The Arena (15 page)

Tamara followed up by saying, “When our father heard about Adam’s need for people, we came right away. Our family has a long tradition of enchanting Demon Blades. They’re something that less and less people have needed, but Adam assures us that we will be busy going forward.”

I had never met someone that specialized in enchanting before; most of the kids at the academy were purely in it for combat. They tended to specialize in elemental magic and a mixed bag of other talents. There was so much more I needed to learn about this world before I felt comfortable. I was caught in the middle of an epic struggle. I reached inside of my shirt and placed a hand around my necklace. I knew my father had been here and believed in the Ascendancy. I was pretty sure this was where I was going to stay if I had the chance.

I heard Tim tell Marcus about their schedule while I let my thoughts wander. What was I going to do? I wanted to stay with my friends, but I also didn’t want to leave. Was this even going to be a big deal or would this just blow over? If politics in this world were anything like the human world—well, then nothing would get done and everything would stay the same.

Marcus looked over at me. He must have caught me staring off into space again, and looked slightly concerned. “Jackson, this is a big, big deal. The Council has basically forced people to make a choice. Will you stand with them, or do you believe in Adam and in Demons? Most people would prefer to believe that Demons don’t exist. If Adam is right, we could find ourselves in a war against the Demons and our own people. The outcome of this could be cataclysmic.”

“So where does that leave us?”

“I’m not sure, bro. Obviously, Tim and Tamara are staying. I’m sure my family would want me here, and April already said as much earlier.”

April piped in. “Of course I’m staying.” She said it with a fierceness, almost daring anyone to question her loyalty.

Marcus looked at me. “That just leaves you, bro.”

“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” I said with a shrug.

A look of confusion broke out on his face. “What do you mean?”

I told them about what had happened to me before I had come here: the death of my adoptive parents, being captured, breaking out, and finally ending up here. By the end of the story, I was almost in tears, but felt better after getting it off of my chest.

Marcus put a hand my shoulder. “Damn, man.”

April did one better. She got up from her seat, came around the table, and gave me a huge hug. The tears came then, but I wasn’t ashamed anymore. I hadn’t been able to protect my adoptive parents, but I could help protect others.

April finished hugging me and looked me in the eyes. “Jackson, you will never be alone again. I am here for you.”

“Me too, bro,” Marcus said with a grin.

That meant the world to me. Before I could tell them what I was thinking, the intercom in the cafeteria went off.

“To all students: classes will be canceled today. We know that all of you have a lot of questions. There will be a meeting in the auditorium tonight at seven to address your concerns. Attendance for the meeting is mandatory. Until the conclusion of the meeting, the campus is on full lockdown. We request that you return to your dorm rooms. If you need anything, please dial zero from the phone in your room to reach administration. We appreciate your patience, and look forward to seeing you tonight.”

All around us, students and teachers were getting up from their chairs and heading out the door. There was an eerie solemnness to everything. No one was talking, just walking quietly back to their rooms.

Marcus hit me on the shoulder when we got to the dorms. “Let’s all meet down here at six forty-five. We can walk over to the meeting together. And don’t worry, bro, everything is going to be fine.”

April pulled me into another hug before she headed down the hall with Marcus. Tim and Tamara walked down the hall in the opposite direction after giving me a slight wave. I hopped in the elevator and headed back to my room. I hoped I could get some rest today; I had a feeling tomorrow was going to be a long one.

* * *

I
met
my friends outside of the dorms. I nodded to the group, and everyone gave me a wave or a nod in return. It seemed no one was in the mood to talk. April gave me a pat on the back, and we started walking toward the auditorium together. The tension that surrounded us was palpable; it hummed through the air. We all knew something big was going to happen tonight, something that would affect us all.

The blue-lit pathways I had found so calming before filled me with a chill now. I wondered just what could be hiding in the dark spots outside of the lighted pathways. I told myself I was being silly. Nothing would happen to us on campus. The simple nature of light and dark reminded me of how important the Ascendancy was. They stood against the darkness, no matter the cost.

We entered the auditorium and found five seats together. I spotted Britta in the crowd, and when she caught my eye, I waved to her. She waved back, and my heart started to pound just a little bit faster. If she was going to have that effect on me every time I saw her, I was going to need some kind of medication. The entire auditorium was full, which surprised me. I had never seen so many people on campus before. With the new arrivals, the support staff, students, and members of the Ascendancy, the entire auditorium was packed. You could feel the electric atmosphere, but everyone remained silent. When seven hit the clock, the director stepped out from a side door and walked to the podium on the stage.

As the director took the final step behind the podium, the already silent room became deathly still. Without any preamble, the director spoke. “Many of you know me as the director of the academy. What you may not know is that I was also one of the original members of the Ascendancy. What we accomplish at the academy is more important than training the youth of tomorrow. We are selecting the best, so there is a tomorrow.”

The director scanned the crowd as some cheering broke out. “Our struggle between the Council’s desires and our sacred duty has finally reached the tipping point. If we were to stay under the Council’s rule, we could no longer do our duty as members of the Ascendancy. As of this morning, we have cut all ties with the Council and will be moving forward alone.”

Some of the students cheered and some looked nervous. I knew that I wanted to remain with the Ascendancy, but my ignorance of the wider world was starting to show. What if I made this choice only to find out it was wrong. What would happen to me then?

The director continued his speech. “The Council has not yet declared us enemies. They are gauging support amongst their followers for just such a declaration. Of this there can be no doubt. Today we will move forward, balanced on a knife’s edge, knowing that at any time, we may be forced to battle the Council as well as protect humanity. Eighteen years ago, we failed to make the right decision, and as a result, some of our greatest warriors died. Today we will not make the same mistake.”

All of the members of the Ascendancy broke out in loud cheering. The students mostly remained quiet. I got the feeling not too many of them knew exactly what had happened eighteen years ago. I started to wonder if it had something to do with my dad. That would have been right around the time I was born. There was so much I still didn’t know about him, or about myself. If I stayed, I knew I would find out more about him eventually.

The director motioned his hands to indicate he was ready to speak again. The cheering continued on, so he spoke over them. “The Council has proved their ignorance of the creatures in our world time and again. Just last week, a newly turned Lycan killed a few humans outside of Flagstaff. The local pack executed the wolf and made anonymous donations to the families of the deceased. In our opinion, justice had been served; in the Council’s opinion, every Lycan in that pack needed to be eradicated. They sent a kill squad in, and almost the entire pack was destroyed.”

The room grew silent around us. I could feel the rage building off the Ascended sitting above us. The director calmly continued. “This is the fundamental difference between the Council and the Ascendancy. We take action when, for whatever reason, the Pretenders do not police themselves. The Council treats their lives as if they mean nothing. We must work together with the Pretenders to ensure that we move into the future together. When someone breaks the law in human society, the humans do not punish their entire family. It is the responsibility of the individual to accept blame for their actions. This kind of wanton disregard for life cannot and will not continue! We face a very real threat; Demons have made it into our world. Without the help of the Pretenders, we cannot hope to defeat them if their numbers grow. The actions of the Council push us further away from that goal every day.”

The director stepped away from the podium, microphone in hand. “Today we ask of you so much more than we have the right to. Turning your back on the Council will have great repercussions for all of us. They will be relentless in their pursuit of us, to eliminate the threat we represent to their power. Today I ask you to stand with me, to stand with what is right. Today we forge our own destiny!”

Wild cheering broke out from the Ascended sitting above us. I noticed all of my friends were clapping. It was hard not to get caught up in the moment.
Today we forge our destiny.
Talk about an inspiring line. I let myself join in with the thundering applause. I had no idea what would come of this, but I was with my friends, doing what felt right.

The director moved back to the podium, taking a few moments to compose himself before speaking again. “The Ascendancy has spent the last few years securing resources for this very moment. Since this morning, you may have seen a few new faces around campus. As we step away from the Council’s edicts, we are honoring old bonds and renewing past relationships. Tonight we find ourselves completely self-sufficient. We need no funding, no resources, and will have zero involvement with the Council from this point forward.”

The director looked at all of the students. “Tonight you have a choice to make. You may leave the academy and the Ascendancy, or you can join us. All communications have been restored so students can contact their parents and make an informed decision. Tomorrow morning, those of you who choose to continue on with the Ascendancy will be moved to a new location. Those of you who choose to go in a different direction, we thank you for your time here and wish you the best of luck. Tomorrow morning at seven, we will start the process of moving. Take tonight to pack and to make your decision.”

With his speech finished, the director walked away from the podium. I was sure that my night would be a lot less hectic than his. Securing transportation for a couple thousand people could not be easy on such short notice. We started to file out of the auditorium together, walking slowly back through the gentle blue lights of the outside paths. The buzz around us grew as we listened to the people exiting the auditorium. Some of them were excited; some of them were worried. I hoped in the morning all of my friends would be going with me.

After saying my goodbyes to everyone, I headed upstairs and started to pack my bag. Sadness slowed down my movements as I packed away a semester’s worth of memories. I was surprised how attached I had become to this room, having only been here a few months. It had started to feel like home, and now it was slipping away again. The second home I was forced to flee from. I promised myself that, as long as I had my friends, anywhere we went would feel like home. Deep down, I wondered if that was true.

I
scrambled
down the stairs with my backpack and huge duffle over my shoulder. No one said that moving was easy, even when you traveled as light as I did. Who knew when we would get the chance to order stuff from the real world again? I brought everything that I could cram into my bag. It was more than I needed; well, actually, it was everything I had. I didn’t want to leave a single thing behind.

Exiting the stairs, I could see Marcus and April waiting outside. I started to move in their direction when I bumped into Britta again. Seriously, I swear this time she just moved in front of me on purpose. The only good news was that this time I didn’t send her flying to the floor. The bad news was when I reached out to catch her, I might have bumped into something that I shouldn’t have touched.

She favored me with an awkward smile. “Jackson, we are going to have to stop meeting like this. If it was anyone else, I’d say they were trying to cop a feel.”

“Sorry, Britta, I don’t know what happened.” Wait, did she say cop a feel? Oh man, this was getting worse by the second. Last thing I wanted was for her to think I was a creeper. I couldn’t say anything to make that less awkward, so I tried to divert her back on topic. “Are you ok?” Hey, I never said that I was the smoothest guy around.

“It’s going to take a lot more than a little bump to hurt me,” she said, smiling up at me. “So, are you going or staying?”

“I’m staying; something about the Ascendancy just feels right to me. I want to do more with my life. It seems like a great way to help people, even if they never know about what we do.”

“Awesome. I’m staying, too. Don’t wait too long to take me up on my invitation to come over. At some point, I’m going to start to think you don’t actually like me.”

Britta walked off to join her friends and left me thinking about her departing line. As soon as we got wherever we were going, I was going to have to take her up on that offer. There was no way I could miss out on the chance to spend extra time with her. She was a ten and had a great personality. Next thing you know, I was going to find out she loved reading fantasy and playing video games. I felt a small flush creep up to a familiar place on my cheeks. Yep, I was blushing. I couldn’t help it, and the view I had while she walked away was pretty spectacular.

By the time I got outside and over to Marcus and April, the twins had already joined them. All of them looked slightly confused; no one really knew what the next step was going to be. I was thinking about a ton of buses, but I had no idea if they could get enough for all of us so quickly. A quick look around let me know they might not need as many seats as I thought. It looked as if we had lost about forty percent of the student population overnight.

What did that mean for the Ascendancy? Would they have the support they needed to continue now? I started to wonder if more people would leave now that they could see the numbers shifting. How could you leave an organization dedicated to protecting people? It was tough for me to fathom. The rest of this year was shaping up to be just as crazy as the first part.

I reached the group and gave April a little hug and shook hands with Marcus. I gave the twins a wave and dropped my duffle to the ground. “It looks like you guys have been out here for a while. Any new news?”

Marcus waved his hand, indicating the area around us. “As you can see, not all of the students here have decided to stay. Most of the ones leaving snuck out during the night. I’ve been down here since about five and have only seen one or two people actually leaving.”

April motioned toward the twins. “The good news is, with all of the new people joining us, it has more than balanced out. We should be leaving here with more people than we started with.”

It was good to know we had that many new people joining us. On the other hand, it was sad to know that we had lost a good portion of our potential fighting forces. I wondered if one day I would be forced to fight against people I used to attend class with. “So, any idea what is going to happen next?”

Marcus smiled. “You are going to have to see it to believe it.”

“They are going to be creating a portal,” April said.

I was a little stunned. “Like, a magic portal, walk in one side and out somewhere totally different?”

This time it was April’s turn to smile. “Yep, just like that.”

I could feel the grin spreading across my face. I didn’t know that we could travel like that. It was just too freaking awesome to be true. Portals to anywhere—wow. The more I learned about what was possible in this world, the more I fell in love with it. Marcus was right; I couldn’t wait to see the portal. Every time I thought that I was getting a handle on what was possible, I learned something new. This life was never going to have a dull moment.

The staff started walking around, putting us together in groups of five or ten. Once everyone was ready, we started heading toward the center of campus. I had started building all kinds of crazy images in my head about what the portal would look like. I wondered if it would be a tear in the sky, or maybe a giant liquid circle you walked through. In the end, it was much simpler; it was a door.

A giant firehouse door awaited us at the center of campus. It was open, and people were slowly being allowed to enter. I assumed they had someone on the other side telling people where to go. The small groups being sent through would make sense then. It would give the people on the other side time to get them pointed in the right direction. Slowly we moved with the line until it was our turn.

We walked into the doorway on our side of the portal. I felt a slight pop in my ears, kind of the same feeling you got on an airplane when it took off, before the pressure adjusted. Then the feeling was over and we were somewhere else.

I had walked from an outside courtyard and was now standing in an underground tunnel of some sort. I could see a group of teachers waiting for us ahead. Just beyond them was a bright splotch of sunlight. Something about being in a huge outdoor space and then finding yourself in a tunnel was a little bit disconcerting. Shoving my claustrophobic feelings aside, I followed April toward the group of teachers.

It turned out the teachers were just there getting their room assignments, the same as us. As the crowd cleared, I could see Betty. She had helped me on my first day at the academy. She looked the exact same today, although she might have been slightly frazzled.

It was my turn in line and Betty looked at me. “Name and previous keycard, please.”

“Jackson Fairfield.” I reached into my pocket and gave her my old card.

Betty flashed me a quick smile. It made her look just like the matronly grandma I had met on my first day. “Here you are, one new keycard, and you will find your room across the arena floor all the way up the stairs to your left. Also, I have a small welcoming packet for you.”

“Thanks, Betty,” I said, giving her a smile. I hoped she wouldn’t be stuck down there all day.

I hurried out of the line. She was busy, and there was already another group of students coming through the portal behind us. There had to be at least a few hundred more people who needed to come through. I felt kind of bad for her. Taking a few more steps brought me out of the hallway and onto the sand floor of the arena. Imagine you were thrust into the arena from
Gladiator
, except slightly bigger and way, way cooler. That is where I found myself now, at the bottom of a gladiatorial arena. It felt like I had taken a step back in time.

The only thing that tied it to ancient Rome for me was the sand floor. Granted, this sand was red, probably made from the crushed rock excavated from the mountain. The other thing that gave it an authentic feel was the seating built into the walls. The seats had been carved directly out of the mountain, and continued up as far as I could see. The wall to the arena was also carved out of the mountainside. At one point, there had been some kind of scroll work carved into the pillars and the wall, but years of rain and brutal sun had washed most of them away.

Apparently, finding a large mountain of Arizona red rock and turning it into an arena was something magic could also do. What the people of this world could accomplish sometimes simply amazed me. They turned the side of a mountain into a coliseum. I just couldn’t make this stuff up.

I felt a sense of history around this place. There was a time that I could see men competing for a chance at greatness, for a chance to be free. I wondered how many battles had been fought here, how much of what the Gifted could do with magic was shaped in these halls. I could see the battles clearly in my mind: for love, revenge, money, and power. The battles fought here using magic must have been epic.

I followed April and Marcus up the stairs, not talking but trying to take in all of the arena around me. When we reached the top of the stairs, I turned around to survey the arena floor. From up here, you could see the other half of the arena. There was a drop off and then a gap of about forty feet before a wall rose out of the ground. The wall was about fifteen feet high, just enough to make sure that you couldn’t see over it. I started to wonder if they ever filled the area between the arena floor and the wall with water.

Marcus nudged me to get my attention. “How cool is this?”

I had to admit it was super cool. “This place is amazing.”

April chimed in. “We are going to have to get down there and practice. Moving in the sand is different than on firm ground; it also takes more effort. We are going to want to work on your footwork.”

April was always the first one to be able to break down something for combat. It was a great skill to have, especially if you were going to be fighting for your life on different types of terrain. “All right, April. Let’s get settled into our rooms and grab some food, and then I’ll let you pound the crap out of me in the sand.”

She smiled. “Pound the crap out of you, huh? I was just thinking of the heavy training sticks, but if you want to go for a real fight, I’m in.”

I held up my hands in submission. “Heavy training it is.”

April turned and walked off in search of her room.

Marcus looked over at me. “I’ll see what I can scrounge up for food and meet you guys down there. Also you might not want to say things like pound the crap out of me.”

“You always go straight to the gutter. See if you can redeem yourself by getting us something really good for lunch.” I hit him in the shoulder and turned down the hallway, looking for my room.

The passageway was carved into the mountain, as if someone had somehow tunneled through it. Lights hung from the ceiling. I wondered if we had electricity or if they were powered by something else. When I finally stopped gawking at the lights, I looked down the hallway to see a bouncing black ponytail that I knew very well. I had spent hours looking at the back of that head while I was on the elliptical.

I moved a little bit quicker, hoping to catch her but not wanting to look as if I was running. “Hey, is your room over here, too?”

She stopped walking and gave me a big smile. “I think so; what number do you have?”

“Looks like B17. How about you?”

“Huh, I must be in the wrong spot. I’m in C24.”

“Ah, man, I was hoping we would be neighbors. I guess that is still close enough.”

“Well, now that you know what room I’m in, you don’t have an excuse not to come over.”

I watched as she walked off down a hallway to my right. I started to wonder if she had walked down my hallway on purpose, just to remind me to come over.
Yeah, right, get over yourself, Jackson. No one even knows where anyone is staying right now, so how would she even know where to look for you?
With thoughts of Britta drifting through my head, I wandered off in search of my room.

The keycard beeped, and I entered my new room. While it lacked the sophisticated polish of my room back on campus, it made up for it in rugged charm. The walls had been carved out of the interior of the mountain. The floors were solid rock that had been leveled and polished. Thick rugs stood out against the stunning reddish floor, providing an interesting contrast. The furniture was all chrome and dark leather. The main difference was that the layout resembled more of a studio apartment. A half-wall separated the living room and the kitchen from the bedroom. The only door inside of my new living quarters was the door to the bathroom. The solid stone bathroom was accented by the light blue glass that framed the shower. After standing in the center of my new digs for a few minutes, I had to say I was thoroughly impressed.

I didn’t have too much time before I was expected back outside to meet with April and Marcus. I changed into my workout clothes, picked up my heavy training sticks and sparring helmet, and headed back out to the arena. Trotting down the stairs, I could already see Marcus chatting with April near the sandy floor.

I tried to grab a sandwich off the plate Marcus had brought down, but April slapped my hand away. “What the hell, April?”

“You are going to have to earn that sandwich first. Come on, put on your gear and let’s get started.”

Damn, and I was hungry, too. There was nothing else to do about it. She wouldn’t let me off the hook until we got this workout done. I hoped that when we were done, I wouldn’t be too tired to eat. Who was I kidding? I was never too tired to eat.

After gearing up, April and I worked through some stretches. She took the time to walk me back through a couple of the forms, using the heavy training sticks, and then tossed me some lighter escrima sticks for sparring.

I already had a good sweat worked up, and thought we were almost done with our impromptu workout.

April gave me a wicked grin. “Ready to see how the sand treats you at full speed?”

“Not really,” I grumbled.

“What was that?”

“I said, I’m ready.”

We spent the next thirty minutes trading blows at full speed. I was nowhere near as good as April, but that day, I gave her just as many hits as I received. By the time we quit and went to sit with Marcus, both of us were covered in a dark red mud from our sweat mixing with the sand. I cracked a bottle of water and washed off my hands before grabbing a sandwich.