Chapter Sixty Seven: More Victims
Kiya and Vitane fled through corridor after corridor. They passed a room and Kiya saw movement. She pulled Vitane to a halt. “There’s someone in there!”
“It’s probably that monster,” quavered Vitane.
“No, don’t worry, I would be able to smell him.” Kiya looked into the room and saw the Aegean girl huddled beside the doorway. “Come with us,” she commanded.
“No, I am safer here,” said the girl.
“The Minotaur is bound to find you.”
“No, he isn’t. I’ll stay hidden until nightfall, then I can escape.”
“Your plan won’t work,” said Kiya.
“Yes it will - if you stop talking to me,” said the girl. “Go away!”
She looked so angry that Kiya knew she had no hope of saving her. “Good luck,” she said and returned to Vitane.
The two of them became lost. At one point they heard the crowd roar and knew that the Minotaur had struck again. The corridor they were running down looked familiar and Kiya wondered if they were retracing their steps. Her suspicions were proved right when they approached a room and a whiff of silage assailed Kiya’s nose. She held out her hand to stop Vitane and peered into the room. With dismay she saw the Minotaur bent over the Aegean girl. He didn’t notice Kiya as he was busy disembowelling the corpse, pulling out yards of intestine and discarding them in a pile. Kiya almost retched at the stench of blood and body fluids soaking into the sand. The monster rummaged up under the ribs and, with a grunt of satisfaction, pulled out the liver and raised it to his mouth.
Kiya turned away from the hideous butchery and with a renewed determination to escape the maze she fled back down the corridor.
“What happened? What was in that room?” panted Vitane as she ran after her.
“It is best that you do not know,” said Kiya.
They reached a junction and instead of choosing blindly, Kiya looked up at the surrounding crowd. Most were watching the demise of the Aegean girl, but a few were looking in her direction and one pointed vigorously. Could it be Duripi? He was too far away for her to recognise, but she obeyed the gestured instruction. The corridor she chose turned a corner and in front of her was an opening beyond which she saw the wide expanse of the arena. They were safe.
The crowd cheered as Kiya and Vitane emerged from the maze. Kiya raised a hand in acknowledgement and the cheers increased. After the darkness of the shadowy corridors the sun-baked sand of the arena was blinding and it took Kiya a few moments to adjust her eyes to the glare.
What she saw made her realised that they had exchanged one danger for another. A massive black bull stood at the far end of the arena. It glared at them and pawed the ground, angry at the presence of intruders.
“Quick,” said Vitane. “We must get to the centre.”
Kiya followed her friend towards the bull, although every instinct screamed for her to run in the opposite direction.
“Remember, run towards it and jump as high as you can,” said Vitane, showing an unexpected ability to take control. “We must separate so it has two targets to aim for.”
“Good luck, Vitane,” said Kiya as she took a position several feet away from her friend.
“We are going to need it,” said Vitane.
The bull bellowed and ran towards them with its head lowered. Vitane flapped her arms and the bull veered towards her. Kiya stood paralysed and watched the animal charge, its horns as sharp as daggers.
Vitane sprinted towards it and then, when it was almost upon her she jumped high into the air. The animal ran beneath her and she landed safely on the ground behind it. The crowd cheered.
The momentum of the bull carried it to the other side of the arena, where it turned baffled and enraged. It shook its head then lowered it once more. In the meantime Kiya realised that her long shift would prevent her jumping high enough. She swiftly undid the shoulder straps, stepped out of it and kicked it away. The crowd roared its appreciation as she stood naked in the arena.
The bull charged straight at Kiya. Copying Vitane’s example she ran towards it, the golden armlet bouncing against her breasts.
“Goodbye Dennu, I always loved you,” she thought, and then she jumped.
Kiya misjudged her distance and leapt into the air too soon. She descended not onto the sand, but onto the bull’s back. For a few seconds she crouched, her knees on either side of its spine. Desperately she tried to clutch the animals sweaty haunches but it bucked her off and she crashed to the ground.
She lay stunned, the excited roar of the crowd in her ears.
“Get up, Kiya,” screamed Vitane, but Kiya couldn’t move.
She heard the thud of the bull’s hooves as it ran towards her for the final goring. It stood over her, blocking out the sun. A dribbled of slimy saliva fell onto her face as she waited for the agony of its horns.
Nothing happened. She looked up and saw that the bull’s attention had been distracted by something at the edge of the arena. She turned her head and saw that the Hittite girl had emerged from the maze. Behind her came the Minotaur.
The bull snorted, enraged at the appearance of the monster. Without a second’s hesitation he turned from Kiya and charged. The Minotaur roared in frustration and ran back into the maze.
Soft hands helped Kiya to her feet. “Are you hurt?” asked Vitane.
“I’m just winded,” said Kiya.
“You jumped too soon.”
“I know. A bit more practice and I should get good at this.” Kiya tried to smile but was too shaken by her ordeal.
She was expecting the bull to renew its attack but it was reluctant to leave the opening through which the Minotaur had vanished. It bellowed and pawed the ground and stared into the corridor as if expecting the monster to emerge at any moment.
The Hittite girl was creeping around the edge of the arena. Kiya beckoned her to join them but she shook her head, reached another opening and disappeared back into the maze.
“Look out. Its charging!” shouted Vitane.
Kiya turned and saw an avalanche of bone and muscle bearing down upon her. At the last possible moment she ran towards the bull and leaped high into the air. The bull ran beneath her and she landed on the ground behind it. The crowd cheered and Kiya waved.
Vitane jumped next and the crowd cheered again. This is almost fun, thought Kiya, but she knew that they would tire more quickly than the bull. From the maze behind them came the sound of screaming. The Minotaur must have caught the Hittite girl, thought Kiya. It did not sound as if she had been killed quickly with his axe, like the others. The volume of screams intensified. They unsettled the bull who stood at the side of the arena, with its head high and its eyes rolling.
Kiya looked up at the silent crowd. Some of them had turned away or hidden their eyes. Others were leaning forwards and staring into the maze with ghoulish interest. The screams stopped and in the silence that followed, a large door in the flat wall of the arena opened.
What new challenge is this? thought Kiya as she watched guards run in. A group of men surrounded the bull. One roped its nose ring and the animal was led away from the arena. People in the crowd started to boo.
Kiya hurriedly found her shift and stepped into it as a guard approached her and Vitane. He bowed and said, “The Queen would like to speak with you.”