Changing of the Glads (28 page)

CHAPTER 31

Max sagged onto the edge of his bed, all thoughts of food forgotten. The heavy stubble on his chin poked his fingers as he ran them across his jaw.  What to do?  How could he work his way into the arena?

A knock on the door brought his attention back to the present.  “Come.”

A familiar blond head poked through the opening door.

“Taebor?”  Max leapt from the bed and clapped his friend on the shoulder.  “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

“You’re one of a kind, Gaius, or should I say, Maximillion?  Taebor stepped into the room, grabbed Max’s forearm, and returned the shoulder slap.

“Come in, come in.” Max closed the door behind his friend and motioned to a spindly chair in the corner.

“I understand, my friend, that your... wife?”

Max nodded.  “Yes, Zalphia and I are married.”

“Well then, all the more reason for me to have come.  I understand that your wife will be fighting a match in Empire Arena.  An honor, I’d lay odds, you aren’t too happy about.”

“Come,” Max sat back on the bed.  “Tell me what you have heard.”

Taebor sank onto the chair, placed his elbow on his knees, and leaned forward.  “The Arena General brought me here to oversee the building of all the arena’s lethal traps.  I know the Emperor hopes to draw you in.”

I knew it.

Max closed his eyes for a moment.  Horrible pictures playing in his head of what they would do to Zalphia.

He opened his eyes and looked at his friend.  “What are you saying?”

“That the Emperor assumes you will run to your wife’s aid, and once you do, he will put an end to you both.”

I will not let him harm Zalphia, No matter what I have to do.

“I do not care.  My wife will not face this test alone.  I will never let the Emperor kill her.”

“She won’t be alone.”  Taebor placed a hand on Max’s arm.  “I am to oversee the match.”  Taebor leaned closer.  “I know those from Selestia have, shall I say, certain senses.  Is that right?”

Max nodded.

Taebor smiled.  “So you see why I’ve come to you.  Platy, Zalphia’s trainer, has nothing of the sort.  If I can find a way to... to help Zalphia sense where these traps are placed, would that not give her a more equal chance at victory?”

“You are a genius.”  A sudden hope surged through Max, and the corner of his lips turned up.  If Taebor and he could find a way to make the pitfalls clear to Zalphia, she would not only be able to avoid them, but she would be able to use them to her advantage.  But how could they do that?

The smile slipped from his face.  “That sounds great, but I am afraid I have no idea how to make Zalphia be able to sense them.”

Taebor’s brow furrowed.  “There must be something.  Those from Selestia always know things we humans can’t sense.  Tell me how your minds work.  And together, we will devise a way.”

Max thought back to his teenage years when Simeon had taught him about Selestia, and how the connection between Zalphia and him worked.  He and Taebor discussed everything Simeon had taught, but came up with nothing to give Zalphia an advantage.

Taebor’s face brightened.  “I’ve got it.”

“You do?”

He clapped Max on the shoulder.  “You’ve been with me at Halcion for months.  Does anyone at Empire Arena know who you are?”

Max rubbed his chin.  “Well, that depends.  Will the Emperor be overseeing the construction?”

Taebor rolled his eyes.  “No.  His time is much too precious for such mundane procedures.  I hear that his physician is overseeing the goings on.”

“Perfect.  Then no one will know me.”

“Great.” Taebor leapt from the chair.  “You’ll help build these traps.  Then I will make sure you are there when Zalphia is fighting, and you can use your connection to inform her of all the hidden obstacles.”

That would work.  Max would help Taebor.  He would be there to lend his wife the strength of his mind and warn her of the pitfalls.  And to hell with what everyone else said, when it cam down to it, he’d give his life to save Zalphia. 

***

Sweat poured down Max’s face as he worked side by side with Taebor.  They had worked all day, through the night, and were just putting the finishing touches on the arena.

Karaticus grabbed Max’s arm.  “Come with me.”

They entered the infirmary, and Karaticus closed the door.

“Father, I was surprised to find you here, but I guess I shouldn’t be.  I know what you would do to save Mother.  What I don’t understand is why you would help build this death trap?”

Max ran his forearm across his brow, wiping the beads of sweat away.  “I am helping build it, so that I know each and every trick Vitus has planned.  I will be here come noon to help Zalphia avoid those pitfalls.”

Karaticus nodded.  “I see.”  He studied the floor for a moment before meeting Max’s gaze again.  “What if I asked you to leave?”

Max studied his son’s worried face.  “Why would you do that?  You know how I feel about your mother.”

“Yes, I know.  But what if she wanted you to go?  Would you leave her then?”

A shudder ran down Max’s spine.  Karaticus couldn’t really be asking him to run from Zalphia again.  He wouldn’t.  He couldn’t.  He’d promised himself he would never abandon her again.

“No.  Even if she wanted me to go, I would not leave.  Not again.  Never again.”

Karaticus sighed.  “She made me promise to take you and my family back to Selestia.  Are you going to make me break that promise?”

Max ran a hand across his face.  “What in the world would possess you to promise her something like that?”

Karaticus’s eyes darted away.  “I don’t know.  She has her own plans.”

“What plans?  Tell me.”

Karaticus shrugged, but his eyes remains glued to the ground.  “I can’t.  She didn’t tell me.”

Max’s eyes narrowed.  His son was hiding something, but he hesitated to reach into Karaticus’s mind.  He couldn’t take the chance that Vitus would discover him, if he hadn’t already.

“Don’t worry,” Karaticus said.  “Vitus is busy satisfying himself one last time with his would-be empress.  I would never have taken the chance of revealing your presence to him.  Not so close to the fight.  I’m still trying to do all in my power to end this reign of terror.”

Max placed a hand on his son’s shoulder.  “I know, my son.  I know.”

“Mother has her own agenda.  I know you feel you need to protect her.  But let me propose something.”

“I am listening.”

“I sense a power with Mother that hasn’t been there before.  She can do things she shouldn’t be able to.”

“What are you saying?”  Max stepped closer.

Karaticus turned away and shrugged Max’s hand from his shoulder.  “I’m saying you have to leave when I come for you.  You have to let her do what she has planned.  You have to return to Selestia with me, or all will be lost.”

Air whooshed from Max’s lungs as if someone had punched him in the gut.  He could not leave her.  No! He
would not
leave her.  No matter what she wanted or what she had planned, he would not abandon her.  He had to be here.  Had to keep her safe.  Together they would put an end to Vitus’s tyranny on this planet.

“No.”  Max spun Karaticus back around.  “I will not leave.  No matter what Zalphia says I will never leave her again.  I let you talk me into it once before.  But not this time.”  His hand fell back to his side.  “Never again.  Do you not see?  I cannot abandon her.”

Karaticus nodded.  “Somehow, I knew you would say that.”

Max shook his head.  “Then why bother asking?”

“Because she asked me to take you.  She didn’t want you to see the level she must stoop to in order to save this planet.”

“Stoop to?”  Max’s brow furrowed.  “What are you talking about?”

“She has promised to combine with Mantus.”

Max’s mind reeled.  He leaned against the wall before his knees gave way.  “W… What?”

“Mantus is here.”

“But how?  Why would she even consider that?  He has no powers.  He is nothing.”

Karaticus’s brow lifted.  “That is not the case.  He’s the reason Vitus is acting the way he is.  Mother told me she could feel him pulling the strings.  He has regained his powers somehow.  And he’s using Vitus to accomplish his goals. I am to release him from the prison beneath that palace, and take him with us back to Selestia.”

“The Council will never allow him to return.”

“He won’t be staying, just dropping us off.  Then he’ll come back to rule this planet with Mother by his side.”

Max’s heart dropped.  “She would never do that.  She would not risk everything.  Not for
him
.”

“She told me herself.”

The future Max envisioned for he and Zalphia crashed in on itself.  How could she even consider combining with Mantus?  Had she lost her mind?  If he poisoned Vitus and used him for evil, how much more power would he have with Zalphia by his side?

Mantus will have her over my dead body!

CHAPTER 32

The arena day dawned.  Zalphia sat on the cot, her mind swept away in the plans for the match.  If Karaticus kept his end of the bargain, then today marked the turn of the tide on this planet.  Most of her family would be safe.  Karaticus, Max, and Karaticus’s family would be sequestered on Selestia, and she and her baby would remain behind. 

Before Mantus returned, her child would be safely hidden.  She could then once and for all put an end to this madness. 

Zalphia lifted her chin.  But first she must win this day, this match.

She took a deep breath and sent the tendrils of her mind out, locating the connection between Vitus and Mantus.  This would be the only time she gave her son the choice to end this peacefully.

Vitus?

What do you want, Mother?

Stop this madness.  Turn the reins of this planet over to the people.  Or I will be forced to kill you and do it myself.

As if you had that kind of power.  You will die this day in the arena, and there is nothing you can do to change that.  I am the Emperor, Mother.  And what I decree is law.  You, Father, and all that oppose my reign will die this day.  So do your best.  But know that nothing you do will change the outcome of this fight.

This is your last chance.  Remember who you are.  What you promised to do.  You are to save this planet.  Will you not complete this mission as you were sent to do?

I have saved this planet.  And now I will save the rest of the planets in the Selestial Realm.  And you can do nothing to stop me.

Zalphia pulled her mind back.  Flashes of tears streaming down her face filled her mind, and a single tear slipped down her cheek.  “I know, little one.  But we had to try.”

Vitus was her son, a once strong and promising mind on Selestia.  But now, she must destroy him.  Guilt clawed at her.  None of the other lives she had taken while being a Glad would haunt her like this.  Today she destroyed her own flesh and blood.  She was a Glad.  A killer. 

Zalphia paced her small cell.  Why hadn’t Vitus taken the offer?  Could he really not feel the futility of his plan?  Could he not feel the power she now had?  How could he think he would win in the end?  Selestia would never allow him to go on, even if he succeeded in killing her.

Of course.

She froze in place.  Now it all made sense.  The great God above had sent her here and chosen a life where she would obtain the skills needed to save this planet.  She would open the door in her mind one last time, stuff the most painful act she would ever commit inside, and then slam that door shut forever.

And from then on, nothing she did would affect her.  She would hold her head high and destroy the one being who had forced her hand.

Mantus.

The door of her cell opened, and two guards motioned for her to follow.  The time had come.

***

Zalphia shed the silky red dress she had worn since coming to Empire city.  The guards watched as she donned the familiar leather and cloth of her Glad gear.  As she tightened the last buckle at her shoulder, she nodded.

They walked down the alleyway in silence.  One guard stood on each side of the cell, and Zalphia stood facing her last entry into a Glad cell.

The heavy metal gate groaned then slid open. 

Zalphia took a deep breath and stepped in.  The ground shook as the heavy iron returned to its place. No matter how many times she had stood in similar circumstances, she had never felt as lonely as she did at this very moment.

A tiny kick just below her ribs reminded her that she wasn’t truly alone.  She had help, a confidant, and an ally.  This match would not be won or lost.  It was a show of power.  A way of destroying the evil which ruled this world.  A way for Zalphia to hide her child from Mantus.

If everything went according to plan, this would be the beginning of the end. 

Zalphia allowed a smile to creep onto her face.  Vitus seemed to think he had the advantage.  And she would let him continue to think that until the walls crumbled around him.  Leaning against the cool rock of the cell, she watched the Armors and guards scurrying around, finalizing their duties as the stands filled.

What did the crowd expect?  If they knew what was about to happen, they would be running in the opposite direction.  Why did she care about destroying so many of them?

Something deep inside bubbled to the surface.  They were like young children, vulnerable and following blindly someone who should have had their best interests at heart.  How could she condemn them when they had fallen victim to stronger Selestial beings? 

She couldn’t.  They were the reason she had come.  The reason Max had followed her.  They were hers to save.  Hers to free.  And free them she would.

This match would be fought at first on the surface, and then in the minds and hearts of the people.  This planet would eventually see Mantus for who he truly was, a demon bent on destruction.  Then Zalphia would end it. 

One thing at a time.

Platy’s face swam before Zalphia’s eyes.  Her trainer, the one person she had for years considered her friend, now would be her opponent in a fight to the death.

Zalphia pictured shoving the wicked two-sided blade into her trainer.  She saw Platy jerking on the ground, the victim of one bolt from the lightning stick.  Or would Zalphia have the pleasure of strangling her trainer in hand to hand combat?  Something she had so often pictured in her mind in the months after being recaptured.  No matter how it ended, Platy would be ill prepared for this.  And fighting in the arena would be a rude awakening for the trainer.

Vitus considered Platy a traitor, and Mantus considered her an acceptable loss. Platy had no idea what the arena held in store for her this day.

A gong sounded and everyone rushed to be seated.

Vitus’s throne stood within Zalphia’s view.  She almost laughed as he ceremoniously waved while walking down the steps.  Cheers echoed through the air.

Then the realization of what his haughtiness would cost him rolled full-force over her.  She turned away.  “This isn’t the boy I raised.”  A tear slipped down her cheek, and her chin quivered.  How did Mantus manage to change him from a decent, kind man to the evil dictator that appeared before her now?

The cold fact that Vitus must die to save the millions of lives on this planet weighed heavy on Zalphia’s shoulders. 

She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and willed her intended choices to solidify within her.  “Come on. I have to do this.”

The child she carried sent sustaining pictures to her mind.

Confidence and determination flooded over Zalphia.  She opened her eyes, lifted her chin, and turned to face the arena.

Max’s mind slid into hers.

I am here, my love.  You are not alone.

No, Max.  I’m not.  Do you sense our child?

If felt like years since their minds had first connected, not a mere eight months.  The sharing of tender things slipped into her memory.  The brook, the wispy tree, and the peace Max promised.

Oh, how she longed for the times they had spent beneath the stars.  The soft touches and tender kisses all seemed like a dream.  A wonderful dream.

I know you feel you must help.  But when the time comes, promise me you will go.

I cannot leave you.  I will not leave you.

How could she convince him to flee?  As much as she wished he could stay, she knew he must go.  Mantus had to believe she would stand by his side when this was all over.  And if Max was still here, that would ruin everything.

The child intervened, sending pictures depicting the plan along the pathway to Max so fast that he seemed lost.  But as quickly as the pictures had begun, they stopped.

Zalphia could feel Max’s astonishment.  She felt his longing to remain by her side.

The time for us to be together will come, Max.  I will be waiting when you return.

Is there no other way?

The pain he felt washed over her, shaking her confidence and pooling moisture on her lashes.  How she wished the things he had promised those first days they had spent together could come true.  That they could stand side by side and defeat the evil on this planet.  But the combining he mentioned was not to fight.  It had never been for them to fight.  It had always been the plan for them to produce a child.  Their child.  Their salvation.  The salvation of this planet and many others. 

How could he deny that something good had come from the time they had spent together?  He couldn’t.  He wouldn’t.  She felt his virtual embrace one last time before she pushed him away.

Promise that when the time comes, you will go.  I’m counting on you and Karaticus to give me the time I need.

Max’s voice echoed between the walls of her cell.  “I will do whatever you wish.  But know this.  I will never be far away.”

Zalphia nodded.  Tears slipped down her cheeks.  She felt his heart breaking as if it were her own.  His love would sustain her, and she would count on him to delay Mantus long enough for her plan to work.  Max knew his part.  He would play it.

The cell door into the arena shuddered open, and Zalphia stepped out. 

An Armor stood next to the weapons table off to her left.

Zalphia held her left hand out, fingers pointed toward the sky, and waited.  Newly sharpened claws were placed on each finger. 

How she hated this.  Those claws had become who she was, an instrument of death. 

Raising her right hand, Zalphia waited for her weapon, but the Armor shook his head.

“Of course not,” she muttered. 

Zalphia dipped her head, affirming the fact she was meant to fight unarmed.  Turning slowly, she gazed at the crowd.  Did they gather to watch knowing full well of the unfairness of the terms?  Of course they did.  That’s why they were here.  To watch two people die for the pleasure of their Emperor.  When her gaze reached Vitus, she nodded.

Platy stood across the way.  Her left hand sported her gleaming claws, and in her right, she held a blade. 

Panic widened the trainer’s eyes as Zalphia strode to the middle of the arena.

If it hadn’t been this match, this conflict, Zalphia would have laughed out loud.  How many times over the last several months had she dreamed of this?  But the look on Platy’s face showed just how unprepared the trainer was.  She might know how to make a fight turn to a Glads advantage, but she had never actually fought herself.

How did Vitus expect Platy to win?  As scared as the trainer looked, she probably wouldn’t even fight.

A second gong sounded.

Zalphia crouched and waited. 

Platy’s eyes flitted around the arena.

“Come on, Platy.”  Zalphia whispered as she took a couple steps forward.  “You have to at least try.”

Another step forward, and Platy took one back.  Each advance Zalphia made was met with one of Platy’s in retreat. 

Zalphia paused.  All the ways she had envisioned this ending, now slipped away.  She couldn’t do this.  Couldn’t just kill Platy when she was so scared she couldn’t even try to defend herself.   The trainer looked ready to run, but had no idea which way to go.

Zalphia considered her options.  Platy wasn’t going to meet her and grapple for her life.

Suddenly, a trap door opened just to Zalphia’s left, and two tigers sprang onto the arena floor. 

Platy screamed, drawing the tigers’ attention.

They would attack the most obvious target, and right now that was Platy.  They turned toward the trainer.

Her eyes grew rounder.

It would be easy to watch as the big cats did the dirty work.  A single bite to the throat and it would all be over.  But that seldom happened in the arena.  The tigers preferred to play with their victim, using their claws to rip hunks out.  Zalphia had seen Glads last for up to an hour before the cat finally went in for the kill

All the anger and hurt from the last months vanished.  Zalphia could save one person, right here, right now.  Platy.  Maybe not for long, but at least from the tigers.  No one deserved an end so painful.

In two swift bounds, Zalphia stood beside her trainer.  “Stick with me, and we’ll kill these cats.” 

Zalphia crouched then looked up at Platy still standing frozen, her eyes glued to the tigers. 

“Get down.  You’re too big a target standing there.”

The trainer glanced down but didn’t move.  Zalphia grabbed Platy’s arm and jerked her into the dirt. 

The tigers circled the two women.  Zalphia glanced at Platy’s hands, but the knife was no longer there.

“Where’s the knife,” Zalphia whispered.

The trainer turned big eyes Zalphia’s direction but didn’t say anything.  The knife lay several feet behind, and without it, the women stood no chance.  Moving would cause the tiger to attack.  But Zalphia had to get that blade.

She shoved Platy to the left and dove for the knife.  Her fingers closed around the hilt, and she rolled onto her back as one tiger pounced.  The blade caught the noonday sun as Zalphia raised it.  The light blinded her, so she threw her hand, heavy with claws, over her face.