Fantasy of Flight (8 page)

My time in the Outer Ring has been a waste. This was my best lead. I’ve risked my life over and over again and I keep coming up empty-handed. All those hours spent in the whore’s courtyard shoved and ignored. Now I have no way back and nothing to show Jovan for the trouble I’ve caused, even if I can somehow find a veil. A dead end with the delegates. Dead end searching Blaine’s room. Dead end matching the castle arrows to Kedrick’s arrow. Dead end with the Seedyr wood. Dead just like Kedrick.

I ignore the others when we get back. I change into my training gear and decline dinner to escape to the gymnasium. I wrap my hands and move to the punching bag.

I let loose a string of swear words as I rain blow after blow on the swinging bag.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I scream in time to my punches.

Eventually I stop speaking, but I continue to work out for hours. When I sink to the ground, I’m so tired I can’t even cry. Sighing, I unwrap my hands and head into the mess room. To my surprise no one has gone to bed. I go to the bench and scoop water out of the trough. Avalanche intercepts me and wraps me in a hug so tight I can barely breathe. He puts me down and goes back to his preparation for tomorrow’s meals.

I sit down and everyone seems absorbed in their own thoughts, no one speaks. One by one, as they get up to leave, they pat me on the back or squeeze my hand. Crystal kisses me on the cheek. By the time it’s down to Shard and Avalanche, I’m struggling to keep my tears at bay. I doubt they know exactly what I’m upset about. But they know something happened today and they’ve all stayed up to show their support. I swallow the lump in my throat.

“You okay now?” Shard asks.

I think about it. There’s a heavy weight in my heart, but I’m clear-headed for the moment.

“Yes. I am,” I say hoarsely. He gives me a tired smile and leaves with Avalanche.

I was wrong. My time here hasn’t been a waste. I didn’t find what I wanted, but perhaps I’ve found what I need.

With new equipment, I launch into a fresh set of training exercises. The tournament consists of one-on-one and group fighting. The first category is easy; we all have experience with this. I spend time correcting bad habits. By their recommendation, I start lifting more weights. I thought the added bulk would slow me, so I’ve never done it before. My punches and kicks only grow more powerful, more efficient.

For me, the group category is the most exciting part of our sessions. I start the men on easier drills and make them more complicated and dangerous each week. I know they’re curious as to why I am giving them these aerobatic exercises and dance-like routines. The depth of their trust keeps me awake at night, praying I don’t let them down.

This week I fight Slay. The odds are against me. Our skill levels are similar, but he has many revolutions of fighting experience. Still, I don’t plan to make it easy for him. I’ll gather information for the real fight at the tournament. And if I win - even better.

“I heard something interesting yesterday,” Shard says. I chew my meal with eyes closed. Avalanche has outdone himself. I don’t know what the meat is and I don’t want to ask, but it tastes delicious.

“What’s that?” I’m more interested in my plate than his gossip.

“I heard Frost, the fierce female warrior, visited Leila. The First Sector’s most sought after whore,” he says.

“Who’s Leila?” I ask.

He tilts his head in amusement. “The woman who dances in the top room. I’ve seen you talking to her.”

My confusion clears. “Oh, you mean—” I realize Willow’s name isn’t common knowledge. “I know who you mean.” I finish lamely. “Yes, I went into her room.” I shrug. “What of it?”

I look up to see the whole table staring at me. Flurry shifts uncomfortably on the bench.

“You spent time with Leila?” Blizzard asks, he sighs and closes his eyes. “That would have been a sight to see.”

Ice wrinkles his nose. “I dunno. That’s like watching your sister do it.”

Blizzard shudders in response. “True.”

I gasp when I understand what they’re all thinking. “She just showed me her clothes! Nothing like
that
happened.” I remember Willow’s comment as I left. She knew my visit would be taken this way. Alzona and Crystal share a small smile.

“Well, the whole Outer Ring is talking about it,” Shard says once the others stop laughing. He rests his elbows on the table as he leans forward. “You’ll hear about it in the Cells. I’d just go with it. You’ll have most of the fighters distracted. And it makes you seem untouchable. Don’t show the gossip bothers you and you’ll be fine.” When Shard says something like this, he’s normally right.

The warning bell tolls. I’m struggling to focus. It’s how I know I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been. Slay prowls past our bench without looking my way.

“How was she?” a man from an unknown barracks yells as I move to follow my deadly opponent.

“I’d tell you to try her, but she’s picky about who she has,” I call over my shoulder. I smile at the groans that result from my words - or Alzona’s words in a last minute coaching session.

I take the five steps down into the pit. Focus, Olina.

Slay.

The best and most evil of Hale’s fighters. The tales of him and his brother, Butcher, are sickening. The duo is knee-deep in most of the crime occurring in the Outer Ring. And with the size of Hale’s barracks, they are near unstoppable. He dances in front of me.

We both tense as the second bell sounds. It strikes me he may be a little…concerned about the outcome.

“You finally got balls, Snowdrop.” He hisses, spittle spraying towards me. He begins to circle.

“Had to see what all the fuss was about. Can’t say I’m impressed so far.” His eyes narrow at my insult, but he doesn’t take the bait. He’s too clever for that. Has probably heard something similar every week for the last ten years.

I know I’m in trouble when he flashes a punch at my face so quickly I have to give him two meters to recover. Shard wasn’t exaggerating his speed. We begin our dance.

We exchange blow after blow. I block most of his hits, but some get through. I’ve only landed the same amount of hits as he has. The simple fact that he’s bigger and stronger will give him the win if I don’t change my tactics.

The crowd is quiet from the growing tension between me and Slay. It’s the longest fight I’ve had yet.  I know my endurance is flagging, but he doesn’t look so good either. We fly around the stone circle in powerful bursts of movement. I pant with the effort, aiming a kick at his cheekbone. There is a split second where I realize my eyes have given away the destination of my strike.

A crushing fist hits me in the side of the head. I stagger back.

The crowd sounds funny, muted. They’re moving in slow motion. The floor slams into me.

I force open heavy eyelids to find a circle of concerned faces hovering over me. I wince and gingerly sit up, holding my head. Crystal is wringing out a bloodied cloth. I feel around and find a large cut above my ear and a huge lump on my jaw. Not broken.

“You just lasted half an hour in the ring with Slay, girly! The whole arena is talking about it.” Ice jumps up and down. Only he could pull this off and still look tough.

I squint up at him. “I lost. Why are you happy?”

Shard and Blizzard crouch down next to me. “What happened?” Shard asks.

“Got tired. Forgot to filter my expression.”

“Thought so. There are a couple of things Blizzard and I picked up that we think you should work on, too.”

“Endurance,” I say and then groan as my jaw protests. “Talk later.” I roll back down onto my back.

Blizzard grips my shoulder. “You did well. You’ve gained a lot of respect today from the fighters and the crowd, too. Next time, his arse is yours.”

It takes me two days to regain normal vision. It makes me glad I don’t get knocked out often. Thank Solis for Alzona’s set of rules. I use the time to finalize my training plans, adding my own personal goals after a talk with Shard and Blizzard. The fight with Slay will come down to stamina. He has no pattern I can see and I know I don’t have one, barring my tell, which I’ve been practicing on.

The men are eating lunch in the mess room. I go to the office off the side of the gym to find Crystal. The door is open. Which is why Alzona and Crystal don’t know I am there.

I stare, mouth open, at the sight of them with their lips locked together. I must make a sound. Alzona whips her head around.

“Uh,” I stammer.

“Dammit,” Alzona says. Crystal turns pink. I put up both hands.

“I just had a question for Crystal, don’t worry I’ll ask later. Won’t tell anyone.” I stop babbling as I turn and almost run across the gym. I hear laughter behind me.

What the hell was that? Alzona and Crystal were together? Females actually did that? I thought it was just male fantasy. How long had it been going on? Crystal was so young.

I pause before opening the door to the mess room. It’s not hard to switch off my emotions. Slower than it used to be in my mother’s palace, but I guess I’ve let my guard down a lot. Bruma are easy to relax around. The pause is to ensure my expression is normal. It’s also why I keep my head down when the pair enter a few minutes later.

We complete our final round in the pits. After my round with Slay, it was decided none of us would compete against anyone from Hale’s group. Alzona added a new rule after some shouted threats. Things had been unstable with them since the match, even though I lost - which they never failed to remind me about. Now, none of us are to leave the barracks alone.

“What should I do about Ice?” I ask Shard. He turns to look at the wiry man, who is babbling away at Flurry by the weights. Ice is still lagging behind in his output. With some badgering from the rest of the men, his effort raised infinitesimally. But overall, the others have quadrupled their work-rate, while his has only doubled. I’ve added the final elements to our group fight, but we’re only as strong as our weakest link. I’m out of ideas to motivate him.

Shard slams another punch into the bag and shifts his weight onto his front foot to leap back from the imaginary opponent’s return swing. He turns to me.

“I truly don’t know. I’ll think on it.”

He’s interrupted by a scream.

Shard and I are at the back of the gym, farthest from the door. We break out of our shock and rush toward the sound; the footsteps of Flurry, Avalanche, Blizzard and Ice pound ahead of us. The scream came from the front of the barracks.

All of the gates are open. They clang behind us as we push through.

“Don’t look!” Flurry grabs my arm. Please, don’t let it be Crystal or Alzona. I shake his arm off and skirt around Avalanche who is also trying to block my view.

I can’t close my eyes against the horrific sight. Bile rises in my throat.

It’s a woman. She’s dead. Strung up in our alley. I assume from her garments she was a brothel worker. Crystal’s screaming. I realize the sound was there before and I was just too panicked to hear it. Alzona whispers to her, rocking her back and forth. She gives Avalanche a beseeching look and he picks up the hysterical girl, taking her away from the awful sight. The woman has been brutally beaten, her throat slit. But the mutilation and blood below her waist is the true confirmation her killer had no humanity.

“Why?” Ice’s whisper breaks our numbed silence.

“It’s a message,” Shard says. I look at him. I can’t see his face through my tears. He moves over and envelops me in a tight hug. “But I don’t know who from.”

Blizzard and Flurry usher me back inside as Ice and Shard free the woman from the rope. I don’t know what they do with her body. But I trust Blizzard to do as much as he can for her.

Training is over for the day. The message has achieved its goal. Our barracks are rattled.

We sit in the mess room, taking comfort in each other’s company. Crystal and Alzona come in a few hours later. Crystal goes straight to the alcohol stash beneath the sink and downs a large mug full.

“Well don’t hog it all,” Flurry says in a gentle voice. He grabs more mugs and fills them.

We sit around and quietly sip the brew. Crystal leaves after a while, gesturing for Alzona to stay. I know she wants privacy, but I remember what the others did for me a few weeks ago. I walk down the hallway and climb up through the trapdoor. People seem to come to this spot when they’re sad. Except me. I beat up a bag for a few hours. Crystal stiffens, but doesn’t turn around.

“Go away,” she says in a broken whisper.

“I will. I just wanted you to know we’re all here for you. If you need me, just let me know.” I turn to leave, but I’m stopped by her soft words.

“Do you know I was raped?”

I freeze. She turns to me and I see she was trying to hide her tears before.

“I gather you didn’t. I’ve seen you watch me with the men and thought you may have guessed. I can’t be completely comfortable with them. Even ones I love, like the men downstairs.” She takes a shaking breath. “Alzona knows,” she adds. A shockwave of disbelief courses through me. What monster would do that to this sweet girl?

“What happened?” I ask. She hesitates and I rush to rectify my mistake. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk. Just don’t tell Alzona I asked a question.” She lets out a weak chuckle.

I climb out of the trap door and sit beside her. It takes a few moments for her to begin. “I was fourteen. I had just…moved to the Middle Rings and I was late coming home from a friend’s house one night.”

“Last year?” I ask.

She looks at me, assessing me. She tilts her head back and looks at the sky. “No. It was eight years ago. I’m twenty-two.”

I straighten with her revelation. I never would have guessed her to be so old. “That makes me feel better about what you and Alzona were doing. I thought I was going to have to save you or something.”

A real laugh comes from her this time. “Bet you’re glad you don’t have to do that.” Her voice catches and tears drip off her chin. “There were four of them, but only one raped me. I suppose I should be thankful for that,” she says bitterly. “Afterward, they left me to die in the cold. I should’ve died. Sometimes I wish I had.”

I don’t know how I should react. Should I hug her? This goes beyond my experience. I’ve been beaten and tortured, but never violated in this way. Nothing I can think of seems enough. So I just listen.

“Alzona found me. You know how she tends to stroll over the rooftops in the early morning?” She shuffles around on the ledge. “I hate when she does that. I always worry.”

“You two have been together a while I take it? I never guessed.” And it’s true, I‘ve never once suspected they were anything more than friends.

Crystal smiles. “You’re not hard to fool with those kinds of things.”

“That’s a nicer way to put it than Leila did,” I say. My laugh echoes into silence as we look out across the sprawling houses and ruins. “Did you ever find the men who did that to you?” If they’re still alive, they are officially on borrowed time.