Chapter 19
Inside the barrack’s new room Alex felt tired from the day’s events, but too awake to fall asleep. The worry and anticipation kept him too riled to achieve a peaceful dream state. Shade didn’t have any problems, once he crawled into his bed. He grunted and groaned, laying down, and loved the softness of his bed. Because of his monstrous size he curled into a ball so he could fit his entire body onto the bed. He made it work, but only just. From the calm and silent breathing sounds of the other companions, they were also awake.
It was extremely dark inside the room because there was only a small window and it was a cloudy night. Normally Alex could see at night almost as well as he could during the day, but now he could only see three dark shapes in the room. It is a little disorienting for him not being able to see.
“Alex, are you still awake?” Lily asked in a whisper.
He sat up and looked down at her in the corner of the room. “Aye, I’m awake. Are you worried about tomorrow?”
“I know that I am.” Marlin added while remaining flat on his back, arms wrapped behind his head and ankles comfortably crossed.
“I think we should come up with a plan on how to win tomorrows match.” Lily started saying. “I’ve been contemplating about our strengths and weaknesses and I’ve come up with three scenarios that would work in our favor. We all know that whoever we are to face will be the elites of Freelan’s warriors and we don’t have a clue about all of their abilities that they possess or their tactics, but they don’t know about us either. That will be an advantage for us I believe.”
“Tell us what you’ve thought up.” Marlin asked quietly.
She began stating each of her three scenarios and they were very detailed. Marlin and Alex then added certain ideas to what seemed pertinent to her calculations and they would implement any one depending on tomorrow’s debut. It would be a match worth remembering.
Alex’s only concern was why were they invited to a match so suddenly? It didn’t make any logical sense. There was more to this, but what? Maybe there is a catch to the sparring session or maybe the general truly wished to see our capabilities. Sighing, it didn’t do any good worrying about what could turn out as being a harmless competition, but still, something didn’t sit well…
“Since this is all we can do for tonight I believe we should sleep, while we still can.” Neither of them disagreed with Alex’s assessment. He leaned back down on the bed and eventually drifted into a deep sleep, relieved to have some kind of plan they could implement in the next few hours.
In the morning Shade woke each of them with a push of his paw against their sides. It was a gentle push.
While everyone stretched he opened the door to the room. On the side of their wall were four large pails of clean water along with deodorizing soap and sponges. Several more pails were also resting beside the other occupied doors, where other people slept. Alex smiled because they could finally clean themselves up after their long travels. He turned around and saw everyone busy doing something in their packs. He grabbed two pails of water and brought them into the room. All three of his companions smiled, knowing a clean body was exactly what they needed to start their day off right. Marlin grabbed the other two while Lily brought in the soaps and sponges.
“Alright, all of you boys out. I need some personal space.” All of the males stepped outside the room and Lily shut the door. After all, she wanted to be first in just about everything. And they knew it wasn’t proper to keep a lady waiting.
While Lily was bathing Alex explained to Shade the scenarios that were created from her expert battle experiences and assessment. All three plans had Shade doing the same thing, but the humans had a different approach. Shade knew he would win regardless of what or who his opponent was.
A minute after the explanations were finished Lily walked out of the room. She looked stunning. Her pure white hair was damp and brushed like sea-foam on a breezy day at the beach. Her focused purple eyes and expression were making Alex’s heart leap with joy. She was a stunning woman in her own right. She wore her clean clothes that she has been saving for awhile. Her light red sleeveless tunic was fitted snug against her developed contours. Her womanly aspects sent his thoughts in every direction. She is all female, no matter how boyish she tried to appear or acted to be. Their eyes met and she said it was their turn to clean up. Her smile tightened his throat so that his only answer to her was in the form of a nod.
Splashing the cold water on his face woke Alex quickly and helped clear rampant thoughts. He used the bucket to wash himself thoroughly and then shaved with his knife that Kallel bought back in Greeton. He slid on a newer and cleaner outfit and eventually walked out of the room. Lily smiled genuinely once she saw him cleaned and refreshed. Marlin took his turn and since there wasn’t enough water in Shade’s bucket for a bath, he decided to drink his pail.
After everyone had finished looking their best they dumped the dirty bucket of water down the cylinder at the end of the hall. It reeked, but they poured the used water down the hole as quickly as possible.
Before they left the room they each grabbed their weapons. Lily slid each sword into her belt’s modified loops. Marlin slid his collapsed rod between the belt loops of his right hip. Alex grabbed the unmarked staff and held it securely in his right hand. Shade didn’t need any weapons because his are all part of him.
The Pack then walked downstairs and out of the building.
The sun had just begun to rise, filling the sky with red and gold streaks, and the air held a cool breeze. General Rakkian said he would meet at the barracks, but he hadn’t arrived to the courtyard yet. Lily, Shade and Alex waited on the bottom step for their escorts to arrive. Marlin walked over to the stables and met Clift again to greet each other. Clift and Marlin wrote back and forth, telling each other about their nights. It seemed Shade’s teaching lessons had paid off.
About a half hour later the sound of a small group alerted them to someone approaching their position. Alex shifted his gaze straight ahead to see four men. There was General Rakkian, Captain Maiot, Gyro and a new person walking toward them. They each wore a green and gold tunic, black pants and brown leather boots. The three men they met at the mess hall looked the same as last night, but the new person carried a lance close to twice his own height. The lance held a fine point and the head itself was barbed along the tip’s four blades. His item looked like an enormous arrow, but without the fletching at the base.
So these men will be our sparring partners, General? Alex asked silently.
Marlin saw them approaching too and walked back over to Shade and the others. The four each stood and walked to them. They walked in a line, but shoulder to shoulder.
They met their guides about halfway in the courtyard. Marlin looked at Gyro, Lily at Captain Maiot, Shade stared at the new person quizzically and Alex looked at General Rakkian.
“I see each of you are ready for today, ya?” General Rakkian started.
“We are, but I was wondering who will be your forth man.” He grinned down at Alex and it wasn’t difficult to catch on to his meaning. “Wait… You are going to participate?”
“Of course I am. I haven’t had a decent fight since your uncle beat me senseless twenty years ago. I also need to wash the rust off of my item or else I’ll become lazy should my skills be needed. My men don’t need to see an indolent general. They need to see that I’m still the best.” He then lifted his chin slightly. “Plus I wish to see firsthand how good your team fares against my elite men.”
“You will see for yourself soon enough.” Alex grinned, brilliantly exposing his perfectly white teeth.
The general introduced them to his expert cavalry commander. His name was Quinn. They each introduced themselves to Quinn and he was accepting his role as an opponent as he and Shade met. Shade eyed the lance playfully. Alex knew he was thinking about playing fetch.
Once all pleasantries were exchanged, they followed the general and his men through the city. There were several ear
ly morning people and they didn’t balk at their approach because some already began accepting Shade. Most put a fist to their heart once they realized that the military leader traveled in their presence. While they walked, General Rakkian asked Alex questions, mainly about his uncle. He explained how Gambit raised him after his mother passed. He listened to Alex mournfully as he explained how Gambit was killed. Rakkian gave his sincerest condolences. They continued turning down different roads, but Alex had already memorized most from yesterday. They passed the mess hall and continued heading towards the southwest of the city. Only glimpses of the main castle could be seen, the other buildings were obstructing a direct view of the grandest palace in the city.
“Here we are.” The general announced happily.
Before them stood the smallest of the five buildings, but upon closer inspection Alex realized it wasn’t exactly a building. It was an arena. It was eleven stories tall and oval shaped. Where it lacked in height it made up in width. It was the longest of the five structures. There were two entrances at either point of the oval stadium. Its walls were made of cut stone and there weren’t any deformities nor were there any holes or windows. The entire building was surrounded by a small courtyard, so it could be completely walked around. The sounds inside the structure were weakened, but battles were already waging inside. Clapping and cheering could also be heard.
They continued following the general and approached the entrance. Several people were exiting the arena, covered in dirt and sweat from their training and hard work. Even more people were walking inside, ready to watch or participate. Most had stopped to look at the eight as they made it to the open arched entrance. While they walked through a short tunnel, most people moved aside to give them a generous amount of room. The sounds of skirmishes became louder and louder. Then they made it inside the structure.
Inside the stadium were many stone rows that looked to be recently cleaned. The rows moved in a wedged, forty five degree angle and would seat the spectators. The flooring of the arena was made of soft brown sand that has been heavily trampled. Thousands upon thousands of prints dotted the loose soil. The arena had been divided into three sections. One held hay dummies for those who used or specialized in ranged items. The middle held those who fought with items and the one closest to them was for those who fought hand to hand, because their items weren’t a weapon. The instructors were easy to spot because they were showing how things were done and continually shouting to their many pupils. Smaller classes were also available for children and women. Every person inside the arena was working to their limits. People were panting, sweating and some dropped to their knees when they couldn’t go on.
Under the king’s rule, one may only do a job that is befitting of their item and can support the people. There wasn’t a choice you could truly make for yourself except to join the Royal Guard, but most of the time you were forced to enlist. Marlin was one of the lucky few who were saved from such subjugation. If your item was in the utility classification, you could only do things befitting of your item. It has always upset Alex when a person wanted to strive for something they wished to do, only to be forced into doing only what the king or his followers decided. All for the sake of sacrifice, one could not be nor do what they wanted.
While Alex looked around the arena in wonder, General Rakkian spoke. “Unlike under King Runkamon’s rule we allow our people to do as they like, regardless of their item. But everyone must be strong or else we will lose the war. It doesn’t matter if you have a utility item or a special one, you must know how to defend yourself at all costs. Every man, woman and child takes special lessons so if the time comes, they will have a chance at surviving.
“Each person in this city must take at least one hourly lesson every three months. Some come every day and some come every three months. We keep things relaxed yet durable, and that includes everyone under my protection. We do not force people to do anything against their will, but they also know that we could be attacked at any given time. For that reason we made the three month rule. Any time longer than that one will forget the basics of combat…”
Alex didn’t realize Maiot had left the general’s side until he casually walked back. “General, we must hold our exhibition off for another hour. That will give the instructors time to finish their lessons. Also I’ve heard that many are to come see our event. The instructors too wish to see us in action. Will you have problems with what they have said?”
“That will be fine. We will watch from over here until our time comes.” The general pointed to a row.
Each of them walked over to the first row, in the middle section of the arena so that they could see all of the action the building had to offer. The general sat to his right and Lily to his left. Shade had walked in front of Alex and lay at his feet. Alex then began watching the morning instructions.
Everyone was talking, but he wasn’t paying any attention. These events captured his interest.
Each field was individually unique and eventually he settled mostly on the central part of the arena. That section was for those who fought with weapons. There was this one middle aged woman who had a pole staff and she was practicing with it off by herself. The perfect shaft lengthened and contracted as she moved, giving the comparison to Marlin’s rod aided his understanding. The natural state of the staff item was uncertain because of how skilled she is at using it. He couldn’t help himself as he studied each of her many forms. He watched as her body moved and how she spun her item in an almost blinding speed. When she would strike, her pole would lengthen almost immediately and once the strike ended, in constricted. She then would spin her wrists to change the trajectory of her item’s movement. Each move she made catalogued in his mind. He could easily implement some of her moves with his knotted staff.
Then her last move sent a chill up Alex’s spine. There was a large panel of wood standing in the sand. She stood only two paces away from the squared object. She took a semi-relaxed stance with her item clutched in her right hand. The pole butted into the ground and the flat tip came up to her eyelevel. She then took a slow breath and lifted her pole. She turned it from vertical to horizontal. She took a half step back with her left foot and also brought back her right arm, keeping her right foot locked in place. It could easily be seen that it was going to be a thrust, but it was something else too.
In a single instant there was almost a perfect hole in the wood. Alex expected the panel to fall over from the impact, but it didn’t. The move was so quick that a nonlethal weapon had become truly deadly. He had to break down her individual movements to understand what exactly just happened in that instant.
It wasn’t truly a single movement, but multiple and happening almost all at once. Her back left ankle twisted in a counterclockwise motion and the movement continued to travel up her leg. Then her hip twisted slightly and it made her torso spin as well. During this spinning movement, her right arm was bringing her staff towards the intended target. During the explosive spin, she rotated her shoulder, forearm and wrist. The staff had gained an immediate burst of rotational speed plus the momentum from the thrust. The result was seen from her wooden opponent.
This was a technique that he’s never seen nor dreamed about. It was also one he could use for himself since they are both staff users.
Once the woman finished her routine and left, he realized Lily was watching him intently. Her arms were crossed under her breasts and her legs were crossed together. She looked guarded and a little perturbed at him studying the other woman and not her like she’s used to. There was a little ice to her flat tone. “Did you like what you were looking at?”
Alex smiled. “Aye, I’ve gained a few ideas.”
His words came out too quick before realization registered in his mind.
Lily’s eyes darkened dangerously. It was too late to apologize for the words. If he did it now, his shoulder would be bruised before the skirmish.
While Alex became part of the conversations again, hundreds of
more people entered the arena. Some had come for lessons, but most came to see the general in action. People seemed to think the group couldn’t hear them, but they could. Alex watched as more people entered and some pointed at Shade and sighed. The people were excited because they didn’t miss the upcoming match. Alex’s hope was that they didn’t come to see his utter defeat.
Once the hour was up, the general gained the instructors attention by a sharp whistle. “Your time is over! It is our turn now! Move off the field!”
Many people began cheering while everyone else scurried from the arena floor. The general issued orders to flatten the ground of the central section. While a large group of people with rakes smoothed out the sand, the large group followed the general over to five, very large crates. These crates were situated between the target practice area and the match grounds. The sand was soft and there wouldn’t be much traction to gain speed the usual way, but Alex grew up on an island of sand and knew a trick to gain speed without exerting the added force needed to traverse this environment.
The five crates were there for sparring sessions. The general explained how they made it safer for practical fighting sessions. The first crate held pink padded clothes and the next held wooden helmets. They were each given a cloth chest protector and a metal helmet that covered most of the head except for the eyes. The next crate held thick red cloth strips and every person received as much material as needed, but since Alex’s staff wasn’t lethal he didn’t need one, nor did Gyro. The forth crate held a washable red paint while the last held water to wash the wrapping cloths and weapons once finished. The water had been used and was already dyed a deep red.
Before Alex put on his chest protector and helmet he needed to work with Shade. Two long padded strips were in hand as he walked up to Shade. He knew what was coming so he opened his mouth, so his brother could easily access his sabers. One cloth was all that was needed per tooth and it completely wrapped his saber and tied it off at the top of the dangerous tooth. Alex then did the same for the other fang. Shade tested his mouth movement and didn’t like it, but he knew that it was needed to participate. He wanted to show off again and this was the price he’d gladly pay.
Testing the sharp backside of the sabers and seeing that the cloth held, Alex told the general that they were secure and wouldn’t cut through. They needed to be absolutely sure that Shade wouldn’t accidently harm anyone. As long as the cloth wasn’t ripped off, his sharp backsides wouldn’t rupture the cloth easily.
Alex slid on his padded armor and helmet. All of the others slid theirs on as well and everyone’s weapon was covered with cloth. Maiot covered each of the six individual claws, Lily encased her short swords. Marlin covered both his hook and bobber. Quinn’s lance was completely covered and the tip was heavily padded into a ball. General Rakkian covered his deadly battleaxe, his spiked gloves, knees and the tips of his feet.
They each had to coat their weapons into the paint and quickly did so. Alex dipped either end of the Xeal staff into the solution. Shade dipped in only his front paws. While everyone drenched their weapons, a boy brought a warhorse into the arena for Quinn. The steed was slightly larger than the ones they’ve seen thus far in the city, but Clift was still larger and Shade even more.
“May the best team win,” Alex said, extending his arm.
General Rakkian grasped his wrist and Alex his. “Don’t let me down.”
Alex’s pack soon walked away while hearing the cheering fans. They walked all the way towards the other end of the central arena. It took them almost two minutes to reach their end. By the time they made it, they were all prepared to begin. The general held his covered axe in his right hand. Maiot and Gyro’s items were out and Quinn was already mounted atop the horse, lance pointing high into the air.
Then General’s voice boomed and the crowd quieted. “This is a challenge I have issued to our newest recruits! They have accepted it honorably! The rules are simple! If you receive the red paint on your clothed torso or helmet, you are considered dead and must stop fighting! We keep fighting until the last person has been struck down! I need four observers to make sure everything’s fair!” They didn’t have to wait long until a person stood at each corner of the field.
Lily and Marlin were standing to either side of Alex while Shade stood beside Marlin.
Now was their time to put their trust in each other.
We each have our targets. Alex thought quickly. Marlin aimed for Gyro, Lily requested Maiot, Shade had Quinn and finally I had to somehow deal with the general himself. He was larger, stronger and more experienced in combat than me, but I can move quicker. The four of them went down into their battle stances as did the opposing team. The entire crowd quieted as they also began to feel the tension rise. Then they heard the horse snort when Quinn’s heels dug in his side.
Alex yelled “GO!!!”
As he said it Quinn kicked his horse into a quicker run.
The four of them began running together, but Shade burst into the lead running position. His paws powered through the sand and quickly closed the distance to the rider. It took only seconds for Shade to get into position. Once he did, he locked his legs and came to an abrupt halt. He waited while the lance was lowered into an attack position. He still waited while the horse charged. The end of the lance was pointed directly at Shade’s face. Suddenly Shade instantly dodged to his right. Putting more effort into his back legs caused him to rotate into a different position. Quinn tried, but couldn’t stop Lily’s plan for Shade.
Lily guessed last night that the general would use someone with an item suited for a person riding a horse effectively. There were only a few items capable of fighting on equal terms with a Shadow fang and a lancer stood in the top three items of her list. She then explained how Shade should react to dismount a rider from his steed. She wasn’t wrong in her assessment and they were already grateful for her advice.
After the dodge, Shade extended his head and opened his mouth. He then clamped it shut as he grabbed the shaft of the lance. He then jerked back violently. The rider had a firm grip on his item and when Shade jerked, Quinn was knocked off balance. With the lance still in his mouth, he used it to trip the horse’s front legs. It worked because as the horse slammed into the sand, cursing loudly, and Quinn was thrown clean off the steed. He lost the grip on his item just before landing himself.
Shade spat out the lance and placed a red paw on the man’s chest. Using the back of his paw, he made a red X over the man’s sternum. After showing that he won his challenge he sat right next to his fake kill.
Once the other team saw how easily Shade won, they changed their charging tactics. Captain Maiot broke ahead of the general and Lily charged in front of their line. Once they met, a major brawl ensued. They both kicked and used their items in a blurring fury. Alex has never before seen Lily move with such deadly speed and accuracy. She was death incarnate, slinging red paint like blood from the tips of her blades. Her pure moonlight hair billowed behind her as she struck, dodged, dashed and parried with a grin of happiness. Astonishingly the two were evenly matched though she held the height advantage over Maiot. Neither relented or inflicted a painted injury.
Marlin and Alex continued running and they passed them. Then Gyro ran in front of the general. General Rakkian stopped suddenly and had a malicious expression along with his dark calculating eyes, aimed in their direction.
Gyro continued running and Alex watched as his shield grew into an enormous sphere that completely enveloped the wielder. The sphere reflected objects like a mirror everywhere, but that was a passing thought. The two could see their distorted images reflecting off of the sphere. The sand didn’t seem to slow the item’s progress as it was flattened under a tremendous weight. The problem was that the sphere shield rolled directly in front of them. If they didn’t move out of the way or do something they would be compressed and lose.
Marlin spun his cane in an arc, swinging his bobber, at the end of a set amount of line. He scream
ed as he swung his item in a wide circle. It made a perfect arc. The bobber connected directly to the side of the rolling shield, making an audible twang that filled the arena. It seemed to make the sphere sound like an enclosed bell. When the bobber connected with the sphere it sprayed red paint just about everywhere. Marlin had increased the weight of the bobber to its maximum, seeing how his opponent could survive the weighted strike. With the successful and solid connection, the sphere veered off to the left sharply.
Marlin then continued following up Gyro’s sphere with blow after blow, repeatedly using the end of his pole along with the immensely heavy bobber.
With everyone now occupied Alex continued running down General Rakkian. He then realized something was terribly wrong when he saw him again.
His battleaxe wasn’t covered any longer. The two sided naked axe looked more menacing than ever before, seeming to pulsate with bloodlust, twin to its owner’s mental state. Rakkian’s expression had turned murderous for the first time since they’ve met and he wanted blood. But by the time Alex realized this, he was within the general’s territory. His eyes were focused intently on something, but not on Alex. Rakkian was glaring behind him.
Alluan’s top general swung his unguarded axe, once he realized Alex was in his way. Alex barely managed to duck under the swinging arc before it took his head clean off and landed unharmed in the sand. He still felt the blade’s wind on the nape of his very neck, glad to still be alive. If there was any leisurely delay in his body’s reaction, his severed head would be moisturizing the sand.
When he landed on the ground General Rakkian began heavily running for something. Alex followed Rakkian’s intended path with his eyes and saw he was heading straight for Lily. He wanted to kill her, but why?
Then it suddenly made sense, all the anxiety he felt before falling asleep came together. Last night Rakkian said for her to not worry about his men. They were told to allow her freedom if she remained on her best behavior. He didn’t say anything to her about himself, being among the ones who wanted her head. When Alex first saw him, there was a thought he had about his walk being dangerous. He also realized that Rakkian’s constantly calculating eyes were deciding on the best way to get a hold of Lily for himself. He had orchestrated this whole event during their meeting in the mess hall, just so he could get her out in the open. He wanted to kill Lily. My Lily!
Alex didn’t have time to yell nor do anything except try and catch up before Rakkian cut Lily out of his life forever. After all she’s been through, what could be worse than this. His heart was beating quickly, but not the way he needed it to be. Come on, I need the speed and strength. Where is it when I need it?! Alex yelled internally. But the feeling wasn’t coming when it was so sorely needed. He didn’t like knowing that the feeling that heightens his body’s latent abilities was so unreliable. It was infuriating not being in control of himself.
Alex managed to scramble to his feet in an attempt to catch Rakkian before he reached the intended target. Even without the speed and strength he had to stop the general before she was lost to him forever. Alex implemented his trick so that he could run well enough to close the distance with the general.
As he ran, he used his toes to make an added and smaller kick to his charge. When you run on the ground, you kick up the soil to increase your speed. His trick could only be used for those who remained barefooted in loose soil. Shoes cannot be of any use to run in this terrain. When you see a trail of human footprints in the ground you see the balls of the footprints, and if they are pushed deeper than on the heel they are most likely running. So when Alex kicked with his toes, his speed increases slightly. This sand was a hindrance, but he used his keen observations to turn it into an advantage.
General Rakkian’s heavy feet couldn’t and wouldn’t be capable of this.
The distance between them closed, but he still had a firm lead. Alex saw his wide back and knew that he was intent for the kill. He wouldn’t hold himself back. Lily’s back was to them as she continued to fight Maiot with ever increased ferocity. She was completely unaware of the fact that danger now came at her from both sides.
Rakkian raised his axe with both hands, high over his head. His blade would easily split through her helmet, skull and cleanly through her entire torso. Alex was reminded of the time when the executioner lifted his enormous axe, intent on taking her head. There wasn’t any way Alex would ever put her through that misery ever again. He wouldn’t allow her to be killed. This was going to be too close. Just as the blade began its swift descent down towards Lily’s head, he leapt.
With his leap being too slow, Alex unconsciously arched the spherical knot of the staff around to lengthen his body’s distance. Rakkian’s descending blade was barely an inch from Lily’s head when Alex’s staff solidly connected with the right side of his face. He used his entire body in the swing to knock the general off balance and away from his intended victim. It worked because his body began shifting towards the left. With the successful strike, his axe’s trajectory was shifted. The blade swept away from her head, but it still managed to cut the back of her exposed right arm. His blade made a straight and solid cut almost from her shoulder all the way down to elbow. It was too close, but she was only mildly wounded where she could have been killed.
Alex released the grip on his staff, while still in the air, and tackled the general to the ground. He landed directly on his face which made his helmet fall off and roll away. His axe had been dropped during Alex’s strike and their powerful collision. Once Alex found himself in an advantageous position he took total control.
Straddling his back, Alex grabbed both of the general’s struggling arms. He was trying to punch the ground for some reason, but he couldn’t allow Rakkian to accomplish what he was planning. Alex’s arms shot downward before the fists connected. With a firm grip on each of his wrists, Alex wrenched his arms behind his back, forcing them up high. Alex was furious as he brought them back into an even more painful position, gaining even more control himself. The position was so excruciating that Rakkian screamed out in real pain. Alex needed to know what he was doing so he didn’t knock the general into an unconscious state just yet.
His screams made the robust crowd silence almost immediately. He kept trying to struggle in vain as Alex held the better advantage. Face flaring red, Alex tightened his grip even more.
He yelled at the general “What do you think you’re doing!? Why did you just try to kill my Lily!?”
He yelled back “Because I wanted to…!”
“Wrong answer!”
Alex wrenched Rakkian’s left arm back even further and painfully dislocated it out of the socket. The sound of the satisfying pop echoed off the stadium walls and people cringed from the excruciating noise. He screamed even more loudly and his echo drowned out the dislocating sound. All the sounds of the spectators ceased in absolute shock. Even Lily and the others stopped fighting because they too became silent.
“One last time, Why would you want to kill her!?”
“THAT IS ENOUGH!” A highly feminine voice ordered.
Alex looked in the direction where the voice originated and saw a group of people by the entrance that he’d come in earlier. Each person wore a green tunic with gold trim just like the general’s.
Leading the group of people was a woman with an air or royal authority.
She was a beautiful woman around her early thirties. She wore a simple solid green dress that seemed to form on her slender body and around the edges of the dress held golden embroidery. She was also wearing high heels, but she was still far shorter than he. She carried a small case, similar to what Niranene had, in her left hand and on each wrist was a golden bracelet. The woman’s skin was darker than Alex’s, but lighter than the general’s. She had a beautiful and serene expression with long black hair, laying freely down her back. Crowned atop her head was a golden tiara.
The general lifted his bald and sandy head up to look at whoever the woman was. Then fear and s
hame cross his expression once he recognized the woman. His voice quivered and was hushed, but Alex still heard him.
“Queen Allahandra,”