Chapter 14:
Athena
The arena was made entirely from stone, like something ancient. Seats mounted one after the other like a staircase. The ground floor was covered in red sand, the sun breathing down on it and causing the scarce fauna to sizzle beneath it.
There were boxes assigned to those with privilege: a set of stone chairs raised on a dais for the king and his wife, as well as some for the royal family. Finally, there were two chairs raised from the rest of the crowd assigned to me, the prisoner, and Aurlauc, my keeper.
There were drums beating just outside, echoing against the walls with a thumping, deafening hum. The crowds piled in with shifters of every color, most smiling and ecstatic, ready for their spectating sport.
I took my spot on the uncomfortable stone and looked around the dusty, hot arena.
A stiff breeze ran through the building, and it was as though there was a communal sigh of relief that railed through the building.
I looked on as King Boradrith entered. He was fully shifted for the sake of appearance. He had a gold sheen of scales that were cast about his body. His cheeks were gaunt, and the space around his eyes had a dark layer of suspicion around them. His long, thin wings spread out in show as he made his way to his seat.
To my surprise, he didn’t walk in with his wife. Instead, in her seat was a tall brunette with curves from here to eternity. Her name was Diana. She walked up in a flowing, golden gown that hugged her thick hips and all I could think was how adorable she must have thought it was that both she and Boradrith were gold.
She had been a researcher with our crew when we crashed on Ceylara. Now she was here. With them. She slid a long hand over the enormous pregnant stomach she was nursing and raised her chin at the crowd with the ambiance of someone who was already expecting to usurp the queen.
I looked at her stomach, which the king rubbed proudly, causing the crowd to erupt with cheers. A wiry discomfort wormed its way through my core as I watched.
The truth was, she and I weren’t that different. Both born to traverse space, top of our classes, up there with the men, and in some cases even better. We both felt skeptical about coming to Dobromia and were now both carrying a shifter’s child.
I looked over at her and wondered what she must have been thinking of me. We had been friends once. Now she was a king’s mistress, and I was on trial.
The crowd had gone from a loud roar of speech to a sudden silence: a deathly silence.
Aurlauc pointed to the floor entrance, and I watched as Khrelan, the king’s chosen fighter, entered the stadium. I remembered his face well.
The navy shifter looked up at me and offered a sadistic, arrogant grin. He was spiteful.
Khrelan marched to the center of the arena and demanded cheers, which he was gladly given.
I frowned to Aurlauc and leaned into his ear. “Why him?”
“He’s one of our best fighters,” Aurlauc said quietly, his eyes roving about the arena, waiting for Vaikrand. “He’s who the king chose to fight. If Vaikrand defeats him… he will be worthy to approach the D’Karr with an offer.”
We watched as Vaikrand approached Khrelan. I knew he was ready to fight him: to crush him after what he’d done to me. Still, my pulse raced as the pair began their battle, taking to the air and forcing themselves into one another at great speeds to push the other one deep into the ground.
“Vaikrand knows Tredorphen,” Aurlauc said suddenly, interrupting the intensity of the match.
“He does?”
He nodded. “Tredorphen helped banish him. So, if he wants you to help bring Tredorphen back, I don’t assume it’s for the D’Karr’s benefit.”
I set my jaw and looked down below as Vaikrand lunged toward Khrelan and dug deep claws into his side, piecing the already sensitive skin where I had shot him with the laser.
My eyes flicked stubbornly to Aurlauc. “I see,” I said.
“He wants revenge,” the silver shifter said tersely, searching my eyes for a reaction.
I swallowed and looked down at the fighters, suddenly richly confident that my shifter would come out victorious.
Aurlauc looked at me with no amount of shock and frowned deeply. “You don’t care?”
“I love him, Aurlauc,” I set my jaw stubbornly. “I don’t care.”
“If he plans to kill him?” he questioned scornfully.
“Then he has reason to,” I snapped and felt embarrassed by the judgment Aurlauc was clearly throwing my way. “Whatever he wants to do, I trust him.”
“You trust him?” he snapped and seemed to be in disbelief, shaking his head.
I clenched my jaw and ignored him, focusing on the match instead. If possible, their king seemed even more enthralled with the fight than I was. My yellow shifter raced toward Khrelan with a fury, grabbing his wings and whipping him to the ground.
Khrelan flapped his wings and took to the clouds, soaring to the sky before Vaikrand sped up after him, grabbing his legs and swaying him out of his flying rhythm. Khrelan began to fall speedily to the ground, and Vaikrand kicked at him before fire emerged from his mouth in a large blast.
The navy shifter dodged the blow, and my love took the opportunity to grab his tail and throw him to the ground. Once dropped Vaikrand toppled the shifter and began punching him over and over in the face, drawing his claws into his shoulders and sides and scratching at him relentlessly.
Then, all was still.
Vaikrand stood, heaving breaths and staring down at the navy shifter. Khrelan looked up at him weakly, and then his body fell unconscious.
My shifter raised his arms to the crowd, and all fell silent. I turned my head and watched as the king stood up and stepped forward. He looked down at Vaikrand, and something was exchanged between them. Then, the king nodded and gave a single clap, causing the audience to erupt with a roar of cheers and screams of excitement.
The applause echoed through the arena, and I stared down at Vaikrand with a full heart. I wondered how he must be feeling, being welcomed back into the fold.
I wondered if he would become lost in the prestige, but my heart was immediately quelled when, amidst the slow-motion chaos, Vaikrand turned to me, bruised and bloody, and mouthed the words, “I love you.”
My eyes welled with tears, and I stood, stepping to the far end of the outcropping. Looking down I said, “I love you, too.”