Chapter Three – Gylden
Gylden held his arms horizontally to the ground, forcing his breathing to stay calm and even. The drones that buzzed around him, catching his image from every angle, were glowing pale blue. He wasn't the main focus of today's broadcast. That was probably reserved for the women. But anybody who wanted updates on his situation could watch his personal streaming channel that was filmed and broadcast constantly.
Around him, the trainers, men who had long since gained their freedom, buckled his armor onto him. Each piece represented viewer's votes and donations towards him. He wasn't the most fortified of the gladiators, but he had enough to give him a leg up against most opponents.
Usually, he spent this time in meditation, erasing his fears and preparing to face the bloody battle that was about to ensue. Today, however, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about Bianca. Even though they had just been paired together the previous day, he couldn’t help but feel regretful that she was going to die today.
And die she would. He had tried to teach her the basics of self-defense. It was atrocious. She didn't even know how to hold a blade. In the arena, there was only enough space and time to protect himself; he couldn't save her as well. Chances were all the women put in the arena today were going to die. It was a shame. He would have liked to have gotten to know her better.
Perhaps I should have seduced her yesterday, he thought. Forgot about trying to train her when I knew there was no time to teach her enough to protect herself and just taken her to bed.
It wouldn't have been hard. What he had taken as terror clearly showed itself as desire in the thickness of her voice as she talked to him, the way her eyes kept roaming his body, the way she always ended up leaning towards him before pulling away. She wanted him. Perhaps she would have been a little nervous with the drones at first, but she would have given into her own desires soon enough, had he insisted.
But were they her desires, or was it all born of his constant state of musth? He didn't like the idea of a woman sleeping with him unless she really wanted to and wasn't being manipulated by outside forces.
And it wasn't just his musth that would have been manipulating her but also the network itself. She hadn't been branded a slave, but from her story, it was clear that she was one. His slave, the network's slave… It didn't matter. If Taskus Draw decided that the two of them sleeping together would increase viewership, he'd find a way to make it happen. The thought made Gylden want to punch the network host in the mouth.
A breastplate was fastened over his chest, signifying that he was ready. He nodded at the trainers in thanks and took up his sword. The gladiators' names were being announced, and he would be called out into the arena soon enough. He pressed the flat side of his sword to his forehead, taking the precious few moments left to try for some calming breaths.
Gylden's name was called. He strode from his preparation room. The blinding light from the artificial sun made him wince, but his eyes adjusted quickly enough. The tall walls circling the arena reflected his face on every one of their surfaces. On the other side of those holographic windows would be the people who paid extra to come witness the games in person. Their views would not be hampered by the screens in their own windows, which allowed a closer view on the nitty-gritty of what was about to happen in the arena.
Gylden usually took a moment to pose for the audience, but today, as soon as his eyes adjusted, he froze.
All throughout the arena were multicolored posts driven into the ground. A woman was suspended by her wrists on each of these posts. They were held by rope, many of them in tears. And all were wearing scraps of brightly-colored fabric, often nearly see through. They were also decked out with glittering jewelry. Above the arena hovered cages full of vicious beasts. Tree scorpions. Main Herolps. Jungle cats. It seemed that Taskus Draw had taken inspiration from the old stories of sacrificial virgins for today's fight.
Gylden stepped forward as another gladiator's name was called, but a shield of blue, crackling energy burst up from the ground. A shock went through his body, making him stumble back. So they weren't allowed in yet. His gaze scanned the arena, trying to find a glimpse of Bianca. He didn't see her, but she had to be out there.
Soon, all the gladiators were in the arena, standing in a circle around the energy field separating them from the women. They glanced at one another. A few must have seen their mates, because they pounded on the barrier, only to be thrown back as Gylden had been.
The T'shav's own nerves were quickly worn to a fraying point. What was this? Were they supposed to just watch as the women were slaughtered?
His grip on his sword tightened as Taskus Draw's elevator descended, hovering just below the creatures' cages. The faint shimmer in the air around him indicated he was shielded against the creatures. Probably in case some spat poison or got free.
"Welcome, gladiators!" Taskus Draw cried, grinning. "The annual Freedom Games have begun!"
We can tell. Get on with it!
"For this task, your new mates have been put in the arena. Each of these creatures you see above me has been fitted with a collar that will draw them to the pillar your mate is attached to. It will be up to you to find your mate before the creature assigned to her does! Once you find her, you will be permitted to rush her from the arena as soon as she is free. Be aware, though, because if another gladiator's mate is killed, he is allowed to steal yours! So keep sharp and don't turn your back!"
Gylden's heart jumped to his throat. This was even worse than Bianca having to fight for herself. She was helpless against the creature assigned to her post. If he was too slow, she might die. And if the others were too slow, he might have to kill them to keep her.
If they survived this, he was definitely going to seduce her.
"You may begin," Taskus Draw shouted, and the cages above them opened.
The energy field dropped, and Gylden rushed in. Some of the other gladiators stopped to fight the creatures that faced them, but not the T'shav. If they were being drawn to certain posts in the arena, they wouldn’t have any interest in the gladiators around them. And as he dodged the creatures as they ran around, snarling and howling, he was proved right. Not one of them gave him a second glance.
A scream sounded from his right. His head turned to the sound against his will; a woman was jerking at the end of her rope, frothing at the mouth, a tree scorpion's stinger driving deep into her chest.
Gylden turned from the doomed woman and continued his search for Bianca. He found her quickly after that. She had turned herself on the rope so she faced the pillar. Her legs were wrapped firmly around it as she inched her way upwards. There was some sort of spiky crown on her head, and she took it off and began to saw at the rope that held her in place.
And a jungle cat wearing a collar the same color as the post she was tied to was galloping towards her.
Gylden shouted, throwing himself before the creature. He swung his sword at it as it dodged the blow. A paw came up and swiped at his back, its claws skidding across his armor. He stumbled. The cat yowled, turning back towards Bianca. Rage flooded Gylden's system. He jumped forward again, swinging his sword at the cat's neck.
A reverberating jolt ran up his arms as his sword impacted the collar. The cat flinched and turned on him. The collar dropped off, split in half. Gylden stabbed at the animal. It batted his sword out of his hand and shook its head. A pitiful meow rose from its throat as it began moving in circles. Gylden jumped to where his sword was and rushed back. He skewered the animal. It hissed and spat, but seemed utterly confused as to where he was.
On the cat's other side, Bianca dropped to the sand. She rolled a few times before she came to a stop right beside the cat as it collapsed. A deep, rattling breath rolled from its throat and it went still. Her eyes widened, but she still pushed herself to her feet and reached for the collar.
The T'shav climbed over the dead cat and seized her by the waist.
"The collars," she said. "The collars show them where to go. If they break, they don't know what to do."
"That's nice," Gylden grunted. He threw her over his shoulder.
"What are you doing? We have to help the others," Bianca cried.
Gylden ignored her as he ran towards the arena exit.
"Break the collars!" Bianca squirmed to his shoulders. "Break the collars and they'll stop trying to kill you! Break the collars!"
Gylden glanced up as he ran. Taskus Draw was watching them, his eyes narrowed. The T'shav's heart plummeted even as he rushed his paired mate into the safe zone. A glance back showed him that the other gladiators were doing as Bianca had said. Instead of trying to kill the creatures outright, they were breaking the collars. And as the collars dropped off, the creatures became complacent, rigid, no longer trying to kill the women. With one action, Bianca had changed the game.
The T'shav's arms tightened around Bianca.
May her soul's star protect her, he thought. She had just ruined Taskus Draw's show. What was he going to do to her in revenge? Can I protect her? Do I dare try?