

  Kendra started trying to read the map until a bright flash made her close her eyes. When she looked again, the bright lines had all been burned into the parchment, rendering the jewel unnecessary.

  “That’s amazing,” Kendra said.

  “Do you see now why you no longer need to borrow the Waystar?” Madam Ladonna asked.

  “It’s a tool to make the map,” Kendra replied. “Like a stamp.”

  “Quite so,” Madam Ladonna said, holding out her hand.

  Kendra climbed on and was carried back into the house. This time when she saw the overturned bucket she called out, “It’s going to be all right!”

  “Are you okay?” Warren responded, his voice muted.

  “I’m fine,” Kendra called.

  Madam Ladonna returned to her study, set Kendra on the desk, and replaced the Waystar on her shelf. “I suppose you will need me to return you to Terastios,” the giant said.

  “If you take us to your front gate, Dectus will return for us,” Kendra said.

  “I am tempted to give him a piece of my mind for sending you here unannounced,” Madam Ladonna said. “But I have lost enough time with you already. I will collect your friends and leave you to the connivings of the politicians. Please do not return here uninvited.”

  “Thank you for your help,” Kendra said.

  Madam Ladonna laughed grandly. “Thank me after you survive.”

  Out on the arena floor, a uniformed man and woman were putting on an exhibition of trained bears and jungle cats. Under some circumstances it could have been quite entertaining, but after being saturated with mortal combat, Seth could hardly pay attention.

  “When does all of this end?” Seth asked.

  “The Games halt about an hour before sunset,” Virgil said. “Every night there are fireworks for those who care to stay. Technically, once admitted to the coliseum, nobody has to leave. If you are willing to sleep on the benches, you can stay inside until the Games start the next day.”

  “What about food?”

  “Food is for sale in the halls of the coliseum. And some people scrounge.”

  “Humbuggle built his own world here,” Seth said.

  “The world of the Titan Games inside the world of his town,” Virgil said. “And there is the secret world of the competitors beneath the arena floor.”

  “They live underground?” Seth asked.

  “Once they enlist in the Games, they live and train here,” Virgil said. “They never emerge. When they watch the combat, it is from their own private section.” Virgil regarded Seth thoughtfully. “Now I’m wondering something.”

  “What?” Seth asked.

  “You were admitted to the arena as a participant in the Games,” Virgil said. “You were granted access to the reserved seats. I wonder how far your access goes.”

  “What do you mean?” Seth asked.

  “Those of us who study the Games dream of accessing the competitors’ quarters. Who knows what secrets Humbuggle has hidden down there where only the gladiators, trainers, and a few members of the senior staff can venture?”

  “You think I have access?”

  “Only one way to find out,” Virgil said.

  “What would I look for down there?” Seth asked.

  “Humbuggle once said, ‘The dullest part of my Games happens on the arena floor,’” Virgil recited. “That is a direct quote.”

 
; “Then where do the most exciting parts happen?” Seth said.

  “Perhaps he was boasting or trying to misdirect,” Virgil said. “Or maybe the smarter action is behind the scenes at the arena and hidden around Humburgh. Could there be other ways to win? Secret contests? Like the game you played at Stormguard Castle.”

  “Just about anything sounds better than a hundred gladiator fights,” Seth said. “Let’s see if we can get behind the scenes.”

  “Hold on,” Virgil said. “Be forewarned, it may be easier to get in than to get out. The combatants are not allowed to leave.”

  “I didn’t sign up to be a gladiator,” Seth said. “And I’m not going to jump into the arena and join a fight. Would they have any claim on me?”

  “I don’t think so,” Virgil said.

  “We’ll ask the guards,” Seth said. “I’ll see if I can get you in, too.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Virgil asked.

  Seth leaned close and lowered his voice. “I came here to beat Humbuggle. That won’t happen if I don’t do some things others haven’t. It’s going to involve risk. Compared with fighting to the death in front of an audience, I’d rather explore the coliseum.”

  Virgil rose from his seat. “This way.”

  They climbed the stairs and exited past a guard into a hallway. Virgil turned right, passing some food stands.

  “Hungry?” Virgil asked.

  “I could eat,” Seth said. “Do you have money?”

  “Enough for some food.”

  Virgil bought them each a skewer of meat and vegetables. As they continued along their way, Seth bit off a juicy chunk of beef that was almost too hot to chew.

  They reached a black gate where a heavyset troll stood, resting a club on one shoulder. Above him, a sculpted insignia of a skull wearing a gladiator helm adorned the gate.

  “Ordinarily we couldn’t pass beyond this point,” Virgil murmured.

  Seth gave a nod, sliding a hot mushroom off the skewer with his teeth. After chewing and swallowing, he approached the troll. “Can we go through here?”

  “You, of course,” the troll said. “Him, absolutely not.”

  “Not even as my guest?” Seth asked.

  The troll gave a grunt. “What are you playing at?”