Shattered (15 page)

Unhindered, we walked on, making good progress across the relatively deserted streets of the Onyx District. Little remained of what had once been a rather opulent neighborhood. Though not quite the Diamond

District,

it

was

nonetheless

a

neighborhood many citizens worked hard to eventual y move into. Biting my lip as I looked around, I realized, however, how few citizens in Arcadia ever moved up.

For the most part one was born in, lived in and died in the same district. Pim Seer easily held out the possibility of moving up; work hard, he’d say; strive to better your life; save your nickels and dimes; give your time to Arcadia and you’l be greatly rewarded.

I now knew it was al part of his hoax, his fal acy. No matter how hard one worked, the advancement in life never real y came. It always remained out of reach.

“Pim once promised my mother we could come live here,” I said aloud. Up until now I’d never understood the tireless hours my mother had put into her work and the endless promise of a better life.

But she’d been caught up in Pim’s lies as wel .

She’d believed that hard work real y could change our lives. “I know I shouldn’t complain. We had a decent house and I had a happy childhood living in my neighborhood, but…”

“Don’t beat yourself up for wishing for a better life. Pim relied on the citizens’ need to get ahead in order to get from them what he needed. He held out the possibility of a nicer home in a more coveted neighborhood like a carrot to a mule.”

“And we al fel for it.” I stopped in front of a destroyed home, the broken swing set in the back yard visible through the demolished wal s. Beside it was a pool with a stone patio and walkway that led to an artificial fish pond and fountain. “You know, in school they always made it sound like we were al equal, al important, but there was always this underlying streak of…”

“Haughtiness? Snobbery? Nose lifted in the air?”

Shocked by the revelation, I looked at him.

“Yeah. I mean, it was subtle, but…” I shook my head in disbelief, even while so many memories came flooding in; Mrs. Tesh in third grade and her little grimace every time she mentioned anyone from the Garnet District. Mr. Caldwel and the discreet way he had of ensuring al the kids from the Diamond District sat up front, while al the kids from the Garnet, Sapphire and Ruby District sat further away.

“I can’t believe it. It was always there.” I felt so stupid and naïve. “I remember a very few who were rather blatant in their snobbery, but the main message was that we were al alike, no matter where we lived, but that was al a lie.” Torrid grasped my shoulders and gazed at me, sadness veiling his eyes as though it was his own childhood memories and dreams that had been shattered. “I hate to see how so much of what you believed as a child has turned out to be lies. I just hope al of this doesn’t jade you. It’d be a shame to see someone so bubbly and ful of life, and the love of life, turn cynical.”

“I admit cynicism isn’t too far away these days. With every new bubble that is burst, my optimism takes a blow.”

His gaze hardened with determination.

“Things wil get better. This war wil end and Pim Seer and Dr. Sanz’s reign of terror wil end.

Unfortunately, for now, things are going to get a whole lot worse before they get better.” He leaned in and kissed me, his lips soft and reassuring as they blanketed mine with warmth.

Despite the love I felt from him and the strength his kiss gave me, my mind’s eye immediately went to the horrors we were about to face. Would I ever be able to get past the scenes that were to soon play out before us? Would I forever be haunted by the memories?

“I feel sick al of a sudden,” I said as I pul ed away and put my hand to my bel y.

Creasing his brow, he looked at me. “Is that Creasing his brow, he looked at me. “Is that the effect my kiss now has on you?”

I chuckled, thankful for a moment of reprieve from the ugliness that surrounded us. “No, it’s not that.” Shaking my head, I reached up to gently pat his cheek that was now rough with day long stubble, which gave him a stronger sensual look. My lips parted instinctively as I took in his beauty, such a contrast to the starkness we faced.

With a knowing grin, he took my hand and led me onward. “Liam said to make our way out through those homes and then head to the back of the Coliseum.”

Our approach to the Coliseum was met with the sounds of cheering and the shril cries of death that echoed from inside. The incongruous blend was beyond understanding.

“Hincongruouow can one person so cheerful y applaud the torture and death of another?”

“Man is a strange beast,” Torrid said as he solemnly led the way. “As much as mankind struggles for civility, the animal in him always wins out. They create proper societies and claim higher intel ect…” Shaking his head, he narrowed his eyes as he scanned the boulevard we had to cross.

“As smart as man can be at times,” he went on, “I sometimes wonder if they are not in fact the weakest link of the animal world.”

“That’s a harsh assessment,” I said, trying not to be offended by his words.

“It’s only an observation, Kama. I’m not looking to point a finger or lay blame. I just look at what happens around me.” He pointed to the Coliseum gates. “There’s gate five and six. Liam was right. The guards are down on this side. No one is guarding. Getting in should be easy.” The closer we got to the gate, the harder I had to work to control my gag reflex. The stench of death was overwhelming, the cries ghastly and the surrounding air dank and humid. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of Matthew and Jocelyn being kept in such conditions.

Inside the gate, the large corridor was only lit with a few smal oil lamps. The stench was worse inside and the air clung to my skin with its clammy fingers. Added to the sounds of cheering crowds and moaning prisoners were the terrifying growls and snarls of feral dogs.

“It almost sounds as if they are roaming around every corner,” I said as I listened to the echoes that seemed to go on and on.

We reached an intersection. Moaning and groaning came predominantly from the left while the sounds of dogs came decisively from the right.

Torrid didn’t have to do too much convincing to get me to head left. Just a light tug and I was on my way.

“Let’s hope we find Matthew and Jocelyn safe and sound in their cel ,” he said.

The

winding

corridors

narrowed

and

darkened, and my hold of Torrid’s hand tightened.

We were suddenly engulfed in cries for help, moans of pain and shouts of delirium.

“These cel s go on and on,” I said.

Overwhelmed by the task of finding Matthew and Jocelyn, I fought the sense of defeat that quickly swept over me. “There are hundreds and hundreds of prisoners.”

After hundreds of yards of cel upon cel , a long, thin arm reached out through the cel bars and grabbed a fistful of my hair. With a surprised yelp I was yanked back and found myself face to face with a prisoner.

“Theyle ianked b’re gonna feed us to the dogs,” he mumbled weakly. “Al I did was ask why I didn’t get the promotion they’d promised. Al I wanted to know was the truth. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve any of this. I have a wife back home; Clarice. I have two little kids; Grant is only five and Bethany… my darling Bethany is not even one yet.” I grabbed the bars and gazed into the man’s sunken eyes. His dirty beard and disheveled and matted hair gave him an air of lunacy. It was so easy to look at him now and ignore the man he must once have been, the upstanding Arcadian citizen who did as he was supposed to do. “I’l do whatever I can to make sure you get out of here, sir. No one deserves to be here.”

Reluctantly, he released his hold of my hair and ran his fingers over my hand. “They come fast.

The bloodthirsty Magical Ones who thrive on the shows here demand more and more. Every day a dozen prisoners are taken up… they never return.” He pointed to the empty cel s a little further down the hal .

“By tomorrow they should be coming for me,”

“By tomorrow they should be coming for me,” he said.

My heart went out to him. His wife must be sick with worry, and his kids… they must miss him horribly.

I turned to Torrid, my eyes imploring.

“It’s too risky just yet,” came his answer. “If you use your magic to release him, not only wil you weaken your powers for the fight that is sure to come once we find your friends, but releasing prisoners now wil definitely alert the guards. We’l find your friends, make sure they get out okay, then come back to release them al … I promise.” My lip twitched with uncertainty. It felt so wrong to just leave him there. Just a little magic and they could al be free.

Torrid tugged on my arm, urging me to fol ow him.

I gazed apologetical y at the gaunt man. “We’l be back to let you out,” I cal ed back.

“Could we be too late?” I said as we rushed by rows and rows of empty cel s.

Up ahead I heard distinctive voices; voices I recognized.

“That’s them. I know it. That’s Matthew and Jocelyn.”

We heard a loud bel ow and the sharp cracking of a whip fol owed by the shal ow yelping of a female.

“We have to hurry, Torrid. I think they’ve already begun beating them down.”

As I prepared to run ahead, he grabben> Taking a slow but steady lead, he walked ahead of me.

“Get these two ready,” a guard shouted. “I think we’l make an exclusive show of these two.

Treason has its own particularly delicious torture.” My heart pounded hard and fast as my fear for them skyrocketed.

“The girl is too weak to stand, sir,” a subordinate answered.

The comment was fol owed by the loud clap of a slap and the dul thud of someone fal ing to the ground.

“Drag her out if you have to,” the guard ordered. A pregnant pause was fol owed by a sinister snicker. “Or better yet, have him drag her out. It would only be fitting, right, young man? You wanted to drag your beloved out of Arcadia and give her a good life? Wel , now you can drag her to her death, watch as she’s torn apart by hungry dogs, then await your own slow torture.”

Our approach brought us past a tal narrow window. I should have trusted my better judgment and kept my eyes straight ahead, but I shot a glance, just long enough to see the horrors that went on out on that field.

The blood, the guts, the death…

Torrid quickly brought his hand to my elbow and steadied me as I wavered. “You're as pale as death. Are you okay?”

Get it together, I silently demanded of myself.

I was stronger than this. I was capable of doing this.

So many relied on me, and right now Matthew and Jocelyn prepared to meet their horrible deaths.

“I’m sorry,” I said as I inhaled in an attempt to get some oxygen to my brain. “I’m good now. I’m okay.”

“They’re about to throw them into the ring any minute now. As soon as those poor souls out there succumb to the dogs, your friends wil be next.” I nodded my understanding.

“It sounds like they’re just two Magical Ones, but let’s assume there’s another one or two guards with them who’ve kept silent so far. With Matthew and Jocelyn so weak, I doubt they’ve bothered assigning more guards to them than that.” Again I nodded, agitated and eager to do something, anything that would help them before it was too late.

“I’m going to go in first and take care of the guard who’s been barking orders. Chances are the others wil cower aw/p>

“Okay, I got it. I’l be right behind you.” Chapter 18

I knew the sounds that echoed around me would stay with me for a lifetime. How would I ever be able to forget such a culmination of fear and terror? As we neared the preparation den, I heard the muted sounds of Matthew’s pleas for mercy. The response was swift and brutal as we rounded the corner and saw a huge Magical One kick Matthew in the bel y.

Lying on the stone floor, naked save for a flimsy stretch of cloth across his hips, he curled up, moaning from the pain and trying to protect himself from another blow.

“You lousy traitors aren’t even worth my energy,” the Magical One said. “I’l let the dogs take care of you.”

He spat on Matthew’s face and turned to leer at Jocelyn. Shreds of her dress hung loosely on her thin frame, barely covering her up.

“How much more time do we have before they go in?” He approached Jocelyn, his gaze shifting from anger to hunger. Grabbing a fistful of her hair he raised her head off the ground and looked into her shuttered eyes. “Seems like such a waste to throw a pretty girl to the dogs without at least…”

“Brent, you know the rules,” a smal er Magical One said. “No fooling around with the inmates.” Brent raised a murderous gaze at this subordinate. “Are you going to tel Dr. Sanz?” The subordinate swal owed with difficulty and turned away, leaving Brent to snicker in victory. With a harsh hand, he turned Jocelyn onto her back and let his gaze roam over the length of her body, but before his hand could fol ow the path his eyes had taken, Torrid charged in.

Within seconds, he’d grabbed Brent by the scruff of his neck and tossed him effortlessly to the wal .