Drew and everyone else not locked up in the dungeons were kept busy for the rest of the day, putting out small skirmishes, making sure walls and buildings weren't about to collapse, gathering the army of dead that awaited burial. The sun rose high, shining down upon chaos and drying blood. It sunk down once more, the colors of the sky reflecting those of Praeverk.
It was late when Drew at last managed to break away. He gathered up a bucket of water, a rag, and a bar of soap before retreating to him own room. The dried blood was starting to itch something fierce, and he welcomed the eyes watering scent of the soap that cleansed his senses along with his body of the day's grime. He cast a longing gaze at his bed as he pulled out his spare set of clothes. Crows, he needed sleep. But not yet. I still have things to do. Once he had found Angus, then he could sleep. Not that he expected he would be able to.
Clean though he was, the battle still clung to him. A gladiator fight, that was something impersonal. It was in and out, no hard feelings, no real lasting effect; unless you died. Death there had been a way of life. But here, in the city... it was teeming with life to the point of repulsion.
But it was worse when the streets were cloaked in mourning. Standing on the castle wall, the city streets lay bare beneath Drew. Here and there patrols of soldiers still moved, but the hordes of people who usually bustled about had retreated to the relative safety of their homes. That, or they lay still on the street, waiting to be gathered up.
Drew turned away and started down the steps. It will return to normal soon. Merchants need to sell and people need to eat. And if things didn't change... well, that was a worry for tomorrow. Right now, I just need to find Angus.
The stables seemed empty when Drew first walked in. Only a few horses remained, who pranced about nervously at his scent. But walking along the aisle, he heard a muffled sob.
Angus was inside an empty stall at the end, sitting atop an upturned bucket. He held his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking slightly. Drew didn't say anything as he stepped inside, crouching next to Angus and putting an arm around him.
Really, there was nothing he could say. What could words even do in this situation?
They sat there in silence until Drew's muscles ached from crouching and Angus's tears had run out; for the moment. Darkness had fallen and the horses stilled.
"You need to sleep." Drew's words were soft, but they seemed to loud in this place of mourning. Angus nodded, wiping at his face with his sleeve. "Do you want to go back-"
"N-no. M-m-mu- M-mu-"
"Maisy?"
Angus nodded again, blinking hard. "She's in- in th-the h-hay l-l-l-loft w-w-with M-m-m- W-with y-y-your f-friend." He stood, drawing in shaky breaths and swaying a bit on his feet.
Drew followed him down the aisle to the foot of a ladder. Climbing up, he found himself in a small room filled with sweet smelling hay and sacks of oats and grain. Marty was asleep in a pile of hay, Maisy curled up on his chest.
"I don't know that you're ever going to get her away from Marty." Angus made a noise that supposed to be a laugh but died halfway out. He dropped into the hay next Marty, rolling to his side so he was face to face with Maisy. Drew joined them lying on his back and peering at the gray tints where there were cracks in the roof.
"T-tell m-m-me som-m-mething."
"What?"
"An-nth-thing. I d-d-don't w-want to- to th-think." Drew scrambled for a topic, any topic. Most of his fields of knowledge were related to killing, that wouldn't help at all. Was he supposed to talk about himself? "Who's K-koper?" How does he- "Y-y-you m-men-m-mentioned h-him th-the n-n-night y-you m-met m-m-m- m-met Calmar."
"Oh... I suppose I did...." Of all the things Angus could've asked about... anything would've been better. Anything. But it's my fault Angus wants- needs a distraction. At that moment, he would've told Angus anything he wanted. "Koper was my... my mentor; at the arena. He raised me." He made me a monster. "When my parents sold me, Koper was the one who made sure I wasn't eaten by anyone and didn't starve to death. He was an older gladiator, mostly retired. He just trained others. I shared a room with him when I was little, and then I was-" Abandoned. "Moved to sleep with the other stock my age."
"H-he's th-the one who- who t-t-t-taught y-you t-t-to f-fight?"
"Yes. Until I surpassed him in skill. He didn't ever say it out loud, but we both knew. Everyone knew."
"D-did h-he escape f-from th-the ar-r-rena t-t-too?" Oh, if only.
"No. He died years ago. I killed him."
The straw rustled as Angus rolled over. "W-what?"
"There- there was an... incident when I was fifteen. Someone else died." Someone I killed. "I wasn't able to shake it. My wolf... he lost it too. And Blaze told me about that, being a Dire Wolf."
"O-oh. Good." They were quiet for a moment. "Y-y-you c-couldn't shake it?" Drew closed hi s eyes briefly. No, of course he's not gonna let me get off topic.
"Koper was told that he either had to get me back on my feet, or kill me. So he- he did something drastic." He never saw the knife the coming. The cut burned like fire, and later he found out Koper had dipped the blade in wolfs bane. He'd been so confused. Koper had never really hurt him before; he'd always been the one who patched Drew up. Oh, how he hadn't to fight. He tried to so hard to get Koper to stop, to listen, to explain. He'd lets the blows keep on coming, curling into a ball when Koper started kicking at his stomach. He didn't want to fight Koper. He didn't want to hurt him. "Wolf snapped. When- when I was younger, he didn't really talk. I only got urges and emotions, sometimes pictures. He took control and went crazy. When I woke up-" In the Cave. When he woke up in the Cave, soaked in blood throwing up things that only monsters ate. "When I woke up, I was told I'd killed several gladiators and guards, and damaged a lot of the arena. Siderius, the man in charge of the arena, he... he wasn't happy." Two beatings in one day. That just wasn't fair. "He blamed Koper for the disaster as well, so he made us fight in the arena."
"And y-y-you w-were b-b-b-et-t-tter than h-him."
"And I was better." That's what really hadn't been fair; making an old man fight when he should've bene only watching.
"And y-you w-were able t-to shake this?"
"Yes."
"H-how?"
Because is was that or die. "Because it's what Koper would've wanted."
Angus shifted in the hay again. "Sorry; I shouldn't h-have asked about h-him."
"No, it's alright." It's only fair you know.
And people wonder why you hate the gods. Wolf had been quiet for most of the day, and it was comforting to hear from him again, even if his words weren't comforting in the least.
And I won't be surprised if Angus learns to as well. We've both been doubly orphaned; we have the right to hate.
Yes, but what good does it do? Drew turned over to look Angus, finding he'd already dropped off to sleep. He could it creeping over him as well, and let himself be taken. He didn't want to argue with Wolf now. He needed his hate, he needed to keep it close.