Chapter Two
I feel myself moving toward this arena, even as it moves toward me.
Except... I haven’t consciously visualized it.
Da hell? Meanwhile, I stumble forward, my feet landing in soft soil.
The weird man is still hanging onto me. I shrug him off aggressively, even as he cackles gleefully.
“Master will be pleased!” he says over and over.
I inhale air that seems to be of a different chemical make-up. It hits my lungs painfully, but my lungs, true to form, adapt quickly, shrugging off what is potentially lethal poison. Still, it hurts, so I consciously switch off my breathing.
“Where are we?” I growl at the little man. Indeed, I tower over him.
“‘Tis the world of Grandar, my lady. It occupies a space between dimensions. No one can find Grandar. In fact, Grandar must find you. And by Grandar, I mean me!”
“What does that all mean exactly?” I growl.
“It means you have been invited to participate in the Gladiator Games, Miss Moon.”
“Feels more like I’ve been kidnapped!”
“Not quite, but you have been duped. Your own unique abilities have been used against you.”
“Okay, whatever. I’m outta here.”
“Wait! Do not summon the flame!”
“Okay, why not?”
“Because here on Grandar, the mind flame is real and will burn your head from your shoulders.”
“Shut the front door.”
“There is no front do.... oh, what this is another expression from your culture. You are offering disbelief. But let me assure you, summoning the single flame of teleportation will kill you. And painfully, too.”
“You’re saying I’m stuck here?”
“Quite. You are stuck here until you either win or die.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Indeed we will. Here, let me show you something.”
He waves his hand in a circular motion, and as he does so, the air shimmers before him.
Within the shimmering, a hideous face appears.
A man, I think. He is looking this way and that, eyes darting erratically, head turning imperceptibly.
He is panting, breathing through a slightly open mouth.
One side of his face is bloodied, scraped.
A bruise on his chin and around his eyes.
He doesn’t look entirely human: eyes too wide apart, nose too big.
Wait, his ears are pointed. His image hovers in the air before me, displayed within a backdrop of curling mist. The little sorcerer before me continues circling his hand, stabilizing the shimmering mist and, thus, the face shown within it.
“This was recorded just last year, during the last Games. The being you see had won his first two bouts, defeating creatures far bigger than he. But he had grown dissatisfied with the process, claiming he wasn’t a killer and wanted to go home.
Like all combatants, I warned him against summoning the flame, but he did so anyway.
Observe, Samantha Moon, and be forewarned... ”
The scene continues playing out. The man who isn’t quite human closes his eyes...
and his head suddenly erupts into flames.
He screams, clawing at his face, but within moments, he is a fireball.
Seconds later, nothing but ashes drift down from where his head had been.
His headless body pitches forward, dead the instant he tries to summon the flame.
The fire burns all the way down the majority of his neck, leaving a charred space between his wide shoulders.
It is all very hideous and disturbing. Never have I considered that the single flame in my thoughts is a real flame that could somehow ignite.
“Please do not summon the flame, Samantha Moon. It is the surest way to immediately die.”
“Fine, and what happens if I win the tournament? How do I get home then?”
“Those who win are given a small window to return home.”
“Given by whom?”
“His liege, of course. And me, since it is my magic and my spells that keep you bound to this planet. That said, you will have to fight to return home. And not just fight, you must win, too.”
“Where am I, exactly?”
“Grandar is part of a fourteen-planet solar system orbiting what scientists on your home world call a brown dwarf star. A small star with not much heat. You might not realize the cool temperature here.”
“Not really.”
“Well, many do and choose to wear heavy cloaks. I could fetch you-“
“I’m good.”
“The outer planets in our solar system are not fit for life, but the three closest to our star are teeming with it. The planet you are presently on is about a quarter the size of your Earth, and is ruled exclusively by my liege, of whom I am his chief sorcerer.”
“How long has he ruled?”
“Nearly a hundred years, in fact. He and his family have been our rulers since time immemorial. Though we have not traveled through space, we travel between dimensions. Rather easily, in fact. My liege is constantly seeking warriors for his Games, you see.”
“Not really.” I scan my surroundings, not the red sky and weird shapes flying high above. They could be dragons, or birds, or even flying crocodiles. Hard to say. “So, what now, little man? I just stand here until your liege makes his grand appearance and sends an alien to fight me?”
“Close, but the games are still being assembled. They are not quite ready. You will know when they are ready, my eager beaver.”
“Say that again and I will smack you.”
“Noted,” he reddens. “But yes, this is where the tournament shall take place. Perhaps I should show you to your quarters, where you can ‘meet’ the other warriors, though I would recommend you don’t get too chummy with them, as you will literally soon be fighting them to the death.”
“I don’t see myself as a warrior.”
“Oh, but you are Samantha Moon.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Everything is vibration, you see. I have long since been trained in the art of reading vibration. I have followed your vibrational imprint back for nearly two decades. I watched you working for a government agency where you took down offenders and various criminals with your very normal human abilities. Then I watched you do the same with your supernaturally enhanced abilities. Crime lords, murderers, lake monsters, ancient vampires, serial killers, and devils and demons. Lots and lots of demons. The devil one was impressive, I must say, and I took keen interest in that.”
“Oh? Why?”
“It showed a certain fortitude. A penchant for overcoming what seems unlikely. Both of which will serve you well in the games. You gave up the Devil Killer sword?”
“I did, yes.”
“A shame, though it might have given you an unfair advantage.”
“Yeah, probably.”
“And you gave up Excalibur, too.”
“I did, yes.”
“Another powerful sword. But you still have the ice sword, I see.”
“I think so, yes, if it works here.”
“It should, along with your other limited magical abilities, though you will not be able to summon Talos, remember.”
“I remember.”
“A full set of arena rules will be given to you in your quarters, which I would like to take you to now. Before we go, take a good look at the arena where you will fight to the death. Fair warning, once the fight begins, there is no escaping it until one of you dies. At which point your wounds will be attended to and you will be allowed to rest before your next battle.”
I scan the arena as he speaks. It seems to be bigger than what I imagined the Colosseum in Rome looked like, though I wouldn’t know since we never ended up visiting.
Anyway, surrounding us on all sides are dozens, if not hundreds, of rows of seating heading precariously up. Talk about your nosebleed sections.
“Most of Grandar come to watch the fights. This stadium seats many millions of souls. You must fight here, on the ground level, in the dirt arena. This is where you will be forced to fight, trapped by a sort of force-field that will keep you in the arena... until someone breathes their last.”
“A bloodthirsty lot, I see.”
“Very much so, yes. We love a good fight. The bloodier, the better. When a head gets lopped off, the crowd really goes nuts, to use another one of your sayings.”
“Sick, but okay.”
“You are permitted to run for your life, though you risk having the arena magically shrink around you and come face to face with your opponent. But I am getting ahead of myself. The rules are included in your welcome package.”
“Some welcoming. Okay, show me to my quarters.”
“This way...”
It is then that I notice the little wizard is presently hovering a few inches off the ground.
Pretty sure he wasn’t hovering back in my office.
Speaking of which, my memory seems to have fully returned.
Yeah, a spell had definitely been cast on me, the bastard.
Somehow, he hijacked my teleporting. How exactly, I’m not sure.
Immortals can’t be mind controlled or influenced by outside forces. But we are susceptible to spells.
“How did you implant a vision of this place into my mind, Baltazar?” I ask.
“The wizards here on Grandar are very proficient at mind control and mind reading, though the immortals of your world are a tough nut to crack, so to speak. As such, we have learned to confuse our targets with forgetfulness. It makes the mind pliable and suggestive, and gives us a small opening.”
“Well, aren’t you a little piece of shit.”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I had my orders.”
“To bring back warriors?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if you read my vibration, then you would know that I am no warrior. I am a crime fighter and a mama.”
“But you killed your world’s devil, did you not?”
“I did. With a lot of help.”
“From the angels and a special sword.”
“Yes.”
“Well, I happen to think you are ideal, Samantha Moon.”
“You kidnapped me and are forcing me to fight to the death. Hardly ideal.”
“You think that now. Let’s see how you think later.”
He continues guiding me out of the arena, toward a stone archway. I notice again the maroon tint to the sky. I can’t tell if dusk is approaching or if a new day is dawning.