The Blood of a Warrior

Chapter Eight

Days passed. Then weeks. Izolda figured out our relationship on the second day, Nathan on the third. The Ringmaster stopped by every week to check on Spartacus, who had nearly doubled in size within the first month. Ariana adjusted quickly, looking past the death and pain. She watched more of my fights, cheered with the crowd. The Ringmaster insisted on her sitting with him, to prevent the crowd members from getting rough with her.

She refused, insisting she could defend herself.

The final Friday of August came, and Ariana was as excited as I was.

The day passed quickly, and soon it was our time outside. I took my usual position against the fence, and Ariana sat next to me.

Quite a few people asked her for her fighter's name. At first she told them she wasn't a fighter, but then began calling herself The Dragoness. Most believed her.

One of the men on the other side of the fence, a Hispanic, noticed her. Grinning, he muttered something to his friend. They laughed and continued speaking rapidly in a language I didn't quite recognize. I watched them cautiously until they left.

The rest of the day crawled by. I couldn't get those two men out of my head. Something about the way they had looked at Ariana, like she was a piece of meat for the taking.

I soon found myself standing in the fighter's cell, Izolda on my left and Nathan on my right. The door slid open and a fighter, The Lion, I think, entered the cell with a large gash on his calf, blood pouring down his leg. He stumbled to where there were two helpers waiting to take him the the infirmary.

Voices were hushed as The Ringmaster called the next name.

"Tonight, for a special treat, seven names shall be called. The two groups shall fight, and neither will win until all members of the other group are dead."

The Ringmaster pulled three audience members at random. The first was to choose four names from his list. The Dog, The Crow, The Bull, and The Stag. The first team. None from the level below me.

The second only chose two.

The Leopard and The Raven.

Izolda grinned and grabbed Nathan's arm. "Come on, slowpoke." She turned to me. "Wish us luck!" She called as she exited the cell. I barely heard Nathan mutter "We'll need it" before he was hauled onto the Arena floor.

The third man read aloud the final name.

The Dragon.

The crowd murmured in anticipation as I walked out onto the Arena floor. Izolda's grin widened, and Nathan didn't look so unsure.

The other team walked out. I easily recognized The Bull.

He stood at least six and a half feet tall, a good 230 pounds of pure muscle. A single brown eyebrow crept across his forehead.

Not quite as big as me, but big enough to present a challenge. The rest of his team was fairly normal, but they kept their distance from the giant.

"I'll take The Bull, you keep the others off of me," I muttered to Izolda. She nodded and passed the message onto Nathan.

I tightened my grip on my sword, lifting my shield a bit higher. The Ringmaster lifted the white handkerchief with a flourish, and let it flutter to the ground.

With a roar, The Bull charged me. I stood my ground, lifting my shield to match his. With a bone-jarring clang that made my teeth hurt, we collided. I slid back a few inches, but with a powerful shove I regained my ground. He wasn't as strong as I was, but I hoped he had the intelligence of the animal he was named after.

This proved to be correct, as every time I managed to get him off of me he would just charge again. He never seemed to tire, so all I could do was distract him and keep him away from Nathan and Izolda.

Between charges I managed to find out that two of the other group were dead. The last one was barely holding up, and would be taken down in minutes.

I watched too long. Turning back, I found that the tip of The Bull's sword was not inches away from burying itself in my gut. I tried to jump back, but was too slow. It slid deep, emerging from my back, barely missing my spine. Through a haze of pain and adrenaline, I drove my sword through The Bull's head. He slumped, taking his sword and mine with him.

I heard Izolda curse, and Nathan called my name, but I didn't quite register it. Pain spiked through my hip and up my spine, to the base of my skull. It was all I felt.

I think I dropped my shield. Maybe, I don't fucking know. Someone was touching me. I tried to shove them away, but they held tight. I muttered something, most likely "Fuck off," but they didn't listen.

Why weren't they listening? I didn't want them to touch me, I wanted them to stop the pain. Wasn't that obvious?

I heard Ariana scream my name. That I registered. I started calling hers, trying to find her. Get off me, I need to find Ariana. Get off!

Suddenly I was on the ground, with Ariana cradling my head. I reached up to touch her only to find myself strapped to something.

A stretcher.

"Tired..." I muttered, "gonna close my eyes now..."

"No, Isaac, don't close your eyes. Stay awake." Ariana sounded panicked. Why was she panicked? Everything was fine. I was just tired.

Something wet hit my cheek. Ariana was... crying?

"Don't cry... Please don't cry..." I didn't want her to cry. She should be happy. Everything was fine. The pain had stopped.

But it hadn't. A deep, sharp throbbing in my stomach made itself known. Ow. That hurt.

I felt myself being lifted off the ground, into the air. Ariana disappeared from my view. Where did she go? Why did she leave? Why had she left me, all alone with this pain? In a panic I called to her. Somewhere, she called back.

And everything faded.