Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (71 page)

Now, fellow soul ... I need to tell you something about Empire. This town was considered to be the jailhouse for the whole of Southern Grayham. The headmaster of this arena lived in forced service to the King of Brandor, and acted as a sheriff of sorts.

The headmaster was not human, and he lived in humiliation. Farogwain was a serpent noble, a relative of the Serpent King, Seth. His noble blood was what spared him from being transported to Dragonia, but this immunity did not exonerate him from being punished for the crime he committed against an officer in Brandor’s army.

Thirteen seasons ago, Farogwain devoured this man’s son while traveling to the Temple of the Gods. Because the serpent’s murderous actions happened during a time of peace, Farogwain was forced to live in shame. He was ordered by the senate of Brandor to spend the rest of his life disposing of Grayham’s unwanted. The Serpent King, Seth, was left with no choice. He did not want to go to war with Brandor, therefore, he was forced to surrender his slithering cousin.

Farogwain was sadistic. As a result, Empire’s large, oval arena was the most barbaric setting throughout the worlds. The stage on which the fights were hosted was like no other. The faces chiseled into the stone walls surrounding the sandy surface of the arena looked tortured.

The faith of the people living in Empire made the town’s arena unique. Their faith was different from the rest of Southern Grayham. The people of Empire prayed to a god no other populace worshiped, and they cherished Jervaise’s eternal fire.

The town was one of the few places where the Goddess of Fire made a seasonal appearance. While in her ghostly form, she seduced the people into worshipping her. The town sculpted a statue to honor the goddess over 6,000 seasons ago, and this likeness was placed at the center of the arena.

The Goddess of Fire’s statue was surrounded by a circular pool of flame, 16 paces in diameter. Seven other, smaller pools, all square, and nearly seven paces across were also burning. They were scattered across the arena floor and positioned to serve as obstacles to keep the combatants separated after they entered the arena at opposite ends of this high temperature battleground.

As if this was not bad enough, whenever the fights came to Empire, there was one fight filled with convicted felons. These criminals were awaiting transport to Dragonia. They were positioned by each pool. Some were in pairs, while others were in groups of four, but each felon was harnessed and held a key to one of his fellow combatant’s shackles inside his stomach. Generally, the most ruthless of these criminals were placed around the circumference of Jervaise’s pool while the weaker criminals were chained to the outskirts of the smaller pools.

All of these convicted beings were used to heighten the hostility of the fighting environment during the Man vs. Beast battle. They were chained by a single wrist, leg, or tail, if necessary, and given weapons. Their metal leashes were heavy, and they all knew the key to their lock was in the belly of one of the other convicts who had been chained to them or to their group.

It was decreed: a criminal who slaughtered another, would be spared transport to Dragonia for 10 Peaks. Further, a criminal who extinguished the life of a primary combatant
—
a combatant who entered the arena by choice
—
their transport to Dragonia would be delayed for 30 Peaks. If a prisoner managed to kill both free combatants, man and beast, transport would be delayed for a full season. This prisoner would be given the option to remain on Grayham and be allowed to fight while trying to secure enough victories to earn their freedom.

Since banishment to the dragon world was considered a death sentence, the Man vs. Beast Battles in Empire were the most ruthless and fierce on Grayham. The criminals believed that this was their only chance to lengthen what was left of their life, and those who entered wanted to win at any cost.

Now, fellow soul ... the reason I have told you this
—
Sam is the free-man who was about to enter Empire’s arena. The lottery handed Sam the Man vs. Beast Battle.

“Sam, this is not good,” BJ said, after being informed of the lottery results. “I’ve always hated the way this town has governed the fights. Brandor claims the serpent’s punishment is degrading enough. They say Farogwain despises his service to the Senate, but I say otherwise. I say he enjoys the slaughter that happens in his arena. Sam, this fight you’ve landed is a fool’s fight. There’s no honor in this battle. I recommend you withdraw your entry.”

Sam stood from the wooden bench in his preparation room beneath the arena. He passed his hand across the rough stone walls as he moved to grab another sconce to light it before the other ran out of oil. “Okay, okay. Why would I withdraw? If I do, we’ll have to start over at the beginning of the circuit. I don’t want to kill more men than I need to, just to escape a single fight.”

BJ put his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You need to listen to me, son. This is the only battle I would recommend that any man walk away from. You are entering without a weapon. You are fighting a bear who equals your weight, amplified by five and—”

Sam rolled his eyes and interrupted. “It’s just a bear. I’ve learned a lot since we began our training. I can handle it.”

“No, son! It’s not just a bear. This is more than a single battle. In this arena, the Man vs. Beast confrontation is a series of battles within a much larger battle. You won’t be fighting only the bear. According to the lottery registry, you will be fighting another 28 souls. These beings are criminals who fight in desperation. There is a prize on your head. If they manage to get free of their bonds, they will come for you.”

“Okay, okay. Hold on a moment! Are you saying that I’m fighting 29 souls in total, and all of them want to kick my ass? What kind of messed up lottery is this?”

Before BJ could respond, Farogwain slithered into Sam’s preparation room. The headmaster’s body coiled up and filled much of the area, forcing BJ and Sam toward the wall, opposite the door. Farogwain’s cobra hood expanded, and the rattle on the end of his tail shook.

Once the reptile was sure he had their attention, his rattle silenced. “I sense fear in you, human. This is an awe-inspiring Peak to watch your blood stain the sand of my arena.”

From behind the serpent, just outside the door, the end of Shalee’s staff tapped the stone floor. She moved the index finger of her free hand back and forth as she stared Farogwain down. “Hmm, hmm, hmmm! Excuse me, Mr. Slither Pants! This is also a good Peak for little old me to be casting some hocus-pocus on your cold-blooded coils. While I’m at it, I’ll create some boots out of your skin.”

Shalee took a step toward the snake. “Don’t you be comin’ down here and makin’ threats. You just ran across your worst nightmare. I was a child when I learned how to cut the heads off snakes. You best take yourself out of here before I get angry.”

Farogwain’s coils tightened, his rattle shook wildly as his head lowered to a height level with Shalee’s. His hiss was barely above a whisper. “You’re brave for a female of your species. You speak like no other on Grayham. I wonder if you taste as good as you sound. Perhaps your bones will break in a melody within my coils.”

Before another word could be said, Shalee slammed her staff against the floor and shouted,
“
Precious,
feya en’ nuar, lome!”
Her body erupted in flames, and the look of her flesh turned spirit-white just like the goddess, Jervaise. The heat caused the serpent to pull back and press against the far wall, pinning Sam and BJ behind him.

From within her personal inferno, Shalee laughed. The power of her magic echoed the sound throughout not only the room, but the catacombs beneath the arena. Once she saw the serpent’s eyes were filled with fear, she stopped laughing and whispered in a hiss of her own that was free of her accent. “Do you always talk back to gods, Farogwain? Mind your place. I will spare your existence, but you’ll leave this room before I change my mind. Be gone with you.”

The fire surrounding Shalee’s body dissipated as she took a few steps back to give the serpent room to exit. As the serpent undulated past without saying a word, Shalee looked over her shoulder and winked at Helga who was standing down the hallway with her hand cupped over her mouth to silence her laughter.

As Shalee walked back into the room, Sam and BJ were still looking at each other, shocked. Shalee said, “Well, that was nifty, don’t you think? Me, a goddess? Who would’ve ever thunk it? What a fun deception.” She focused on BJ. “So what’s this about Sam fighting 29 souls? Were y’all planning on telling me?”

Again, Sam and BJ looked at each other. They turned and responded at the same moment, saying the same thing. “Of course, we were. We were about to look for you.”

Helga bounded into the room. “Oh, Child, Child, Child, that was exhilarating. I believe a high-five is necessary.”

The women sassily threw up their hands, clapped them together and bumped one another’s hips.

Shalee added, “You go, girl! I told you I was going to find the right series of moments to use those new elven words.”

BJ cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt your celebration, but we have a problem. Sam refuses to withdraw his ticket. He cannot win a battle of this magnitude. If it was only the bear and not another 28 souls, he might stand a chance.”

Shalee looked at Sam.

Before she could say anything, Sam held up his hands. “Don’t even suggest it. I’m not backing down, and I’m not going to fight with your magic protecting me. If I’m meant to die, I’m going to do it without dishonoring Brandon’s death.”

Kael took it upon himself to lift from Sam’s sheath. The weapon stopped in a hovering position in front of the fighter’s face. The blade pulsated as it spoke. “BJ is right, Sam. You need to withdraw your ticket. This is a fool’s fight.”

Shalee tapped her staff against the floor again. “Kael, you took the words right out of my mouth. There’s no glory in dying in a fight you cannot win. It’s stupidity.”

“Okay, okay. Hold up. First of all, Kael, I didn’t ask for your opinion. Second, there’s not much choice here. Even if I do quit and start the 22 fight requirement again, who says I won’t land the Beast vs. Man battle the next series of moments we return? What are we going to do, quit again and again until we draw the fight we want? I have no desire to keep killing.”

Yet again, Shalee tapped the butt end of her staff on the floor as she pondered. Eventually, she came up with a plan. “You know what? Why don’t you go on up and take your position when the bell sounds? I got everything under control. Don’t you worry about a thing.” Shalee and Helga left the room.

BJ looked at Sam. “I wonder what she’s up to?”

“I have a sneaking suspicion,” Sam replied. “But it’s Shalee we’re talking about. So who knows what goes through that woman’s mind?”

It was night when Sam entered through the gate on his side of the arena. All the pools scattered about the floor had been lit and illuminated the battlefield. To his surprise, the sandy surface was empty, and there were no visible opponents. Curious, he walked further out to get a better look at his surroundings.

When Sam spotted Shalee, she was sitting in Farogwain’s personal booth. The serpent was coiled against the far corner, away from the sorceress. It was evident the reptile wanted to avoid further confrontation.

Sam shook his head in amazement. As he looked below Farogwain’s booth, he saw two rows of criminals. The rows consisted of two giant cats, a Minotaur, one wolf, and the rest were human. They were all standing beneath the headmaster’s box, bound to the wall in chains. Sam thought to himself,
Damn, she really cleaned house. There’s nobody to fight. So, where’s the bear?

Helga entered the serpent’s booth. She had a dagger in her hand and handed it to Shalee.

Shalee spun the knife around in her palm and then tossed the blade down to the arena floor. The dagger stuck in the sand, not far from Sam’s foot.

Shalee shouted, “You go on ahead and fight your little fight! I got everything under control!” She pointed down at the criminals. “They won’t be bothering you!”