The Black Forest Read online

  My heart races and rage courses through my veins. I fight it down, though. Shouting back at him or reacting in the least will not serve Ara and Pike. It won’t serve me either. So I turn my face to stone. “I will kill her and prove myself to you, to all the Urthmen who chant my name. I will prove that I am worthy.”

  Prince Cadogan studies me, trying to read me. But my face gives nothing away. “Very well then,” he says reluctantly. “You’ll prove yourself on opening day of fights this weekend.” His words are clipped. His face is pursed as he turns on his heels and marches away. To the guards, he barks, “Put him with the others!” then waddles out of sight.

  Once he’s gone, I’m led down the hallway. My head spins. Panic diffuses in lacy webs throughout my chest and down the length of my limbs. Reyna. I’ll have to face Reyna. And I just promised Prince Cadogan I’ll kill her. That’ll never come to pass. I thought I’d have time to plan an escape. I didn’t imagine he’d demand I take a life—Reyna’s life, no less!—so soon. Now it’s clear. Time is ticking down. I don’t have weeks to plan. I have days. The time to act is now.

  Chapter 4

  Sand particles reflect and refract sunlight. They hover above the arena floor along with dust that doesn’t settle. The two together look like a cloud of ash. Brightness fills my field of vision and the stench of food mingles with the overwhelming scent of blood.

  Blood.

  It coats my hands, my wrists and my arms. My chest is slick with it. The sword I grip drips with it.

  Urthmen in the stands shout my name in unison. Mouths open with food spraying, they look rabid. Vicious glee glints in their eyes. I squint. I recoil. I repress the urge to vomit. My senses are overloaded.

  An overwhelming feeling of anguish clings to me. Thicker and heavier than the blood, it smothers me. I squeeze my eyes shut. Close them against the blinding whiteness of the sand, dust and sunlight, the blood on my body and the revolting sight of the Urthmen.

  When I open them, the sand before me is stained crimson. Reyna’s body lies at the center, haloed in blood. She doesn’t move. There is no rise and fall to her chest. Just pale hair fanned out all around her. She’s still. So very still. The middle of her white tunic is saturated, a gaping wound the cause. The red glaring against the pristineness of her dress and skin.

  I look to my hand. To my sword. To Reyna. My breathing becomes ragged. My heart races. I am screaming. But the sound is absorbed by a deafening roar. The crowd. I look out at them. They undulate and churn like an angry sea. Dizzying me. Nauseating me. I close my eyes and reel. Nebulous puzzle pieces come together. The blood on my hands and weapon and Reyna’s fallen body. What I have done gels. Her blood is on my hands. Tears burn my eyes and a tortured cry rips from my lungs but dies on my lips. Her name longs to escape. It is a benediction. And a curse all the same that will torment me for all of eternity.

  I killed her.

  I killed Reyna.

  The arena spins in lopsided circles.

  The faces of the Urthmen audience fuse, forming a single, melded, monstrous face, the sound of their bloodthirsty screams crashing against me like waves. I stumble, falling to the sand. Plumes of dust and sand reach all around me like spectral arms. I’m sobbing. Falling.

  Falling.

  My eyes snap open and my heart thunders in my ears. I’m panting. I immediately check my hands, my chest. Neither my hands nor my arms bear scarlet stains. And a quick glance over my shoulder reveals that Reyna is alive. She rests with her shoulder to the wall, her hand cupping her cheek to protect it from the rough stone. Though I realize it was a dream, my skin is damp with sweat and my heart still races. I scan the cells and see that Reyna is safe, and Ara and Pike are safe. For now. But today is the day. Today is the day of reckoning. Kai’s eyes meet mine. In them I see fierce determination. The same fierce determination that slowly lifts the pained haze of my nightmare and rallies every fiber of my being. It is a call to arms.

  Rising, I steady myself. My legs shake. The physical remnants of my dream will pass. It’s the images in my mind’s eye that will remain. Seeing her as she was, knowing I did it—even though it wasn’t real—will haunt me for the rest of my days. I shake my head in a feeble attempt to clear the image and make my way over to Kai. He sits with his legs out in front of him, his back against the wall. His eyes are wide open. “Have you slept?” I ask.

  “I haven’t,” he replies.

  Despite his revelation, he doesn’t look sleep deprived. To the contrary, he looks primed to fight his way out of this place alongside me. “Are you ready?” I don’t know why I bother with the question. Not sure whether I need to hear him say it or need reassurance, or whether I’m asking that of myself more than him.

  “I am,” he answers without pause. His words are edged in steel. Strength radiates from him. I borrow from it.

  “Are the rest with us?” Without time to sway opinions or champion our cause, I have no idea whether we’ll be escaping alone or whether it will be all of us. Standing together is the only way I see my plan working. With my orders to kill Reyna from Prince Cadogan and the day to do so upon me, I can only hope they are.

  “I’m not sure.” Kai’s brows gather. He looks down at his hands clasped in his lap. When his gaze meets mine again, he says, “Lucas, when the time comes and they see it’s real, that you’re real, I think they’ll follow.”

  I don’t reply right away. His words echo in my head.

  “No one wants to be here. No one. They’ve just never seen a way out. Never had someone who wanted to lead them out. All they’ve known is fear. All they’ve seen is blood and death.” He pauses. “Look at Cas. You think he was the first champion like that? The first champion to get his brain scrambled like theirs?” He points toward the hallway, to where the Urthmen guards come and go. “I’ll answer for you. No. No, he wasn’t the first. They all became monsters of some kind or another. What reason do they have to believe you aren’t like Cas and the others?”

  “None.” I frown. “They have no reason whatsoever to believe I’m not just like Cas.” I shake my head, worrying this will all fall apart. Still I can’t resign myself to stay here and watch Ara and Pike die. I refuse to. I’d rather die trying to escape with just a handful of us than stay. The chance of freedom is better than the guarantee of slavery. “But they’ll see today. If it works.”

  “If it works,” he echoes my words somberly.

  Before I get a chance to say anything further, keys jingle on the other side of the cell door.

  “Guess we’ll find out now,” I mumble.

  I don’t think he’s heard me and am surprised when he says, “Yes, we will.”

  Two Urthmen guards barrel in. “Here we go. No looking back now,” I say under my breath so only Kai can hear.

  “Nope,” he mutters.

  “Let’s go!” the first guard in blusters. “You and you!” He points to Micah and Xan. “And you,” He stabs a meaty finger at the air, gesturing to Kai. “And of course, our Champion.” He doesn’t hide his disdain for me, for the notion of a champion. I feel as he does, though not for the same reasons. He sees humans as unworthy of any title or notoriety. He sees us as a lesser species. I see “Champion” as a title unworthy of me too. I see it as a title for a being who’s nothing more than a glorified murderer. “Come on! I don’t have all day!” the guard continues. The noise has woken everyone, including Reyna. She watches me and I stare into her eyes. They’ll be back for her soon. The guards will return for her as soon as we’re brought to a holding cell just off the sand of the arena. The thought makes my stomach twist in a tight knot. From Reyna, my gaze bounces to Ara and Pike. I expect to see fear. I expect to see the same tears and terror I’ve seen in the past. But I don’t. Instead, I see steadfast determination, just what I saw in Kai. What I saw in Reyna seconds ago. And what I feel inside me. I’m proud of them. I’m proud of Ara and Pike. And as odd as it feels, I’m proud of Reyna and Kai, as well. They are close to my age, if not the same age as I am,
but I’m proud nonetheless. The last image I see before shackles are slapped on my wrists is that of Ara’s face. She tips her chin high, almost defiantly. She looks so much like our mother it’s hard to blink back the sting of tears. “Move,” I’m ordered and ripped away from thought of my mother, from thoughts of a home and life that feels so remote I wonder for a split second whether it ever existed.

  I regain my bearings and focus on what lies ahead: escape. “I was told my brother and sister could watch my match this afternoon,” I say to the guards. “They aren’t fighting,” I remind them. “But I was told they’d be there cheering me on.” I struggle to utter the final sentence. It sickens me that anyone would or could cheer for violence and bloodshed, for murder.

  “They’ll be taken when the others are taken,” the guard leading us says after a pause.

  I don’t trust him. I don’t trust any of them. They’re liars. All of them. The pause only added to my distrust of everything they say. If Ara and Pike are left behind, my plan is without purpose. Leaving without them is not an option. I need them for my plan. Killing Reyna isn’t an option either. What will I do if my sister and brother are left behind? This question and so many more scream through my brain as I’m ushered down a series of corridors that ends finally at a waiting cage just on the outskirts of the sand. It reeks of urine, feces, vomit and blood. How many before me lost control of their bodily functions in this cage? I wonder. When the realization of what we’re here for and what’s to come settles in, control flies away like a sparrow in a hurricane. I can’t imagine anyone from my village seeing what happens in the arena and not reacting.

  Thoughts of home, even though it no longer exists, cause me to look around, to look upon the faces of the men who will leave this awful place with me. Kai, Xan and Micah stand silently. Apart from the intermittent twitch and flex of a muscle here and there, they’re still. We’re the main attractions today. The Urthmen need their fix of violence for the day. The four of us will not fight each other. Some poor soul is slated to be thrust out on to the sand to face each of us separately. No one knows who it will be. No one except me. I’m supposed to fight Reyna. And kill her as a gesture of good faith to Prince Cadogan. Good faith that I’m promised will spare Ara and Pike’s lives. A lie, I’m sure. But I’ll never know. I’ll face her in the arena, face her first as I’ve been told, but that is where it’ll end. The only problem is if, for some reason, we are bumped back to a later slot in hopes of keeping the Urthmen buying food and drinks. That would upset my plan. I doubt it’ll happen, though. The Urthmen are indulgent. Food. Drinks. Blood. They’ll stay for all of it until the end. But they want to be entertained right away, and what’s more entertaining that watching a woman slaughtered first thing? Disgusting! I despise them.

  Seconds tick by slowly. I stand, shoulder to shoulder with Kai, Micah and Xan for what feels like forever. All the while, my insides are coiled so tightly I swear that if anyone were to listen closely enough they’d hear the squeeze, intensifying with every breath I take. When finally the gate that leads to the sand lifts, every cell in my body is tightly wound. Spring loaded. Without hesitation, I march out, just beyond the cage, and select two weapons: a sword and a spear. I grip both and walk with strides far more confident than I feel at the moment, stopping when I reach the center. Seeing me, the Urthmen lining the stands erupt into thunderous applause. They scream and cheer. The sound is a deafening roar that’s familiar. My dream. The sound reminds me of my dream. For a split second, my breathing becomes more of a pant. My palms sweat and my hands grow cold. I can’t think. I can’t remember my plan. I can’t remember my name. My mouth goes dry. The sword and spear I carry feel too heavy in each hand. I want to drop them but am paralyzed. The crowd begins to shout my name. “Lucas! Lucas! Lucas!” A sea of faces, one more hideous than the next, scream. Features screwed up in bloodlust and clutching food that’s unrecognizable wrapped in thin, brightly colored material blur into one nightmarish image. The arena starts to spin. My eyes toggle around the arena. Only when they land on Prince Cadogan am I snapped back from the overwhelming tide of Urthmen. Seated in a reserved, terraced area cordoned off by ropes made from what looks like the same material as his cape, he stands and raises both hands to silence everyone. At his movement, a hush befalls the crowd. He looks left then right. The air about him is one of a being born to abundance, one prone to decadence. “Silence!” he bellows. Every last rustle of paper stills and not a single voice is heard. Satisfied with the results his command garnered, a smug gleam glitters in his black eyes. “Today I have a very special treat on hand for you.” Small gasps ring out. Urthmen heads swivel as they look to one another, wondering what their leader has in store for them. “I know I offer treats to you, my adoring people, all the time. But this…” he allows his voice to trail for dramatic effect. “This may be my most generous offering yet.” His chest puffs out. He sees himself as some benevolent benefactor to the masses. I see him as a malicious bringer of blood. Of death. Watching him wait as the crowd hangs on his every word with bated breath, savoring in the moment he announces I’m to kill Reyna, fills me with the urge to storm the stands and show him what bloodshed truly looks like. But I can’t. Ara and Pike’s escape hang in the balance. Their lives, as well as Reyna and Kai’s lives, are at stake. “Settle down,” Prince Cadogan commands. “I hear your chatter. I hear your excitement. You are right to feel that way. I have provided you with many treats in this arena. But this one promises to trump them all.” He scans the crowd. “Today, Lucas, our Champion, will face off with his lover on the sand.” Sharp inhalations sound and are so closely timed they could be mistaken as one, unanimous gasp. “Quiet down!” The order from the Prince leaves no room for further noise. When all fall silent, he continues. “A falling out has occurred between them. They will settle it here. For good. In front of us.” A malevolent smile carves his face, his blubbery, tube-like lips stretch as thin as they’ll go. “Two will start. Only one will leave here alive.” He pauses and rabid cries for carnage ring out. They grow louder and I watch as the Urthmen in the stands point to the opposite side of the sand. A cage door has opened. Reyna steps out clad in a snow-white tunic identical to the one in my nightmare. Her long, flaxen hair hangs to the middle of her back. She chooses a sword and moves to the center of the sand, to where I stand. The crowd quiets. Her eyes lock on mine. For a moment, I stare at her. Though our posture is that of opponents squaring off, our gazes exchange unspoken words of comradery, of comfort. “Look at them!” Prince Cadogan bellows. “Disgusting human lovers fighting to the death, what could be better?” The crowd responds with applause and cheers that shake the walls. Prince Cadogan gestures for silence once again. The Urthmen audience complies. The Urthman leader beams. With his altered eyes pulled high and his augmented lips stretched over his teeth in a smile, he looks deranged. He’s perched not far from me, holding his hands at chest height, palms facing each other. When he claps, it’ll signify the start of the match.

  Watching him, I clutch my spear so hard my hand aches. I’ve always been good with a spear. I’ve never missed a beast when it’s been in range, when I needed to feed my family. Their lives depended on my shot and that gave me focus that could narrow to a pinpoint target. My grip tightens painfully.

  Prince Cadogan is about to clap his hands when screams pierce the quiet of the arena. Blood-curdling screams and yelping noises echo from behind me. I don’t bother to turn. I know it’s Kai, Ara and Pike creating a distraction. Instead, I keep my eyes on Prince Cadogan. He turns his head first before shifting his entire body toward the sound. As soon as he does, I move. I take three quick steps then, calling on every ounce of strength I have, I use my entire body to launch my spear through the air. The spear shrieks through the ether on a shrill whistle, the sound quickly swallowed by the noise of the arena. The seconds it takes to slice through the air are a phantasm. A hideous dream. My mind and body were in sync. I assessed my target, lined up my shot and took it. It looked accurate. But
this target is much farther than any I’ve ever aimed for. And so much more rides on me hitting it. Panic sets in. I watch it careen through the air as if in slow motion, all I can do is hope. My heart pounds a frantic rhythm in my temples. My focus narrows to a pinprick. A pinprick that holds at its center Prince Cadogan. The rest of the world has fallen away. I see him turn back toward me after seeing my movement in his periphery. His head turns. He faces me. His eyes widen and his lips part to release a scream that is silenced by my spear. The tip of my weapon sinks into his neck with a loud thwack, driving straight through flesh, muscle and bone until it protrudes from the other side. Shock rounds his eyes and his mouth as his hands reach for his throat. A torrent of bright red surges from the wound. Color drains from his face immediately. He staggers and stumbles then his legs give out from beneath him. I watch as life escapes him. He falls forward, tumbling over the railing of the terrace and landing on the sand below with a thud.

  Sound returns on an earsplitting roar as the arena explodes with screams and shouts. Urthmen cry out in panic and confusion. They jump to their feet and try to run. Yet no one appears to have a plan. They scramble, bumping into each other as they each try to run in a different direction. Chaos reigns. Some even leap from the stands to the sand. Seeing the state of complete and utter disorder the arena has fallen to, the archers come pouring out of the gates in an attempt to regain some kind of control. They seek to attack the source. They seek to kill me. In their haste, however, they neglect to close the gates behind them. They’re left wide open. This misstep of theirs is exactly what I’d hoped for. It’s what I counted on. Seeing the archers advance, Kai, Ara and Pike run out behind them, but not before grabbing swords from the rack. They attack from behind. Xan and Micah attack, too. They emerge a few steps behind my brother, sister and Kai. A war cry tears from deep in Micah’s being and he swings his blade with fury and vengeance I didn’t see on the sand before. He is fighting for him now. He’s fighting for his freedom. Relief collides with the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I glance at Reyna and nod just as I spin and charge toward the archers.