Exordium (Emberhold Academy #1)

19. Nathan

Chapter 19

Nathan

I felt like my plan was a good one. I thought wandering into the village and pretending to be lost would be my best bet. Thinking they might offer some hospitality or let me camp close by. Thus, giving me more access to the captive and the strange key the woman had used to seal the cage.

Looking out through the bars with one eye, since the other was swollen shut, I was way closer to the captive than I intended. Those bitches were, well, bitches; and so fucking strong. The guy was much larger up close than he had appeared from a distance, close to Jet’s size, in fact. I just prayed he was friendly and would help me figure out how to escape. Hopefully, getting help from the man I was supposed to save didn’t count against me. Now the big guy just needed to wake the fuck up.

Night fell, and Gigantor was still sleeping like a baby. The purple-haired chick had thrown a couple of what looked like turkey legs, into our cage. Since the guy I was here to rescue couldn’t be bothered to wake the fuck up, I ate his. Gigantor owed it to me for the inconvenience he was causing by not WAKING THE FUCK UP. I was going a little crazy being away from my Nexi this long. Those two soulless gingers better not let anything happen to her, or I would skin them alive.

I woke up when I felt a small prick in my arm. One of the warrior chicks pulled a long stick with a syringe-looking apparatus on the end back through the bars. I felt myself getting drowsy and, right before passing out, heard the cage door open. My last thought was that now I knew why Gigantor never woke the fuck up.

When I opened my eyes, I was looking directly at a set of the most enormous feet I had ever seen. Raising my head slightly I saw large calves that led to massive thighs and up to a huge chest.

Jumping to my feet, I stepped back, making room in case I needed to defend myself. The massive guy crossed his arms and stared at me like I was an idiot. I’ve seen the look many times, so it was easy to recognize.

I decided to go on the offensive, “Who the hell are you?” The big guy just continued to stare. “Can you hear me? I asked you a question.”

“Who the fuck are you, boy?” Gigantor growled out in a crazy deep voice.

“I’m here to rescue you,” I smirked, winking at him.

The guy just stared at me like I had a screw loose. I guessed I could see his point. I felt movement, and looking out of the cage, I noticed we were in some kind of wagon. Two large horse-like creatures were pulling them. I could only see the top of the driver’s head, but there was no doubt it wasn’t one of the warrior women. His head was bald and shiny, with no colorful hair in sight.

“Where are we going? Where are the warrior women?” I asked in quick succession, confused by my surroundings. Unlike the beauty of the forest, the road they were on was muddy and rutted from frequent travel. The scenery outside the cage was barren land that looked like several bombs had exploded—no sign of trees or grass. Everything was in shades of grey, brown, and black.

“Damn boy, do you ever shut up?” the giant inquired, running his hand down his face.

“Not very often, if I’m being honest. Possibly, if we did an exchange of information, I’d be less likely to keep asking questions.” I huffed out, crossing my arms over my chest. The asshole reminded me of Reverie’s Grumpy.

“We are on the way to the Coliseum. The Pulchra, or warrior women as you call them, accepted payment, or in my case, a reward from the Brummond.” Gigantor reluctantly spit out.

“Dare I ask who the hell the Brummond is? And why a Coliseum?” I mean damn, was this guy charged by the word or something.

The giant’s pale skin turned a mottled shade of red, apparently aggravated with even more questions from me. “The Brummond is the Faction that owns the Coliseum. I know you’ve heard of the Coliseum, boy, no need to pretend ignorance.”

Faction? What dimension was I in? Could this be Aurathia? I replied dazedly still trying to figure out what was going on, “I don’t know anything about the Coliseum, Gigantor, and I don’t appreciate being called a boy when I’m clearly a man.” This dude must be blind.

“Who the fuck are you calling Gigantor?” Gigantor growled out.

“I didn’t mean any disrespect, but you haven’t offered your name, and let’s face it, you’re freaking massive,” I murmured, trying to calm the large man. The only way I could win a fight with this guy was by using my abilities, and they weren’t dependable right now.

“You can call me Hayes, boy. I’ve seen no evidence of man-like behavior from you, so boy is what I’m calling you. What Faction do you belong to?” Hayes asked, narrowing his eyes.

I decided I should only give out information sparingly until I understood more of what was happening. “No Faction. I was just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Looking at me doubtfully, Hayes replied, “I hope that’s not true because if it is, you’re in deep shit. Fighting in the Coliseum is hard enough with a Faction, but without one, it’s impossible.”

“What Faction do you belong to?” I was starting to get worried. I needed to complete whatever task I was here for and get back to my Nexi.

Hayes looked utterly devastated for a split second. Then his face cleared, “I’ve been assigned to the Tempest Faction.” I noticed the phrasing. Nothing about it sounded joyful or voluntary.

“If you have a Faction, why were you trying to escape?”

“You act like you’re new to this world, boy. I’ve been fighting in the Coliseum for years. My days will be numbered if I lose the ability to bring gold and prestige to the Tempest Faction.” Hayes sighed; he then sat in the corner of the cage, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes. I thought I heard him mumble, “Why I continue to try and survive is a mystery to me.”

I knew that the big man was done answering questions for now. Leaning my head back, I tried to get some rest. I would need to be at the top of my game when we arrived at the Coliseum.

Waking at the absence of motion, I sat up. We had stopped at a set of massive doors. They had to be at least a hundred feet tall. The walls looked to be made from the same stone as Emberhold. I heard a whirring noise, and the doors started to open. This world seemed to be a strange combination of medieval and modern technology. I saw that Hayes was awake.

“Where are we?”

“Bellona, so it’s called now.” He whispered the last part. “We’ll arrive at the Coliseum shortly. You better prepare yourself, boy. Don’t make waves; follow instructions. I won’t be in the practice yard tomorrow, but I should be the day after. I’ll find you and help if I can.” He seemed surprised that he made the offer.

I nodded and turned to observe my surroundings. We passed a market with many stalls and people everywhere. Some looked human, while others were utterly alien. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was Aurathia. But if so, why was there so much life and people around? The land we had traveled through was horrible and looked like a war had been fought, but the forest was beautiful and untouched. I had always assumed that Aurathia had been made primarily uninhabitable, but other than the dreary landscape, it seemed to be thriving.

After leaving the market area, in the distance, I saw a massive Coliseum gleaming in the sun. It contrasted starkly with the walls surrounding the city because it was pure white.

Surprising me, Hayes spoke, “This was built about ten years after the war. Heads of the Factions come here to choose future members. Existing members like me fight to earn the right to remain in a Faction.”

“Why would you fight to stay somewhere you clearly don’t want to be?” I questioned in confusion.

“Where are you from?” Hayes asked, looking at me with suspicion.

“What does that matter?” I responded by dodging the question.

“It matters because you seem to have no knowledge of how this world works. I have no choice but to fight. If your current Faction rejects you, you must fight without proper food, shelter, and weapons until another Faction chooses you.” Hayes told me, still looking at me in suspicion.

“What about the Passives with no Faction? How do they fight without abilities?” I asked.

“After the injection, everyone has abilities. You run the risk of going insane without a Faction and Nexus to stabilize you, but you’re given no choice except to take the serum. Why do you not know this?” Hayes narrowed his eyes at me. I was saved from answering when we stopped at a gate guarded by two large, beefy guys.

“What do you have for us today, Eugene?”

The bald guy answered, “One newbie and Hayes.”

“Hayes, you said?” the guy on the right asked. He had an eyepatch and greasy long hair.

“Yep. See for yourself.” Eugene smirked. The two guys walked around to look in the cage.

“Well, what do you know? The great undefeated Hayes of the Tempest Faction returns in disgrace. I can’t wait to see what Selene does to your ass. You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t skin you alive.”

“He’ll be lucky if that’s all she does.” The guy on the left smirked, around a mouth full of tobacco, spitting on the ground and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He leaned more toward fat than muscle, and his belly bounced disgustingly when he laughed.

“Go on and get them unloaded. Seamus is near the barracks and will take them off your hands.” The tobacco dude motioned them forward.

Throughout the entire interaction, Hayes and I remained quiet. Hayes had a stoic expression, and from the conversation I had just heard, I felt like he was gearing himself up to face the consequences of his escape.

We rolled through the wooden gates. I thought this was the training area that Hayes had talked about. All kinds of training apparatus and weights were scattered throughout the yard. Stopping at an arched opening in the side of the Coliseum, a small man stood tapping his foot impatiently.

“What took you so long, Eugene? I have things to do, and I can’t wait around on you all day.” Not waiting for an answer, he walked over to the cage and asked Hayes, “Are we doing this the easy way?” Hayes walked to the side closest to the little man and leaned his head down where his neck was accessible. “Maybe you’ve smartened up.” Pulling a small pen-shaped object out, he pushed a button, and it lengthened until he could reach Hayes’s neck through the bars; there was a popping noise. Hayes flinched slightly but didn’t make a sound.

“Now that’s done. You know what happens if you try to leave the perimeter. You have fifteen seconds to return, or the device in your neck will explode. I have no idea what you were thinking running away like that. You’ve always been Selene’s favorite and been given so much privilege. You disgraced her and your Faction. You’ll be lucky to keep your head.” Seamus sneered.

Looking over at me, he squinted his eyes and asked, “Am I going to have a problem with you?”

“I’m keeping my options open.” I winked at the little man.

“A comedian. Fantastic. There isn’t enough time in the day for me to deal with this shit. Lean your head down.” He motioned to me.

I looked at Hayes and he gave a slight nod of his head. I leaned down and extended my neck. I flinched because that shit hurt, but I didn’t utter a sound. The big guy looked at me with the tiniest bit of respect.

Seamus motioned Eugene to open the cage. Hayes and I stepped out, and Seamus turned and led us into the tunnel. We walked a little way and then came to a large room. Seamus stopped and turned to us, “Selene will be sending for you as soon as I inform her of your return. You’ll be put on the roster immediately if you survive her punishment. Turning, he looked at me, “We will have Joseph rate your skill and put you on the roster as soon as he thinks you’ll be a challenge.” Turning abruptly, he left back the way we had come.

At least three dozen men and women of all shapes and sizes were eating and gathered in groups; two guys were levitating and trying to knock each other out of the air with a crowd cheering them on and a guy standing near them taking bets. To my amazement, I saw a woman throwing fireballs in the air and a guy beside her freezing them and throwing them at a target.

A skinny guy with long white hair and midnight skin came running up, “Hayes, my man, I’m glad to see you. I hoped I wouldn’t, but this place hasn’t been the same without you.” I was shocked when the guy pulled Hayes into a bro hug. I was even more amazed when Hayes hugged him back.

“Good to see you too, Damien. How have things been since I’ve been gone?” Hayes looked at Damien in concern.

I noticed the room had become completely silent, and everyone was giving Hayes their full attention.

“Selene has been in a temper since she lost her favorite gladiator. We’ve lost two fighters in the last battle and one in the solo events. Two of them weren’t ready and didn’t have the backing of a Faction.” Damien ran his hand through his hair. “I tried, Hayes, I really did, but Selene knew how you felt about keeping unclaimed out of the fights, so she came down hard on them.”

“Who was the solo fighter?” Damien bowed his head, not meeting Hayes’s eyes.

“Mickey.”

Hayes turned, picked up a chair, and threw it across the room. He then levitated a table and two chairs, smashing them against the wall. Turning, he stormed out of the room.

Damien held out his hand to me, “I’m Damien, a member of the Finnick Faction. Welcome to our Hell.”

I was starting to suspect that this wasn’t a normal initiation. I closed my eyes and tried to communicate with Reverie. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t reach her. I felt such emptiness and despair, for a moment I couldn’t breathe. What was I going to do? How was I going to get back to my Nexi?

I finally managed to take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, I raised my head. No, this wasn’t who I was, I narrowed my eyes in determination. No motherfucker alive had the power to keep me from her. These people had never met someone like me. I smiled slowly, it looked like Hell was about to freeze, right the fuck, over.