74. Jack #2
Marcus Walker had always reminded Jack to be patient, to examine every part of the scenario before making his move.
Another sadistic slap across Aareth’s face woke him from his unconscious state. Aareth’s blue eyes snapped open.
“Good, good.” The man in the golden mask sounded happy.
Redirecting his attention to the flustered throng, he addressed The Order.
“This is a perfect teaching opportunity. That, brothers and sisters, there are those who will seek to prevent us from saving our city. Whatever their reason for trying to dissuade us from our goal, it is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is that they would stand against us rather than with us. Most would simply slit their throats now and be done with them.”
The crowd roared its approval, hands clapping. Some even extended fists with their thumbs pointed to the ground as if the room were an ancient Roman coliseum.
“But we are not animals.” The man in the golden mask shook his head. “We are patriots of New Hope.”
The crowd hushed, mid-applause. Apparently, they were under the impression they were acting in accordance with their leader’s wishes.
“We believe in the survival of the fittest, do we not?” The leader of The Order didn’t wait for a response. “Of course we do. As such, these spies will receive a fighting chance.”
A quick motion of the speaker’s hand brought two masked members standing in front of Aareth and Jack.
Still wearing their masks and cloaks, it was impossible to tell who they were.
One was as large as Aareth. The other was slender.
Despite her cloak and mask, Jack was sure he had seen this exact individual before.
It was the same woman who had defeated them both in the alley after the attempt on the Queen’s life.
Jack looked over to Aareth to see if he had also figured out who the woman was. Aareth’s face was pale. Through long, black strands of his hair and the blood that dripped into his eyes, his focus was on the woman alone.
“The rules are simple,” the man behind the pulpit went on. “If you two kill the two members of The Order, you are free to go.”
Jack and Aareth were roughly pulled to their feet, their bonds removed. Even some of their weapons were returned to them. Aareth’s bowie knife was dropped in front of him.
Hitting the hard-packed sand floor in front of Jack was the case of three throwing knives Aareth had tried to sneak in. Apparently, The Order wasn’t keen on offering a magician back his wand. Little did they know Jack was capable of using the magic without it.
“We don’t use firearms here,” the golden-masked man said. “It’s uncivilized.”
“We aren’t doing this,” Jack said, loudly enough for everyone to hear.
Secretly, he hoped Aareth would have some kind of plan and take the lead.
Another look at the inspector told Jack he was on his own for the time being.
Aareth was still staring at the woman, squinting, trying to wrap his mind around the impossible.
“Yes, you are,” The Order’s leader answered. “Because if you choose not to defend yourselves, you will die where you stand. Let the contest begin!”
A cheer rose again from those seated around them. The man in the golden mask returned to his seat on the raised podium. The guards surrounding the four combatants retreated past the flaming braziers.
Jack reached down and picked up the case of throwing knives.
Aareth made no move for the hilt of his knife resting at his feet. He was, however, whispering something over and over again: “Brenda? Brenda, how?”
Their two adversaries began circling them. From deep within the folds of her ebony robe, the woman pulled out a blue mage sword from a harness on her back. The blade fought against the darkness, adding its unique color to the arena floor.
At once, lines were drawn inside Jack’s mind.
He had seen that sword before. It was the weapon Commander Brookhaven had shown Sloan earlier that same day.
Jack wished he had more time to think through all of the repercussions of this new development, but there was no time.
While the woman circled toward Aareth, the large man moved to intercept Jack.
Aareth’s attacker preferred to wait for an opening, but the man attacking Jack was more than willing to rush in.
“Well, hello, Jack. I was hoping we would run into each other again.” The man removed his helmet, showing a pale face with a long scar. “I still owe you a fair amount of pain for the train incident.”
Jack’s heart stopped in his chest. The man standing in front of him was the assassin leading the attack on the locomotive days before.
The Scar, named so for the long mark across his face, smirked down at him.
The same man code-named Night Walker who had undergone superhuman enhancements in the same cave laboratory where Elizabeth had been taken.
“The cave laboratory.” Jack removed the throwing knives, still waiting to reveal the magic at his disposal. “It was you who was experimented on. You were part of the Vampire Project from the beginning. Specimen R-10.”
“Well, aren’t you a bright one.” Scar smiled, showing off a set of pointed canines. A wet, pink tongue caressed his teeth. “Did you figure that out all by yourself?”
“We can help you. I don’t know what was done to you in that cave, but the Queen?—”
“Ohhhh…” Scar laughed as confusion faded to understanding. “You think I was kidnapped? I volunteered for the program. And it worked. I’m stronger, faster, immune to pain, and the idea of blood really turns me on. I’m the perfect weapon now. I don’t need your help.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could see Aareth dodging sword strikes from his attacker while he tried pleading with her.
The jeers and cheers from the seated mob were so loud, Jack couldn’t catch anything Aareth was saying, but Jack could make a guess he was trying to reason with the woman he was so sure was his dead wife.
As much as Jack wanted to help Aareth, he had his own problems. The superhuman assassin was advancing. Jack took in a deep breath, pushing his earlier defeat at the assassin’s hands from his mind.
Focus. You can beat him. He doesn’t feel pain, but that doesn’t mean he’s immortal. And he has no idea what you’re capable of.
“Don’t think I don’t know about your magic, boy. I’m just not worried about it. By the way, it’s a shame that crazy preacher’s wolf killed your dad.” Scar sneered. “I wanted to test myself against the famous Outland magician. Wish I could have killed him myself.”
Without another word, the assassin charged.