Chapter Fourteen
As I fly, I chuckle at the collection of creatures now in my care, none of which I will allow any harm to befall.
Azul telepathically guides me over the treetops, farms, rivers, and valleys, all while my black wings pump through the night.
I trust my inner alarm to keep me safe from any dive-bombing beasties.
The flight takes most of the night. Weird how I don’t feel the least bit tired.
Soon, the brightly-lit arena appears on the horizon, along with the first red hint of their vermilion sun.
I take my first break in many hours and check in with my charges.
They all need water and some sustenance.
The wood sprite only needs the dew from grass blades and precisely three dandelions.
I hold her over the grass while she licks away, then fetch her three dandelions, which she eats noisily.
The wizard creates a bubbling brook where he stands, by striking the ground with the side of his fist. Both he and the prince drink eagerly.
Bread seems to be their choice of breakfast fare.
This time, with a wave of his hand, the wizard conjures a steaming loaf of cinnamon bread with a bowl of yellow butter, complete with a spreading knife. Both eat quickly.
From a distance, I can hear the crowds cheering and clapping, oohing and aahing.
Yeah, this world certainly has a brutal way of entertaining themselves.
I should probably just let it all go and focus on finding my way home.
But there is a great injustice going on here and, well, someone should do something about it.
“They fight all night?” I ask Pickles, who is licking his chubby, butter-glistening fingers.
“Oh, yes. The Games continue until first light. Day two should be wrapping up now with the coming of morning. The weaker fighters will all be dead by now, though sometimes a weak fighter gets lucky and makes it to the third day.”
I don’t like hearing that. I picture little warriors like Salt Creek forced to stand against ghouls, demons, and warriors several times their size.
The more I think about it, the angrier I become.
These aren’t “games.” This is a slaughterhouse disguised as entertainment, and all to feed their devil lurking beneath the arena. It has to end.
The Dark One. The Devil Killer sword. The king.
Baltazar. The warriors. Demons. They are all here in one place, inside and under the arena.
And there it is, still shining brightly in the morning light, ablaze with magic lights.
The cheers suddenly grow thunderous, which means someone has likely been gruesomely killed.
Not cool, people. Not cool.
Although the tracking magic has been removed from Pickles, I still can’t shake the feeling that the arena itself is aware of our presence, especially after learning that the Dark One and the arena might actually be one and the same.
Which is one helluva crazy thought.
You come up with that one on your own, J.R. Rain? I wonder. Or did it come to you in some fever dream?
I consider my options. I want Salt Creek to stay behind. Turns out she is a mother with two kids. No way I am risking her safety. We will hide her here.
“I can create a bubble from which no one will see her, sense her, smell her, or feel her,” says Azul, shrugging. “Conversely, she will not be able to leave it, either.”
“Can you remove her chains?”
“But of course.”
“Then please create the bubble and remove her chains. She’s been in them long enough. I’m sure she’s been pacified.”
“Very well. The bubble is activated.”
“Where is it? And where is she?”
“She is within it now. And will be invisible to all eyes and other senses.”
“Her chains?”
“Have been removed as well.”
“So she is safe?”
“Very.”
“And trapped, too?”
“Yes, she cannot escape and will stay here.”
“How will we find her again?”
“When I remove the bubble, she will be free and visible.”
“You can remove it from anywhere?”
“Yes, from anywhere at any time. Samantha, she is not happy. She wants to join us.”
“Not with family waiting for her.”
“Don’t you have a family waiting for you?”
“Yes, but I’m experienced with this sort of thing.”
“That doesn’t make it any less dangerous.”
“No, but I trust myself. Besides, I’m pretty sure I’m the star of a vampire mystery book series. Pretty sure my creator has no intention of killing me off any time soon.”
“Strange logic.”
“Maybe, but if it’s true, it means he created you too.”
“I need to process that.”
“Good luck.”
The wizard shakes his long head. “At any rate, it would be wise if we got moving. There will be a lull in the games for the next few hours. The royals and even Baltazar will be asleep.”
“But not the demons.”
“Never the demons, or the Dark One.”
“Great.”
“Not to mention, my village needs me. I do have an underling, but he’s mostly untrained and rather pathetic. Without me, the village will suffer.”
I sigh. “No, I don’t want your town to suffer, but I suspect I will need your help to break into the armory, find the sword, find the Dark One, break the spell, dismantle the Games, bring down your ruler, free the prisoners, and escape home.”
“You suspect correctly. You will need my help for all of the above and more.”
“How long can your town go without you?”
“A day. Two, tops.”
“Okay, so we have two days to take down a kingdom.”
“And destroy the most powerful dark force to have ever plagued the planet.”
“Then let’s get going.”
“Don’t forget the prince. He’s your ticket in and out of the place. Not to mention, the guard and Baltazar himself will be less likely to attack you with him in tow.”
“Exactly. I think we should first find the armory.”
“A wise choice.”
“Do you know where this armory is?”
“I do, yes.”
“Can you make an invisibility bubble around us, too?”
“I can, yes, but you would be unable to leave it or even fight from within it. In essence, you would be trapped.”
“Gotcha. Okay, ditch that idea.”
“Consider it ditched.”
I also ditch the fancy harness since I am now down to just Pickles and Azul, carrying one in each arm. Up and up we go, soaring over rolling hills and wooded valleys toward the massive arena, which still shines with an unnatural brilliance even in dawn’s first light.