The Gladiator's Downfall
Date: 2018-12-10T18:00:00+00:00
Description: "This is the kind of epic story that grabs you by the throat, chokes you into submission, and leaves you begging for more." -Auryn Hadley, Author of Rise of the Iliri and The Demons' Muse. Mave knows where she stands in life. She’s an Andinna. A member of the winged, horned, and tailed warrior race that the Elvasi Empire defeated in the Hundred Year War and then enslaved. She’s a slave, and has been one for a thousand years, the personal property of the Empress of the Elvasi Empire, since the end of the War. She’s a gladiator, thrown onto the sands of the Colosseum to die, though it backfired
Publisher: Independently Published

The Gladiator’s Downfall

Age of the Andinna 1

Kristen Banet

Copyright © 2018 by Kristen Banet

All rights reserved.

Cover Illustration by Merilliza Chan

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Created with Vellum

Contents

1. Mave

2. Mave

3. Rainev

4. Mave

5. Matesh

6. Mave

7. Mave

8. Mave

9. Matesh

10. Mave

11. Rainev

12. Trevan

13. Mave

14. Matesh

15. Rainev

16. Mave

17. Matesh

18. Mave

19. Mave

20. Mave

21. Zayden

22. Mave

23. Luykas

24. Mave

25. Mave

26. Brynec

27. Mave

28. Mave

29. Matesh

30. Mave

31. Zayden

32. Alchan

33. Mave

34. Mave

35. Luykas

36. Rainev

37. Mave

38. Trevan

Dear Reader,

Andena Glossary

About the Author

Also by Kristen Banet

Sometimes falling is the best way
to learn how to fly.

Special love to Leigh,
thank you for everything.

1

Mave

Mave stood silently as the crowd drowned out her thoughts. The roar of those bloodthirsty viewers was a common sound. She was long used to it. She was no longer unnerved by the idea of thousands of people wanting to see blood on the sands as they sat perched in the comfort of the stands, drinking wine and eating bread.

Down below, two Andinna males fought. One just had his tail cut in half, spraying blood over the sands and some of the spectators, who wildly accepted the blood offering from their entertainment. That marked the quickly-approaching end to the conflict, but he wouldn’t die without proving he was a great warrior. He wouldn’t die without taking his opponent out with him. Mave had seen this before: an almost mutual suicide, both knowing this was the end of them, since they did not wish to continue without each other.

She always thought it was foolish to make friends in the pits. It always ended this way.

The other wasn’t in good shape either. One of his black, leathery wings was torn open to the bone, rendering it useless for the rest of his long life, if he did survive. He had as many holes in him as his comrade.

They had been on the sands for over an hour, in a gruesome show. They were both dripping out their lifeblood, panting from the heat that suffocated them in the middle of the Colosseum. She knew they would both bleed out, still swinging until they fell.

It always ended this way.

“Slave, what do you think of these two males?” a chilling, ethereal voice asked her. Mave was the only slave that Empress Shadra would speak to. “Never mind. They were both old, past a good breeding age. One day, I’ll breed you and have the next generation. First I need to find a male worthy of it.”

You’ll never find a male worthy of me, you old hag.

She didn’t respond to the Empress, though. She had nothing to say to the her. She never did. Shadra knew she would get no response and no amount of beating Mave, torturing her, or starving her would change that. She would not play the games of her owners, end of story. Not after centuries of always losing.

Mave tried to drown out the bitching of the Prince, sitting next to his mother. Once again, he made a bad bet and lost money. He asked the Empress to spare one of the males, but there was no mercy from her. There never was, not for the Andinna. Shadra cared about one thing: how the Andinna could die.

This means nothing. We’re all slaves. We mean nothing. We are worth nothing except the price our owners put on our heads. We are trained to fight and we are only worth the cheers of the crowd.

“Stop, my son. If you threw away your allowance on this, then I’m sorry.”

“I would gamble on your Champion, but it’s not like anyone is foolish enough to bet against her,” Prince Lothen muttered angrily.

“She is quite the specimen,” Empress Shadra agreed, glancing her way and holding the gaze for too long. Mave ignored the stare. She was no one’s Champion except the sand’s. The only reason she held the title was because she refused to die. “Ah, it’s finally ending.”

Mave saw that as well. One dropped to his knees, both his wings now drooping, ruined. His tail, while not sliced off like the other, was broken in more than one place. Blood covered his face as he fell. His opponent fell before him and he pulled his head into his lap, leaning over him, to shield his face from the crowd. She could no longer see either of their tattooed faces. She almost wondered if they were lovers, with the tenderness of the action and the privacy they were trying to claim.

Comforting a companion. Dying together.

She watched them both take their last breaths, locked into that position until someone went to drag their bodies from the sands.

It always ended like this.

Friends, and maybe more, until death - and even that could not part them, it seemed. She promised herself never to make the mistakes they did, like she promised herself every time she saw fighters on the sands as punishment.

I want that.

A foolish want.

Skies damn this existence. Damn it all. If I could kill her, I would. If I could end this and never see this spectacle again, I would.

Empress Shadra and Prince Lothen talked quietly about Anden, a place Mave tried her best to never think about. Anden. Home.

“I don’t want to hear their moaning right now. We send them troops, money to hire hunters, and our own mercenaries to deal with it - and still, they beg for more and give us little in return. A thousand years of their lawless bitching. I swear, I’m going to need to reinvade the damn place if they don’t get their acts together.” Empress Shadra was obviously annoyed. Mave was beginning to find her chilling, sharp, and holier-than-thou voice aggravating. She could only handle so much of the Empress in a single day. Hours in the royal box was too much.

Mave just kept her eyes on the slaves raking and cleaning the sands, laying down fresh new bags of it for the last fight of the day. The old males had gone on for a long time. The last fight would be near sunset, and probably end by torchlight. She didn’t like that. The crowd was more dangerous at night, and more likely to throw things into the arena to cause problems for unpopular fighters.

“Slave, you may go get ready,” the Empress commanded mildly.

Mave turned on her heel and walked out of the box to the back staircase, one that led to the halls the royal family took beneath the arena to visit the pit. She didn’t need to get ready, since she was already in her armor. She just needed to get to the entrance of the arena and claim her swords.

It was a long walk, but thankfully, a silent one. It was late enough in the day that many of the fighters with the day off were at dinner; they would show up once the fight started. Normally they harassed her as she made this walk, hoping to trip her up, unnerve her.

They never succeeded, but they always tried.

Pros and cons to an evening fight. The fighters weren’t bothering her, but the crowd was going to be a pain if she didn’t end it quickly and get out of their line of sight.

Mave made it to her entrance, the large gate that could be hoisted up. She checked the buckles of her armor, then put on her belt, which held the two plain gladiuses she always used. She didn’t need fancy, like some of the other fighters. She just needed a sharp edge. She wasn’t here for glory, only to survive where they all wanted her to fail.

The creaking and cracking of wood and metal, paired with the roar of the crowd, meant that she had been announced. She took a step out of the dark tunnel and onto the sands, the falling sun still overbearing and hot. It felt like she had stepped into the fires of hell itself.

At least I can see the sky.

She saw her opponent on the other side of the long stretch of hot sand. Her sandals, broken in and worn to be comfortable, did not have enough padding on the bottom to protect well from the heat, but it was something she got used to centuries before.

“Are you ready to die?” the male opponent asked as they drew closer together in the center of the arena. He was older than her. With some silver dusting his facial hair, he had to be much older than her, with a half-broken horn, showing he had battled hard for a long time. The red glow of the dying sun made everything seem washed in red, even his black wings that the Andinna were known for. It made the scene look more sinister, more serious than just the hot midday sun’s glare.

She raised her chin arrogantly, knowing her own horns were unbroken. She didn’t bear black warrior markings on her face like he did. She didn’t seem to be a fearsome opponent, but that was only because she won enough to only have one visible scar on her face, compared to his many. Her legs and arms had a myriad of them, but none were vicious or disfiguring like his. She was tough, certainly, but she was female. She would never look as imposing as the male before her.

He turned and bowed to the Empress. Mave just waited patiently. The Empress knew she would not bow to her. Mave owned the sands; here, she was in charge - no one else.

“Are you?” she asked back as the warrior straightened and looked to her. She wasn’t going to die. That much, she knew.

“Arrogance doesn’t become the slut.” The male said it like a wise proverb.

“Foolhardiness doesn’t become the fallen,” she retorted back mildly. She knew it would piss him off, but she didn’t appreciate being called a slut, not by one of her own people.

“I wouldn’t be fallen if it weren’t for you. The Empress’ trophy. Her Champion.” He spat at her feet. “You make a fucking mockery of our people.”

“All of you say that. Every time I meet one of you on the sands, you all say it. In the nine hundred years I’ve fought in this arena, none of you have beat me. Forgive me if I’m not impressed or intimidated by the speech,” she told him. She hadn’t even drawn her swords yet.

She knelt down slowly to the sand and grabbed a handful, rubbing it between her palms. He watched her with disgust. She didn’t even know his name. He was a male of her own race and another fighter in the same hell she was, and she had no idea what his name was. She only knew that he hated her.

They all hated her.

I can’t blame them for it, even if I wanted to. The world is unfair, but that doesn’t mean I have to die for it.

She rose back up as the herald called for them to engage in combat. To the death.

Like always.

She drew her short swords quickly and rolled from the overhead, two-handed slash that had wanted to cleave her in half.

She danced back, circling around him. She considered going for his wings as he spun to meet her, realizing she was much faster than him. She held back, not wanting to cut them free. They were bound like hers, so they couldn’t spread them and fly. He wore the same thin metal collar she did, a slave collar that stopped any magic use, with a ring in case they needed to be leashed or chained. He had the same single right ear piercing as well, emblazoned with a symbol and number. The symbol was for his owner, the number was just his designation, since their names were unimportant to their owners. He was Number Forty-Nine. That was the only name she could give him.

Cattle. That’s all the Andinna were now. Cattle.

Not that she could remember a time when they weren’t. At one thousand and four years old, Mave didn’t remember what freedom looked or felt like. She just knew they were all slaves now and it was her fault.

It didn’t matter anymore. It had stopped mattering a long time ago, since there was nothing she could do to change it.

The only things that mattered now were what happened on the sands and continuing to breathe another day. Those were the only things she ever focused on. That’s what had helped her survive for so long, while others fell to the sands and died. They thought those things really mattered, those things a thousand years past now.

“I’ve seen you practice. You’re a fast little bitch,” Number Forty-Nine commented, holding his two-handed sword close, in a defensive position.

“I pick lighter weapons,” she replied calmly. “You would be fast too if you didn’t use a slow weapon.” She pointed at his huge sword with one of her own. “Sure, if you hit me with that, it’ll do damage, but you won’t hit me with it. I’m the fastest fighter in the pits, not another slow male with another slow weapon.” They all wanted the big weapons that did a lot of damage. Too bad none of them could hit her most of the time.

“Don’t play teacher. I got my ink ages before you were born, in wars that would make your hair stand on end. Ink you’ll never earn. They prove I’m a master at war and an accepted member of our people, which you never will be.”

Oh, he was so right about that. She would need to first make friends among her people if she ever wanted to be considered one of them: an Andinna, one of the warrior people of the skies. That was never going to happen, which meant she would never get the tattoos that decorated the older male. She had earned them, though. Every time she walked onto the sands, she earned them. They were just withholding the right to them from her.

She wished she could say she got over it, but she wasn’t in the habit of lying to herself, not about that. I would give anything for the ink. Anything.

“Stop trying to taunt me and fight,” she said mildly, twisting her wrists to cause her blades to flash in the dying light. He might have fought in wars, but she was trained in this arena and the pits below.

He roared the Andinna battle cry and attacked her. She let him get so close that she could see the long canines of her people. She lifted her right blade at the last minute to block, causing his heavy sword to slide off its target and to the side. With her left hand she delivered a quick upward slash, one he had no chance to parry to evade. He’d let that Andinna temper drive him to make the mistake of getting too close to her.

It was over in seconds. She gutted him.

It was a night fight. She needed it to end quickly before the crowds grew too dangerous and the Empress grew bored after such a long day.

She backed away as his body dropped. He stared in horror at the wound. He wasn’t dead yet. The crowd booed at her, since they had wanted more blood sport. Mave never gave them what they wanted. When they gave her someone who was marked to die, she gave them a long duel instead of an easy slaughter. When they wanted an epic battle, she ended it quickly.

Their wants could go to hell, for all she cared.

“You grew up free and carry the anger of losing it. You never learned how to adapt to the new world order of slavery,” she said to him, knowing only he could hear her. The crowd was too loud. “I only know slavery, only know the ways to kill a single opponent on the sands. I’m a master at this.”

She severed his head and turned away as his body crumpled to the ground.

I hate this.

She shoved the thought away, the pain and regret with it. She had to survive, she always had. It was her or him. She wouldn’t die on the sands, not today, not ever. She would never give the crowd or her people what they wanted. She was never going to die for them.

She didn’t look back as she walked towards her exit. She didn’t feed the crowd’s emotions or revel in glory. She just left, her duty as a slave done. She sheathed her short blades, and rested her hands on the pommels as she walked, ready to pull them if she needed to. There was always a chance, after a fight, that she was going to find trouble.

She was inside the door, and it was closing, before they began to show up. Of course they would be here. Mave was spotlighted under their stares in the dark tunnel.

“What?” she asked, keeping her cool. “It wasn’t any different than normal. You keep sending people to me to fight. I’m not exactly going to lay down arms and die.” She looked out to the group, maybe ten of them. Andinna males. The black eyes, the black horns, the black wings bound together, the tails waving back and forth in irritation. They all had the damned ink, the facial and body tattoos they denied her. Because she was the outcast who only ever killed her own people on the sands.

Not like they don’t kill their own people out there for their own lives. No, they only hate it when I do it. Of course. The vicious unfairness was something that rubbed her raw, but she never let it show.

“For as long as you live, you play symbol for the Empress of her achievement and victory over us,” one of the males waiting on her said. “Why can’t you just die? It would make everyone feel a lot better.”

I’m tired of this argument. Comes up practically every fucking decade.

“It wouldn’t free you,” she reminded him, the ringleader that always said it. Like the others, she didn’t know his name. It was never said to her, never mentioned around her, and their guards only ever said their numbers. He was Number Seventy-Two. “You could kill me here, but you won’t. You would probably all just be executed for it if you did, and you know it. Is that what you want? To kill me and…die for it? What would that get you? Skies, even if I died out there, it would get you nothing.” She didn’t understand this part of their problem. They could hate her, that she understood, but the desire for her to die confused her. It’s not like her death would get them anything. “So here we are. I refuse to die out there for them and you refuse to kill me in here for your own self-preservation. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m covered in blood, haven’t made it to the chow hall, and would like some peace. I had the whore rambling to me all day.”

“Funny, she calls the Empress the whore when she’s one as well,” another male slyly remarked to a friend of his.

Fury spiked in her, a fury that begged for blood. She pushed it back down. The Andinna, all of them, had vicious tempers if provoked to it. She never gave into hers. It only ever led to terrible mistakes. If she picked a fight with one of the ten males in front of her, they would stomp her into the ground. They would never attack her unprovoked, but they wouldn’t blink at killing her in a group if she tested them outside the sands.

“Tell me,” one called as she began to walk past them, “is she as cold in bed as she is in public?”

She closed her eyes as she walked further down the tunnel. She didn’t know the answer, thank the gods. The Empress didn’t bed slaves, only had them beaten - and not even for her amusement. Just to remind them of their place.

Her son on the other hand…or any of the lords or ladies that could buy a night with her…They hated themselves for it, but still, they bedded the slaves.

Mave hoped she would get back to her room and not find a summons to bathe and attend. She wasn’t sure she could handle that this evening, not after the long, hot day of death and blood.

She made it to her small, private quarters in the pit and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. No one was there for her at the door. That was a good sign. The guard right before her room didn’t say anything either. He only moved to open the door to her hall, which she shared with a few other prized fighters that stayed out of trouble and won fights consistently. That was another good sign.

She walked into the small set of rooms and heard nothing, saw no one. Empty, the way she liked it.

As one of the best fighters in the ring, if not the best, she was gifted this small suite, like other prized fighters had. A bedroom with old furniture. A small, private spring bath in another room. That was it. It took her two hundred years to earn it, but she had done it and it had been a boon. Keeping it was key to her survival. She roughly kicked off her aggravating sandals first. She hated the standard footwear of the gladiators. Sometimes she wished for real boots, ones that better protected her feet.

She unbuckled her belt first, sliding the sheaths and swords from it. She laid the blades down gently on her small desk. Her constant and most consistent companions deserved respect. The belt was placed next to them.

Then she went to her vambraces. She untied and unbuckled them, sliding them off then placing them with her weapons.

Mave unbuckled her leather armor next and laid the padded chest piece on her cot. She let her pteruges fall to the floor, the ridiculous leather pieced skirt the Elvasi considered armor. It wasn’t nearly enough protection for her legs, but it was what she had. It gave her range of movement, at least, and it was somewhat easy to wear with her tail.

Finally, her cloth underclothing. Drenched in sweat, she would need to wash them soon or they would be ruined.

Once she was completely nude, she walked to her small chest and reached inside to find clean clothing. Clean cloth pants and a chest cover. She didn’t have any real shirts, but the front cover with buckles around the back worked. There were ways to tailor real shirts that fit around the wings, but she didn’t know how to get her hands on any. The other Andinna had them, but like everything else, they didn’t share.

Selfish bastards. I wouldn’t be so different from them if they taught me anything at all, like they teach each other.

She didn’t put on the clean clothing yet, walking with the bundle into her small side room. She dropped the clothes next to the edge and waded into the waist-deep pool, wiping the sweat and blood off her skin. She wanted to be clean, before anything else. She ran the risk of missing the last call for dinner at the hall, but she wouldn’t eat while covered in sweat, sand, and blood. She had some standards.

Once she was done, even making sure to wet and rinse her black hair, then scrub her horns and tail, she stepped out. A couple of quick shakes of her wings, whatever she could manage with them bound, dried them off quickly enough. She could still move them where they attached to her shoulders, so they weren’t completely immobile.

She didn’t bother drying everything else off. She got her pants on, which had a hole for her tail, and walked out of her bathing room as she put on her shirt.

“Champion. I’m glad to see you are clean. You’ve been summoned.” A human servant stood in the middle of her room. One she recognized. She would like the short-lived man if he didn’t hold the job of bringing her bad news. Plus, in another fifty years or so, he would be dead and she would still be a relatively young Andinna.

“Who?” she asked softly. “Tell me, Dave.”

I already know, Dave. Just say it. Please don’t make me say it. Don’t make me wonder. And for the sake of the gods, don’t pity me for it by beating around the bush like you normally do.

She got her wish.

“Lord Fenoth,” he answered gently. “Mave-”

“Don’t. Just don’t. The pity won’t help. Will I have the two days off like I always do?” Lord Fenoth was going to make her night a living nightmare, but she survived her day in the Colosseum, so she should have a gifted two days of rest. That was something. The timing was impeccable.

“Yes. Tomorrow and the day after. All the lenasti and guards have been ordered, as always, to leave you be and allow you free reign of the pits. You may even see the new arrivals being brought in, if you want to.”

“Oh, how fun,” she mumbled bitterly. New arrivals were almost never good for her. They either knew who she was and hated her immediately, or saw a female and tried to get in her bed. Then they hated her afterwards, because the others would educate them on who she was. Or they would see her fight and hate her for what she did.

“Lord Fenoth will be waiting for you in his…normal quarters.”

“Thank you, Dave.”

“Mave-”

“Go, Dave.” She glared at him until he left. They always tried, the short-lived races, to appease and comfort, to be friendly. They were paid servants, not slaves like her. Only criminals and the Andinna were true slaves in the Empire.

They had no idea how hard it was to watch them come and go, live and die, and know she would continue on in the same hell, unending, for centuries. She had tried once to be friends with a short-lived servant. It had gone well, until the man had died of old age. He had visited her up to his last days, even after he retired from his work in the Colosseum. Then she was alone again.

It had been a painful lesson, one she had needed to learn. Even if she made friends with them, every new generation that passed through the pits, they couldn’t change anything.

“Shit. Lord Fenoth.” She wanted to rage, wanted to break the furniture around her. She wanted to walk into his quarters and slaughter him, watch his head roll where she hadn’t for Number Forty-Nine. She wanted to revel in the blood where she didn’t in the ring.

She pushed it back down.

Killing him changes nothing. I should know that by now. It would only make it all worse. I can’t kill him. I can’t kill the Prince. I can’t kill the Empress. There is nothing I can do to change this, not anything I haven’t tried before.

She finished getting dressed, grabbing her one pair of nice sandals to wear for the walk. She would miss dinner, but that now didn’t matter.

She schooled her face. She needed to get through a night with Lord Fenoth.

2

Mave

Mave woke up in her own cot - a blessing. She didn’t remember making the painful walk back, and there had been times before where she didn’t make it.

She sat up slowly, testing her limbs. An ache in her ribs was the worst, the rest general soreness and an annoying number of healing cuts and bruises. Most of what he had done was already healing. A blessing of being a long-lived race. They could take a good sleep and heal, mostly.

It hadn’t been the worst night with him. He hadn’t been too angry at his own attraction to a barbarian, the Empire’s cattle. Just used her, beat her, and moved on.

A good night. A painful one, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. I got lucky.

She pushed herself off the cot and limped slightly to get to her small bathing room. Her stomach began to growl immediately as she sank in the water to wash the dried blood off. Clean, then food.

It was still early; breakfast was probably only just getting started in the chow hall. She wanted to get there before the crowds. The rest of the gladiators in the pits were probably finishing up the mandatory pre-dawn training.

She jumped out of her bath at that thought. She had to eat before them, or they would make her morning more difficult. They would know what she went through the night before. It was one fate they all shared outside of the sands. Gladiators made money in all kinds of ways: from the sands to the private chambers of those perverse enough to want the night with them and sometimes, to be lined up for the masses to pay a copper star to cop a feel.

Remember, Mave: worthless, except for the price they give you.

She took a steadying breath as she got dressed before leaving her room. When she stepped out, she was grateful for the emptiness of the hall. None of the other fighters were around, even the ones who had the other few rooms nearby.

She walked through the cramped, dark, and moist tunnels towards the central area, where the chow hall was located. They were kept down here so they couldn’t fly if their wings were unbound for some reason. None of the other slaves or servants would ever live in the pits where the Andinna fighters were kept. They had their own living area above ground, working below the earth, but not living there.

She was grateful for it, really. Others didn’t need to see what they went through. The pits changed people, twisted them and ruined them. To keep an Andinna from the sky was...torture. She would know.

She walked into the chow hall and eyed the small group already there. They had fought the day before as well, so they also had the next two days off. It was a gift from the lenasti, their trainers. Fight well and survive, earn some days of privilege.

She went to the human criminal slaves that waited with the bowls and took one from them. Then she went to another slave and held it out for him to put whatever the hell the slop was in it. In nine hundred years, she never bothered to learn exactly what she was eating. It was sustenance, didn’t poison her, and didn’t starve her. Sometimes, after her best fights, she would be granted a real meal in private, but the last time she’d earned that was eighteen years ago. A steak, real red meat, and a loaf of bread. It had been one of the best meals of her long life, but then never happened again. She knew it would happen again eventually. The longest time she had lived on the slop was a century.

She felt the ache that morning. She wanted some real food, like that steak and loaf of bread.

Skies, why couldn’t I have earned some of that yesterday?

She pushed it back down. Wanting it wasn’t going to get her anything. She needed to do something they wanted inadvertently to get a real meal, and she was on a stubborn streak. She wasn’t going to give them what they wanted, therefore she would get nothing.

She sat at her table in the back corner, where she could see everyone else in the room as they came in, got their slop, ate, then left. She ate slowly, not feeling the need to rush. She had nowhere to be after breakfast.

Male Andinna strolled in, already sweating, some even bloodied from the first round of training before breakfast. She took a moment to just watch them.

She didn’t hate the men around her, even though they hated her. She actually thought them very attractive. Their horns, even those with broken ones, were impressive. They all had rugged, masculine faces that they refused to shave. Their wings were well cared-for, even bound. Those wings, which had once darkened the sky, looked strong. Their tails were scarred, but capable of deadly maneuvers.

None of them wore shirts or chest pieces either, only the loincloths and pteruges. She could appreciate the feast for eyes even if she couldn’t appreciate the actual men in the tanned skin. The Elvasi people, their rulers, their captors, had nothing on the warrior Andinna in her mind, not physically. Too angular, too perfect and pretty, and many times too lean. The Empress was a shiny example of an Elvasi. Chilling and detached, cunning, but she would cry if she broke a nail.

Mave wanted the ruggedness of the males in front of her. Not the soft, whining of Prince Lothen, who would undoubtedly summon her again soon. Or the hard cruelty of Lord Fenoth.

She wanted to be in one of those groups, a deep thing inside her calling her to find a place among her people, among the males. Among the rugged sort of men that appealed to her. Why can’t I just not think about them? Why do they call to me in every way? I’d think after nine hundred years of living with them, feeling their disdain, that I’d finally believe I don’t need them, want them.

No, here I am. Staring at them, wanting a connection I’ll never have.

She remembered the new arrivals at that point. New arrivals were always a pain, but it was the best chance for her to have that need fulfilled in a way she enjoyed - at least part of the need. The guy would get heat from the others for going to her cot, but they would both have gotten something none of the others could get. A consensual night with the opposite sex. It wouldn’t give her the community she deeply wanted, but it would give her something.

“Look at her, just staring at us like we’re cattle. Like the Empress does,” one of the males mumbled at a table near hers. She didn’t even have to resist a reaction to the comment. She had been eyeing them like meat for a moment. She just stood up, silencing other comments and conversations all over the chow hall.

She walked slowly through the now-overbearing crowd to the last slave she needed to see. The dwarf reached out and took the bowl from her, and she turned on her heel to head for the exit. Her eyes went over the males slowly as she walked back through them to leave.

They might hate her, but they all stared at her as she left with different things in their eyes - some even wanting. She knew she had to be very careful about turning her back on some of the males in the pits. The pits broke the Andinna, twisted them. Every day, some would draw closer to a breaking point that they couldn’t return from.

She would kill them the moment they hit that point, the moment they tried to corner her in her room or in a dark cell. So she made note of those who looked like her major threats, who drew closer to that line. She would commit those faces to memory and always know where they were in relation to her, if she could manage it.

No matter how many she cut down, there were always more thinking they would be the males who could break her on or off the sands.

She didn’t hate her people, but she damn sure didn’t trust them either.

Mave moved to the training yard, up one of the only staircases out of the pits from the chow hall, where the new arrivals would be unloaded soon. She didn’t have anything to pass the free time with. She hadn’t cleaned her blades and armor the night before, but the idea of missing the show of newbies seemed like a bad idea on this day. I’m too curious to go hide today. Maybe I’ll meet someone that I could like.

She considered what had just run through her head. Don’t be an idiot, Mave. It’s going to be the same sort of new arrivals we always get. She would give the new arrivals a thorough look-over, then head back to her room to deal with her equipment, she decided. Her blades and armor deserved more respect than anything else she had ever come in contact with in the pits. She couldn’t begin to neglect them now, not after so long with only them between her and the grave.

Breakfast was over before anything interesting happened. All of the Andinna gladiators were in the training area now, readying to begin their next morning workout. There were three required trainings every day, on good days. When they were all in trouble, there were four.

They currently had four.

Only last month, Mave had to kill one of them for trying to drag her into a cell and shank her. Or rape her. She had never given him a chance to explain which. She could remember his brain matter when she got a lucky hit off and cracked his head open against the wall.

So, instead of post-breakfast, post-lunch, and post-dinner trainings, they had the added pre-breakfast training. She didn’t feel bad for it, even though she would be back on that dirt in only a couple of days. She could handle four-a-days. They only made her a better fighter.

“They’re here!” one of the males called out, sounding unreasonably excited. Mave looked to the gates. They began to swing open slowly and a large group of Elvasi soldiers walked in, creating a wall between any Andinna and the gate. One even walked up behind her, and she felt the sword point touch her between her shoulder blades.

What in the Skies did I do now?

“I won’t run,” she said, considering that was probably why he was there. She slid her tail around one of his legs, ready to yank it from underneath him. “You new here?”

“Don’t speak, slave, or I’ll run you through for the hell of it. Back away from the gate. Move your disgusting tail too.”

“Yeah, you’re new here,” she commented calmly. She yanked softly with her tail, a warning. It made him stagger just a little, probably not expecting just how strong the Andinna tail could be. The tip of his blade scratched her back. That didn’t upset her. The scratch would heal in less than a day. “Killing the Empress’s Champion won’t win you any favors. Take your blade off me before I take your blade.”

I can, too. Try me. Please. I’ll take the punishment. I’m in a mood.

“You…”

“You must be stupid. Or just that new. Start this morning? I’m the only female Andinna in the pits - therefore, the Champion.” She hated having to deal with new guys. She wasn’t going to make a mad dash for the gates. She had tried ages ago and was lucky her wings hadn’t been ripped off for it. The Empress had stopped at the last minute before executing that particularly unpleasant punishment.

The sword’s sharp tip left and she heard it go back in its sheath. Good little soldier. She removed her tail, a sign of peace. He learned quickly. She tried not to kill any of the guards, but she wasn’t afraid to threaten them and prove she was better. Most had never seen combat before being stationed in the pits, which she probably thought was a trial by fire for them.

They would see combat by the time they were stationed elsewhere. There was no stopping it, not in the pits. Combat, to the gladiators in the pits - and all Andinna, from her understanding - was like breathing, or a daily meal. They needed it like they needed any other biological function.

Mave kept her eyes on the unfolding drama before her, putting the guard out of her mind. The new males were thrown in through the wall of guards, most hitting the dirt, some staggering, and just two standing tall as they were shoved. Those two were the important ones, she decided. Standing tall in the face of a hell designed to break their people said something about their character.

Look at this, Mave. Got some standouts this time.

One was a standard, tall Andinna. His black hair was long and tied back, but she could tell it was wavy, not the most common Andinna feature. He had piercing green orbs set in their standard black eyes, with impressive ink on his face, neck, bare chest, upper arms, and down his abdomen. She had a feeling he had more than she could see. His shoulders were broad and his wings looked strong, trying to press against the bonds that held them tight. His black tail slashed around with irritation. He even had impressive horns. They curled like hers, but were thicker, a bit longer.

To be thrown in the pits and be annoyed with it, not scared, said something for his courage. She was impressed, but wondered at the same time if it was overconfidence. He wouldn’t be the first thrown in with the thought that he would climb to the top and become the best.

He'll prove himself or die trying. I wish him the best trying to unseat me, if that’s his goal.

The other was just surprising. His black hair was short, a more normal cut, but nothing else about him was. He was leaner than most Andinna, and his coloring was off. His eyes were white like the other races, with sapphire blue irises. The iris color was normal Andinna, but not the white. His horns, tail, and wings were a dark, deep blue color that she had never seen before on an Andinna. He was a mutt, that much was obvious, but she didn’t know with what. Even his ink was the wrong color - not black, but instead the same color as his horns. His leaner form and youthful face didn’t appeal to her, even though it was interesting, in a way. He also wasn’t scared, but seemed stupidly excited.

A randy young mutt had been thrown in with them. That one was just going to get himself killed, she decided. She felt bad for the immediate assumption, but mutts normally had shorter lifespans, slower healing, and the culture issues. Andinna weren’t obsessed with purebreds, or distrustful of mutts, that she knew, but they would tease him relentlessly. Teasing in the pits oftentimes turned dangerous. A lot of times, it turned deadly.

Coming in strong like this has probably been the best move he could make. He probably has no idea. I wonder if he’ll keep it up. Others will notice that he’s not a pushover.

The others, being helped up by the older fighters, weren’t ones she found interesting. Standard fare: strong males with their black features and rugged, angry faces. Some held dark tans, meaning they had been in the fields before this. Two had tattered wings, probably destroyed by the grit, dust, and mold of the mines. To those two, the pits were a step up. Dying on the sand of the Colosseum was better than suffocating or being crushed in the mines.

The mutt looked at her and his eyebrows went up. She only stared back at him until he looked to the green-eyed one and elbowed him. Then they both stared at her.

Mave sighed and turned away. Two interesting faces in twenty. Better than most times, but still a bad haul. She didn’t see any of them as potential allies, either. Not with the way those two had just stared at her.

That didn’t bother her so much. She had never had an ally. She didn’t need one now.

Though an ally might be interesting. Different.

She repeated that to herself through a small ache of loneliness, which she quickly crushed. She shouldn’t have even come out here.

She went to leave the training area as quietly as she came, ignoring the stares of the newbies as they noticed her. Whispers broke out, as some inquired as to who she was. No one was brave enough to say her actual name.

“The Empress’ Champion. She’s undefeated. Stay away from the whore. She’s been in bed with the Elvasi since she was a babe.”

She turned back to whoever said that. She kept her face schooled through the lance of hurt and rage, and just met the dark eyes of the male, radiating the same calm she always did. She never gave them anything more. They didn’t deserve anything else from her.

Stand down. We all know who the most dominant Andinna in the pits is. Stand down, asshole, or I’ll find a way to gut you for that comment. Every one of her thoughts was a growl in her head. She wanted to bare her canines and snap at him, but in the end, she also knew she didn’t need to.

He lowered his eyes first.

“Thought so,” she said softly, before turning back to leave. She didn’t stop when the whispers kicked back up.

She went through the chow hall, then the dark halls back to her room. She got to her task without sparing a moment to rest or stop. She cleaned her weapons first, to combat rust. She hoped letting them sit for the night wouldn’t lead to any lasting damage. Next, she took her armor to the bathing pool and scrubbed off the caked-on blood, sweat, and sand.

It only took her until lunch to finish that. She wasn’t hungry enough to leave to eat anything, thanks to the lack of her normal level of exercise during the day.

She lay on her cot and stared at the ceiling instead. She didn’t sleep; she didn’t even think. She just stared at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen. In the nearly seven hundred years she had the room, she had seen it change a lot. Erosion changed the texture of her ceiling and walls at a rate she was familiar with now. She memorized this new ceiling above her. In a few months, it would be slightly different.

She didn’t move from that spot until dinner was called. Even then, she went slowly.

When she entered the chow hall, dinner was half over. She hated the hush that fell over them all as she walked in. She got her slop in silence and saw that her table was smartly empty. The newer fighters must have been warned off. That was good. No fights in the chow hall meant they would all get back to three-a-days soon enough and not continue with the four-a-days.

She sat down and began to eat quietly. Her eyes fell on the two new interesting ones for a second, seeing them deep in quiet conversation with fucking Seventy-Two. Damn. That ended any tiny hope in her that the one with green eyes would want to give her a moment of satisfaction.

Another day gone by. Another set of newbies here to die to each other, to the guards, to her. Another set of people here to hate her too and get it all wrong.

Or maybe I’m wrong, hoping there’s anyone who would accept someone like me.

She snorted. This is why you don’t go there, Mave. It’s always a disappointment.

3

Rainev

Rainev was shoved forward and walked to Matesh’s side before the damn Elvasi could shove him again. Fucking pointy-eared, wingless pieces of shit. He hated the damn Elvasi. How the fuck did he end up a slave to them?

He’d gotten Matesh and himself captured, that’s right. He needed to remember this was his damn fault. Fuck. I’m never going to live this down.

Skies, I probably won’t even live through it.

He stayed next to Matesh’s side as other males were helped up and the soldiers retreated behind the gate. In only minutes, he was locked in to the ‘pits’, as they called them, with dozens of other Andinna males, ones he didn’t know.

He looked over the crowd and saw her. He couldn’t stop the oh shit that ran through his mind. A fucking female in here? Was this the rumored Champion? He had always chalked her up as a myth.

Her eyes were cold, a silver-blue that looked like cold steel. Cold-steel was a great word for them, he decided, like a frosted blade. Her black hair was tied back from her face, one that was typical Andinna female: not too angular like the Elvasi, but still tougher, more defined than the females of short-lived races. She had one thin scar he could see, running over her right cheek horizontally, like someone had gone for the eye and missed. She wore simple cloth breeches and something to cover her tits. Not a real Andinna shirt, but something.

If he liked women, she would be one he enjoyed. He could appreciate how she looked even if it didn’t do anything for him. She had a dangerous air to her, a power. She looked like she took males, not the other way around.

“Matesh,” he whispered, trying to keep his lips from moving. He elbowed the Andinna next to him to get his attention.

Matesh only turned his head to follow Rainev’s stare. Rainev was curious what his adopted uncle would think of her being in the pits of all places.

“Who’s the female?” another male whispered a couple feet away. “She here to keep us satisfied or something? A whore to play with? With tits like those, I fucking hope so.”

“If she is, we need more. Been a century since I had a female,” a gruffer new guy said. Rainev thought they were both wrong for that assumption as the female turned away from his gaze.

“Seriously, who is the female?”

Soon, the question was being asked by several of them. He and Matesh didn’t say it out loud, but he knew that he, at least, was desperate to know.

“The Empress’ Champion. She’s undefeated. Stay away from the whore. She’s been in bed with the Elvasi since she was a babe,” one of the males spoke up. Rainev didn’t like the hateful acid in the statement, but he wasn’t sure if he had enough information to make an accurate judgement. He learned only one thing from it. The cold, hard truth.

The Empress’ Champion was real. Outside of the Empire, she was only a myth, a scary story to tell children to keep them in line. The female Andinna who played a vital role in their downfall, raised by their conquerors and now set loose to slaughter her own kind in the name of their enemy.

By the Skies, she’s fucking real, and even in fucking casual clothing, she looks dangerous. Nope. I’m never going to live this down, and the likelihood I’ll live through it is shrinking.

The Champion stopped walking away and turned slowly. Her eyes fell on the man who told everyone who she was. Rainev had a feeling she was furious, but her face and body posture, even her tail, didn’t give away anything of the sort. Instead, she was like a statue. Calm. Almost too blank. Wiped clean, she gave them nothing to judge her mood or temper in any way.

That’s unnatural. Andinna can’t cover their temper like that. We don’t have it in us.

“Thought so,” she whispered out onto the crowd. Rainev swallowed a lump that was growing in his throat. That was cold confidence, cold dominance. Rainev had never seen a plain-face female able to make a warrior stand down. The other male must have dropped his eyes, since she seemed appeased. She left then, leaving whispers behind her.

Skies, he’d wanted to drop his gaze and she hadn’t even been looking at him.

“What the fucking Skies?” he mumbled to himself.

“We just met the Champion of the Colosseum,” Matesh whispered. “I wonder what other surprises the pits will have for us. Also, don’t believe what a lot of these guys probably have to say about her. You weren’t there when the war ended. You have no idea.”

“I’m not sure there can be one bigger than that,” Rainev replied. “Alchan thinks she’s not real, not really. Says that she probably died ages ago. This can’t be the same girl, right?”

“Well, there she was,” his adopted uncle answered. “Speaking of…Alchan. Let’s not talk about him, or the others. Their best chance is our silence.”

“They know who we are,” Rainev reminded him. There was no way to keep who they were a secret. “Don’t fool yourself.”

“The Elvasi do, yes, but these males don’t, and we don’t need them getting rowdy because of who we are. It would only cause more trouble. Keep it quiet for as long as you can.”

“Good point,” Rainev agreed, seeing where Matesh was coming from. “So, what do you think is next?”

“We survive and keep our secrets. Nothing else we can do, Rainev.”

“Mutt!” someone yelled out at that moment. Rainev turned slowly to see who might have said it. It didn’t bother him, but he didn’t like it either.

“Yes?” he asked, smiling at the old male glaring at him. The old male’s face was completely covered with the tatua, their people’s ritual ink.

“What are you mixed with? I need to know how fucking fragile you are before I pair you up with someone.”

“Shifter, Clan Wychen,” he answered. Wychen was the clan of shifter misfits. It was fitting, really, considering what Rainev could shift into as a Andinna/Clan hybrid. “Mother’s side.”

“Father was full-blooded Andinna, then?” the old male looked him over. Rainev waited. He’d expected people to call him out, be curious. There was no shame in having multiple heritages, but it brought some curiosity out of others.

“Is. He’s in the Free Cities,” Rainev explained. He fucking hoped his old man was still alive. He was too damn young to die.

“His name?” The old male now just sounded curious.

“Zayden. His father’s name is Zayden,” Matesh answered instead. “He fought in the War. So did I. I’m going to be his partner. I trained him.”

“I don’t remember him, but I didn’t know every soldier. The mutt should know a thing or two. Good to know. Welcome to the pits, you two. Keep your swords sharp…and in your pants.” With that crude warning, the old male walked away from them. Rainev raised both his eyebrows and looked back at Matesh.

“Was he fucking serious?”

“I think so.” Matesh looked as confused as Rainev felt. “Makes me wonder, really. Are they all fucking each other, or is the Champion that much bad news? And is it not allowed to get in a quick fuck? We need to learn the rules, and quickly.”

“We also need to dig into who the Champion actually is.” Rainev really doubted she was the girl from the history. Of course, he was the only member of his family, the Andinna side at least, that wasn’t alive for the war. He really had no idea if it was her or not.

“I’m not so sure of that. I think we should leave that alone.”

“New slaves! Line up for identification tags!”

They walked together to the line forming near a handful of guards. Rainev knew what this was. The damned slave ear piercings marking their number and owner for identification at a glance.

The line moved quickly and Rainev didn’t wince at the sharp pain of the needle puncturing through his earlobe. He was Number Twenty-Two. Matesh was Number Twenty-Three. The symbol on their ear tag with a sun and moon. Rainev didn’t understand what house would use that symbol, since it was the Empire’s herald. They were given bad leather armor, wooden swords, and other nonsense. Even a scratchy blanket for each of them.

“Great,” Matesh mumbled in Andena. Another male grabbed him roughly and Matesh growled viciously at the other Andinna.

“Common or Elvasi only here or they will beat the fuck out of you and try to ruin your wings. Anything, really, except fucking Andena.” The male nearly snarled it out, looking furious at what Mat had said. “You go by numbers now. Memorize them. Names are only for those you trust most. Do you understand?”

“Don’t fucking touch me like that,” Mat snarled viciously.

“It’s fine, Mat. Everyone’s just wound up,” he said quickly, hoping to deescalate before this became a fight. Matesh had a typical Andinna temper and didn’t like being roughed up. “We understand. Won’t happen again.”

“Listen to your mutt,” the other male advised, growling back. Rainev looked at his number. Sixty-Four. “Also, you two have unlucky numbers. The last Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three died yesterday in the Colosseum. Made the mistake of becoming long-term lovers. That’s not allowed.”

“So, we can fuck but we can’t have relationships,” Matesh said, calming.

Rainev resisted a chuckle at his expense. Typical Andinna male. Always thinking with his cock, my uncle.

“You can have sex if you like cock at all, or tolerate it. Just don’t touch the slut. You’ll find yourself alone, with no friends, for that. Plus, everyone she’s ever fucked has died. Poor sods. It’s what they fucking deserved.” The other male chuckled darkly, walking away at that.

“Well, I can at least get some while we’re here then,” Rainev said casually.

“Fuck me.” Mat seemed more plainly frustrated now.

“No thank you. I crushed on you growing up, but you never seemed interested.” Rainev was teasing his friend now, hoping to keep the mood light in the face of the pit’s darkness. At that, Mat glared down at him; Rainev resisted laughing at the hard green stare.

Slowly, Matesh softened and he shook his head, a tiny smile breaking out over his face. “Damn you. You aren’t supposed to be funny. We’re slaves of the Empire now.”

“Oh, how the mighty fall,” Rainev said softly, being reminded of their new life. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” I would give up my wings to not be here. My father is probably hosting my funeral right now. And Matesh? His uncle is probably distraught. I can’t believe I got us captured.

“I might have gotten caught with you, but this isn’t your fault. We weren’t prepared for you being in a bad position. We didn’t know the patrol was going to change course like that.”

Rainev nodded, accepting that. If Mat didn’t blame him, none of their family would. Not that he and Mat were actually related, but Mat helped raise him into adulthood. That made them family.

“Let’s go. I think they are calling lunch,” Mat whispered, pointing to other warriors and fighters moving on, towards a staircase that led down into the dark. The real pits. The wet, dark tunnels and caves Rainev had heard about.

Shivers ran down his spine. Andinna Hell was dark, cold, and wet with no view of the sky, too.

I already hate this. How does anyone live like this?

“We can do this. We can’t break.” Mat’s words were calm, and reassuring.

“Fuck.” Rainev stepped forward first and went down the stairs, with Mat securely behind him, nearly riding his ass so they didn’t get separated.

It led down into an eating hall, where slaves of different races handed out bowls and spoons, then filled those bowls with a tan-colored…mush. Rainev wrinkled his nose, but took his bowl of mush and looked around as Mat got his.

“Let’s find a seat.” Mat pointed to an empty table in the back corner. “No one is there.” Rainev only nodded and followed his friend towards the lone empty table.

“Don’t. Normally I let one of you new guys sit there for some entertainment, but I’m not in the mood for a fight today,” a strong, healthy voice called out. Rainev turned and looked at the number first. Seventy-Two. Realizing he had their attention, Seventy-Two continued. “That’s her spot. She might not show, since she’s got a couple days off, but she’ll gut a male for taking her seat.”

“Why?” Mat asked loudly. He seemed very unconcerned by the idea of the female gutting people.

“She likes to see and hear all of us. Spy, gather information to report back to the Empress.” Seventy-Two waved them over. “Come over here. No reason to test her today. Plus, we’re in the middle of a punishment already involving her. We don’t need to add to it.”

“Good to know,” Rainev said quietly, half to himself, half to Matesh.

“Very,” Matesh muttered back, beginning to walk to Seventy-Two’s table and the ten or so males seated there as well. It was a long bench table, one of the few in the room. Rainev looked around more. Some were squares, some circles. The one in the corner was a tiny circle, only fit for two or three, maybe four people. None of the tables really matched, all being different types of wood.

Leftovers. These were throwaway tables, probably donated or just given to the fighters to eat at.

He sat next to Mat at the table, with a stranger at his left. He looked around. Everyone else was purebred. He wondered if he was the only mixed Andinna in the pits. I have a feeling that standing out like I do is not going to work in my favor…

“What’s your story?” Seventy-Two asked them. He looked at Mat, then eyed Rainev.

“We were free, got too close to some Elvasi, got captured, then brought here,” Mat answered smoothly. Rainev nodded. Simple story. The gladiators around them didn’t need to know they had been in the Elvasi Empire to raid their supplies and kill a high-ranking banker, then rob his bank. They didn’t need the gladiators thinking they were heroes.

The Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company held no heroes. Not anymore. Not since before I was born.

“That’s all? What’s the outside world like? Where did you all live? What’s…” Seventy-Two looked between them. “You’re not going to tell me more.”

“The Free Cities of Olost,” Rainev offered. “But, no, we won’t tell you much more than that. The Empire hasn’t been able to make the Pass without problems, and then they get funneled into the death trap in the Strait.”

“Saying more would risk those who are free,” Matesh continued.

Rainev looked at the faces of the men around them. They all looked like this was astounding new information. Did they really sit here for a thousand years thinking none of their people were free? He wished he could offer them some hope, but Rainev knew that none of his family were the hero types. They were survivors from a time he didn’t know, and they wanted to keep surviving - Mat included. He wasn’t going to give these men any hope for escape or something new out there waiting for them.

As it stood, they couldn’t do anything to help these other slaves anyway. They weren’t even planning on being rescued themselves. They knew the playbook. If one of the family got captured, you held a funeral, not a rescue party. Rescues just led to more dead.

“But there are free ones. Any…females out there?” Seventy-Two’s eyes fell on Rainev again.

“My mother wasn’t one…obviously,” was all he said. Yes, there were free Andinna females, but that couldn’t be confirmed. Not in the Empire, which would send out hunting parties for them, no matter what nation they were hiding in.

“Funny,” the male next to him snorted. Rainev eyed the massive man, who looked down on him with a glint in his eyes that Rainev didn’t appreciate. “How old are you, boy?”

“Three hundred. An adult by the standards of any race. Not boy.” Rainev didn’t like the boy comment. He was a post-War Andinna, but not a child. If he was his mother’s race, he should have been dead two hundred years earlier. If he were a pure Andinna, he’d live to nearly six thousand, if he was lucky. As it was, he would get a lucky three thousand, but none of that mattered. He was an adult by any standards. He reached maturity before he was a hundred. He was just young, too young, by the looks of all the gruff, older males around him. None of them were looking at him like a potential combatant.

Joke’s on them. I was taught by some of the best.

Mat shifted slightly, to touch his side to Rainev’s. A comfort, a show of solidarity. Also a small warning. Rainev didn’t lean into him, since that would be too much, but he appreciated that Matesh was also picking up what the other males were maybe throwing down. Matesh was claiming a family member in front of them, showing he would take offense to any insults to Rainev.

Thank you, uncle.

He listened to them all talk more about how things worked here, focusing on the mush shit in front of him. It was flavorless and the texture of it was vile. Matesh even poured his leftovers in Rainev’s bowl, unable to finish it. Rainev had somehow finished his own and glared at the new portion of mush in his bowl.

“Can’t let you starve, nephew,” he said softly, a teasing smile on his face. “Your father would kill me.”

“Your uncle will kill you for starving too, ass,” Rainev retorted, pouring all the mush back into Mat’s bowl. “I don’t eat like you do. Suck it up and finish your own portion.”

When lunch ended, Rainev and Matesh were the last ones at the table. The Champion never walked in. Rainev was insanely curious, but she never got brought up in conversation past what they had said about her table and this ongoing punishment they were in. Rainev wanted to know how one female got every fighter in the pits in trouble. He knew Andinna females could be rowdy and rough just like the males, but he never knew them to be…mean or evil. They just had hot tempers like the males.

“I don’t like this,” he whispered to Matesh as they got up.

“Me either. Let’s get through our first day of training, though, before we begin to theorize what the hell is going on down here.”

“These males…” Rainev couldn’t put his finger on it. He was raised by free Andinna males. These males weren’t like the ones he knew.

“Something’s wrong,” Mat confirmed softly. “Something down here, or maybe just how long they’ve been here, has…changed them. Never have I heard males talk about any female the way they do about her, which worries the fuck out of me.” He kept his voice very low. “It worries me, with their attitudes, what her side of the story might be.”

“Oh.” Rainev felt like a bag of stone hit his chest. He hadn’t even let his mind go there. Female. Alone. Disrespected, practically hated.

Hell on earth. Or rather, hell under it. I can’t imagine.

“With how they looked at you, leaner and smaller than most Andinna…” Mat shook his head. “Imagine being a female down here for centuries, like she probably has.”

“But getting involved with her brings us trouble from all the males,” Rainev said, nodding slowly, agreeing. This was a bad place for them to be. “I wish we would have been put in the fields.”

“Even for all the undercurrents here, this is better than the mines,” Matesh reminded him. “As much as getting to the bottom of this would be good for us, I want us to stay out of trouble. Do you understand?”

“I do. I have an idea though.”

“By the Skies,” Matesh muttered. “Let’s hear it.”

“Divide our attentions. I’m the last person who’s going to fuck her, and you can let the males know it. I can get close to her, learn what’s going on down here-”

“Rainev, we’re not down here to save them. We’re down here to survive as long as we fucking can. This is not a mission for us. We’re slaves now because we got captured on the mission.”

“Mat-”

“No, Rainev.” Mat growled at him as they made it to the long staircase up to the training yard. A bell tolled and the remaining gladiators in the chow hall ran up behind them to get into the training hall. “Let’s go. Being last will bring attention to ourselves.”

Rainev followed him in dutiful silence. He really wanted to figure out what was going on here, but Mat was the older, ranking male. He should follow orders.

They got to the training area again and Rainev took a deep breath to be back above ground. He hated how his wings were bound, and they strained to be free at the sight of the sky. It was right there. If only he could fly, or shift into the form he was granted by his dual heritage. That would be amazing.

And I could leave. I could go home and take Matesh with me.

He was beginning to see why these males were a little off. Unable to fly when the sky was right there, while they spent more of their time under the earth, in dark, cramped spaces.

He lined up with Matesh and waited for something to happen. When something did, it was something he hadn’t expected. Not at all.

“Welcome, gladiators,” a female voice called over them. “I am Empress Shadra, and you are the slaves who will fight in my Colosseum.”

Rainev felt chills run down his spine as the blonde woman stepped onto a balcony above them. That was her. The Empress herself. Mat was so tense that Rainev could feel it. From the distance, he couldn’t see what color her eyes were, or the finer details of her clothing. She was dressed in a typical Elvasi gown, full and ornate. It hugged her body and flared out past her waist, in a rich blood red - an expensive dye.

“I do not own all of you. Many of you are the property of Lords and Ladies I know personally. Some of you belong to a merchant here or there. But you are all housed here and you will follow my rules. There is no fighting outside the sands or training. If you break another piece of property outside the sands, you will be broken. If you break my property, I will have you executed. You are cattle. You will eat when we tell you to eat. You will fight when we tell you to fight. Is that clear? Let’s hear it. ‘Yes, Empress.’”

“Yes, Empress,” they all called back. Rainev joined in. He had a feeling silence would not behoove him, even though saying the words made his stomach curl.

“I’ll leave you all to the guards and the lenasti.” With that, she turned and walked back inside the building behind her.

Rainev knew what lenasti was: an Elvasi word for trainer, but not exactly. It was a rough translation to Common. His eyes fell on the warrior Elvasi near the guards. They were laughing amongst themselves until one looked at the group of Andinna. He looked up and down the line of new fighters and grinned.

“Now that our beautiful Empress is done, we can get started. Did you like that? She has a special love for the sands of the Colosseum, and the Prince spends a lot of money here. It’s her favorite thing to see every month, the fights. You are all owned by different people, but you all fight for her. You will meet your owners over the next week. They will come back, introduce themselves, give you their expectations.” The Elvasi continued to grin. Rainev hated that perfect white smile already. This Elvasi looked nothing like the Empress. The Andinna weren’t diverse in appearance - one had to look at small features to find differences - but the Elvasi, with their pointed ears and angular faces, were all very different.

“You will spend your days here in this training yard. You will be honed into real warriors, real fighters, or you will go onto the sands and die,” another of the lenasti called out. He was pale with gold hair.

Real warriors.

Rainev had a feeling that no one in the pits had been a real warrior in centuries.

The speeches continued. Rainev listened to the rules and drowned out the rest. He didn’t need to hear how the weak ones would die quickly, fodder on the sands. The strong ones might climb up and gain the right to challenge the Champion, who was not in attendance.

“Positions!” they finally called out. Rainev frowned, not sure where he was supposed to go. Mat grabbed him and pulled him towards a fighting circle, white paint in the grass and dirt to show the allowed area.

“We’ll practice here. We belong to the same person, whoever that is. It seems like everyone is grouping with their own comrades. Some sort of group system at least. We can use that.” Mat explained it quickly, tapping Rainev’s ear tag. It was still sore, but didn’t hurt too much.

“Anyone else with our symbol?” he asked as they moved to the circle.

“I haven’t seen anyone. Could be good or bad. We might be left alone or we might be very vulnerable.” Mat shrugged. “Let’s practice. We can show we’re capable. It’ll help us.”

Rainev pulled the wooden sword he was given earlier and stepped into the circle. The earth was flat, a blessing. Less chance of something stupid like a trip happening.

Mat swung his own wooden sword, something bigger than his own. No one called time for them; they just knew the moment to start.

The wood clashed and held. Rainev didn’t have Mat’s bulk, so he swung his tail to catch the other male’s leg. Mat jumped away with a grin, showing off the long Andinna canines, before he could yank his leg from him. Their tails weren’t completely prehensile, but they had some control. Rainev always used it.

“Don’t be fucking sneaky, Rain.”

“I got to do something or you’ll take my damn head off.” He grinned back and they rushed each other again.

Mat was strong and fast for his bulk, but Rainev had sparred against him since he was a child. He knew all of Matesh’s moves.

They began to draw a crowd as they continued, not even panting from the exertion. They wouldn’t stop until one had a finish on the other.

Rainev landed a solid hit on Mat’s ribs as his uncle slammed his pommel into his back at the same time. It made him wince and dart away from the larger male.

They circled slowly. Rainev took the first attack this time, instead of waiting for Mat to come for him. He tried to press with his speed and smaller stature, but Mat was too well-trained to fall for it. He blocked and parried easily then pushed Rainev back. His tail came out, tripping Rainev over and the tip of the long wood blade touched Rainev’s neck.

“I cede, uncle,” he said, still smiling.

“Good, nephew. We’ll go again.” Mat moved his sword and held out a hand. Rainev took it and let himself get hauled up. Once standing, some claps came.

“So, they are good fighters. I would expect nothing less from the Empress’ newest.”

Rainev looked to the lenasti who said that. “The Empress?” he asked, confused. He looked down to the earth to not offend the lenasti by the question. He didn’t want to get beaten on his first day in the pits.

The Empress herself? Why do I think that is very bad for us?

“Yes. Those tags mean you are property of the royal family, and you both are specifically the property of the Empress. She hasn’t owned more than one gladiator in over nine hundred years. The Prince has tried a couple of times, but until you two, the Empress has always been content with her Champion.” The lenasti looked them over slowly. “Continue. We let the Empress’ gladiators train themselves because she doesn’t offer instructions like the other owners. You just need to show up to training and win on the sands.”

“Yes, lenasti,” Mat said, bowing his head in respect. Rainev knew there was no real respect in the gesture, but they had to play the act.

“Of course. Everyone, back to work!” he yelled out. He glanced one more time at Rainev and Mat. “Best of luck to you both. You’ll need it. She has plans for you and having an association with the Empress hasn’t boded well for other gladiators.”

Rainev’s heart kicked up. I bet it hasn’t.

“See…they definitely know who we are,” he mumbled to Matesh, who nodded in return. There was only one reason the Empress herself owned them. She’d been hoping to catch anyone from the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company since the War ended - and now she had two.

“Let’s just keep training. We need to stay at the top of our game.”

They did so, working through the sweltering afternoon towards evening. No one came to watch them anymore or speak to them. Rainev took some moments to look at other fights. Some used nets and spears, an Elvasi tactic for capturing flying Andinna. Others were using maces, swinging them to cause maximum damage at impact. Some were employing daggers, fast with sleight of hand to trick opponents and get close.

All in all, they had a varied skill set, but Rainev didn’t like that most weren’t employing traditional Andinna techniques. The ones using the nets just pissed him off.

Why would an Andinna learn to kill their own like the Empire kills us? What the fuck is wrong with them?

When dinner was called, he was silently raging at the idea of an Andinna netting their own people. Mat was quiet as well, lost in his own thoughts. When they got their food, Mat led them to the table with Seventy-Two.

“So, you didn’t want to tell us we were owned by the Empress?” Mat asked Seventy-Two immediately.

“I thought it was the Prince who bought you, and I wasn’t paying as much attention as I should have been. Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three used to be property of the wolf Lord living here in the Capital. My bad. You join the company of the Champion, the whore. Good luck with that.” Seventy-Two’s voice was colder now. Less forthcoming, less open than he had been. His face was harder than it had been at lunch.

And just like that, the sands shift and we’re on the outside. I can’t believe it.

It made him exceedingly uncomfortable. Andinna were community-driven, and now he and Matesh were on their own. Two was better than one, but it was still bad.

Mat continued to talk to the other males, but Rainev watched the empty table where she would sit eventually. She was the other gladiator owned by the Empress.

Rainev looked back at Seventy-Two, then down the table. They were all watching back, listening to Seventy-Two and Mat talk about pecking orders, and how Matesh couldn’t change who they were bought by.

Then a hush fell over the table and the rest of the chow hall. Rainev’s eyes went to the door.

The Champion walked into the room. Rainev wondered if she was really the same girl from the end of the Hundred Year War. He still couldn’t believe it. The silent, blank-faced female didn’t seem like she could be the same girl from those days. He watched her sit down and made his decision when she glanced at him, then looked away. Talking picked back up when nothing else happened.

If Seventy-Two and his boys weren’t going to trust him because of a damn symbol on an ear tag, he was going to the only other person who could relate to that.

Matesh is going to kill me, but I won’t deal with these other males. There’s a lone female on top of that. We’re duty-bound as Andinna to find out why she’s alone. It’s not right, not in any way.

Alone was a death sentence for an Andinna and for it to be a female…

No, he couldn’t resist.

He stood up, grabbing his bowl. He tapped Matesh’s shoulder and pointed, then began to walk to her table, where she ate slowly and stared at nothing.

He touched a chair and that made her sharp eyes dart up at him. They were stunning eyes, like lighter versions of his deep blue wings. Set in the black eyes of the Andinna, they stood out like gemstones, clear sapphires.

“We’re both…owned by the same person, I’m told,” he explained. He sat down cautiously. She watched him, like she was ready to end him if he did anything too quickly. When he was fully seated, her eyes darted to his ear and narrowed before returning to his face. “So is my uncle.”

“Do you know who I am?” she asked quietly. Her voice was smooth, with no emotion in it. She talked like an Elvasi. Detached, withdrawn, too formal for most Andinna.

“I’ve heard rumors, but I’m not sure I really believe them.”

“You should. Most of them, at least.” She looked away from him, back out on to the crowd of the chow hall. There was still quiet talking, but they all watched her. Rainev could cut the tension in the room with a knife. “You can sit there. Don’t talk to me. Don’t even look at me. If she owns you too, we’re all in for a bad time no matter what.”

I think I just won something, but Skies if I can tell what that is.

Mat chose that moment to walk over to the table and take a seat quickly. He glared at Rainev, and the sound of grinding teeth could be heard. “Why?” he asked her. Mat didn’t spare any of the caution that Rainev did. “Why are we all in for a bad time?”

“Because now you have targets on your backs and you don’t even have a say in it,” she answered. Rainev noticed she was trying to stay detached. She was shifting her body to create distance, uncomfortable with people sitting at her table with her. He wondered if she was considering throwing them both away from her. Her tail gave a single flick of agitation, but he couldn’t discern much else from her body language, and her face stayed blank.

Her body language is as cold as her eyes. I’ve never met an Andinna so closed off.

“I’m Rainev,” he whispered, as softly as he could. Names were trust here. He needed their only possible ally now to trust him. She knew what life was like in the pits as a gladiator for the Empress and he needed that knowledge. So did Mat.

Her eyebrows went up, just a tiny bit, almost unnoticeably, but they added an emotion to her face. Shock. He’d actually surprised her.

“I’m Matesh.”

Rainev spared a tiny movement to nod his head to his friend. He was picking up on what Rainev was trying to do.

“I like to be called Mave,” she offered, her voice softer than he’d heard it yet. More feminine, more real. It wasn’t as cold or calm, but somewhat vulnerable.

He frowned. Mave? It wasn’t a standard female Andinna name.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mave,” he whispered. He held out a hand but she shook her head at it.

“No. I’m not going to be your ally or your friend.” In an instant, the cold and calm were back. Whatever moment he’d had with her disappeared. “You can sit here to keep from getting jumped. I won’t stop you, but I don’t do friends.” With that, she stood up and took her bowl with her as she left them sitting there.

Rainev dropped his hand to the table and looked at Mat when she was gone from the chow hall.

“What in the name of the Skies was that, Rain?” He snarled at the end of it.

Yup. Mad at me. I knew it.

“She’s our only chance now. You saw how Seventy-Two was acting. I’m not even sure why you sat there trying to convince him we were good people to have on his side. He was cold the moment we sat down. We need to survive? She’s been doing it here on her own for nearly a thousand years. These guys can’t be trusted.”

“She might not be trustworthy,” Mat reminded him harshly. “Shit. Well, you’ve gone and made that decision for us now. I’m going to kill you if we ever get out of here.”

“Sure.” Rainev shrugged. If they got out of the pits alive, he would take the rage of Matesh.

They would be alive and free again. Matesh’s anger paled in comparison.

4

Mave

Mave couldn’t believe it. Emotions warred inside her like a blood battle in the Colosseum. She wasn’t the only gladiator beholden to the Empress anymore. Those two were. The two interesting ones, the Skies-damned standouts.

Rainev and Matesh. They gave me their names! By the Skies, what? I just…

Names. That had surprised her enough to give her name in return. Not that they wouldn’t have learned her name anyway. Every gladiator knew her name, but it felt good to offer it in exchange for theirs.

She barely slept that night, considering it. Why had the Empress bought new slaves? What had they done to get the Empress’ attention? It couldn’t be good for them. Or her.

But they gave me their names. A gift, even if they don’t realize it. How do I repay that?

She lay in bed all night, mostly staring at the ceiling, and as the morning broke, she considered the two of them separately. Rainev had called them family. They didn’t look related at all, but she would allow it. Many males claimed families that weren’t true family. He had also been cautious of her, softer, easier. Wary. He probably thought she would gut him if he screwed up. He was probably right. She would strongly consider it, at the very least.

There’s no such thing as too cautious. Names or not, I can’t let them ruin me.

Matesh, on the other hand, had sat down without a pause and spoke like she didn’t scare him at all. That appealed to her in a strange way. Every male in the pits treated her with a certain level of fear once they learned who she was and what she did to them on the sands. Not Matesh. He just treated her like he’d been treating the old Andinna slaves around them, like he wasn’t worried.

She’d seen confidence before, but every male before him lost that confidence when finally confronted with her and her reputation, her history of killing them. Something had made other males, full of bravado, take pause with her. Not Matesh.

I want him.

That was a truth she couldn’t deny. He called to her like any other Andinna male, but then he wasn’t scared of her. She wanted a piece of that, as terrible of an idea as that was.

I want him and I can’t have him. Just another truth she couldn’t deny.

She went to breakfast when the bell tolled and sat down in her normal spot. Rainev and Matesh entered and sat down quickly after her, looking less put together than they had the day before, but not worked. They must not have been on four-a-days anymore. No more pre-breakfast training.

“The cots here suck,” Rainev complained as he sat down. She didn’t answer, since she didn’t know if he was talking to her. No one spoke to her casually. “Seriously. Also, didn’t see you. Do you have different quarters for females?” He was talking to her, she realized.

Didn’t I tell him not to talk to me? I remember saying that last night. Why is he talking to me?

While his disobedience annoyed her, she was also somewhat happy for it. He wanted to talk to her. She debated for a moment. This could be how she repaid them for the gift of trust the night before. They gave her their names, and she could offer them some information about the pits. It seemed fair.

This is a bad idea, Mave, and you know it. You talk to them more than you have and they’ll have bigger targets.

But I’m also tired of talking to myself. “I have a private room, along with the other four best fighters in the pits. We get privileges, like a small bathing pool and some private furniture.” She took another bite of the slop and continued to stare over the crowd filling the chow hall.

“How do you eat this stuff? It’s disgusting.”

“It’s food. They aren’t starving us.” She didn’t really know how to help this male, but she was beginning to think he talked too much and they had only just sat down.

“Have they starved the fighters before?” This time it was Matesh asking.

“Not the males.” She took another bite. She didn’t see what was so bad about the slop. One got used to it after a time. It was bland, but it was filling and had what she needed to train.

Doesn’t compare to real food, but seriously, there’s no reason to complain.

“What do you mean by-” Rainev began but Matesh cut him off.

“They starved you,” he said, stirring his slop around with the spoon. “Why?”

Is he serious? Why would I tell him that?

“You are both very nosy,” she noted before taking another bite of her food. She turned to Matesh, the one with the vivid green eyes and rugged face. He was in his prime, not a grey hair in sight. She wondered if he was even much older than her.

“Trying to learn about this so we can survive, that’s all.” He leaned back in his seat, ignoring his food now. That annoyed her. Was he too good for the food? They were slaves. A slave eats what a slave is given. None of them were too good for anything.

Time for hard truths. None anyone likes, including me, but truths nonetheless.

“They won’t starve you; you’re male and you aren’t me.” She pointed to the bowl. “If you refuse the food after taking it, you’ll be considered wasteful. The lenasti don’t like wasteful. You’ll be force-fed, then worked until you puke. Repeatedly and for days, then thrown onto the sands, half-starved from the torture and weak from it, to be killed. If you aren’t hungry, don’t show up to the meals. If you don’t show up to the meals too often, the lenasti get curious as to why. Then they start digging into your secrets. Then you are on the fast track to a quick death on the sands versus an opponent that out-matches you. Probably me.”

I’ve seen it happen. Please don’t make me have to see it again.

He narrowed his eyes on her, looking angry at what she said. He picked up his bowl, though, and took several bites without complaint.

Should I have been softer? Lightened the blow? Less rude?

“You missed lunch yesterday,” Rainev pointed out softly.

“I have two days off. Well, one now. Today. I have free roam of the pits and my schedule.”

“How do you get days off?”

“You don’t die in the monthly fights. You have to get chosen for the monthly fights first. Then you must survive them. It’s hard to earn two days off. Sometimes, on major holidays, they will give everyone in the pits a day off. Don’t expect it, since it never ends well. Things get too…undisciplined too quickly.” She rattled off the facts to the two Andinna as they ate. She felt oddly responsible for them. They had no place with the other males because of the tag on their ears, which shared a symbol with the one on hers. Now, she was curious. “Why would the Empress want you two? She doesn’t buy Andinna slaves for no reason. She despises us.”

“You don’t know?” Rainev looked at her with confusion. “Really?”

“Why would I?” she asked softly. She knew what he was thinking. He’d already heard most of the rumors then. She was a spy for the Empress, there to keep her Andinna gladiators all in line, make sure the warriors in the pits weren’t planning rebellion. She had the ear of the Empress and was the only Andinna slave that she would speak to.

That last part was true, but none of them accepted that Mave had always refused to speak back. She hated the bitch. She didn’t stand with the Empress for idle chatter. She stood there because the Empress knew she fucking hated it.

“I figured she would have mentioned something…I don’t know.” Rainev shrugged, then shook his head. “I’m sorry. The rumors…”

“I said believe most of them, not all of them. No, I had no idea you were even coming or would be her property. No, I have no idea why she would want to own you. I don’t know who you are.” Mave went to take another bite of slop and looked down to an empty bowl when she heard metal hit clay. She’d finished without thinking.

“You want the rest of mine?” Matesh asked her, offering his bowl.

“Absolutely not.” She scoffed at him. “Gifts aren’t something that happen here, and we’re all given the same amount of food. Eat it. Don’t pass it out. It’ll get both parties in trouble.”

Rainev glared over to Matesh at that, and he put his bowl back down in silence. She didn’t understand the interaction, as if something had already happened between them about it. She wondered if they were lovers in secret like the other two males, the ones who just died on the sands.

Breakfast was called to a close without more conversation. She considered what she would do with the rest of her day as they left her view, up the stairs to the training area.

Then a thread of curiosity got the better of her. Who were these males to get the attention of the Empress? Could they be the spies the Empress had finally brought in, the spies everyone claimed she was?

They were definitely going to shake up her life, she knew that. With those ear tags, she wasn’t going to be able to avoid them during training. They would all be together. She would no longer just be sparring against a lenasti who had the time for her, or beating on dummies. She had an actual group now.

A group. One of the few things I’ve wished for but never said out loud either. Centuries of hoping and now I have a chance. They want to be my allies. Can I trust them? Can I even trust?

It was one of two things, actually. She only ever had two wishes, nestled deep by her heart. Ones she couldn’t speak. Ones she shouldn’t even acknowledge: acceptance and an end to the hell she was doomed to.

So, they would shake up her life. She just needed to know how much and for how long.

She gave her bowl to the dwarf slave, who grumbled because she was late with it. She didn’t react. He was a murderer. He deserved to be in the pits just as much as the rest of them and could deal with her being a few minutes late with the last bowl.

She moved up the stairs and saw the two males already sparring in a circle. They were both fast, with Rainev seeming to match her own speed. They didn’t use anything specialized, like nets or spears, instead each having a wooden sword. Rainev used a gladius, something she used. She used hers in pairs - not proper technique, but she enjoyed it - while he paired his with a small shield.

Matesh was using a larger two-handed sword, like several other big males did. He wasn’t slow with it, though. He was nearly as fast as Rainev, forcing the smaller male to be tactical, moving around the outside and into Matesh’s unprotected areas.

They were skilled. Very skilled. They didn’t fight for the sand, though. This seemed like general sparring, and they didn’t do anything dirty to get the upper hand. That would need to change if they were going to live through the next fights. They would be chosen, that much was certain, but living through it was another story.

She crossed her arms, interested now in a way she hadn’t been in years. The warriors in the pits with her had always been good, but nothing great. She didn’t think she was great, just a survivor. She just refused to die since it was the only real control she had over her existence.

These two were bordering on great in comparison to everyone else here.

I hope they’re stubborn like me. With skills like theirs, they could do really well down here. Or make a lot of enemies.

She needed to know their story. They were too far from the norm, and that had her curious and very worried.

She watched their entire training in silence, ignoring the stares and comments of other gladiators as they moved around her or did their own thing. Their habit of gossiping was, in her mind, one of the reasons they didn’t get as good as her. She didn’t waste her time like any of them. Can’t gossip if there’s no one who will gossip with me.

These new two didn’t either. They ignored those who stopped and watched, including her, and just continued without a word except to talk about form here or there. They joked once or twice in the middle of combat.

She watched them until the lunch bell rang. Then they acknowledged her.

“Like what you saw?” Matesh asked her without preamble. She let her eyes drift over his chest. He’d thrown away his shirt during training, revealing a broad chest and thick arms full of the black Andinna ink their people could earn. It was swirling, strangely delicate in some places, hard lines and sharp angles in others. She hit the line of his own new gladiator skirt, the pteruges, and went back up to his green eyes. He had an arrogant smirk that annoyed her, one so bold that it showed off one of his sharp canines. “Like what you see?”

Yes.

“No.” She turned around and walked away, back down the stairs to get her lunch. She was seated by the time they came down into the chow hall. She had liked what she saw, until he gave her that arrogant, knowing smirk. She didn’t like that. Too much arrogance, which normally led to a quick death in the pits.

Rainev sat down first at the table and she glanced at him. He still didn’t appeal to her, though she was curious to why his warrior markings were the same color as his wings and horns. He didn’t have nearly as much done as Matesh, but just having any made him impressive to her in a way.

“Why is your ink blue?” she asked. If they would be nosy to her, she would be nosy back.

“The tatua?” Rainev frowned at her. She noticed he dropped to a whisper to say it. “It naturally matches the color of the recipient. Black for all Andinna, since you all have black features, but for us mutts, we’re different and it presents differently. It’s normally done with Andinna blood magic, by a Blackblood that’s trained in the art…”

“You didn’t know that?” Matesh said, an astounded confusion coming from him as he sat as well. “It’s only real ink if there’s no Blackblood available to do it and those are normally redone by a Blackblood later if one becomes available.”

How the fuck would I know? “Tatua?” She’d never heard the word before.

“It’s the Andena word for the markings. They’re normally done through a blood magic ritual. Sure, ink works, because other languages don’t have an exact word that means this.” Rainev waved over his face. “Not all are for warriors. They are granted at certain points in life by family or friends. Respected members of the community oversee it…”

I have no family or friends. And there’s no respect in this community.

“It’s why you having a plain face is odd, as I’m sure you know,” Matesh said, eating from his bowl without hesitation this meal. “By your age, you would have at least been given the Rites for adulthood, which are on the face. They represent that you’ve been accepted by the community, a member of our people. Andinna should never have a plain face by…how old are you?”

She swallowed on the bitterness that flooded her mouth. It wasn’t these two that had denied her this. The marks, the knowledge of them. “One thousand and four years old.”

“Damn, you got me by about seven hundred years,” Rainev said, chuckling. Then he sobered as something passed over his face. “Shit. How long have you been in here?”

“Since I was barely five. Well. No. I’ve been in Elliar as a slave since I was five, but I’ve only been in the pits since just before my maturity at one hundred.” She’d been a slave since a time she could barely remember, and even then, only flashes. She didn’t look at either of them now, staring down at her bowl. Her appetite was lost.

Why did I tell them that? Why are they easy to talk to?

“Do you know what a Blackblood is?” Rainev asked softly. “The Andena word doesn’t translate to Blackblood. Blackblood is a foreigner term, really, something to say in Com-”

“I know what a Blackblood is,” she bit out. She didn’t like that he immediately jumped to thinking she was totally ignorant. She knew what Blackbloods were because she was one. An untrained one, but she had been born with the ability to use Andinna blood magic. She knew only a handful of things in Andinna, tiny pieces she could remember from her distant childhood. The Andena word, Odlura, was one of them. It was also one word that had no real translation to Common or Elvasi. Everyone just used Blackblood instead. “Doesn’t matter. No magic can be used with these.” She tapped the collar on her neck. It itched her skin underneath a little, but she didn’t scratch at it.

“Okay…” Rainev leaned away. He cast Matesh a worried glance that she tried to ignore.

She ignored them for the rest of the lunch meal and didn’t follow them to watch the afternoon training. She was consumed in bitterness and hurt, a wave of it that she couldn’t shove down and lock away. The other gladiators didn’t even see her as Andinna. She didn’t know about the tatua and hadn’t been offered them by the other males because she wasn’t an accepted member of the community or their people at all.

If only they knew that I wish I could change this. That I’ve tried before to free them all from this.

She nearly threw her bowl at the dwarf this time, who didn’t just grumble, he growled. She was feeling particularly nasty and snarled back, baring her long canines, to remind him that without slave collars, she was the dominant species.

“You’ll get killed one day, girl. We’re all just waiting for it to happen. One day you won’t walk these tunnels like you own them because you’ll be in a grave,” the dwarf said in a thick accent that she never could place.

“Then grow some balls and kill me, dwarf, like you did your wife,” she challenged. The dwarf looked away in shame, unwilling to hold her glare. She walked away from him, shaking her head in disgust. She was a slave for reasons beyond her own control. He’d committed the crime that had him banned to this hell. How dare he judge her?

As she went back to her rooms, Dave, the human servant, caught up to her. She wished she saw him on happier occasions, since he was genuinely nice to her, but he only ever brought bad news. She looked down at him, but didn’t break her step. “I bring summons,” he whispered to her. “The Empress has demanded your presence.”

Damn. The Empress needed her on her day off of all days. This happened rarely. Normally, Mave was only required to be near the bitch on the month’s day of ‘games,’ the fights. “Do you know why?” She didn’t stop moving as she spoke, making Dave work to keep up. She was taller than him and had longer legs.

“No. I only received word to retrieve you.”

“I’m clean. I just need to change into my armor. I should be quick.” The faster she got ready, the less the servants were beaten for her being slow. The Empress would hurt people if she dragged her feet.

“She wants you in…something about a dress.” Dave gave a worried, nervous chuckle. “Do you own any dresses?”

Mave stopped walking. Fuck. This was a show, not a private moment with the Empress.

“I don’t, but I know where to report to get what she wants.”

“So you’ve done this before.”

“Several times. All before you were born,” she said, turning around to walk the other way. She didn’t need to go back to her room now.

Dave scrambled to keep up. “So…what’s this about?” he asked curiously.

She wished she had any of his naive curiosity. She had lost the naive part a long time ago. She still had the curiosity, since it would never abate, but she couldn’t allow herself to be naive. It was a recipe for trouble.

“Normally a foreign dignitary from a country that doesn’t enslave our people will come to visit the Empress, and she puts on a show for whoever it is. A show that she thinks she put the Andinna in the collars we deserve, while the visitor is wrong for letting our people roam free,” she explained. He would hopefully tell his successor in twenty or thirty years. This hadn’t happened in over a century, so the humans had lost this part of their education.

“Ah.” Dave gave a scholarly nod. She was annoyed with Dave at that. She normally was. He could be very kind, something she appreciated when it didn’t turn into pity, but then there was scholarly Dave. When he wasn’t trying to pity her, he was treating this entire thing like a history lesson, since she remembered things that the Elvasi Empire wiped from history so current short-lived people didn’t know it. She hoped the next human who walked the tunnels wasn’t such a character.

Kind, but annoying. Dave in three words.

She walked up the training grounds to the exit of the pits. The males all stopped and watched her, curious, but she didn’t look back to see who was watching her so carefully, so intently. She looked up to the guards at the top posts, the ones who opened the gates and waited.

“She’s been summoned by the Empress,” Dave called out for them. The Elvasi Captain gave a crude affirmative gesture and signaled for the gates to open. Two guards walked out and moved behind her, ready to stab her in the back if she tried to run for it when the gates opened. They would escort her and Dave all the way to the center of the capital, to the Empress’ palace, then hand her off to castle guards.

She watched the big gates creak open just enough for the small party to walk through. They wouldn’t risk any gladiators running for it without an entire unit on standby, like the day before for the new arrivals.

Mave walked slowly now, to enjoy having the sky over her as long as possible. The streets of Elliar, capital of the Elvasi Empire, were not safe for an Andinna, but she wasn’t going to rush to leave the sky unless the guards forced her to. It wouldn’t be long. The walk from the Colosseum to the palace was a short one, the two megastructures having been built close together eons before as the central pillars of the city. Everything in Elliar radiated out from them in a circle, to walls that closed the city in and kept intruders out.

Even if she escaped the guards right now, she would need to get out of the walls, and that was where most slaves failed in their escapes, including her.

The sun was high and the city bright from it - crowded, as well, as the markets bustled and bounced with action. Most ignored her, but the children saw her and waved at the Champion of the Colosseum until their parents told them to leave her alone. The slave. Good Elvasi children did not talk to the slaves.

“I heard she eats people!” one boy-child said brightly, fascinated by her.

His mother slapped the back of his head. “Stop or I’ll let her eat you.”

Mave only kept walking, a dark shape in the white marble city. The only colors in the city were the tarps of the market, vibrant and chaotic. The city was restored and cleaned regularly, to keep the Empire’s crown jewel looking as new as the day the Elvasi people built it, millennia before she was born. There was no one alive who was a part of the original construction, including the long-lived races. To the short-lived races, the city had existed since the beginning of time, always there, looming over the plains and forests of the Empire.

It was a towering city as well. Everything was so high, in rigid and clean lines. It rose around her so much that she didn’t have much of a view of the sky. It made her feel tiny. In a sense, it was just as confining as the pits. If the pits weren’t her prison, then Elliar surely was.

At least I can look at the sky without being worked into exhaustion. Though that doesn’t change the fact that I wish I could burn it all to the ground.

The palace came in sight and she knew others were impressed by it. She wasn’t. The palace was bland to her. All white, just like the rest. It had four towers marking four corners of its own walls to protect it from the rest of the city. Inside those walls was a pristine garden the Empress liked to stroll through. Mave had been through it countless times. The main entrance of the walls would take her down a path to the central building, which opened up into the massive throne room - another thing Mave knew others were impressed by, but she hated. There were wings, like the residential area where all royal family members and Lords and Ladies who were in favor held rooms.

The palace would go first, for sure.

They went in a side entrance, though, since she was a slave to be presented. Their escort led her and Dave down a rocky path through the guard to a tiny wooden door.

She stopped at the slave entrance of the palace and waited while one of her escorts knocked on the door. The door opened and she stepped in, immediately getting backhanded by a guard. Blood filled her mouth and she could taste the power in it. She’d heard tales of trained Blackbloods; a powerful Blackblood could slaughter these guards with such a tiny amount. If she were trained, she could use her own spilled blood and do great and terrible things to the guards in front of her. If she were trained and not wearing the slave collar, that was.

“You coming to play, huh?” he sneered.

Not with you. You wouldn’t like it much if I did, anyway.

“She’s been summoned by the Empress,” Dave explained quickly. She knew he was trying to stop further damage from happening to her. She gave him fifty percent odds of succeeding. Sometimes the threat of the Empress worked, sometimes it didn’t.

“Damn. Not today then. Go on.” The guard waved her away, disinterested again. He couldn’t beat her too roughly until after she was seen by the Empress. She hoped this guard wouldn’t be at the door post when she left.

Dave and Mave were left to walk alone to where she knew she needed to be. In the servants’ quarters, she went to the female wing, leaving Dave at the door.

“Ah. You need to be dressed for the Empress, I guess.”

Mave stopped and turned to the old Andinna woman who spoke. A gray-haired, tired woman. She handled menial tasks for the servants in residence at the palace. Mending clothing, washing it. She was indifferent to Mave - a blessing, since most Andinna openly despised her for what she was.

“I do. A dress, though I do not know which one or what color she would prefer today.”

“I have something. I was told to make it several weeks ago. Now I see why.” She waved for Mave to follow her to a backroom. “Gladiator, what do you think this is about?”

“I don’t know,” she answered. She considered, for a moment, gossiping with the old woman. Tell her about the two new males, Rainev and Matesh. She ended up remaining silent as the old female, who never shared her name with Mave, pulled out a new elegant gown in a silver-blue.

“I should have known it was for you. Matches your eyes perfectly, I see.”

Mave wouldn’t know. She hadn’t seen her own reflection in a true mirror in a very long time. Only hazy, distorted broken reflections in the sides of metal, like blades, or the rippling, hard to discern surface of her bathing pool.

“Strip,” the old woman ordered, still holding the dress. “At least you are clean. That’s a blessing.” Mave dropped her clothing in silence. “I will put those away here until you are done, then you can have them back. I wish to have the dress back as well, unless the Empress orders otherwise. That way it can be put away and kept clean in case you need it again.”

“Of course.” Mave stood naked and held out her hand. She could put the smooth dress on by herself. The old female handed it to her, dropped simple sandals in the same color on the floor, then grabbed Mave’s other clothing. With that, she was gone, leaving Mave alone.

It was the most she ever saw of the older female. She had started working in the position four centuries before and never moved to do more than she was asked. Mave knew it was just another survival tactic and didn’t fault the old female for it.

We’re all just surviving in this pretty white hell.

She slid on the silver dress and did the ties across her back. It had four, which would knot and bow between Mave’s wings. It was a pain to reach around and tie it, but she had some experience in the matter. It also dipped so low in the back that her tail had no hole, and it left half her ass out. She tugged it up and wedged it beneath her tail so she wasn’t exposing herself. She would get beaten for that, even though the dress was designed for it.

Once that was done, she grabbed the sandals and slipped into them, tying the ribbons up her calves. Feminine was what the Empress was aiming for, it seemed. It wouldn’t work. Sure, Mave could dress and play the part in a way, but the scar on her face was a sign of brutality. The scars on her arms and legs were signs of hardship and violence.

I’ll never be pretty. I’m not sure why she keeps trying this.

She met Dave back out at the entrance to the female quarters. He blushed at the sight of her and she looked down for better inspection of the dress. It nearly left her tits falling out and her nipples were visible through the fabric. The Empress had dressed her indecently, then. The Elvasi certainly didn’t appreciate sexual clothing like this, preferring things to be left into the unknown. This left nothing to question. The back had been on purpose. They were dressing her like a whore, a prostitute. To appeal and make others want and drool for her, even as they hated her horns, tail, and wings.

“Don’t,” she whispered to the human. “Don’t entertain that thought.” She would not ever fuck a short-lived race or a servant of any race who sent her to the places where she was hurt worse than on the sands or in the pits.

He nodded and said nothing in return, looking away as quickly as he could. They walked in silence until Mave stopped and looked at him patiently. He avoided her stare.

“Where are we going, Dave?” she asked. She had stopped them there for a reason. One staircase led to the Throne Room, while another led to the residential suites, including the Empress’s.

“Residential. Empress Shadra wishes to see you in her drawing room.”

That was the worse of the two options. Mave walked faster, heading to meet her fate on her precious day off. Her now-ruined day off.

Of course it is. I should have expected this, honestly.

Dave called her entry using her full name and then let her in. She moved quickly inside and knelt before the Empress without a word. She barely looked at the room she knew so well - the sky blues and golds. Extravagant and rich. She didn’t even spare a glance for the guests.

“Stunning for her kind, isn’t she?” the Empress commented lightly from her couch. “Put the right textiles on them and they change immensely, the barbarians.”

“She is,” a rich male voice agreed. “I thought you hated their kind, though.”

“I do,” the Empress whispered, running a hand through Mave’s hair. It made Mave’s stomach turn, like it always did. She hated being touched, especially in her hair like this. More times than she could count, someone would grab her hair and yank it. It had been the first way the Empress would punish her as a young female. She’d cut it all off if she could, but the Empress had been less than impressed when she’d done that before. “But this one is special to me. My Champion. Won me the war, then lived in my palace for nearly a century. She hates me so, yet will kneel and let me do with her as I will. She, in a thousand years, has only succumbed to the nasty Andinna temper once. A true testament that their kind can be changed for the better, with time. They don’t have to be brutes or beasts like their cousins, the wyverns.”

“And these two new ones, these males?” another male asked softly. “You’ve never bought more. Most of your Andinna slaves are just attached to the palace. Now you have more gladiators. It’s the talk of the capital.”

Mave registered that. They must be here - and she hadn’t paid attention to the room when she walked in. The new males would have heard her real name then. That was something she didn’t know how to deal with just yet. Normally, the males of the pits hated her at even just the hint of who she was, and these two didn’t. How would they react hearing the truth?

Probably not well, I’m guessing.

“Ah. Members of the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company. They are unique as well, aren’t they? The half-breed is very interesting in appearance, while the other is just so stoic, so strong. I wonder if their little leader taught them how to behave as slaves, because I haven’t found any reason to punish them yet.” The Empress gave a soft laugh. Mave’s heart skipped a beat at the information. The Ivory Shadows. No wonder Empress Shadra was keeping them to herself. Once the pits broke them, she would have them tortured for information. The Empress held a special hate for that mercenary company. “Well, you wanted to see some of my most prized possessions, Lord. Now, shall we talk business? You have news I need to hear about Anden.”

“Certainly, my great Empress.”

It was nearly evening when she was told to leave, along with the males. In the hall, Dave was waiting on all of them. She ignored Rainev and Matesh, who tried to walk close to her. They had just seen her on her knees for hours, dressed like an Elvasi prostitute.

Mave silently sent a thank you to gods she no longer believed in that the Empress didn’t give her to the Lords from the Empire’s more Northern territories for their use. She had before and watched. Fucking Andinna was a perversion to the Elvasi, and Empress Shadra didn’t partake, but she enjoyed shows, entertainment, and her gladiator Champion provided that. On her feet or on her back.

Mave’s stomach flipped once at the idea of other Andinna ever witnessing it. In a thousand years, she’d been lucky it hadn’t happened yet.

She was lucky it didn’t happen today.

“You should all change back into your normal attire and meet me at the back door.” Dave left them standing at the servant’s quarters in silence.

“Mave,” Rainev whispered. “What was that?”

“We were cattle to show,” she snapped, a spike of anger running through her at the stupid question, and pushed inside the females’ quarters before more could annoy her. What the fuck did they think this was? If I could figure it out years ago as a child, then certainly they should have gotten it pretty quickly.

She just wanted to spend the rest of her final day off in peace.

Change was hitting her delicate world balance too quickly. Now she had others sharing the pain and burden of being favored by the Empress, and they were too interested in her. Much too interested.

And she was much too interested in them, as her own people who actually spoke to her without hate and disgust. She had to make sure it was alliance only, to stay in the training ring, and look like any of the other groups that were built. No real friendships. She couldn’t show she truly was too interested in them, as Andinna, as living beings, or it would be used against her.

I can’t fail at surviving now. Not after all this. One day, I’ll find a way to save everyone and end the pits and the slavery. But, first I need to survive these new additions.

5

Matesh

Matesh was tired of his time in slavery at the end of his second day in the pits. He and Rainev had been captured weeks before and immediately brought to Elliar when their identities had been confirmed.

It had been easy on the road, being a slave and staying focused on survival.

The pits were different. They were dark, and the feelings of the other males were insidious and dangerous. Only to see the sky while being worked to exhaustion, unable to fly away from the pain. Then down into the pits themselves, the dark earthen rooms and tunnels where some grew so narrow that only one Andinna could pass through. Too wet, as well, giving everyone no escape from either being drenched with sweat or melting in the humidity. He wondered if winter was icy and cold, where they all froze slowly, or if Elliar was too far south for that.

It's almost ingenious. We Andinna are from the far north, so of course they made a hell in the calm, cool earth for us.

The palace had not been a pleasant experience, either. They had been called out of training by a human servant, one whose name Matesh didn’t care to remember. Not the one he saw with Mave later on. They had been escorted, accosted, bathed, redressed in ‘proper attire,’ and presented to the Empress for inspection.

“I don’t plan on torturing you yet for the whereabouts of your comrades,” she’d told them. “I’ll wait for the pits to do their job first. So be at ease and stand there. Look good.”

Matesh hated her coldness immediately. So callous, so above them in her tone and attitude. She sat down on the couch and called in that Northern Elvasi Lord, the one who ran the territory of Anden. His homeland. It had made him sick to his stomach to hear about it. The towns were growing. The land wasn’t producing enough food. They needed slaves to help, but those were more mouths to feed. On and on it went for what felt like an eternity. They had talked quietly until Mave was introduced.

The name she was introduced by confirmed everything he had figured up to that moment. Every rumor and whisper. Every piece of propaganda that left Elliar.

“Maevana Lorren, slave of the Empress, Champion of the Colosseum, daughter of the late General Lorren of Anden.”

And there’s the truth I had been avoiding.

She walked in with her shoulders square, in a dress that left nothing to the imagination. For an Andinna, it was a perfect dress, if too expensive, but he figured here it was used to degrade her. The Elvasi didn’t like such sultry and exposing clothing, and she was raised by the Elvasi.

He and his adopted nephew had gotten an eyeful of her in that silver-blue dress. Matesh, in any other circumstance, would have been interested in the body. Maevana had a proportional and cut figure. When she knelt, her tits had nearly fallen out of the dress, which shamefully made his mouth water. It was nearly too distracting, her there like that the entire time when he was supposed to be staring at the far wall.

Mave. Maevana. He could see how she shortened the name. He wondered if she realized she really just butchered it. It just wasn’t an Andinna name, not even close. Maybe a Clan name, but not Andinna. She should have picked something else if she wanted anyone to believe it was real.

But there it was, her real name, hanging in his mind. Maevana Lorren, daughter of General Lorren. His only daughter. A prisoner of war who was supposed to be traded back to General Lorren during peace talks where the Andinna gave the Elvasi the trade deals they had always wanted. A concession. A compromise so they could have the babe of a girl back from their enemies with no harm done to her.

He checked out of the Empress’ conversation, unable to stomach more, knowing Rainev would soak up everything and relay anything important later on.

When they were sent out, his eyes fell on Maevana in the hall. Even her ass was nearly completely exposed, showing the place where her leathery tail melded and merged into the skin of her lower back - and more.

Does she have to be so beautiful? It’s hard enough trying to maintain distance when Rainev is pushing to know her, but she’s gorgeous on top of it. Why any male Andinna would be cruel to her when her plight calls to my soul is beyond me.

“You should all change back into your normal attire and meet me at the back door,” a human said kindly. Then he left them standing at the servant’s quarters in silence.

“Mave,” Rain whispered. “What was that?”

“We were cattle to show,” she snapped at him then walked away. They followed, but separated at the male and female servant’s quarters.

Inside the males’ quarters, Matesh released a relieved breath. Damn, that was bad. Not in the traditional sense, like torture. That was something he was anticipating. Rather, the entire event made him feel like an object, an ornament for show. He pulled back on his dirty slave wear and watched Rainev do the same.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, hoping not to get in trouble.

“Yeah. That was weird.” Rainev shook his head as if to clear his mind. “They dressed her…”

“I noticed,” Matesh said between gritted teeth. He had noticed too well how they dressed her. “She is the real Maevana. No doubt. If Luykas were here, he would say the same. Alchan would want to ignore her existence, but he wouldn’t deny it either.”

“I figured that out when the human gave her name,” Rainev retorted. “What does it change?”

“Everything.” Matesh sighed. “The males in the pits obviously know as well. You do know the full story, don’t you?” He hadn’t been Rain’s history teacher growing up. He hoped it hadn’t been missed in his education, even though the female was a sore spot for most.

“General Lorren’s baby daughter, just old enough to flutter and glide, went out to play,” Rainev recited softly, dutifully, to prove his knowledge. Matesh only listened, in case he needed to correct anything. “She and her mother were being kept in a safehouse near the General, but the location was secret. He didn’t even visit them - not often, anyway - to protect them. He and his two older sons were busy fighting the war. She left a trail back to her safehouse. Elvasi scouts found it and went in. They murdered her mother, but no one knew what happened to Maevana when they discovered the deed.” Rainev looked up to him. “Then, a message came from the Empress saying she would be willing to end the war for certain demands, and he could have his daughter back. The royal family agreed. The war had gone on too long and casualties were beginning to grow too high. At the trade and peace talks, the Elvasi murdered the General, his sons, and most of his entourage and backup. The girl was there, and watched in horror, or so say some. Some say she was never there, already being whisked back to Elliar.” Rainev looked down to the floor at that point. Matesh knew his nephew did it out of respect for him. “The army was trapped and defeated without any idea an attack was coming. An ambush on a massive scale. The royal family was assassinated, as it was discovered later, during the battle by Andinna betrayers hoping to secure the throne for themselves through the Empress’ endorsement. So ended the Hundred Year War.”

“All because a little girl who wanted to play went too far from home and left a trail.” Matesh nodded to the doors leaving the male servants’ quarters. He’d been there for the battle. So had all of his family, all warriors. He only had one blood relative left now. He felt the ache of loss more at that moment, hearing it all laid out in such a straightforward way. “That girl is now a woman who has spent her entire life in Elvasi slavery and kills her own people on the sands of the Colosseum with a mythic level of brutality.”

“So this changes everything.”

“It does and doesn’t,” Matesh admitted, correcting himself. “We just know now exactly why the males in the pits despise her. Not for rumors of who she could be, but because the Empress makes it known who she is. She rubs it in with Maevana’s very existence, her life, so they all resent her.” She was just a child, though. I can rationalize their anger, but I still refuse to agree with it.

“And she’s our only possible ally,” Rainev reminded him.

“Yes. I don’t like it, but I’ll admit you’re right. She is our only possible ally. It didn’t look, in there, like she’s the Empress’ spy. She’s the Empress’ pet, a status symbol.” Matesh felt a small wave of pride at his nephew’s immediate good feeling about Maevana, his hope in the female over the other males. He’d been right where Matesh had been disinclined to get involved with the female. Now? They really had no one else who knew exactly what they had walked into, except her. “We’ll work on getting close to her, maybe form a real alliance. That will go a long way. She should have a mayara. I can’t believe she doesn’t.” He began to leave the room, considering the implications of a female without a family for so long and how cruel the males in the pits had to be to leave her without any sort of community.

Does she even know what a mayara is? What it means?

When he realized Rain wasn’t following him, he frowned back at his nephew. “Rain?”

“Mat.”

“You have something say?”

“No. Just not sure I’m ready to go back to the pits.”

By the Skies. I should have known.

“Ah.” Mat sighed and waited a moment longer. He was fine letting Rainev have a quiet moment away from the rest of the shit they were in. While Matesh would rather be back at the pits, he could understand why his nephew felt safer here.

They didn’t get much longer, as a male Elvasi guard walked in. “You two, get fucking moving. We need to get you back to the pits.”

“Yes sir,” they both said immediately, following the guard out.

Mat felt bad for Rainev not being able to steal a little time. The pits were going to be rougher - already were - on his nephew. The other males and their leering were trouble, and Rain was small for an Andinna. They can’t have him. I won’t let them. He’s too good for those disgraces to touch him and ruin him.

As they walked back, Mat made a bold move to say something to the female walking ahead of him. Now that he had seen it dressed nicely, he found his eyes drifting down to her ass. He shouldn’t, and hoped conversation would keep his mind from drifting into thoughts of her in that dress.

“Champion. We should train together when you are available.” He moved up beside her, with Rainev staying right at his back to cover him.

“I will meet you for breakfast and we will talk about that,” she answered without looking at him. He noticed she looked up to the sky instead as they continued to the gates to the training area and the pits. Quick glances at the gold and red sunset above them. He couldn’t deny it was a pretty sight. The white marble capital of the Empire, awash in that glow. She looked lovely in it, her wings looking dark red from it and her black hair reflecting it, adding a depth to the messy long cut she had.

“Thank you, Champion.”

“Call me Mave,” she said in the same detached and formal way she did everything else. Such an Elvasi accent. It bothered the hell out of him, but he understood why she would have it. She had been in Elliar since she was only five.

“Of course,” he replied, bowing his head in submission to her. She noticed that and her eyebrows rose slightly.

“And here I thought you would be too arrogant for that,” she muttered, looking away again.

Why would she think that? Well, now that I think about it, I am pretty fucking arrogant. Or so my uncle tells me often enough.

“You’re the Champion of the Colosseum. I’m confident in my abilities, but untested on the sands that I’m about to fight on. You agreeing to train with us is probably the best training we’ll receive.” He was laying it on thick. He had yet to see her fight, and rumors that left the capital were probably wild exaggerations, but he needed her to think he was down for a lesson or two. He was four hundred years older than her, with combat experience from the Hundred Year War and every day since then. He didn’t really think she could teach him a damned thing, but she didn’t need to know that.

“You know I watched you and the mutt practice today. I know how skilled you are, and I don’t think the sands will be your problem. Let’s hope you can protect yourselves off the sands, though.”

Mat raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“If they could and live for it, they would have jumped me years ago and finished me off when I couldn’t protect myself, like while I sleep. Even then, every so often, one gets frisky and wants to take what isn’t his. The pits are more dangerous than the sands.”

Matesh resisted growling at what she had just implied in that damned-to-hell detached voice. An Andinna male raping an Andinna female? Was she serious? He was already worried about the leering at Rainev and what that meant about the situation. Now he was beginning to truly see that the males in the pits weren’t the righteous old warriors they might have once been - or believed they were. The Colosseum and the Elvasi had long broken them, if rape was their intentions toward anyone smaller or weaker than them in their community.

I can’t fucking believe any Andinna would treat their own like this. There’s no reason, none, that she should be able to talk about nightmares in a way that made them seem like her next meal.

“Stop talking, slaves. You’re getting on my nerves,” one of the guards finally said, before he could open his mouth to continue. “You can chat in the pits, back where you belong.”

He stayed lost in those dark thoughts of what the pits must have been like for her as they were released into the training ground right as the dinner bell rang. She began to walk away from them as quickly as she could, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. “Wait-”

Without a sound or warning, she turned and he felt her nails bite into the flesh of his neck. He didn’t move, knowing she had him. It would take her a second to crush his windpipe and leave him on the dirt.

She had no tells. Not a single one. How in the Skies does she manage that?

He knew that staying calm was his best course of action. He couldn’t give her any fear or any defiance.

“Don’t ever touch me,” she told him calmly. “I have the tendency to kill people for it.”

“I’m sorry,” he offered, truly meaning the words, trying to breathe as her grip grew a little tighter - testing him, certainly. Then she released him and left.

She hates casual touch without her permission. She wouldn’t be the first female I’ve known like that. Not necessarily a bad thing, but in a place like this and with a reaction like that, it only reinforces what I’ve been thinking. I don’t like that.

Rainev had done nothing in the exchange except stare wide-eyed at her hand. “Shit, that was fast,” he commented. “Guess we shouldn’t touch her.”

“Guess not,” Mat agreed softly. His neck would bruise quickly, as tight as her grip had been. She hadn’t been playing around or lightly threatening him. She’d been dead serious. Luckily, the bruise would also fade in the night. “She’s faster than you.”

“She is, but I don’t think that’s what was weird, though,” Rain replied, beginning to walk towards the stairs.

Matesh agreed with that as well. What was weird was her complete lack of warning or display of temper. If touching her was a death-worthy offense, there should have been some sort of emotion to go with it. There hadn’t been a single indication that she was angry in any way. She was coldly calm about it. Touch her and one died. End of story. No feelings about it.

It was the furthest thing from Andinna he could think. They were a brash, temperamental people. Calm was not their natural state, especially when something agitated them. Very little didn’t agitate them. He only knew three Andinna that calm: Rainev; another, who was a mutt like Rainev; and a mute - but even they could have an explosive temper. Normally in battle, where the Andinna temper shined.

He followed Rainev down to the chow hall and sat down at that small table in the corner. He’d been pissed as shit when Rainev had made the decision to sit with her, but now he was beginning to see it was the best idea. He could see everything around him and the other males were looking less friendly every time he saw them.

“How was fucking the Empress’s slut?” one called out, causing several to laugh. “Or did she have one of you fuck the other?”

“Maybe they both got to fuck the Champion!” a second joined in, laughing as he finished.

Matesh bared his teeth at them, his own temper raging up. So this was how it was going to be, then. Getting called by the Empress to do nothing was just bad news.

“You know, I bet they are like her! Telling the Empress our secrets!”

“Fucking traitors,” another growled at them.

“We didn’t fucking do anything,” Rainev snapped at them. “We didn’t ask for this.”

“I bet you didn’t. Too bad the Ivory Shadows aren’t here. I’ve heard they butcher blood-traitors without a second thought.” Seventy-Two said that and Matesh gave a harsh laugh.

The irony. They did, but only if they had a lot of evidence, since killing their own kind was hard to do when they were even more down in numbers than before the war. They could scream that he, Rain, and Mave were blood traitors, but in the end, he only saw them in front of him.

Males who condemn a female the way they have? They might not be betraying each other to their oppressors, but they betrayed everything that meant something to the Andinna. Shaking his head, he focused on his food and Rainev did the same, ignoring the jeers and taunts.

Day fucking two and this was what they were getting. They still had one more training to do.

“At least the post-dinner training is quite short,” he said to Rain, trying for some normalcy.

“Yeah.” Rainev was quiet and Matesh narrowed his eyes at him.

“Nephew. Chin up.” He reached out and flicked the younger male’s chin as he said it. Rainev growled back at him. “Don’t let those fucks get to you. You and I know the truth. The truth will always come to light.”

“Maybe that’s why the pits are so dark,” Rainev mumbled.

Matesh leaned back. Maybe so.

They went through the last training without any issues, then headed to the communal cell they were assigned with eight other males. Ten cots, scattered around a large room, and nothing else. When he looked up, he could see a small grate at the top for air, nearly fifty feet above him.

A pit. The pits. He’d figured it out the night before, when Rain pointed the grate out to him.

He settled on his cot, which blocked Rainev’s from the others’. None of the other males bothered stripping down to sleep in the nude like most Andinna liked to. Since none of them did, he wasn’t going to. Neither was Rain.

He didn’t sleep. He just laid there on his side with his eyes closed, hoping his bad feeling about the night wasn’t going to amount to anything. He heard Rainev shift around, and realized he wasn’t asleep either. They had barely gotten any sleep the night before too. The cots were bad, with little to no real padding, and made their wings, bound down, uncomfortable if he lay on his back, where he would also be crushing his tail. He wasn’t stupid enough to sleep on his stomach, which was more natural. The blankets were scratchy and rough. His tail dragged on the floor no matter how he lay.

He could see how countless days of this broke the males around him. Andinna could sleep standing up, but that wasn’t comfortable. It might be more comfortable than the cots. I’ll try that tomorrow. It would be safer, too, I think.

A tap made him turn over to Rainev, whose sapphire eyes practically glowed in the dark.

“Sleep,” he mouthed to his nephew in Andena. “I’ll stay awake and take watch.”

“Do you want to exchange nights?” It was dark, but their vision was good for night.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” he mouthed back. Rain nodded back and closed his eyes.

Matesh rolled back over so his eyes were on the other sleeping males, if they really were asleep. He was very worried, based on what Mave had said, about being jumped while he slept. If Rainev wanted to switch nights, they could do that - or they needed to find a safe room to sleep in. They had to find some way to make this survivable. That made him remember Mave’s sleep arrangements. Her own room. A blessing in this place. It took her out of a place where her sleep would be haunted. She’d been smart to earn that sort of privilege. Very smart.

It was a long time before Matesh saw even the slightest hint of dawn in the grate at the top of the pit.

6

Mave

Mave met the males for breakfast and got straight to the business of training together. She should have been telling them to work on their own and she would be fine on her own, but she thought on it late into the night. Having partners in training would only help her get better, and they were all owned by the Empress.

This was her chance to have legitimate allies. Like the other circles. They didn’t get in trouble for grouping together based on their owners. She shouldn’t either. This was the established way of doing things. The only thing that had changed was that she had a group now, and they gave her their names and told her things. Things she was desperate to know about her people and their language.

These two are giving me that chance. It’s stupid, but I’m going to take it. It’s the only one I’ve gotten in a thousand years. Why wouldn’t I take it?

Because, Mave, it’ll probably get you killed. Only probably, though. It’s not guaranteed.

“I work with two short swords, the gladius. I know they aren’t the proper sword to dual-wield but they work for me,” she explained to them quickly. “I know you, Twenty-Two, have also been using a gladius. We can work together on posture. Most of the other males here use large two-handed swords. They aren’t fast like you, Twenty-Three.” She was using their numbers to keep their names private. They only offered those names to her, and she wasn’t going to say them where others could hear. She felt possessive of the names. They were hers. Only hers. She didn’t want others to know them like she did.

“The ones we need to be careful of are the net and spear ones, I’m guessing?” Matesh leaned over his bowl to say it quietly, which made her want to scoff. There were no secrets about combat in the pits. Everyone knew how the others fought, since they all trained together.

“Yes. And the ones with maces. We’re not allowed projectiles. We were once, about eight hundred years ago, but someone took a bad shot at the Empress and they were banned.”

“Someone tried to shoot the Empress?” Rain sounded incredulous, but was also smiling at the idea.

“Me,” she answered. She’d been beaten fairly hard for that. She thought she had trained enough, but the shot went wide. She hadn’t accounted well enough for the wind that day, stronger than anything she had trained against.

She still beat herself up for that on occasion. She could have ended it all that day. Killed the Empress, proven herself to her people, and maybe even stopped the pits. Maybe. Just maybe.

Or have gotten myself and all the other gladiators killed. At the time, I thought it was worth the risk.

“Well, damn. They still thought you were on her side after trying to assassinate her?” Rain leaned forward, sounding like he was going to laugh.

“I, to them, did it and missed on purpose, for an excuse for her to remove the ranged weapons so no one else could try,” she explained. “Let me explain something to you. Everything we do will be remade and retold to fit their narrative of us. Everything. There’s nothing you can do about it. You probably encountered it last night.”

“You mean how they thought the Empress was just whoring us out. That we were probably whoring for her. Like I would ever stick my cock in that.” Matesh sounded disgusted with the idea of it.

“Yes. That. It’s why I didn’t come to the chow hall. I considered warning you, but it’s something you have to experience. Nothing you say will ever change their minds. And…the whoring itself is fairly common, just not for the Empress. Whoring in her attendance is rare, and you will never be granted the privilege of sticking your cock in her.”

She watched Matesh and Rainev both cough and choke on their food at that information. She waited patiently for one of them to ask more about it.

“Whoring is common?”

“In her attendance?”

“The Empress…” She took a deep breath. Mave never said it out loud, but they needed to know. They couldn’t be blindsided by it and lose their tempers. They could get killed, and she would lose this new chance at allies. Probably her only chance. “Empress Shadra likes to give her property to visitors for fun. She then watches. As for how common whoring is, you’ll see. You’ll see gladiators, anyone here, disappear for the night. We’re loaned out by our owners for a payment. I’m told my price is quite high due to being the Champion and the only female. We’re expected to make our owners money.”

Silence took over the table as the males processed that information.

Hard truths. Why do I hate shattering their peace of mind? Why do I hate having to give them this information, even if it’ll save their lives?

“Then you come back here and…” Matesh looked out to the other males, all having their own morning conversations.

“This is life here. You get used to it, adapt to survive, or you die.” Softer, she sighed. “Believe me.”

“By the Skies, Maevana-”

“Mave,” she cut him off calmly, holding down her temper. “Don’t use that name. I don’t want to hear it here. I’ve gutted people for it. Mave, gladiator, or Champion. Those are what I answer to down here.”

“Of course, Mave,” Matesh agreed, lowering his head again. The first time he’d done it, she’d been surprised. This time she saw the act.

I can’t fucking believe this asshole.

“Don’t play that shit with me. I know you aren’t submissive. If you want to challenge me, then do it.”

“You got that one male to submit the day we arrived,” Rainev reminded her. “Why does Matesh doing it bother you?”

“Because it’s fake,” she answered.

“It’s not fake,” Matesh growled softly.

“Then overdone,” she corrected.

“That’s more true,” he agreed, looking away this time, realizing he was caught and that she wasn’t going to let up on it. “I figured you were the most powerful female here, and best gladiator. You would be more inclined to trust us if we were both more submissive to you.”

“He’s submissive,” she said, pointing at Rainev. “You’re not. Don’t pretend to be.” She didn’t like it. Him, bowing and cowing to her. She wanted him strong. It appealed to her. A challenge, something to test her will against. A male that really didn’t fear her, and one that she didn’t want to fear. He hadn’t been scared when she held his life in her hands the evening before. Just stood there, waiting for her to release him or kill him. It was why she had tightened for a moment, to test for a reaction. He hadn’t given her one, just slightly more labored breathing.

When there hadn’t been one, she’d respected him more than she had wanted to.

Why do I want this male so much? Is it his attitude? It grates on me but appeals so much. He’s respectful and yet arrogant. He’s aggravating, and yet…here, with me.

“I’m not submissive,” Rainev mumbled, moving his spoon around his bowl.

“You are in comparison to me and him.” She tilted her head towards his uncle. “There’s no shame in it. It just is, and here, it’s important to remember who you are and who you aren’t more dominant than. Normally, the more dominant guys have more friends, stronger ones. Piss one of them off and you’ll end up with a pack of them jumping you in the night. Keep him around when you need to deal with someone. He’ll scare people more than a small mutt can.”

“Are you supposed to be telling us all of this?” he asked cautiously.

She shrugged. Probably not, but I’m going to anyway because I seem to have lost my mind. It’s not like I’m doing anything weird compared to the other groups. “Every group is telling their new ones this right now. This next week will be a lot of people feeling out their place in different pecking orders. I’m in charge in this one.” She directed that last line to Matesh. “Everyone is getting the basic education. Being a loner, figuring this all out on your own? Not many survive it.”

“So-”

The breakfast bell rang and ended the meal, cutting off Rainev. She just stood up and took her bowl to the dwarf, letting them follow behind her. They were all prepared already, so there was no reason to wait. She pulled her swords, showing them that she kept sharp steel on her.

“One of your privileges?” Rainev asked, pointing at them.

“That’s right. There’s a few of us. Other gladiators aren’t allowed in our space unaccompanied, so the weapons are secure when we aren’t there. We also don’t mess with each other, since it’s not worth it. Those four are still alive and where they are because they ignored me and the others when they got here. They all did well by themselves first and stayed out of trouble.” She pointed her sword at one of the other good gladiators and his one and only comrade, a training partner. She pointed to another and he had three friends, all young, born post-War like him. Those other good warriors had earned their owners enough money to buy more gladiators, giving them those friends. “Now. Let’s train.”

Matesh grinned at her, stepping into the training circle with her. She was going to use her steel, like she always did. If he got cut, then he would need to get faster, she decided. It would teach him.

I’m going to wipe that nice-looking grin off his face. Maybe then I’ll like him less.

She didn’t know what she expected, but he was on her faster than anyone she’d fought against before. She crossed her blades and caught his wooden one as it came down. He was too far from her to grab and pull, but not too far for him to deliver a kick that had her jumping back to dodge and breaking the block.

The training yard went silent. It was the closest someone had come to hitting her in years.

She begrudgingly realized they had been holding back in their sparring. She gladly would have the two best new fighters on her side, though. If she was going to take the risk, at least they were good. And they gave me their names.

He came for her again and this time she sidestepped, going to cut his side. She was moving fast, but she didn’t put power behind the blow. A thin red line opened on his side. If she hadn’t held back, she would have opened him up like a slaughtered pig.

“That stings,” he noted. He looked down at it, touching it lightly.

“You should clean it when training is over.”

“I’ll be healed in a day or two,” he said, shrugging as if the injury didn’t bother him.

“If that shit gets infected, nothing will save you. No one has any herbs for us down here and there are damned sure no healers.” She didn’t need him to be stubborn now. It was an easy fix. Keep it clean. That’s all she was asking.

“Clean it, uncle. I’ll spar with her.” Rainev stepped in, hitting Matesh’s shoulder as he did. “Go.”

Matesh nodded slowly, recognizing her wisdom. She had seen limbs get lost and good warriors fall thanks to infections. She needed to do something to keep her allies alive from the stupid stuff.

“Maybe you shouldn’t use the steel,” he mumbled as he went.

“Move faster,” she told him. That was the lesson here. And keeping those cuts clean, even the small ones. She knew he could do it.

She charged Rainev and he did much better; his shield and gladius use was expert. He was faster, just like her, and smart. That much she had already known. He had been holding back as well, goofing off with Matesh. Now she was seeing that he was efficient as well as tactical.

When he got a sharp hit on her ribs, she raised her hands, lifting her blades to show she was accepting that she messed up.

Now people were watching carefully.

Good. Watch us. Realize we’re better and back off. I not only have training partners, but they can land a hit on me, something only a very few of you have ever done out of desperation.

“The shield helps,” he said, holding it up. “Why do you go with no real defensive options?”

“It gives me fewer options in killing the other person.”

I’m a simple slave with simple wants, like any slave an Elvasi could want. She wanted to snort at her own somewhat humorous comment to herself.

“Well…good point,” he conceded.

They continued until she got one slice on him, then he stepped out. Matesh replaced him and they continued their previous fight. When he got a solid thwack on her back with his heavy wooden longsword, it was her turn to step out.

That actually fucking hurt.

She was impressed with them. Damn, she had gotten lucky. They weren’t children playing a game, or old assholes looking to use her and abuse her like the others tended to be. As time moved on, the older ones were dying out, leaving more post-War Andinna, the children playing games, to fill their spots. Most of them started off indifferent to her, until the general mood twisted them. Or they were jumped for showing her a shred of kindness, then blamed her for it.

She hoped one day the cycle would break. Maybe having allies would change that. I hope they don’t get scared off by the others.

As the end of training bell rang, signaling lunch, something crept into her chest. Something warm and…

Hope. She recognized it as hope.

Oh, that’s not fucking good.

That scared the shit out of her. There was no hope to be had. Sure, she had two new strong allies, it seemed, but it wasn’t like they were going to get out of the hellhole that the pits were. She knew. She’d tried everything. She still wished it could end, but she didn’t have any hope that it could.

She practically inhaled her meal then got up, making both of them look up at her. “We’re allowed to leave the chow hall during meals when we’re done. It’s nothing to worry about,” she explained. She was still feeling rattled by this, this fast change in her system of being alone. She wasn’t being given much of a chance to know if this was going to work or not. “Finish up. I’m going to show you my space. We have the time.”

“Okay,” Rainev said immediately, shoveling the slop into his mouth. Matesh did the same without a word. She liked that they both just agreed instantly.

She led them out of the chow hall and towards the quarters she was placed in. She flagged the guard to open the one door protecting the private rooms from the rest of the gladiators. The guard stationed there was always a little nicer than most, and he had a clear view down the hall to see all the doors for the private rooms. He would know if anyone down there was up to any business they shouldn’t be.

“Should I let these two in to see you after this?” he asked. “Never seen you with two before, Champion.”

“They belong to the Empress as well, and yes. They can come visit me until I say otherwise,” she told him. Privileges of being a gladiator with a private room were extensive, but until now she hadn’t been able to use most of them. Now she could, and it felt oddly good.

He looked them over more then nodded. “Good to know. I bet they will have rooms here soon enough.”

She didn’t respond to that, only continued to lead the males to her private space, the tiny suite. Two whole rooms that were hers and hers alone.

When they got inside, she watched Matesh move straight to her cot and sit down. Then he lay down.

Isn’t that a sight? Why is he so blasted good-looking?

“This is much more comfortable than mine,” he said. “Think I can stay?”

“No one stays the night in my room.” She looked down at him and bared her teeth. “And if you want to stay in that cot for any amount of time, you won’t be sleeping.”

“Are you propositioning?” he asked with that arrogant smirk. He made no move to leave her sleeping spot.

Yes. No. Maybe. I wish. It’s stupid. I really shouldn’t. Not if I want to keep them as safe allies.

What is wrong with me? “No.” She looked away from him. She brought them here and now didn’t know what to do with them. “So, here’s where I am. If you need me.”

“Are we allowed to stay the night here?” the mutt asked. “For safety, not…We’re seriously worried about being jumped in our current room.”

“Yes, but…” She looked him over, then shook her head. “I absolutely don’t trust you enough for that, and it’ll lead to rumors of having relationships we shouldn’t be having if it happens often. Quick liaisons? Fine. Long-term? No.” Her eyes fell on Matesh as she said it.

And a quick liaison with an ally wouldn’t stay quick. Exposed to the person every day - it would drive me mad. I would only want more. I almost wish he wasn’t also owned by her, not in a group with me. What do I want more? A quick fuck or an ally?

“We’ve heard that,” Matesh told her. “So, have you ever let someone stay the night?”

“No.” She clasped her hands together and looked back at the male on her bed. He was a fine sight and it annoyed the shit out of her. “Get off.” Matesh didn’t move, so she reached to grab him.

When Rainev held up his hands to stop her, he smartly didn’t touch her. She hated being touched without permission. “He didn’t sleep last night. He stayed up so I could sleep. Tonight I’ll be doing it so he can sleep.”

“You can sleep anywhere. Find a room where no one else sleeps to feel safer. The lenasti and guards aren’t that strict. They tried once to force people to sleep in designated groups and areas. People started feeling cooped up, unable to move around between the rooms to sleep in new areas. Fights were breaking out over the hot tempers. It was a rough time.” She felt like she was reciting ancient history now. That time had been right as she arrived, right after she’d been thrown down here in punishment then never let out.

“So if we found a smaller room, we can move cots to it?” Rainev went from somber to excited. She nodded.

“There are a few spaces I used a long time ago. They didn’t have doors, but they were secretive, a little hidden. The guards know but the other warriors tend to want to stay in their bigger groups. Safer for them.”

“How long have you had this room?”

“Enough about me,” she said quickly. “Can either of you do the tatua?”

“What?” Rainev coughed out. “That’s what you wanted to ask about?”

“I have nothing else to talk about,” she replied, shifting awkwardly. She shouldn’t have said anything. She normally kept all of those sorts of wants in her head so she didn’t get ridiculed or targeted for having some sort of weakness. “Seriously. Can you?”

“I have some training, but not all of it,” Matesh answered. “And I don’t have the supplies to give you a placeholder.”

“You’re a Blackblood?” Her heart thumped wildly. She had never met one who admitted it. Most Andinna down in the pits never even mentioned the Andinna blood magic, since it couldn’t be used. Damn collars.

“I am. So is Rain.” He sat up and waved a hand towards her. “You are too, if I remember correctly.”

“I am,” she admitted. “I am completely untrained, but I know what I am.”

“Sorry for treating you like an idiot, then,” Rainev said, sitting down next to Matesh. She now looked at both of them as she stood awkwardly in her own room.

“Someone here must have the supplies,” she said, tapping her chin. She didn’t care about Rainev’s assumptions about her education anymore. It hadn’t changed anything for her. “They have new ones all the time, new tatua.” She could have them identify it and then what? Steal them?

What am I thinking? Am I stupid?

She lived for so long by not getting involved like that with the others. She couldn’t go causing trouble by stealing their contraband. They could sell her out if they knew it was her who did the thieving, and they would know since she would have her own tatua.

“Mave, it’s not that big of a deal.”

It is to me.

“Never mind,” she said softly. She was getting worked up over the idea of new things. She couldn’t let that happen. She needed to remain rational and remember how wrong things could go. “Did the Empress speak to you yesterday?”

“She did. Said she was going to let the pits wear us down before she even considered torturing us for information.”

“That’s right. You’re members of the mythical Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company.” She had forgotten that revelation from the day before. It brought a question to her mind. “What’s it like being free?”

“Free. No one tells us where to sleep, who to fuck or kill.” Rainev chuckled. “Well, we’re told who to kill by our leader, Luykas, but that’s different; he’s family and he pays well. We’re out there pissing off the Empire every day and making money doing it.”

“We’re not rebels, though, so don’t get that in your head,” Matesh cut in. He was harsh and cold for a moment as he spoke. “We’re just out to make money and help those who are free. We’re not trying to overthrow the Empire and free fucking everyone. There’s no way.”

“I didn’t think you were,” she said, raising her hands. She didn’t think anyone was coming to save her or the other slaves in Elliar. If they were, they would have already come. She went back to the original point, though, deciding that freedom may not have been the best topic. “She won’t torture you for a few years then. She wants this to wear you down so she only has to torture you once.”

“You sure?” the mutt asked.

“Positive. She’s a cunning bitch.”

“Well, that gives us time,” Matesh mumbled.

“Don’t…think about escaping and if you are, you can plot that shit somewhere else. I’m not getting my wings torn off.”

“What?” he growled. “Torn off?”

“To make it over the walls of the city, you have to be able to fly. If they catch you trying to escape, they amputate your wings. Then they keep you alive for as long as possible to make it worse. Broken. Never flying again.”

A fate worse than death.

“Fuck. Why is Elliar so much worse than everywhere else?” She watched the mutt run a hand through his hair, considering what she was saying to them.

“Is it?” She had no idea. It was all she knew.

“You don’t understand. This stuff? We thought they were rumors. No other place in the Empire does this kind of shit.” Matesh leaned back until he was propped against the wall. His wings looked uncomfortable to her. “Wings ripped off. Sold to be whores after fighting in the fucking Colosseum. Doesn’t happen in other places…Well, some of it happens, like the fighting and whoring, but it's not so…prevalent. It’s not a huge part of the culture. It’s not flaunted.”

“I once nearly had mine removed,” she told them. “It’s how I know. The Empress, instead of going through with it, decided to show me how everyone else was without their own.”

“You tried to escape?”

“Once. Made it to the walls with several other gladiators. I had orchestrated it, to try and save a few of us. Got my wings unbound. Then…” she trailed off. She didn’t know how to fly. She never had gone to the skies. Her wings were too weak for it. She’d been unable to lift off, flapping the damn things as best she could until they hurt, as cramps made her back spasm. Until she couldn’t even move, she tried.

Then she’d been caught, along with all the other gladiators who had tried to break out with her that night. She’d only been one hundred and three. Only five short years after she was thrown into the pits to be a gladiator.

When she’d been tossed back into the pits, still with her wings, they had thought she had planned to get other gladiators killed. They blamed her for the dozen gladiators who were wingless and dying. It had been a hard lesson for her. An attempt to do something good for all of them only made them hate and distrust her more.

Not like it stopped me from trying more, though. I didn’t fully give up for another couple of centuries. Desperation does that to people.

“Sounds like you tried everything,” Matesh commented. “Killing the Empress, escaping the city. Anything you haven’t tried before?”

“Having allies,” she said. This was the only thing she hadn’t tried yet. It was because she never had anyone give her the chance to be allies. Not friends. Friends got gladiators killed. She needed to be ready to cut them loose if they got into trouble that would get her into trouble.

Ready, but not willing. Already, she felt so immensely right with the position she was in with the two males. Something in her chest felt like it was correct. Like the natural order was righting itself. Something instinctual was telling her this was good, to have these two males with her.

Dangerous instincts, those. Why is it like this? Is this why I always craved it? Because it’s something strange about being Andinna?

That’s how it felt. Undeniable. Primal.

Even more weird, she liked them there in her space with her. It was strange and she was slightly uncomfortable, but she liked it. She wanted to fight it and fall for it, all at the same time.

“Well…” Rainev stood up again. “You have some now. If you’ll have us.”

Why wouldn’t I have them? I have nothing else. It’s dangerous and stupid, but it feels good. Skies, it feels so good. I’ll keep them, because I can’t bring myself to say no.

“I’ll have you. You’re good enough. We should get back now. I feel like the bell is going to ring and you don’t want to be late to training. Ever.” She led them back out and looked down the hall to see another of the gladiators. He watched her carefully, then narrowed his eyes at her two new allies. She watched him, a challenge. He just looked away and left in the direction of the chow hall.

Damn. She really hoped the other gladiators in her area weren’t going to cause her problems now that she was getting allies of her own. They all had guests. She had had guests before. Well, she had random encounters before and would then throw them out. These two were different and everyone knew it.

As they entered the training area, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. Right on time.

“I’ll practice the net and spear,” she said quickly, grabbing one from the wall. “You both need to learn how to fight against it. I never use these, but it’ll be good practice for you both, even against an amateur at it like me.”

“I don’t need to repeat it, but I will. What kind of Andinna decides to learn the Elvasi method of murdering us?” Matesh crossed his arms, looking at the net and spear she grabbed.

“The ones who want to survive in the Colosseum,” she responded. “I mean, the people love them, even though we all side-eye them.”

“You’ve survived this long without nets and spears,” Rainev commented, swinging his gladius around as she prepared.

“I did,” she whispered. The hard way. The lonely way. She had every odd stacked up against her when they shoved her, completely untrained, onto the sands that first time, against an old male. She had been lucky - and desperate.

For the first time in her memory, she didn’t feel lonely.

She stepped into the training circle with the net, Matesh meeting her.

It was a long training session. They learned the ins and outs of her tossing the net on them, and the danger of the spear, which was wood since she didn’t use them regularly. A lot of bruises were had as she taught them the tricks others had tried on her.

Rainev was better against the net while Matesh was too big and bulky.

“Your best bet is to cut the net user down before he can make a toss on you,” she explained to him. “Once the net is on you, it kills your chance to survive. Sometimes people can pull out of them, but it’s ten to one odds, maybe worse.”

“That’s because they developed the netting and spear system just for us at the beginning of the Hundred Year War,” he said quietly. “I dealt with them in the war. When we can fly, it’s easier since we dive down on them, but…”

“We’re stuck on the ground,” she strongly reminded him. “Stop thinking about flying. It doesn’t do you, me, or anyone else any good.”

She felt bad the moment those words were out of her mouth. She needed to learn to soften her words, she really did. They were going to hate her if she didn’t. She didn’t know how, though. She had never needed to before.

“Well, I’m sorry I know what flying feels like and it sucks not to be able to. I haven’t been a slave for a thousand years so I can’t just turn it off, the love for flying.”

I deserve that. I shouldn’t have snapped at him. Fuck, that hurt, though.

“Uncle,” Rainev chastised softly. “She’s trying to help.”

“Yeah.” Matesh growled, shaking his head.

She forced her mouth to stay closed and her face blank. He was right. She hated the comment, but he was right. She had no idea what the skies felt like. But if he was going to be an ass about her advice, she would give him none. If he knew everything, then he could figure out on his own that the sands were not the battlefield. He was frustrated that the nets were a weakness for him.

Now you’re just in a bad mood, Mave. You know better than to expect him to be perfectly fine with everything right off the bat. This is just something that comes with the newbies.

The bell rang and dinner was in silence. She ignored them, ignored the other gladiators, just settling in to stare off into the distance. When the last evening training came, it was simple again. Sparring and nothing else.

7

Mave

She sank into her bath after it all and wiped the sweat, dirt, and blood from her skin. She closed her eyes and sank deeper into her pool, enjoying the blissful silence, aside from the trickle of water where fresh water flowed in for her. The Elvasi had a plumbing system and the pool in her private room was attached to it.

She was broken out of her peace by a knock at her door. She didn’t answer it. If it were Dave coming for her, he would just walk in. It had to be those two. She heard her door open and the set of footsteps. Heavier was Matesh and lighter was Rainev.

She rose up and shook her wings as best she could to dry them, then left her small bathing room. “What do you want?” she asked, standing nude in the doorway. She wasn’t sure she was in the mood to deal with them after what happened during training.

They were still in their armor, she noticed. They had changes of clothes in their arms, though. Maybe they had stopped by her room before going to bathe.

Matesh’s eyes fell on her first and, like she had done to him in the training yard, made a trail down her then back before meeting her eyes. Unlike him, she didn’t have a reaction to it. They were in her space and she would be in any state of dress she pleased. It wasn’t like the gladiators wouldn’t strip nude eventually on a hot day. It was just their way of things. They would have seen her body eventually.

Why deny the inevitable? I don’t care what they think of my scarred form. It’s not like I’m pretty and wanting to show off.

Some part of her did care, but she shoved it down hard.

Rainev, curiously, didn’t look her over. He met her eyes and didn’t budge.

“We wanted to speak to you more. I noticed you were quiet for the rest of the day and wanted to say that we’re sorry for anything we might have done.” Rainev smiled at her when he was done. “We’re just trying to get used to this. I mean, it’s only the end of our third day in here. We’ll be here for a long time, and it will take time for us to get used to that.”

“If you don’t get used to it, you’ll turn into them,” she warned, nodding her head towards her door and the gladiators beyond it. They always turn into them. Why do I think these guys will be any different? Should have crushed that little seed of hope better. I didn’t realize it was still there. Terrible thing, that.

“See, Rain? This is why I didn’t think we needed to come apologize.” Matesh scoffed, shaking his head at her. “Really? That’s all you have to say? ‘Get over it or get dead?’ Not a single shred of sympathy for your brothers?”

“I’ll say that if you keep making comments like that, this alliance is over.” She wasn’t going to keep a standard Andinna male who would treat her badly, like she was somehow evil. She was a survivor. The best in the pits, considering they were all against her - the Andinna, the Elvasi, the crowds of short-lived people. All of them. She wasn’t going to have an alliance with someone who was against her as well. “And brothers? I’ve never had any, and you two definitely aren’t.”

The words that came out of her were a defense, the only one she had. She wanted brothers. She wanted friends and allies, and those who understood her and cared. But she wouldn’t spend her time with people who hated her. She couldn’t.

Already, she was feeling somewhat put out, pained by the idea of losing these two.

“So no sympathy?” he asked again, softer. She could hear his temper beginning to boil underneath the soft words.

“No other Andinna slave has ever had any for me,” she answered. She did have sympathy for them, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie to them. To make things so easy that they would get killed. In reality, being hard was best for everyone. “And I ran out of patience trying to be sympathetic to them centuries ago. Forgive me, but you are both just more in a long line of Andinna who look at me then sneer or scoff.”

Mave, you don’t know when to shut the fuck up anymore. Why are you pushing them away now? Why are you lying to them?

“I haven’t sneered at you once,” the big male growled. “Not once. All I’m asking is for some fucking feeling in that cold shell of yours. Be a fucking living being. Learn to give a shit.”

I do. I have feelings. I can’t show them. They exist, I promise, Matesh, but I can’t show them. I don’t think I know how anymore.

“Giving a shit gets people killed,” she reminded him.

“Damn the Skies,” he mumbled. He got closer to her and looked down her again then back up. “Well, at least you’re easy on the eyes. I have that to look forward to in this fucking hell.”

That got her. A snarl pulled out of her, unable to be held back. His eyes widened at her. He wanted her body, huh? Of course he did. He wanted her feelings? He could have her rage. This had never been about training together. She was the only female in the pits. Get close to her. Get in her bed. Use her. Then the hate would begin. She’d already fallen for this ploy once before. She couldn’t believe she was so stupid to fall for it again.

“Mat, back up,” Rainev whispered.

“You want to fuck me?” she asked, stepping closer as he stepped back. He wasn’t scared. He fucking should be. “Do you? I’ll give you a try. Come on.” Rainev tried to get in the way and she quickly grabbed his throat and held him from her. “What about you?”

“I’m different,” he gasped.

A hand took her throat now and was much tighter than her hold on the mutt. She’d snapped the big male’s temper. Matesh growled low in his chest. “He doesn’t want you. Let him go.”

That…I get it now. He didn’t look at my body.

She released Rainev and looked at him closely. “You like other males?”

“I do. I’m the last person here you need to worry about. You’re pretty, very much a strong Andinna female but it doesn’t do shit for me. Sorry.”

That changes things a bit. Don’t be sorry, male. I’m fucking glad for it.

“Don’t be,” she said. She tapped the back of the hand on her throat. “And you? Are you just trying to find a cunt to fuck?”

“No. I’m angry at your attitude, but I’m not here to use you. If you hurt Rainev, though, I’ll fucking put you down.” He released her slowly. “My comment was uncalled-for, though, about you being easy on the eyes. I’m sorry.”

My attitude. Yeah. I shouldn’t have said any of that. I need to do better.

“We’re the worst allies in the fucking pits,” Rainev said, chuckling at them.

“No we aren’t,” she corrected him, shaking her head. She wasn’t doing very well, but that was on her, not them. She needed to learn how to be in a group and help her allies understand without hurting them. She never had to before. She just bottled it all up, since it was safer that way. “Others have died in similar situations. You’ll see someone drop by the end of the week, I promise. Also, keep that a secret.”

“What?” they both asked at the same time.

“Rainev’s attraction to other males. They will…focus on you for it. They will want a piece of a male who likes it. Most of them force themselves into it since it’s a give and take. The only sexual thing they can get by their own choice, but a male who wants to be with another male? That could prove enticing. Add in you being a mutt and smaller than the others…You need to be careful. You’re going to look like an easy target.”

“Like a female could prove enticing and needs to be careful,” Matesh said, looking down. “I’m sorry. I am so frustrated about being here that I momentarily forgot that you have been through your own personal hell for so long. You really do know everything. You’ve seen them all change and break. You’ve had to deal with the backlash and fear.”

She frowned at him. She heard the understanding, but that wasn’t what bothered her. She was happy he understood. This was hard for her, this idea of bringing people in, no matter how bad she wanted it.

No, what bothered her was his behavior. Again, he was playing submissive. Was he really apologizing like this? It irked her, in a way, this submissive shit. She didn’t want from him, not like this. Not so much of it. “Why are you saying this? I told you that I don’t want you to pretend to respect me or play the bitch.”

“Ah…” Matesh looked confused now and turned to Rainev. “She doesn’t know…anything.”

What don’t I know now?

“No…” Rainev agreed, looking at her in the same confusion. “We’re a temperamental people, you know that.”

“I do.” She was now confused. They were all just looking at each other in confusion.

“Real Andinna understand this and we know that our tempers can drive us to make comments or do things that are inappropriate or that we don’t mean. We built our culture on this idea. Rules for asking forgiveness, gifts to show that one is forgiven or to beg for another chance. Outlets for our tempers so they don’t get in the way of our personal relationships.” The big male crossed his arms. “I wasn’t being submissive per se, but rather asking for forgiveness, as I know my temper was hard and I’ve been in a bad place. Taking it out on you is inexcusable. If I didn’t, my uncle would skin me if he ever found out. Our people don’t lash out and hurt those around us because we can’t control ourselves; it’s not right. We take steps to stop it from happening or we work diligently to clean up the mess if it happens. I lashed out and hurt you, obviously. I need to, as a proper Andinna, make steps to amend it.”

“Add in, we’re not solitary by nature. Andinna, we crave community.” Rain shrugged now. “We’re at odds with ourselves. Temperamental, but needing each other. So we do what we must to stay in our communities.”

She backed away from him and leaned on her wall.

Proper Andinna. He was talking from a place of being raised before the war and free since then. Somewhere out there, her people were not only free but…normal. This was how her people behaved? It was so…good. Civilized.

“We’re not…angry, vicious barbarians?” she asked softly, crossing her own arms to cover her chest. She looked down to the floor. Everything she knew about her people only supported the ideas of barbarism. The pits, the gladiators, everyone’s attitudes and behavior. People killed in vicious swings of temper. And they craved community? She understood that. She was glad to hear that, feeling less strange about her own need to have people. It was an Andinna thing.

We do what we must to stay in our communities. That’s what he said. We shouldn’t lash out and hurt people. I need to do better. I will do better. If I want this to work, I need to do better, not them.

“No…not really. We’re warrior people, no doubt. We can get brutal and bloody on the battlefield, but the idea that we’re mindless, uneducated barbarians is propaganda of the Empire. A reason to keep us down and leave us without allies. No one wants to free the mindless killing machines.” Rainev sighed. “You…were educated by the Elvasi. Of course they would never tell you how we Andinna really are.”

“I spent nearly all of my childhood in the care of the Empress and her servants, being trained to be her handmaiden.”

“Then you were brought here, to a lot of males who have been worn down and beaten. They’re no longer Andinna. Not in any real way.” Matesh said that, glaring to the door. “Fucking terrible examples of our people. Do you remember anything from before you were captured?”

“No,” she lied. She had one or two memories, some words in her home language, but nothing substantial. Nothing that gave her any insight to her people or their way of life. She found herself exhausted by the conversation and looked them over more carefully. They were still dirty, which annoyed her now when it hadn’t earlier. There were bathing areas. They could have bathed before coming here. “Why haven’t you bathed yet?”

“We wanted to wait before going to the communal baths. We didn’t want to be in there with dozens of other males who don’t like us,” Rainev explained quickly. “You know.”

“I do…” She considered that. They were smart to wait, but it meant they would get less sleep and perform worse. “You can use mine. Be quick. It also only fits one person. But you can’t stay the night. Just use the bath. And I have to be here. The guards won’t let you back if I’m not here.”

“Oh!” Rainev smiled at her. “Thank you!”

“Go first, nephew,” Matesh said, waving Rainev on. When she could hear Rainev splashing around, she went to her chest to find clothing. As she dressed, the big male only watched her.

“I’ll be honest,” he said softly. “You are pretty to look at.”

“Compared to what?” she asked, looking over to him as she tied her breeches. She didn’t think she was, but she only ever saw other races’ females. The few Andinna females she had ever seen were old women. None in their prime that she could compare to. Added to that, she was scarred to hell.

He called me pretty, though. Maybe he’s telling the truth. Doubtful. More likely, he’s desperate and hasn’t seen a truly pretty female in a long time.

“Other Andinna women? You have the standard look of our race, but you have those silver-blue eyes. You take care of your body, keep it fit. Scars for our people are…ignorable. We don’t take that sort of thing as a big deal. Warrior people. Everyone who sees the battlefield has a scar or two, male or female.” He sat down on her bed and just kept watching her. “Forgive me the crudeness, but I love that you have large tits. All in all, you’re just pretty.”

She frowned at him again, as she had earlier. “Well, thank you?”

No one had ever really called her pretty and meant it like that. Not as a backhanded compliment, or a way to put her down, make her feel worse, but as a genuine compliment. Say it again. Please?

“I’m saying it because I like women and you should know. Crook your finger and I can’t promise I’ll say no.” He gave her that arrogant smirk. “Did you know the Andinna love sex? It’s true. We do. It eases the temper, brings us closer together. While Rainev only likes males and I only like females, many Andinna are fine with either.”

“Sex is fine,” she agreed, shrugging. “I have it. I understand the other males wanting to have sex by their own choice. I get that. Whoring isn’t satisfying and often ends in beatings. I haven’t had consensual sex, though, in…a century?” She couldn’t remember the exact time. He’d been a post-War born male, only a few hundred years younger than her. An easy farmhand. She’d spent a good night with him.

He died to a bad pairing of being jumped the night before his first day on the sands, where he’d been expected to win, and the fight going wrong in a rare rain. And I was the reason he was jumped.

She still held onto some guilt over that. Not a lot, since he’d already started to hate her, but some. He would have never been in that position if not for her. It had been a moment of weakness on her part. He propositioned and she said yes.

“Skies…” Matesh just watched her. She went to put on her shirt and he stood up, grabbing it from her. She stood there, her chest still exposed while he looked it over. “You need real clothing…”

“That’s what I can get. The Empress won’t give me real Andinna clothing, only those, and the other gladiators don’t teach me how to make real shirts.” She grabbed it back and put it on before he could stop her. “Don’t take my things.”

“I’m trying to understand what you need so that can be what Rainev and I deal with for you. I’m good with a sewing needle when it’s needed; so is he. If you have some cloth, I can make something in an evening for you. A real shirt.”

Her heart thumped hard. He was offering her a gift?

“What do you want in return?” she asked. She wasn’t willing to offer her body in exchange. He was an attractive, if aggravating, male but that wasn’t it. She couldn’t give other males and the Empress a reason to think it was closer than training allies. Gifts, exchanges, those were creeping on dangerous.

But she wanted it so much. She wanted those gifts and exchanges more than she had wanted anything in a long time. And now she had an opportunity.

“More information about being down here and how the sands are.”

She nodded. “Of course.” She was happy he hadn’t asked for her body. Others would have, and then reneged on the deal. She’d learned to just stop accepting those deals.

“I’m done,” Rainev called out. He walked back in, only in the cloth shirt and breeches he probably had been given for their off time. “Go on, Mat. The water is nice. Thank you for this, Mave.”

“It’s nothing,” she mumbled, watching Matesh go inside her bathing room. “Mat? Rain? What…?”

“Nicknames, like Mave to…well, you know. You can use them.” Rainev smiled at her again. He had such a friendly smile, even in the pits. “Seriously, though, thank you for this. I was really worried about bathing in the communal area.”

I bet you’re more than worried, mutt. Small compared to the others, trapped in the crowd, too close to the others while nude for a short moment. I was scared too, the only time I ever tried to use those when others were there.

“I don’t blame you. Things can get nasty in there. Everyone is hot, dirty, tired. When I first arrived, I didn’t bathe until they were all asleep. Then I slept in a tiny room where they couldn’t reach me, but I also couldn’t lie down. It’s hard to find the safest ways to get things done. It’s when I decided I would work as hard as I could to get this room, this privilege. Took two hundred years, but I did it.”

“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” Rain sat on her bed now and she sat next to him, finding him the safest male she’d ever met. Now she knew why he was so easy around her. He didn’t want her, wasn’t a threat.

“I’ve tried,” she confirmed, shrugging.

How else would I still be alive?

They sat in amicable silence as Mat bathed. When he walked out, he looked at them both and she swallowed a lump of want. He’d walked out nude and glorious, dripping with water. His green eyes were lighter from being clean, as if the bath had washed the bad mood and frustration. She could see he also had his own scars, faint white lines like her own, signs of previous injury. By the gods, did he take care of himself. Rainev was lean, but Mat was not. She kept her eyes from dropping to the point of no return, but she could still see it.

“You should both go,” she told them quickly. “Tomorrow is another day of this. After the evening training, you can come here, bathe quickly, then head out to find places to sleep.”

“Thank you again, Mave,” Mat said as he pulled on his cloth shirt and breeches.

“Of course.” She closed the door on them the moment she could.

Lying down, she sighed. Another day done.

But it hadn’t been like the day before it or the day before that. It hadn’t been like any other day she’d ever had.

8

Mave

Mave crossed her arms and watched the males continue to spar. A week they had now been there and things were easing into a pattern, a system. They rotated through sparring in the mornings and evenings. During the midday training, they would each pick a different weapon, something the other gladiators would use and practice with it or test each other against it.

She knew the Empress had bought them to later torture them for information about their mercenary company, the Ivory Shadows - but she was glad the Empress had bought them, even knowing that. Selfishly glad. She was glad to have two others in her area, in her space a little now. Like the other gladiators, she was settling in with a crowd, others to watch her back, and she could watch theirs by making sure they survived the sands.

I have people now.

It wasn’t just the training. In the evenings, they followed her back to her room, and she let them take quick turns in her bath before her own. They wouldn’t talk about much, keeping the conversation to what was going on around them in the pits, but it was nice to have someone she could talk to, regardless the subject.

They noticed things she didn’t, like a couple days before, a newer, younger male had given Seventy-Two a hard time during the morning training session. The new male wasn’t there the next day. She had told them it was bound to happen. Seventy-Two was questioned about it, but he claimed to know nothing and it didn’t go anywhere. The body was found the day after that. It had been a stark reminder to them that they were living in a lawless hole now.

“How was that?” Rain asked her, leaving the circle. He’d been able to clip Mat several times. They were no longer holding back in front of the other gladiators, which was good. They needed to inspire fear. It would only help all three of them.

“Very good. Next we’ll-”

The lunch bell rang, cutting her off. Mat chuckled, shrugging as the other gladiators walked down into the chow hall.

“Sounds like it’s lunch,” Rain said, grinning. “So, we arrived the day after the monthly fights. Which means there’s another three weeks until fights?”

“That’s right. The night before, the fights will be posted for us. It keeps us from trying to kill each other during the week to get an upper hand. Normally, chosen fighters are removed from the general populace as well. So if you’re chosen, you will be given a small private room to stay in. It keeps owners from having their fighters murdered and other influences to sway the favor.” She thought about it for a moment. “It’s a newer change. They decided that the jumps happening before the fights were a bad thing. Lost them money when they shouldn’t have been. It’s not perfectly implemented yet.”

“Everything is about money to them, it seems.” Mat looked upset by it but didn’t say anything more.

“It is all about money. We’re property, and they want us to stay alive as long as possible. It’s okay to die on the sands - that’s the risk of owning a gladiator - but the incidents down here upset many owners. They are constantly looking for ways to make it stop.” It was actually a good thing too. It made the pits safer with every change, which made surviving just a little easier. Only a little. A very marginal amount, but it was something.

“Not very well,” Rain muttered, looking over the males in the chow hall when they entered.

“No, not very well. They might get upset and claim changes need to be made, but in the end, we’re just slaves. Some think the pits, the danger of them, just make us better fighters.”

It made me a better fighter.

They grabbed their food, letting the conversation drop. Sitting down, she took a moment to lean back and get comfortable in her simple wooden chair.

“You seem easier today.” Mat had noticed.

She moved her shoulders very little, to shrug. I like having you two around. I like finally having a community. “This is a good day and we’re falling into a good pattern. I feel a little easier for it.” She hoped it wasn’t going to come back on her. So far, she and the males had done nothing wrong. The other high-prize gladiators shared their baths as well with their closest allies, so that wasn’t a concern. The guards in there didn’t even care when tons of other gladiators came into the section to all be with their groups for a short time. Mat and Rain were nothing new to them. It was only new for her.

“It has been a good rhythm. We even found a place to sleep last night without others in our space. A smaller room, like you said. Apparently there’s older rooms that used to be for gladiators that no one uses anymore, deeper in the pits.” Rainev continued to eat his slop after that. She found it humorous when he talked during meals now, even if he talked too much. He was expressive. He waved his spoon around and moved his arms. He never could sit still. The expressiveness felt honest, and she appreciated that too.

“Yes. The pits have been remodeled and expanded countless times. Areas have been abandoned on accident. I knew you would be able to find something.” She was glad for them. It had taken them the entire week, but they were managing.

The chow hall went silent, which caused them to go silent as well. Mave looked around and her eyes fell on Dave walking toward them. Oh no. Not today. Please. I’m having a good day. Please, Dave.

“Who?” she asked as he grew closer. Every gladiator in the room was listening in now.

“Lord Fenoth,” he answered, trying to remain professional.

By the Skies, of course it is.

Twice in a month. That was too often for him.

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she told her training partners. “You’ll need to go the night without bathing if you don’t want to use the communal baths.”

“Where-” Mat started to stand as she did.

“Go do your duty, whore!” a gladiator called out, a nasty jeer.

To think, I would free you if I had the chance.

She met Mat’s eyes and watched his grow dark in rage. Don’t judge me. Please, for the love of anything, don’t judge me. “Time to make the Empress money,” she whispered. “That’s what we are to them. Never forget that. On the sands or on our backs, we’re just here to make them money.”

Hard truths. Until I find a way to change any of this, these are the hard truths.

She followed Dave out of the room. When she turned to her quarters to bathe, he stopped her.

“He wanted you immediately. The Empress approved it. You go now. I’m sorry.”

“He hates when I’m dirty.”

“I know.”

He wanted her to show up dirty so he could beat her for it. She swallowed the anger. Killing him got her nothing. She had to remind herself of that.

It would feel so good for just a moment. To roll around in his blood. To paint the damn white city red with it.

And it would solve none of my problems.

She followed Dave then. They got their escort at the gate and walked to the palace. This time, he took her in a different entrance, one that would lead her quickly to the Lord’s quarters. She was called and entered in silence. Still in her dusty, sweaty armor, she stood before Lord Fenoth and his guest, the damned Prince Lothen. She wished she would have known he would be there as well. They were both a little drunk. She knew why they had gotten her. The Empress would give nearly anything to her son, and Lord Fenoth was an on and off lover of hers. Mave was a gift from the Empress to them on this day.

“Disgusting slave, right?” the Lord said to the Prince, who sneered at her.

“At least she’s good at her job and just following orders.” The Prince waved at her, lifting a glass of wine in toast to Lord Fenoth. “Happy birthday, Rogen.”

If she didn’t need to live through the day, she would have said something, anything. She just kept her mouth shut. Her normal day, as good as it got in the pits, evaporated.

She was in a different ring of hell now, one where there was no such thing as a respite.

* * *

It was dark, except for the red moon overhead, as she staggered through the streets of Elliar back to the pits. Back to something that resembled safety. She had no idea the time. Dave said nothing, only walking at her side. The guards said nothing, not even to make her move faster, since her pace was nearly a slow crawl. When they had to stop, it was for her to catch up, but still, none of them said anything. It was the nicest thing they could do for her.

The only nice thing they can do for me.

Everything hurt. Blood covered her. They had used her, beaten her, then used her again. And again. And again. All to have some entertainment. All to have some goddamn fun. They had reveled in her pain, a gift from them because of their own lust. This is what they did. They lashed out in rage and hurt her when they couldn’t tolerate their own self-hatred, stemming from how much they wanted a dirty barbarian.

Sick bastards. Fucking Elvasi nobility. I’m going to kill all of them one day. I’m going to free the Andinna and burn this fucking city to the ground.

She made it into the gates, leaving Dave and the guards behind. The damn human. He had tried to be sympathetic when she was sent out of the room. He had no idea what centuries of this did to someone. He would never know. He would be dead before he could even begin to understand.

She fell down the last few steps into the chow hall, groaning in pain. Laying there for a moment, she knew she was bleeding out of the cuts, and she couldn’t tolerate the throbbing pain. She needed to make it to her bed, but wasn’t sure she wanted to get up yet. It wasn’t safe where she was, but everything hurt so bad.

She had to move. She knew she did. Mave rolled to her side and then onto her stomach. She pushed up slowly, seeing the blood all over her arms, from where she had tried to wipe her battered face, which was still leaking onto the floor.

She was able to stand back up. She didn’t care if she was leaving blood on the floor. One of the human slaves, the criminals forced to toil below the earth during their work hours, would clean it. Blood was common in the pits. They would get up before any of the Andinna and deal with it.

She saw her guard and he ignored how she looked, only moving to open the door to her hall. She ignored whoever was in the hall with him.

“Mave.” Rain’s voice, tired. “We’ve been waiting on you. We wanted to see how you were…”

“Damn the Skies.” Mat’s hushed voice was like a death sentence.

So that was how bad she looked. A lot of it would be thankfully gone by morning. The rest would wear off in a few days if it didn’t get further injury.

I can’t do this right now. I can’t have them with me. I can’t defend myself. I can’t be so weak with people around. She stopped ignoring them and turned. “Go away. Please.” She walked through the door and motioned for the guard to close it.

“Mave!” Rain’s voice jumped up in urgency. “You need some help!”

“No, I don’t.”

It was the guard who made the decision. In a rare act, he kept the door open. “Go help her. If you make it worse, I’ll have you executed, or beaten just as bad.”

She looked at him and frowned. The Elvasi said nothing more, just kept his stony face. His pale gold eyes only stared at the wall ahead. He’d been a night guard in this area of the pits for over six hundred years. He had never done something like this and was notoriously silent. What the hell was his game?

Why would you do this to me? I’m supposed to be allowed my privacy.

She staggered away, knowing Mat and Rain were hot on her heels. She pushed into her bedroom, staggering towards her bed, when an arm wrapped around her waist. She snarled, trying to pull away to then go for the male’s throat.

Rain’s dark blue eyes looked back at her when she turned, though, completely unafraid. Her mind immediately recognized the non-threat. He wasn’t a threat. He didn’t want her. He wouldn’t take advantage of her. It was okay. Her body vibrated with the need to trust him tonight, which she didn’t understand. Her instincts just kept saying one thing: he was safe.

“Mat can’t touch me,” she whispered to him. It took her a lot to say it, but Mat was a threat. He couldn’t touch her, not now. Maybe tomorrow or in a few days, but not now.

“I know,” he whispered back, helping her to her bathing room. Mat didn’t follow, closing the door so she had some privacy. “I’ll get this off you. Don’t worry. I got you.”

She tried to help anyway, fumbling to untie the breeches after she shoved her pteruges off to the floor. He got her belt off and tossed them out of the room while she fought with those ties. He deftly undid the buckles of her armor, which she had barely been able to put back on when they had been done with her.

It took time, but she was finally nude and he led her into the bath. It was cramped, but it would work for both of them. She noticed he didn’t bother stripping down. She was glad for it. She couldn’t handle a nude male, not then. She would have cut a cock off if she saw it.

He touched her gently as she stood there. He picked up water in his hands and rinsed off the dirt, sweat, and the blood, dried and fresh.

“Tell me,” he murmured. “Tell me who does this and why.”

“I was whored to a Lord and the Prince for the Lord’s birthday.” She tried to say it. She could do this. It wasn’t like this was a secret among the gladiators. This was just their life. “They’re both violent. In tandem…”

“Prince Lothen?” he asked softly, continuing to clean her.

“Yes.” His hands were so gentle, carefully going over her in a detached manner that made her feel safe. She almost couldn’t resist answering him thanks to his calming presence.

“I’ll kill him for you one day,” he whispered like a dangerous promise. “And that Lord Fenoth.”

She believed him. Deep in her heart, she believed every word coming from him. She held on to that belief. He cared about her enough to kill for her.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and brought some water to her face. Even the gentlest touch she could manage sent pain through her. They had messed up her face then. “Is anything permanent?”

“So far? No. They…they, um, kicked you a lot it seems. I can see bruises becoming boot prints.” That, she knew would be there. “Some areas were broken open because of that, and are still bleeding. I bet you have some bone bruising. That will take a bit longer to heal and is probably the source of the most of your pain. They didn’t damage your wings.”

“They will be closed by morning,” she mumbled, getting dizzy for a moment. He steadied her when he realized, her swaying becoming more noticeable by the second. “They aren’t allowed to damage the wings unless it’s a real punishment, overseen by the Empress herself. Only her.”

“I’m going to say you’ve suffered a few head injuries. I think your nose is broken and needs to be set so it heals in the right direction.”

That got a whimper out of her. She knew how much that was going to hurt.

“We’ll deal with it now.” His voice was so strong and yet gentle with her. She felt weak, but she felt like if anyone could see her weak, it would be Rain. Rain wouldn’t betray her. “Mave…why is the damage so bad? Other gladiators have disappeared to whore since we’ve been here and none of them come back like this. Tell me while I get this. It’ll keep your mind off it.”

She began to ramble. Her personal mantra. The why they worked so hard to hurt her. “They always want me to scream and beg. So I remain silent. They want me to break, so I must remain steady. Never give them what they want. They want me to die on the sands, so I live. They want me to fall and so I stay at the top.” His thumbs went to the sides of her nose, ready. “Never give them what they want, Rain.”

“Okay, Mave. Now, let’s get this nose fixed. It’s not terribly crooked. It’ll start bleeding worse, but that’ll stop quickly. Just don’t get hit in the face for a week.”

She took a deep breath and held it. He moved her nose, and the pain had her screaming into her mouth as blood gushed out. She jerked back, hitting the edge of the pool and the wall. It sent fiery pain over her back and wings. He grabbed her again and held her close, tears filling her eyes. Anytime she reset her own nose, she did it last. She normally passed out from the pain.

“I got you. That was it. It’s done. We just need to finish getting you clean and to stop that bleeding. It’s over, Mave, I have you.”

She sat on the edge of her pool and let him slosh the water over everything to finish. When he was done, he helped her stand again and walk to her cot. Mat stood quietly in the corner of the room, saying nothing, doing nothing. She knew he would have heard everything she told Rain. As long as he stayed over there, it would be fine, she hoped.

She hit the bed and tried to lie on her side. Rainev put her blanket over her. “We’re going to stay here and watch your back, illo amyr. We have you.”

“What…?” she groaned. What was he saying?

“It means big sister,” he explained, moving her wet hair from her face. She didn’t argue. He wasn’t her younger brother, but she wasn’t going to argue. He claimed her as family. That was something new. Her eyes drifted closed, too heavy to stay open.

Family.

She didn’t sleep, since the pain was too…present. It refused to abate as it tried to heal. Sleep was the necessary ingredient for long-lived healing and she wasn’t getting any, which was a problem.

Instead, she listened to them whisper.

“The only female gladiator has some…dangerous fans,” Mat said carefully. “How bad is it really?”

“They beat the fuck out of her, Mat. If you consider how long they had her…I’m amazed she’s not a husk of a thing. We’ve met prior Andinna females in situations where they get used like this…”

“Most are husks. Takes years for those who can heal to begin living a real life, if they make it to that.”

“Yeah, but she’s here in a world of males who want her dead. When she’s taken from here, it’s brutal. She comes back here and must be alert, on guard to stay alive. Then she can talk about having a quick fuck with a new gladiator before they hate her. She’s so…used to this and not broken from it. Did you hear what she said?”

I’m a freak. There is something wrong with me.

“They want her to scream so she remains silent.” Mat growled, low and deep in his chest. “I cleaned her blades and I’ll work on the armor next. You stay near the bed in case there’s anything missed, like internal damage. Sing to her that lullaby, the one in Andena everyone grew up with. That might help her sleep. She’s not out yet.”

“You…that’s a really good idea.” She opened her eyes to see him moving to sit next to her on the floor. He smiled at her. “It’s an Andinna tune my mother learned when she found out she was pregnant with me. Every mother and father I know can sing it from heart. Let’s hope I remember it well enough.”

So he sang. He had an enchanting voice, soft like clouds or the best velvet. She didn’t know the words. He sang it so softly that no one outside the room would hear it.

But she could.

It stirred a memory. A woman’s voice. Her mother’s, she thought.

That, brought on by this male’s voice, took Mave into sleep, the deep healing sleep she needed to be in.

9

Matesh

Matesh cleaned her armor slowly, watching her sleeping form from his place on her floor. His temper raged inside him, but not at her. No, she was strong and a warrior beyond measure, he now saw. To take what she had taken, refusing to scream, refusing to break…

That made her a Champion in his eyes. Not what he heard about from her time on the sands. Just that.

His rage was focused on the Elvasi males he knew did this to her. On all the Elvasi. How dare they. How dare they take this female and work so hard to destroy her. To do this to her flesh, trying to break her mind.

I’m going to slaughter them. I’m going to make then fall to their knees and beg for the mercy they don’t understand.

He couldn’t show the temper, though. No, he needed to keep it contained while she fell into a deep healing sleep thanks to Rainev’s gentle song. Rain had a great singing voice, one Mat had missed since they got captured, since singing would probably get him beaten.

He scrubbed her armor harder as Rain lay down on the floor completely, getting to sleep himself. His nephew had claimed her - in Andena of all things. Illo amyr, big sister. He’d made himself a member of her nonexistent mayara without even letting her know that was his intention.

Mat wasn’t going to give the younger male a hard time for it. If any female truly needed a mayara, this one did. The family unit centered on a female. Since females were always rarer, even when they had prospered as a race, their entire family structure was centered on her.

I wish I could make it official. Tell her that I would pledge myself to her protection if it was needed. It was like a call in his chest. It was an instinctual thing for Andinna males, to see a female alone, with no one and need to be there for her. It didn’t matter what role he was given by her, he just needed to answer the call. Friend, family, or lover. It didn’t matter at all.

Well. I have a preference. I don’t want to see her as family.

He was done with her armor before dawn. He could feel it in his bones that the sun was going to rise soon, but wasn’t up just yet. It meant he couldn’t sleep himself, not even a nap. Someone would have to help her rise from the deep healing sleep she’d settled in. Before his eyes, the bruises lightened, her nose set, and the swelling went down. If an Andinna couldn’t get into a good healing sleep, they healed as slowly as the damn humans or dwarves. But this was something they shared with the Elvasi, which is why he knew those fucking Elvasi knew exactly how far they could take the damage with her without completely ruining the Empress’ favored gladiator, her personal property.

He knew when he needed to help her rise, but he went to Rain first. He couldn’t touch her, that warning still clear in his mind. I wouldn’t want someone touching me who might want me after an ordeal like that either.

“Nephew,” he whispered. “Bodyra.” That made Rain’s eyes jump open, hearing nephew in Andena. “Time to wake. Bell hasn’t rung yet, but I need you to wake her so she doesn’t…” He didn’t want to make her start her morning feeling threatened by him. “Plus, she’ll need to eat before training.”

“K. Yeah. I can do that,” Rain mumbled, yawning afterwards. He rose slowly. “How long?”

“We have time for you to do it slowly.” Mat stepped back for Rain to do his thing.

Rain leaned over her and touched her shoulder gently. “Mave-”

It happened fast. She was up and her hand was on Rain’s throat. She flipped him, snarling as she moved over his body on her cot. His wings were jammed and uncomfortable-looking. Hers strained against their bonds. Her tail wrapped and grabbed his, holding it.

Mat didn’t move. If he jumped in, this could become deadly. He knew his nephew was smart enough to talk her down. He was still in slight shock that she had jumped out of the healing sleep so quickly. He’d never seen that from the long-lived races, not an Elvasi or Andinna. It was unheard-of. The deep healing sleep was near coma-like.

“Hey, Mave,” he whispered. “It’s me, Rain. It’s okay. We figured you would want to get up and use the bathroom, get ready for breakfast.”

She growled and twisted her head to see Mat. He didn’t move, his hands up to show her he wasn’t a threat. He saw her hand loosen on Rain’s throat, slowly.

Then she was off the bed and across the room. As far from them as she could be. “You both waited here last night. That guard let you come in with me.” Her eyes darted wildly between them. “Why?”

Because I couldn’t tolerate not knowing if you were okay or not.

“We were worried,” Rain coughed out. Mat didn’t like how bruised his throat was, but it wouldn’t be permanent. It was more he didn’t like how easily she did the damage. She was obviously out of it, trying to wake up and catch up. “Thank the Skies we were. You needed a helping hand.”

“You can’t…you can’t do stuff like that,” she growled, looking scared. It was in her eyes. “It gets people in trouble.”

“Now, you wait a minute,” Mat growled back at her. He wasn’t going to let the pits make him any less of the good male his parents had raised him to be. He’d seen her hurting and he was going to help, beating be damned. “We saw that our ally got pulled out of the damn chow hall. You came back looking like you were beaten half to death. We had to help you.”

“You can’t!” she snapped out, fury and fear passing over her face. “That gets people in trouble. You can’t care so damn much. You just can’t. It gets attention drawn to us. Too much shit like that and they’ll think we’re becoming friends, real…” She trailed off, looking forlorn. “The previous Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three…they were a part of Seventy-Two’s group. They had become good friends. They would miss meals together. Some said they were lovers - not just a quick fuck, but something serious. They were put on the sands against each other. For one to survive, they had to kill the other. Those all end the same way. They kill each other. They die together. They find something fucking good and instead of losing it, they both fucking die.” She shook her head, closing her eyes. The forlorn look turned to one of pain. “You can’t care so much.”

“Damn that,” Rain said, sitting up. “Damn the Skies and that. You can not care about us, but I’m going to care about you. I meant what I said last night. Illo amyr, my big sister. We’re not that close, but you need family. I’m going to be that. Last night, I decided I would be your family. As I am the illi bodyr, little brother, I get to be annoying and in your way and do what you don’t want me to do. I might be a grown-ass male, but I can still be an annoying shit if I need to.”

“He has you there,” Mat said, chuckling, since Rain was being serious. The younger male could still channel that youthful annoying shit from his younger days, if it was called for. It didn’t help he was still the youngest of the Ivory Shadows and they all treated him like the kid brother and baby nephew too much.

He could understand her fear, though. She’d been watching others keep each other at arm’s length to protect themselves. They kept her even further away. This was new and dangerous to her.

To him and Rain, it was the right thing to do.

Mat was damn sure never calling her amyr though. He didn’t think of her in a sisterly way. If she weren’t so aggravating, so Elvasi in her way of talking, so withdrawn and dangerous, he would want to be much more than just a brother. He had admitted she was pretty.

No, I definitely do not want to be her family.

“This is not safe,” she repeated. “Not at all.”

“Then we keep it private. Here. We’re here every damn night-”

“That must end. You cannot stay the night anymore. No, it’s-”

“I didn’t mean staying the night,” Mat cut her back off. Aggravating female. This was the first time they ever had. They knew the shit they could get for this. “I mean in our downtime after the evening training, before anyone is getting to sleep. The only time people don’t think we’re in here fucking, since all the gladiators in this hall have others over and could hear it happen anyway. It won’t happen, by the way. I’m not a Skies-damned idiot enough to try.”

I’m not stupid enough because I know you’ll say no and then try to kill me. Which is more arousing than I would like to ever admit.

That stopped her from responding. She looked confused, a little angry, but he could see the effort she was putting into making her face blank again. Damn, she was good at it. He watched the emotion bleed away like the rain was washing it away. In a matter of moments, she was back to detachment. Back to the face that gave him nothing, to eyes that were hard and unforgiving like stones.

Shields and walls. He realized that there was so much underneath the face now. She held powerful emotions, ones that rattled her. She hides them to stay alive. That’s what this world has done to her. I want more of the underneath. The anger, the passion, the fire.

“Okay. Now, the bell will ring soon. I’m going to do my business.” She turned and left the room. He knew she was going to the tiny room at the end of the hall for this sort of thing. They were scattered around the pits. Holes that led into the city’s sewage tunnels, just beneath the pits, for them to do said business. Elliar was a marvel of a city and there was no denying that, even if it irked him the Elvasi built it. He hated the pointy-eared shits.

He sighed and looked down to Rainev. “She’s not easy to wake up.”

“I wonder if the bell would have woken her up so well. That was fast as shit. Makes me wonder who all has tried to jump her in her sleep before.”

Not if someone tried. Who. There was no question that it happened before, more than once.

Mat hated the males in the pits nearly as much as he hated the Elvasi now. A beaten female, who needed to heal…only to get preyed upon by her own people. I have a feeling I’m not going to feel bad for killing them on the sands.

“Let’s go with her. I need to take a fucking piss too.” Mat walked out, letting his nephew catch up.

They all met back up near the door to leave the hallway. She was pulled back and withdrawn again, but he figured that was her natural response, a way to show that there was nothing between them to the rest of the gladiators. He didn’t think it was going to work, but he would play along. People were already noticing the Champion had comrades, and he wasn’t very well-liked by the other gladiators.

They were in the chow hall as the bell rang and the windows were opened for the other slaves to serve them. He saw her stop and look down at a spot near the bottom of the stairs. She knelt slowly, rubbed her hand over it. He could see just a drop of blood on her fingers.

“They missed a spot,” she mumbled.

“Was that yours?” he asked, heading for the bowls. Other gladiators were slowly coming in, the smaller groups.

“Yes.” She didn’t say anything else as they got their slop breakfast. She told them it was a bread or grain concoction they could make cheaply to feed everyone. He knew what it was and had even eaten it before the pits. Rain was the one who had never experienced the shit, even though it was a common poor food. Something soldiers would eat on the road. He hadn’t had it since the War and right after it, when they were scrambled and trying to find a safe place to go.

They ate in silence, trying to act like nothing was different. Too bad the swelling and bruising all over Mave’s face made it nearly impossible.

“Another day and the whore gets what she deserves at someone’s hands,” a male commented, sneering as he walked near them to his own table. “At least someone gets a fucking piece of it.”

Matesh’s hands shook in anger at the comment. How dare he say something like that to a female? The only female. A female whose life was hard enough. Matesh just couldn’t believe this. Every time one of them opened their mouths, they proved to be further and further from what a good Andinna male should be like. He was raging inside, begging for blood and retribution. He barely even liked her sometimes, and yet every offense to her from these other males was killing him.

Rainev elbowed him to calm him down, break him out of the temper. He looked over to her and saw the comment hadn’t even fazed her. It was a telling sign. She had known it was going to happen.

“How long will it go on?” he asked softly, to keep the question private.

“Until the last of the bruising heals. Then one will say they can’t wait to see it happen again. They get used and beaten too, but never as bad as me.” She was so calm, so detached.

It made him ache. He’d never known any Andinna to confront such injustice with a stoic, blank face. It was aggravating to him since it was unnatural, but also a testament to her strength, a strength that made him honored to share space with her.

Breakfast ended and they headed for the training area. Immediately, things were different today.

“Everyone’s had a chance to settle the fuck in and such. Today, we’re going to declare some spars and bring you front and center. We’ve been watching all week. Pay attention. This is us deciding who you might fight against.” A lenasti stood up on the balcony for the building they lived in, talking down at them. Other lenasti were waiting. “Champion and Seventy-Two. You’re up first.”

She didn’t say anything as she left them to watch. Seventy-Two met her in the ring. No handshakes, no words. Just two warriors ready to judge their skills against each other.

She handed her steel blades to a lenasti, who tucked them under an arm while another gave her two wooden blades. She couldn’t use live steel against other gladiators, it seemed. Not when she was required to spar. He noted that. She couldn’t accidentally kill any of them. Knowing some of the stories from her time in the pits, he figured she had probably done it before.

“Fight!”

It was a flurry. Seventy-Two used a longsword like him and wasn’t as slow as most of the other fighters. She was death, though. He knew she held back a little since she used live steel on him. This was her looking death down and saying she was better.

When Seventy-Two charged her, she caught the swing on the hilt of her right gladius and forced it away. Her left slammed into his side without a thought, making him groan and drop his blade. He backed away from her and she kicked his wooden longsword along with him.

“Again. You can do better, Seventy-Two.” The lenasti sounded patient, even if bored with what he’d just seen.

This time, when he was ready, she charged him. Seventy-Two did do better, deflecting several of the flurries of blows she rained on him. A crucial one hit one of his wrists, though, and Mat could hear the crack. With live steel, he would have lost the hand. Mat wondered if it was broken.

These males weren’t bad, but they weren’t her. They were also getting lazy, he thought, only fighting each other in the rough world of the pits. None of them used proper form anymore, only a cheap imitation of it.

Seventy-Two, if he was the best that they could match to her, was a sad sight.

“Don’t challenge me, come the day,” she said calmly. “You’ll lose.”

“Stop with that, Champion. He can challenge you if he wants to.” The lenasti, surprisingly, didn’t sound angry, but more teasing. It was like those Elvasi males knew that she was unstoppable and the rest were just playing games of war against her.

Interesting.

“You can step off, you two. Twenty-Three, I’ll put you against Eighty-Nine. Get in here and let’s see what some Ivory Shadow can do.”

Shit.

“What?” Seventy-Two looked at him, his eyes wide. Mat looked to Rainev for a moment, who was just as unamused by the lenasti outing them.

“Ha! You all haven’t heard?” Another lenasti was laughing. “We have a couple of real mercenaries in the bunch with those two. They are here to be broken for the Empress before they give up everything about their company. Now get in the fucking ring, Twenty-Three.”

He did, keeping his mouth shut. Eighty-Nine walked in, swinging his mace. It wasn’t a real mace, but Mat knew it was weighted to feel like one. It could still break bones.

In the end, he won the sparring match, able to get close to the other gladiator and give him a solid hit to the head. It hadn’t even felt like work.

It proceeded like this all morning, with Rainev also doing well against his opponent. He nearly broke the male’s knee with the hit he got.

“Well, that was interesting,” Rain said as they were done. The bell rang for lunch and they moved down into the chow hall.

“We were outed, and I don’t like that,” Mat muttered as he got his food.

“We’ll deal with it,” she said quietly.

He nodded, unable to find anything to say as they moved to their seats. As Mat sat down with her and Rainev, Seventy-Two walked over to them.

“Why don’t you males come sit with us and talk?” It sounded friendly and respectful. An olive branch.

Really?

“Why don’t you go shove that new attitude up your ass?” Mat answered, taking a bite of his slop.

Rainev laughed, snorting into his food, unable to control himself.

“You don’t need to hang with her just because the Empress owns you. You belong with other males who know right from wrong.”

Mat stood up slowly, and found he was just as tall as Seventy-Two. He looked over the male. He was standard, probably around Mat’s age, maybe older, nearing two thousand at the oldest. Definitely pre-War born, though. Definitely fought in the Hundred Year War.

“Right from wrong? I think you’re a worthless piece of shit, Seventy-Two. I think you’ve gone so far from our ways that there’s no fucking saving you. I’m sitting where I need to sit, doing what a good male Andinna does.” Matesh sneered as he looked over Seventy-Two. “I damn sure don’t condone the shit you all have been saying or doing since I got here. It sure isn’t what our people do. So I’m not really fucking sure I want to know what you think is right or wrong, but I’m sure it's not the same as I was taught.”

“If she were a different female, I would say you’re right.” Seventy-Two crossed his arms. “But she’s Maevana Lorren. She’s the reason we lost the damn war. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like an Andinna. She might as well be an Elvasi.”

“If she were an Elvasi, she wouldn’t be a slave,” he growled as he spoke, the deep rumble in his chest. He leaned into Seventy-Two’s face. “And as a heads-up? The Ivory Shadow Company’s leaders - and my friends - would see you as the blood traitor, not her.”

Seventy-Two just snarled and walked away. Matesh knew he had just drawn a line, made a real enemy. He didn’t fucking care. Seventy-Two had wanted the friendship of the Ivory Shadows, and he wasn’t going to find it. It would have been good for his ego, even if it didn’t get them anything more.

Matesh looked around the room.

“You all disgust me.” He said it loud enough for everyone to hear. He sat back down and looked at Rainev, who nodded in agreement. She just sat in silence, looking at him in a mix of confusion, anger, and if he was guessing right, respect. Gratitude. He had just declared himself to her, and made every other Andinna in the room hate him for it. It was no longer a quiet alliance. Now it was right on the surface. He was going to fight for her. He couldn’t do anything else without feeling like he dishonored himself.

None of them brought it up for the rest of the day. They only spoke about training, ignoring the hateful glares now being thrown at all of them. Not only did the gladiators know he and Rain were the good guys, they also knew they were considered the bad ones. To Mat, at least.

They survived another day’s training. They had sparred more against other gladiators, and it was angrier than it had been during the morning training. They looked at the group, him and Rain especially, with hate in their eyes he’d only seen reserved for Mave. By the end of the day, he was tired, but he still felt like he’d made the right decision.

When the evening training was called to end, Mave practically stormed back to her room and he had to work to keep up, Rain behind him. He stopped in her room, Rainev thumping into his back.

“Mave, I had to.”

“No, you damn well didn’t,” she snapped. He was glad to see her angry and not detached. That was good. Her glare was fierce and did awful things to him. He loved a woman with a temper. He wanted to see more of hers.

Yeah, yell at me. Get angry. Show me more. He wanted to kill himself for the thoughts, especially about her. This wasn’t the time, place, or female for that sort of thing.

“I did. Because they aren’t good Andinna men. They don’t get to come to me and Rainev, begging for our approval and friendship when they are all fucked in the head.”

“You didn’t need to do it,” she growled out, fury the only thing he could see in her eyes. Then she softened. “But I won’t lie and say I’m not thankful. I was worried that them offering you a place meant you would leave our alliance.”

“Nah, illo amyr. We won’t leave you for that trash. You’re stuck with us now, even if we are making mistakes that are going to get us killed!” Rainev laughed. “Matesh and I, we’ll die on the sands before giving up what is right, though. If that’s the way it's got to go, then that’s what we’re going to do.”

“Stupid,” she mumbled, shaking her head.

He had wanted her angry and gotten it. Now it was fading, and it had given him a look at her he hadn’t expected. She’d been scared to lose them to the other gladiators.

Silence fell over them, heavy with the words they had just said.

Finally, Rain broke the silence. “I’m going to bathe.” He walked into the other room, leaving Mat to look her over. She pulled off her armor, leaving on the underclothing. She practically fell, looking exhausted, onto her cot, leaving space for them to also sit down.

“How did the bruising feel today? And the nose?” He did the same, stripping his armor and sitting next to her on the cot. He kept a fair amount of distance between them, to keep her comfortable.

“The same as it always does. Slows me down a little, but I can ignore it.”

“That’s good.”

Silence fell. They both sat with clasped hands and waited for Rainev to finish. When his nephew walked out, nude and grinning, Mat quickly took the bath, closing himself in. He listened to them talk quietly about wing care, especially when they were injured. He was constantly reminded about how very little she knew. Rainev explained that their wings were fairly delicate, but not as delicate as butterflies. A tear could be sewn up and one could fly again, but it would scar.

He closed his eyes and just let their voices wash over him as he sank into the bath further. It could almost be normal, as if any minute his uncle would walk in and go off about something even more detailed and ridiculous about Andinna history and their wings.

He would get a perverse pleasure from meeting Mave, I know it. He’d find her a delight to teach, more than likely.

When he opened his eyes, he knew it was never going to happen. The Ivory Shadows had one rule. If you’re caught, don’t talk. Not so you can wait for rescue - just don’t talk. No one was coming to save them.

When he was done bathing, he got dressed before he walked back out. He had noticed how her eyes always drifted over him when he was nude. Not like he was a piece of meat, but rather, she was sizing him up and drinking him in. With what just happened, he felt wrong going out there and riling her up, having a bit of fun being nude and knowing she found him attractive.

He wasn’t Rain. He damn sure didn’t want her as a sister. The problem was, with everything else around them, he really shouldn’t be wanting her at all.

“Let’s go, Rain. She’ll need her rest. Will you be able to get up before the breakfast bell?” he asked, before grabbing Rain to get off her cot.

“Of course. I’ve never missed it.” She stood up to get her own bath. “Be safe. You pissed off a lot of people today.” There was a worry in her voice that touched him.

“Will do,” he promised.

“Good night, illo amyr,” Rain said before leaving. He followed his adopted nephew out, thinking about how she sounded just then.

Once they were further from her, Mat frowned down at the smaller male. “Why do you keep saying it in Andena?”

“It feels right. She doesn’t know our people so…” Rain shrugged. “Let’s just get to our room and get some sleep. It’s not that big of a deal.”

A gift, then. He was calling her that to make her feel more connected.

I love you, nephew. Don’t let this place take that good from you.

They did just as Rain suggested. There was even a door on the room they had found. They had some extra cots pushed together, old things, but it was more space. They could keep their wings and tails off the floor now.

10

Mave

Another week crawled by and Mave was feeling antsy with every passing day. Something had changed in the pits, and not for the better.

“Are those guys glaring at us again?” Rain asked softly, nodding to a group of scarred and rough males not many messed with. They were some that she always kept her eyes on, knowing it was their type that always broke first, always caused her the most problems.

“Yes,” she answered. She looked at Mat, who glared back at them, fire in his green eyes. The more she saw of his temper, the more she liked it. Free Andinna. True Andinna, he’d said. He said the way the other males acted was wrong, that the Andinna were a community. Throwing out one of their own wasn’t acceptable, not like they had her.

He was going to stick by their race’s principles even if it killed him.

She had a lot of respect for that, even though it aggravated her deeply sometimes. He was going to take her down with him and his nephew. There wasn’t much she could do about it unless she wanted to push them away and break the alliance. Impossible. They were in it now and there was no turning back.

I don’t think I could get rid of them even if I wanted to, even if it was possible. They’re too stubborn to leave me alone now.

And I’m thankful for it.

“Leave it, Mat. They will always glare,” she told him, hoping to see him calm.

He did, his eyes falling on her and the fire inside them dimming, only slightly. “We’ll meet them on the sands and that will be that?”

“Yes. If you meet them on the sands, you can show them, but not a moment sooner. I don’t pick fights, only defend myself. You need to do the same. The fights are normally blamed on the aggressor. Don’t be the aggressor.” She stood up as the bell for lunch’s end came. They followed her, and in unison, they held out their bowls for the dwarf. He glared at all of them, but said nothing. Just another day.

When they got to the training area, they moved to their circle. About ten gladiators took their spot as they walked to it.

“Find another one,” one gruffly said, grinning at them.

Mave raised her eyebrows and turned away. This is how it’s going to be? Petty, childish shit? I knew I lived with idiots, but I didn’t think they were babes. “They’ll quit that after you win a fight or two on the sands. Or they get slaughtered in a group fight. We haven’t had one of those in a few months. It’s about time.”

“I look forward to it,” Mat said calmly. She resisted the urge to smile. She didn’t smile, not out in the training area.

“I have some important news this afternoon!” a lenasti called out, holding a scroll above his head.

Mat and Rain both gave her curious looks, but she shook her head. She had no idea what this was about.

“This coming month is the one-thousand year anniversary of the Hundred Year War, or rather, the Final Battle. The Empress has declared not just a day of games, but a full week! Seven days of games until the grand finale on the very day.”

“Damn,” she mumbled. She had missed another birthday. One day she would stop forgetting the actual date, only that it was right before the Final Battle, right before she had been taken. One thousand and five years. Coming up was her one thousand year mark in slavery exactly. Rain kept his eyes on her, but she ignored the concern. She didn’t know what to say.

Sometimes it feels like a blink of an eye. Most of the time, it feels like the eternity it’s been. How do I describe the sensation of it? How do I help someone understand how it feels?

“You will fight beasts. You will fight each other. You will fight the other ludas here in the capital, who think they can lay claim to these sands and stand against you, the gladiators of the pits, the real gladiators of Colosseum! You will fight gladiators from the small hovels across the Empire, who think they can claim our capital! You will be expected to win and do these pits proud as the best gladiators in Elliar.” He waved with the scroll. “This is the tentative schedule. It tells me which beasts will be there to fight, which other ludas are given which days. I will be looking closely at you for the next week, deciding who will fight when and how. Perform your best, because fighting and surviving the week will give you not two days off, but a full week, with real meals, and even, maybe, some entertainment.”

Mave heard that last part. A full week. Real food. She didn’t care about the entertainment. That wasn’t a concern for her as long as she didn’t become the entertainment.

That will help me and the guys a lot. It would give us a chance to hide and lose the heat from the other gladiators.

With that, the lenasti left the balcony and went to get a group to start training. She looked around, hoping to find them a spot to train, but it seemed some of the bigger groups had broken up into smaller ones and did so purposefully. Every circle was claimed, and every training dummy was taken.

“Where are we going to train?” Rain asked softly. “We’ll talk more on the rest later?”

“We will. As for training…” She frowned and looked to an empty section. No real circle, but it would work. There weren’t circles in the sands and they didn’t need one to train. “Come.”

“Champion. Ivory Shadows, a moment. Now.” She stopped her step and looked to the lenasti.

“Yes, sir?” she asked carefully, forcing her eyes down.

“You’ll all be fighting every day, per orders of the Empress. Stay healthy, and by that I mean keep your skills sharp, but don’t overwork yourselves. She wants all of you to live through the damned week, too, which means I’m giving you free rein on how you want to do that.” He walked away from them.

That was the best thing she had heard all damn week.

“Let’s get out of here then,” she told her allies. “He’s given us free rein to practice other places, or take time off in the hottest hours. We can’t skip too much, but we can skip.”

“Is this a privilege of being owned by the Empress? I’m inclined to stay out here and work harder.” Mat grunted, crossing his arms.

“Seven days of fighting to the death. If you consider that a privilege, then you’ve lost your mind. Take the rest they’re offering or they won’t offer it again.” Mave glared to him. “Don’t get arrogant and stuck on this. The lenasti are nicer to me than them, and that’s a blessing.” She nodded her head to where one was cracking his whip near some of the other gladiators. It was just something that happened every training. She hadn’t heard the whip crack at her in centuries, since she didn’t cause the problems in the pits. She never really had, only ended trouble others gave her.

Please, Mat. Don’t argue. Not right now. We’ve got a hard week coming. We need this right now.

“Fine.” Mat nodded, then followed her down the stairs. No one called out to them or jeered as they left. They were all too busy being pushed further than their limits by the lenasti, who were in a mood now, knowing this week of games could make or break their careers.

She led them to her room and sighed in a little happiness at the cool air of the tunnels compared to the raging hot sun.

“I hate the tunnels,” she said softly. “But this, during the hottest point of the day, is nice.”

“Anden is a northern area, colder than this on average. It’s what we Andinna need. The humid heat doesn’t sit well with us.” Mat sat down on her cot, with Rain falling next to him. She sat on her chest, listening. “Now most free Andinna live in the Free Cities of Olost. Hot over there, since most of it is too far south, but it’s at least freedom. You like the cold and there’s nothing wrong with it. Normal. Enough about that, though. What’s with all of this? Other ludas? Games? Beasts? What’s this going to look like? I remember something similar being talked about five-hundred years ago? Same deal?”

“Yeah,” she sighed out. “So they’ll bring in chained wyverns, and gryphons, even a load of standard beasts like the maned cats, or the striped ones. Lions and tigers. Bears too. For a week, it’s just one fight after another. There’ll be small, fake reenactments of battles, and even several show fights. I promise you, at least once, I’ll be fighting three other gladiators at once. Their goal will be to kill me and mine will be to kill all of them.”

“Wyverns, huh? Thought those were extinct on this side of the mountains.” Rain tapped his chin. “Think I’ll go against one?”

She knew he was referring to the mountains that once served as Anden’s border. She knew about the Dragon’s Spine, thanks to being forced into so many meetings by the Empress.

“No. They aren’t so foolish to put a shifter with his animal. They know what you are, make no doubt about it.” She had learned only recently. Interesting, that the happy younger male was a fearsome wyvern shifter of the same color as his horns, wings, and tail. Apparently, all Andinna and Clan mutts became wyverns, of various colors. That had been something she didn’t know.

“Of course they know.” Rainev mumbled. “It was worth the idea.”

“The city will be packed, overcrowded. She probably sent word out to the furthest territories already to let people come from all over the Empire and experience her favorite thing. Gladiator fights.” Mave swished her tail around, annoyed with the reality of a week of games. “Fighting every day, we’re going to get tired and the other fighters will use the opportunity to cause problems. They will be wound up, angry, hot, and tired. It’s going to be a madhouse down here. Don’t mess with the other ludas, either. They run with different rules and could be even worse than the gladiators here. Also, we just don’t need any more enemies.”

By the Skies, we do not need any more enemies. I’m not sure if I could handle pissing off any more damned gladiators.

“Will we be seeing them?”

“Let’s just say that soon I’ll be keeping you in here, rumors be damned.” Mave swallowed. It was so risky. “Luckily, the other ludas are smaller than the pits. The pits? We’re owned by government officials and shit. They are owned by people who work in the gladiator business. Smaller groups, but unluckily, there’s still tons of them. For games like this, they will be housed here, under the Colosseum. We’re talking double or more than the numbers we have down here.”

“Double? That’s over four hundred male Andinna, and you’ll be…” Rain’s eyes went wide as she watched the reality dawn on him. The only female. The Champion. The one everyone will hope to take down during the games and earn the notoriety that would come with it.

Yup. The pits are already hell, and they are about to get worse.

“You’ve survived something this big before?” Mat asked, leaning over to rub his face.

“Being owned by the Empress gives me, and now you, some protection. No ludas wants to lose their rights to ever fight in the Colosseum because their idiot gladiators killed off the Empress’ property. But that won’t stop some attempts, some willing to get dirty so their more successful friends will defeat me on the sands. You’re lucky that you don’t have much of a fighting reputation yet.”

Something settled over her like a cloak, a weight that wouldn’t let up. A week to survive this hell. A week to survive with them. She had to make sure they were prepared. That was one of the reasons the lenasti gave them the ability to roam more, leave the schedule. They knew their best fighters were in more danger than just on the sands.

She realized the weight was a responsibility she’d never had before. So far, she hadn’t needed to worry so much about them. They were resourceful males. Now she worried a lot. A week of games? That could kill them.

I don’t know what I would do if I lost them now. I don’t know if I can go back to being alone. They have to live through this.

“When will the others show up?” Mat was still leaned over, rubbing his face.

“The day before the fights, they will be moved in here. They will leave as their fights are done, to make sure the Empress isn’t funding their extended stay in the pits. Fights will break out a lot that day. Don’t listen to whatever schedule they put out for the games. People will die down here. The schedule will get changed.”

“Why do it like this when it’s so bad for their business? I mean, surely no one wants their gladiators dying.”

“Because the streets will be too crowded to move the gladiators from their normal operations for their daily fights. They have to take the risk to make sure their fighters are in the right place at the right time,” she answered Rain, trying to ignore the exhaustion that was attempting to drag her down. Even the idea was exhausting. “In the end? They don’t really care about us. We’re just cattle to slaughter for their entertainment. You’ll see.”

Like cattle, we Andinna just needed to die at the right place and the right time.

Silence settled over them and Rain moved closer to her, his tail moving to touch hers gently. A sign that he wanted to ask something personal, she’d been taught. They’d given her a few lessons in body language already. She met his sapphire eyes and waited, a silent message it was okay for him to break the silence.

“What bothered you in the training area?”

“I missed my birthday,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s not a problem. It just means I’m another year older. These games…they represent a thousand years exactly in slavery for me. It's just a stark reminder of how long it’s been and how much longer I have until I’m too old to fight, too old to survive.” If she were lucky, she wouldn’t die of old age, which wouldn’t happen for another four to five thousand grueling years. But at the same time, she was too stubborn to die on the sands like they all wanted her to. They all wanted her to one day fall in her prime. She wasn’t going to give them that, not ever.

A thousand years of failure, too. I’ve failed for a thousand years at stopping all of this.

“Happy birthday,” Rain whispered, leaning closer to her. His horn hit hers and they chuckled. Mat watched the interaction. She met his eyes and looked away.

She had promised herself not to get close to these males, but Rain had become her little brother too. She couldn’t stop it. He was a breath of fresh air, a good young male and a warrior, a good one. A nice man, and someone she could trust while she slept.

Mat was a different can of worms. Where Rain was safe, Mat was dangerous. He was a strong ally, and that’s all she could allow him to be. She couldn’t use him for the physical action her body craved, something that was hers. Her ability to have consensual sex was the one thing the Elvasi couldn’t take from her. They could use her, try to break her, but they couldn’t take that from her.

Too bad the one male she was interested in now was the one she absolutely couldn’t have. If she had him once, she had a feeling she would want him again.

It was when things stopped being casual that gladiators got in trouble. When people were sneaking off together for another moment. That brought attention. I want so much more than casual with him. I want to have him. I want to own that arrogance. At least now I know that I can’t resist them and their friendship because it's what our people are like. It’s not like I can choose this, this need.

“You’ll start staying in here the night before the first day of games, when everyone else has arrived. You’ll stop staying in here when the games are over, to keep people from looking at us wrong, hopefully. All the other gladiators in this hall will be doing their best to keep their circles together as well. Guards will be doubled, maybe even tripled, in case there are riots. This place is going to get very, very crowded. But once the games start, there are no trainings. You go to the gates when your fight will start, you do your fight, then you get back to whatever corner you want to hide in. Meal times will be double in length, and it’s not going to be allowed to hang out. You get your food, you eat it, then you get out. They don’t want too many people so close to the outside world and the chow hall is the way out - the one we know, anyway.”

“This will be hell.” Mat straightened up, looking stoic and ready.

“This will be hell,” she agreed. “This is as bad as it gets, you two. I…” She took a deep breath. She wanted to say something that meant something. “I hope we all make it through.”

“We’ll make it,” Mat promised. “You don’t need to question that.” The confidence in him nearly inspired her.

“I hope so.”

“Will you tell us what you did the last time games like this were held?” Rainev stayed closer to her than to Mat, nearly leaning on her shoulder. She knew he was doing it to make her feel comfortable, a part of this weird family they had in private. She was beginning to love it, in a way she had never loved anything in the pits before.

The fact that I can say I love it, when I’ve loved nothing ever, means this is already too far. There’s no going back.

“Ah…” She sighed, trying to remember. There were some key moments she could recall. “I had to battle five males on my own, day one of that week. I took a hit that I carried for the rest of the week. People began to gamble against me after that.” She leaned back on Rain. “On the fourth day, I fought a gryphon. One of you will, that much I can promise. They will be chained to the center of the Colosseum and able to fly just enough to scare the crowd but not touch it. It can hide above you, though, and will look for an opportunity to drop down. That was one of the hardest fights of my life.”

“No wyvern?” Rain asked.

“No. They put twenty males against the wyvern last time. Those twenty males lost, by the way. I almost wonder if it will be the same wyvern this time. Those things live longer than we do, right?”

“About ten thousand years. They’re going extinct like the chimera, though. Less and less of them every year. In Anden, there were strict rules about hunting wyvern. We didn’t want the thing we share the skies with to disappear. People took pride if they had a small community of them in their territory.” Mat sighed sadly. “They’re beautiful creatures when free. They aren’t normally aggressive to our kind either, not in the air. Flying beside one - a real one, Rain - is fantastic.”

“I am a real wyvern,” Rain muttered, glaring at his bodrya. “I’m just also an Andinna. Makes me want to shift. It’s been hell not to for so long.”

“It’s been hell not to fly, but this is life now. As Mave said when we got here.” He looked back at her and she just held the stare. He had learned something from her, at least. A sad thing. She felt bad for clipping his wings. “Now we just get ready, huh? Fight our best when we do train. Hide from the worst of it. Survive.”

“That’s right.”

She didn’t have any other advice to give them.

11

Rainev

The next day, Rainev saw that things were already different. At breakfast, everyone was tense. Mave had let them spend the day just talking, and they trained when the evening training period was over instead. They ate their meals and avoided the gladiators, but she had said they couldn’t skip too much. So here they were, at breakfast the next day.

“Feels like a powder keg,” he mumbled to Mat.

“It does. One that will go up at the smallest of sparks.”

“This is normal. Just tread carefully with them and they will hopefully remain focused on their own deal, their own futures.” Mave looked back down to her food.

Rain watched her carefully. Even she was tense, even if she didn’t say anything about it. He knew she was worried about everything. She was a worrier. He didn’t blame her. If he’d lived through the childhood and adulthood she’d experienced so far, he would probably have already been on his knees, begging for an end. I wish I could be as strong as she is.

Like the night he claimed her as a big sister. He meant that. She deserved it. Seeing her so beaten up, so kicked down, and yet still staggering to walk back into her home, her space. Letting him help her.

That was inspiring. Painful but inspiring.

Now, the bruising was gone; no evidence was left of that night. From what she’d mentioned in their time together, it happened frequently. Maybe not that bad, but bad enough.

Over and over again.

So he didn’t blame her for being a worrier about everything. He understood it.

Breakfast was called and they moved up to the training area. They were able to find a circle before anyone got in their way. It gained them some glares, but nothing more. The lenasti were on high alert, making sure everyone was working and training their hardest. Whips cracked to keep them moving.

No one is allowed to screw around now. Except me, Mave, and Mat. That’s probably pissing them all off.

He, Mave, and Matesh just rotated their sparring, a steady rhythm. It worked well for them. One had the chance to breathe, then got two spars in a row, then another chance to breathe. Kept them working hard, but not overworked. The lenasti didn’t bother them; one just watched for a moment then moved on, nodding.

He looked over at the trainers on his second break. Ten of them, for the near two hundred gladiators that lived in the pits. More guards than that. Dozens of them hid down in the pits, more covered the training area and the gate.

It already felt crowded and it was going to get worse? That astounded Rain. Over double the amount of gladiators. Over double the amount of guards. The lenasti were going to disappear to enjoy the games themselves once the scheduling was done.

Chaos. He could taste it on the tip of his tongue. It was going to be chaos.

“I have an idea,” he told Mave when the morning session was over. They were already going to skip lunch and the afternoon, then do a double session in the cooler evening. He figured they could use the hot hours to get something done.

“What is it?”

“Matesh and I can move cots into your room early. Have them ready for the week of the games. If this is going to get worse as the week goes on, then we should get things settled early.”

“Go. I’ll meet you both at my room. You should eat first, though. I’m not hungry so I’m going.”

“You okay alone?” Rain went to stand up and Mat nearly did the same before she answered.

“Not me I’m worried about,” she muttered, walking away from them. Rain saw Matesh’s eyes following her and dropping a little too low. He reached out and slapped his uncle’s chest.

“Stop. You can’t do it, Mat. You really can’t.”

“Don’t I know it,” he said quietly. “Yeah, Rain. I really do know it. She and I can’t go there. It would cause all sorts of problems.”

“Staring at her like that won’t help us either,” he hissed softly. “And I damned sure don’t approve.”

“You don’t need to,” Mat snapped back, growling low in his chest.

“Yeah, I kind of do. She’s accepted me as little brother. She might be a female Andinna with her own choice and no one will tell her otherwise, but at the same time, I need to look out for her. You aren’t good for her. Not right now, at least.” Rain sighed. “If we had any hope of escaping, getting her away from…them, I would say go for it. You’re both interested, even if you don’t say anything. But we both know we’re never getting out of here and our best chance of staying alive is not going that route. It could very well make her hate you, make her think you were just in it for that.”

“I hate you sometimes, Rainev.”

“I’m only doing what my dad taught me. What all of you taught me.”

“I know. You can’t take the choice from her, though, in some need to protect her.”

“No, but I can tell you that I think it’s a bad idea right now. To ask you to wait. Male to male.” Rainev knew all the ins and outs of being a male in Andinna culture. While the other males in the pits forgot, he would always remember everything his father taught him. He would remember what his adopted uncles taught him. He wasn’t going to let Matesh forget either.

“You can. That is well within your rights.” Matesh gave him a strange look. “I forget sometimes you’re well old enough to make these arguments. I remember you as a babe, with your dad cooing over you. Big-ass warrior from the Hundred Year War, and he was cooing. Shit was unbelievable, then I held you.”

“You cooed too.”

“It’s becoming easier to remember, being here, how old you are. No games here like on the outside.” Mat stood up slowly. “Let’s go get this done, my favorite nephew.”

“Yeah.” Rainev jumped up to follow him. He worked his shoulders, hoping to ease the stiffness that never seemed to leave where his wings merged with his back. Always too stiff, thanks to them being bound down, unable to spread and stretch.

Rainev and Mat rolled up the mattresses of all the cots they had stashed away. “We’ll leave the frames. Worthless, anyway. We’ll just use these.” Mat pointed to the rolled-up mattresses and Rainev silently agreed, nodding as he looked them over as well. They could easily carry these and put them in Mave’s room for a few days. “We’ll have a hard time sleeping for a few days-”

“No need to worry about that,” Seventy-Two said, entering through the door. Rainev bared his teeth at the other gladiator. “Got a little plan? Going to stick with the Champion? Look down on the rest of us while you hang out with the whore?”

“What do you want?”

“To remind you that these are the pits. Nobody is above the law here. Not even you two. Next time you want to talk shit to us, I want you to remember this.”

Rainev stepped back when more males came through the door. They got fucking cornered. He was there worrying about if Mave would be fine alone and she’d been right to worry about them instead. They should have watched their backs better. Fuck us sideways. How did we get so relaxed? Why wasn’t one of us watching out for this?

“This is what honorable Andinna males in slavery do? Jump their own kind.” Mat counted, making a show of it. “Eight to two?”

“This is what gladiators do.” Seventy-Two’s face was hard. “And you are no longer in the Ivory Shadows. You’re gladiators, now.”

“Why now? Today was going just fine.” Rainev stepped back again, closer to Mat as two of the other Andinna were trying to cage him off from his uncle. “We haven’t caused you any trouble. Killing us doesn’t get you anything.”

“No…but we’re not here to kill you. Just remind you where you are and where your place in it is. Knock you off those damned high horses you seem to sit on all the time.” Seventy-Two looked around to his guys. Rain’s shoulder bumped Mat’s. They were going to have a fight and it was going to be bad. “Don’t do anything the whore will kill you for. And keep those wings unharmed. You know how the lenasti get about wing damage. We’ll all be beaten for it, maybe even maimed ourselves.” Seventy-Two waved a hand at them and Rain’s heart dropped. Then he walked out of the room, leaving a bunch of snarling Andinna between them and the door.

Fucking coward directs his guys and just leaves? Dishonorable piece of Elvasi shit, that one. How dare he claim to be better than Mave? At least she fights her own battles.

Rainev snarled back, baring his canines. Mat was the same, his teeth out, and his hands up, ready for the fight.

They all jumped at the same time.

Rain connected a strong right jab to the face of one, breaking his nose as a result. He was met with a solid hit across his left cheek, twisting his head to the side.

He kicked out to hit the knee of one as another got a hand on his neck. Rain punched up into the Andinna’s face. His back hit the earth and stone wall with enough force to knock the wind out of him.

He pulled the other Andinna’s head down and threw punches at it, while two others just continuously rained pain on his ribs. One of them grabbed his horns and yanked, slamming his head into the wall.

It dazed him. Stars danced in his eyes as two more quick hits were delivered to his gut. They backed away from him and he looked at Mat, hoping his uncle was doing better. He wasn’t. His face was a bleeding mess and they had given him space too. For what? Rainev looked back at the other Andinna, raising his fists. He swayed, the hit to his head being a serious distraction.

Without words, the Andinna moved back on them, and this time, they kicked Rain’s legs out from underneath him. Rain knew better than to get up. Both he and Mat could only do one thing. They curled up and protected their vital organs from the onslaught. They were good warriors, but they were weaponless against eight men in a tiny, cramped room.

Rain grunted and groaned with every kick that hit his shoulders, back, head, and legs. He heard something crack and snap.

“You broke the shit’s horn, stupid. Oh well. Now he’ll remember the day where he realized he wasn’t the hottest shit that walked in the pits.” An Andinna male laughed, and that made them all laugh as they kept kicking.

It felt endless.

Blood began to cover Rain’s face. They were kicking his head down into the floor. Rain could only keep his hands on either side of his ears, hoping it was enough cushion and they didn’t crush his skull. He wished he knew how Mat was doing, other than the groans coming from nearby, nearly covered up by the laughter and taunting being done by the gang over them.

He went unconscious with one particularly brutal kick to the forehead.

* * *

“Illi bodyr? Oh, Rain.” A feminine voice tried to pull him out of the dark. “Rain?” It sounded hurt. “You two have to be okay. If they killed you, I’m going to kill them. I’m going to rampage through their numbers and kill them all.” He was scared of the temper, the anger that the female dripped with, something he wasn’t used to. “Rain? I know you’re breathing. Please. Please wake up. I need to get Mat, too.”

At Mat’s name, he opened his eyes, groaning. Above him was Mave, looking terrified. He’d never seen such fear on her face before. He didn’t believe it, either, wondering for a moment if his head was too badly injured.

“Oh, illi bodyr. Oh, I should have come with you both. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She touched his face and he groaned louder, trying to pull away from the touch. He liked it, but it fucking hurt.

“Mat…” he got out, trying to sit up to see his uncle. His only family from his youth that was in this hell with him.

If Mat was dead…

“I’ll get him. You lie there. Everyone else just started the afternoon training. I lost track of time and you weren’t here when the bell rang…I thought you were just taking a moment to have a private talk or something. I didn’t know.” There was so much guilt in her words. Pain. His heart hurt from hearing it. She cared about them. Mave moved away from him and Rain saw her kneel over another body. “They snapped off nearly a quarter of his left horn,” she whispered. “Damn…”

Rain tried to push himself up, to a sitting position at least. He could hear the rage and sadness in her voice. Everything about Rain hurt, including his heart. Mat’s horn would never heal. It was broken for good, and he hoped it was the only thing. “We…need to move…”

“We do, but I don’t think Mat is going to wake up from the healing sleep and I’m not sure you can walk. I can’t carry you both.”

“I can walk,” he mumbled, rolling onto his hands and knees. She was at his side in an instant, helping him stand. “Can you…” He pointed down to Mat. He wasn’t going to be able to carry his uncle.

“I got him. We’ll need to hurry. There could still be one or two wandering down here, trying to go unnoticed and skip the training.” He watched Mave lift Mat, only a grunt to give away just how hard it was. Mat was a heavy male. She wrapped his arms over her shoulders to keep him leaning on her back. His feet dragged on the floor, but Rain thought it was the smartest way she could probably do it at that point. “Let’s go. You need me to slow down, tell me. I’m not going to leave you even behind a corner, illi bodyr.”

“You can call me little brother,” he said, chuckling weakly. He was dizzy. “I like it.”

“You’re the only family I’ve had in a thousand years. I wasn’t going to pass it up.” She said it like it was a dirty secret, something to be ashamed of. Like she wasn’t strong enough to pass it up. “Let’s move.”

He followed her, limping and swaying. His head hurt so fucking much. It was throbbing in a way that made him wonder if it was rattling his brain. Every heartbeat made it hurt, then add in the fact that he was walking? He had the feeling he was going to drop the moment he made it to her room.

It was slow, the walk. So slow. She carried Mat without a word, his broken horn a telling sign to the damage they did to him. It was like they beat him up more. Rain had a feeling it was because he was the one who went and called them out, saying the Ivory Shadows would never condone them, accept them. Gladiators who did this to their own people.

No, Rain would never accept them and neither would those who raised him. Mat, Luykas, Alchan, his father, Mat’s uncle. None of them would ever accept these pathetic disgraces of Andinna. They can all rot down here for eternity, those cheap cowards.

A blaze of rage was in his chest now. One he was sure was matched in Matesh on a regular basis. Rain normally didn’t have so much of a temper, being a mutt, but this…this brought out every single piece of Andinna in him, including the unbridled anger.

The guard opened the door in silence to her little hallway, but his eyes went wide at the sight of them.

Mave spared no time, forcing Rain to really work to keep up with her to get in her room. He watched her slowly drop Matesh on her cot and begin removing his armor.

“Get undressed and carefully go clean up,” she ordered. “Keep your head above the water. I’ll be listening so if you go under, I’ll know. Can’t have you drowning while I look him over. If they broke anything, I need to know to set it before letting you both continue the healing sleep.”

“Okay…” He liked her dominant nature now. It made it easy for him to just drop his leather armor off and stagger into the other room, with the pool. He sank into the water and sighed, soaking in it for a moment. It was heaven. A tiny piece of heaven in their hell.

Once in the water, he tested himself. Moving his arms to see where his range of motion started and ended. He prodded his ribs, looking for breaks. His face felt fucked up, but his nose, while swollen, wasn’t broken. It was all tender, all bruised, but the damage could have been worse. He got out fairly well. Nothing felt busted up in his abdomen either.

It was one thing he had on other Andinna. As a Clan mutt, his healing was even better. He didn’t need the healing sleep. His body just kept regenerating, no matter if he was awake or down for the night. It's why Mave could wake him up and Mat was down for the count.

He finished rinsing the blood and dirt off and staggered back into the main room. What he saw made his heart ache. She was leaning over Mat’s now nearly-nude form. She was looking over his injuries, then stopped at his mangled face, slowly cupping one of his cheeks.

“Why does he not want me as family?” she asked softly.

“He doesn’t want to think of you as family.” Rain could only offer her the truth. “But…I think getting involved with those sorts of feelings and wants right now is a bad idea.”

“Ah. You’re right. It is. I was just curious.” She looked back at him. “I’m going to get him into the pool and clean him off. You sit down and rest. Nap, don’t nap, I don’t care, but you need to get off your feet.”

“I know,” he said. He watched her heft his uncle up and when she was gone, he leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. Wings didn’t make anything easy, but he made due. He didn’t want to take the bed when she was going to come back with Mat.

His eyes were closed when he heard splashing and snarls. He jumped up, ignoring the pain, and moved for the pool. When he pushed inside, Mat and Mave were snarling at each other.

“She found us, Mat. It’s okay.” Rain moved closer and realized why she normally only let one of them in there at a time. It was much too tiny for all three of them, wings hitting the walls, slipping on wet earth around the pool. “It’s okay.”

“Let go of me,” she snarled. “Or I’ll take your cock and feed it to the other gladiators.”

Rain’s eyes fell to the hands Mat had wrapped around her throat. He looked down to see her right hand holding the very thing she threatened.

“Both of you calm down,” Rain said quickly. He definitely wasn’t getting between them.

Slowly, Mat looked over her face then down to his crotch. He removed his hands from her neck and she backed away quickly, leaving the room without a second glance.

“I freaked out, waking up with someone touching me.”

“She was cleaning you off so I could rest,” Rain explained.

“I figured that out, thanks. I’m going to apologize. What…are we in any trouble?”

“No. She found us pretty quickly. The afternoon training is still going. She found us right after lunch ended.”

Mat nodded and stood up gingerly. Rain reached for him, catching him as he swayed and listed hard to the side. “Fuck, my ribs.”

Rain’s hand moved over Mat’s ribs at that. Sure enough, there were a few fractured. That was bad. Could cause some complications if they weren’t given a few days to heal in sleep.

“You can probably sleep until the evening training. We’ll skip dinner, since we showed up for lunch and breakfast.” Rain tried to remain calm. This was ugly, though. They had done a real number on Mat. “Also…they broke your horn.”

Mat growled and reached up too fast, making him wince. He tried again slower and touched the good horn then moved to the other one. Nearly a quarter of it, snapped off. It took a serious amount of strength and force to manage that. Mat had a type of ram’s horns, in a way. They wrapped around and pointed out to the front. Breaking off the end of one of his horns meant they tried to shove his face into the ground. They were also nearly grown. They wouldn’t be getting much bigger since Mat was fourteen hundred. They normally stopped growing somewhere between one thousand and two, and the rate was slower every year after reaching adulthood at one hundred. There was no fixing the horn, and the way they looked now would probably be how they always looked.

“Damn the Skies,” he mumbled.

Mave took that moment to look back in. “You’ll be staying here now permanently, consequences be damned. I’m not losing you two to a jump. Come back in here when you’re done and rest. When dinner is nearly over, I’ll make sure we’re up for a quiet evening workout. We need to be careful though. Can’t have you two getting jumped again.” She closed them in and Mat growled softly.

“She’s so aggravating,” he muttered, glaring at the door.

“She’s pretty much saved our asses too. Deal with it.” Rain patted his shoulder softly.

My big sister can be as aggravating as she wants. I love that she cares enough to be aggravating.

He couldn’t say that to Matesh.

“You don’t want her and want to strangle her at the same time.”

“No, I don’t. To both of those.” Rain smiled weakly. “Any other injuries I need to know about, uncle?”

“No. The ribs are the worst. I’ll need to treat them carefully for a few days.”

“You will.” Rain left the bathing room and found Mave was gone. Just gone. He sat down on the cot. If he left, he wouldn’t be allowed back in because she was gone, so he just waited, worrying about what she was up to. Matesh walked out soon and sat next to him, looking like he refused to ask where she was.

Eventually, Mat laid down, his tail wrapping over himself and he was asleep in seconds. Rain was glad for that.

Mave walked back in and dropped what she had on the floor. Cot mattresses. Four of them. “There. No need to leave now except to train, eat, and shit. In that fucking order.” Her eyes fell on Mat, sleeping on her cot. “I will apologize to him for scaring him when he awakens.”

“You’re learning,” Rain said, chuckling. All parties in the Andinna apologized a lot - for losing their temper, or causing another to. It was just the way they were, or rather, the way they were supposed to be.

“Yes.” She moved the cot mattresses around, laying them out. “Rest. I’ll stay awake.”

“I don’t need the healing sleep.” It wouldn’t hurt, but he didn’t need it.

“I’m not asking,” she clarified. Rain nodded slowly and moved to two of the mattresses. He lay down and she sat on her chest, watching him in silence. He closed his eyes, hoping she would stop staring.

Instead, she started to sing. The same lullaby he sang to her.

He never told her what the words were, but he wondered if maybe she remembered it from her childhood. Either way, she sang it, word for word, in an enchanting and unsure soft voice that wanted to take him under.

Fly, little one,

Far above

Up in the stars.

Fly, little one,

Knowing I’m here,

To kiss your scars.

Fly, little one,

Up in the clouds

Far above us all.

Fly, little one,

Knowing I’m here,

To catch you when you fall.

Fly little one,

And know my heart goes with you,

No matter how far you go.

* * *

“Rain, up. It’s time for dinner to end.”

Rain groggily came awake again to see her over him. The area around her eyes was red, as if she’d been crying. That troubled him, but he knew better than to ask if she had. Maybe she was just exhausted.

What has made her cry? I wish I could ask.

“I’ll get Matesh up,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“I’m already up,” Matesh said. He was still tired, though. Rain could hear it in his voice. “Waiting on you.”

“Well, fine.” Rain grumbled. He still ached. “So, now we hit up training like it didn’t happen?”

“That’s exactly what we do,” Mave told him, sounding somewhat sad, like she felt guilty for saying those words. “There’s nothing else you can do. Fearing them only gives them the power they want over you. Hiding gets you in trouble. We’re lucky this happened during a time where we can miss things. It’s probably what set them off, seeing us miss training, knowing we’re set to fight without needing to prove ourselves. The lenasti aren’t mean to us. It pisses them off.”

I figured as much, but that doesn’t excuse them. It doesn’t excuse any of this.

“Maybe we should make the lenasti mad at us.” Mat crossed his arms and looked at her. “I don’t exactly like that we get favors from them.”

“It won’t change anything. The other gladiators will still hate you, and Rain, and me. You would just be making more enemies. I’ve never considered the lenasti allies, but they aren’t outright enemies. Just there. Stay out of their way and do your best, and they will stay out of your way. Win, and they like you more. We’re property of the Empress too, so they need to make sure we aren’t broken and useless for their Empress. They have their own shit they need to deal with.” Mave was shaking her head and looked away from Matesh to Rain. “Come on, illi bodyr.”

“You need to start saying it in Common or you’ll get in trouble,” Matesh said forcefully.

“I don’t say it outside this room, or where anyone can hear me, so it doesn’t matter,” she snapped.

Rain couldn’t help but notice their once cold and detached ally wasn’t so cold or detached anymore. She lost her temper more, showed more on her face. Walls were crumbling around her, showing them what the female underneath was like. She still talked in that formal Elvasi way, clear and punctuated, with little accent except the Elliar one. But she was acting more like an Andinna the longer they knew her.

He liked it. He knew Matesh did too.

She cares about us. That’s fine. We care about her, too.

“Let’s just get to training, you two,” Rain said, pushing himself off the cots. He didn’t want to hear them arguing while Mat was going to be at his worst, healing.

He left the room first, noticing his limp was gone. He didn’t need a healing sleep, but it had helped anyway. Mat and Mave followed, their bickering over, but he could cut the tension between them with one of Mave’s swords. As she became more Andinna-like, those two only got worse, not better.

He knew better than to make a joke about how uncle and big sister were fighting, though the idea brought a tiny smile to his face. He had to make sure it was gone before he saw other gladiators, and the wrong words would start a brawl.

They walked through the chow hall, ignoring everyone who watched them. Some made comments to their friends about the state Rain was in, or Mat’s newly-broken horn, but none of them said anything to the trio directly. The tension was still too thick.

They were in the training area right as the bell rang. Rainev still couldn’t figure out just how Mave’s schedule was so exact. She was never late, never too early. Always she was right on time, where she wanted to be exactly when she wanted to be there. A thousand years on a rigid schedule probably helped, but he figured it was more her internal clock. She had strong and decent instincts.

Mave handed her blades to a lenasti, the only people trusted to hold her steel for her. Rain had once asked about practicing with her blades. He’d gotten a hard no. Another slave wasn’t allowed to take her steel, nor could she let anyone else even hold it. It was a rule or the privilege would be revoked. If they were stolen, the thief would lose their hands and wings then be thrown on the sands to die. Mave said it had happened once. Only once. It had been enough for no one to ever wish to steal again.

“Champion,” a lenasti called softly. He walked closer and pointed to Rain then Matesh. “Care to explain?”

“They were jumped, sir. They will be healed by the games - sooner if they get rest at night.” She answered professionally, like an expert.

“Good. Keep them out of trouble any way you can. The Empress expects them to do well.”

“Yes, sir.”

When the lenasti was gone, Mave turned to the other gladiators over the training field. Something snaked through Rainev at her stare. It wasn’t blank. Mave’s silver-blue eyes were darker than ever. Angry.

No, not angry. Furious.

Other gladiators began to notice, and no one said anything. No taunts or jeers. Rainev still didn’t understand exactly how she commanded such silence in the pits when she needed it. Maybe they weren’t used to the pure acidic hate in her expression. He sure as the skies wasn’t.

Then again, no one could be used to the pure threat that was also in the expression. Death to those who tried again, and she wouldn’t fail.

“You hit the dummies. Stretch and see how things work.” She pointed a wooden sword at Matesh. She wouldn’t use their names in training. He nodded in return. Rainev knew it was what he would have wanted anyway. “You and I will spar slowly. You had bouts of dizziness. We need to make sure that has not lasted.”

“Yes, Champion,” Rain agreed, bowing his head to her.

She approached him slowly, only using one wooden gladius. He used one as well, paired with his shield. He liked the defensive option. It was the best, in his mind, but then, he wasn’t trained to fight for blood sport, to kill quickly and gruesomely. He was trained by soldiers who had fought in the war. Shields were a way to make it home after a bad day on the killing field, or as they were called here, the sands.

They met and the wood smacked together. He was stiff but not broken. He could see why the other gladiators jumped him when they did. If he had been required to go to training in the hot sun, then it would have gone poorly.

“You’re learning,” she said softly.

Praise from her made him feel proud of himself, in the same way as if it had come from any of his male family of the Company.

“So are you,” he pointed out. “Form is better. You watch me with the gladius enough. Now you’re putting it into use.” It was impressive that she was so willing to adapt and learn even though he wasn’t actively teaching her.

“You’re learning to fight dirtier. He might not like it, but it’ll keep you alive.” She nodded her head to the silent Mat.

“Yeah, well. Everyone needs to make it through their fights on the sands, right?” He didn’t like the compliment, but he was picking up some tricks from her for his own safety. Mat hated it and Rain was uncomfortable with it. Granted, they had to fight much bigger males than themselves. Matesh equaled many of them in size and didn’t understand that. Rainev, even with his misgivings, knew it was necessary to live.

I can’t die and leave them to this. I’ll do whatever is necessary to live in the pits for as long as possible.

Training was quick that night. They ended up not staying late, getting away from the other gladiators as fast as they could.

As they returned to the hall for the prized gladiators, a guard looked over them with concern. The night guard from the night Mave was beaten. The night she had been forced to whore.

“Bad evening training?” he asked, his Elliar accent thick. He was a pure Elvasi, and a pure Sun Elvasi at that. His auburn hair, pale gold eyes, and tanned skin marked him as a Sun Elvasi, the more southern of the two. Moon Elvasi were from further north, paler, with dark hair and eyes. They had long bred into the same race, bringing more diversity to their people, but this one - he was all Sun. It was actually rare to see an Elvasi that was one pure subrace.

“Jumped,” Rain told him. “During lunch.”

“Ah…” He nodded slowly. “I hope you are well for the games.”

“Thanks?” Rain replied as Mave grabbed him and pulled. Even Mat grabbed him, helping her.

When they tossed him into her room, Mave slammed the door shut. “You do not ever speak to the guards. If they speak to you, do not offer them more information than necessary. They do not care if you were jumped or-”

“He’s the one who let us help you,” Rain said quickly.

“I don’t care. He could have you beaten for it,” she snapped. She immediately calmed, visibly reeling herself in. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to see you get hurt more. Get some rest, both of you. We all should. You need to be healing and today has been tiresome.”

She stormed into her bathing room, leaving them to silence.

“I’ll sleep on the floor with you,” Mat whispered.

“Yeah, she might kill you for taking the cot with the mood she’s in now.”

“It’s been a long and bad day,” Mat reminded him. “Now I’m in pain. I’m going to sleep.”

“Hard to forget,” Rain mumbled, pointing at the broken horn as Matesh laid down. He wondered who had kept the piece as a trophy.

12

Trevan

Trevan nearly smiled at the sight of the mutt being pulled away by the Champion and the other one, Twenty-Three. Like an errant little one, they yanked him along, exasperated.

He knew better than to talk to the Andinna gladiators. They didn’t trust the guards and he didn’t blame them. His people were not good to them, not in the slightest.

The urge to smile passed quickly. He heard the Champion’s angry voice but not what was said. She was probably warning them off talking to him.

Another thing he could not blame her for.

Six hundred years, he’d been a night guard for this door, at his own choosing. He saw what the prized gladiators went through on a regular basis. Furthermore, he saw what she went though.

Maevana Lorren was her real name, but he knew that no one except the Empress would use the name. Some called her Mave. Most called her Champion, as if it were a curse. Some just called her whore.

He called her Champion, but not as a curse. He had respect for her. He’d seen six hundred years of what she’d gone through. How does someone not respect that?

He waited out his night in silence after that. He had an important meeting once his shift was over and needed to be mentally prepared for it. He opened the door when needed, but that was all. He had never spoken to any of the gladiators before - but something about seeing those two males she had taken in, as injured as they were, brought the words from him. He had assumed they’d been jumped, but he needed to know. Being her friend was a dangerous place in the pits. They were courageous males for sticking by her side, even with the threat of being hurt for it.

It had been like the night they had waited at the door. They hadn’t bothered him, only waited when he’d informed them that she wasn’t back. Then she came back and he couldn’t resist letting them in to help her. She’d been so badly hurt that night. In six hundred years, he’d never seen it so bad.

It reminded him why he was a guard, though. Why he’d asked for this post all those years ago. While other guards had always wanted to get out of the pits, he’d been asking to go in them.

His relief showed up and tapped his shoulder, then signaled he could go. They didn’t speak, ever. Technically, there were always two guards on duty for a post if someone needed a break to stretch their legs, but Trevan never used his partner, even if he could have left earlier. They instead exchanged full nights. They shared six days on the schedule and divided those days evenly, unless one of them got seriously ill and needed to leave the pits for his own safety.

He walked out of the pits, ignoring the guard house completely. He didn’t need to stop since he didn’t live there. He had a small apartment a few alleyways from the Colosseum. Time served in the pits had given him the right to live away from them.

He headed straight home. He had a meeting, and now he had important information for that meeting. Not good information, but important. His contact would be waiting for him there.

He entered his sitting room and saw the hooded figure standing in the center. The wings gave away the visitor as an Andinna, and Trevan could see the tail moving around anxiously. “The two males, they are friends with the Champion-”

“You told me this last time,” the gruff, angry voice growled out.

“You need to let me finish, then. They got jumped for it yesterday. I saw them last night. The big one? A bit of his horn got broken. Nothing serious, it seems. They went to her room for the night and never left. I’m assuming she’s keeping them close now for their safety. She’s never done that for anyone before, so they are in well with her.”

“Hm…” The hooded figure pulled down the hood and sighed. Trevan saw the blind right eye first, white and foggy set in the black Andinna eye. His left eye was a pale green, as if he were losing his vision in that one as well. His horns went up and back from his hairline, making them easy to hide in an oversized cloak, like the young blue mutt’s horns. Not that it changed anything with the wings, which couldn’t be hidden. “Thank you, Trevan. I know this puts you in a difficult position.”

“I said six hundred years ago that I wanted to help. I’ve finally had a chance.”

“Well, we had never hoped a guard in the pits could be helpful,” the Andinna male replied, sitting down. “But you are one of our only contacts in that place, and you’re a good one. You know about the games, right?”

“Of course. They will all be fighting every day. The city is already becoming crowded. I wish I could say before but…”

“It’s too risky,” the male agreed. “They’ll survive the games, that I’m certain of.”

“I know what you intend to do, but I need to ask…about her.”

“You’ve said this before.”

“She’s had a hard life. She’s been in the pits longer than most.”

“We’re considering it.”

“That’s all I ask.” Trevan sighed. “You can stay here until nightfall. It will be safer to move after the sun falls.”

“Of course. I will try not to disturb your rest.”

“Thank you.” He left the Andinna standing in his sitting room and went to his bedroom. He stripped his armor off as fast as he could and fell into his bed to sleep. The Andinna in his sitting room was smart enough not to get caught doing whatever he needed to do in Elliar.

* * *

He woke up in the afternoon and groaned as he pushed himself up. A knock at his door had him jumping from his bed. The Andinna was still there. He had to hurry before anyone saw his guest.

The Andinna male darted into the bedroom and Trevan nodded to him as he slid into the closet. They had done this before.

The knock was louder the next time.

“Trevan, wake up! We’re going out tonight! It’s your night off!”

Trevan groaned as he left his room. He pulled his apartment door open to reveal two other guards from the pits. Gentry and Maran.

“No,” he told them, going to close the door. A hand stopped it.

“Come on! You’ve lived in the capital your entire life. You know all the good places!”

“I don’t drink. I don’t party. I work. I come home. I want to be left alone. Every time we get new kids like you guys, you all try to get me to go out. It never works. It won’t today. Leave.” Trevan was cold to them. Gentry had a problem with ‘accidentally’ hurting the Andinna gladiators when he needed to get them somewhere. Maran wasn’t as bad, but his comments, sly and crude, did Elvasi a disservice. They were supposed to be a civilized people, but Maran talked like the barbarians they all claimed the Andinna were.

“Stick in the mud!” Gentry laughed, teasing. He even threw a playful punch at Trevan, who dodged it. “Come on.”

“No,” he said again. “Leave. I’m getting back to sleep.”

“Fine, you prick. I’m amazed you’ve survived six hundred years in the pits with no friends.”

Trevan closed his door at that comment. He’d given up all his friends when he’d joined the guard duty in the pits. They had taken him to the Colosseum to see the rising Champion as her reputation grew. He’d thought she had been magnificent.

They had thought she was a whore who deserved to die on the sands.

He’d only found a few other Elvasi who believed like him in Elliar. It was treason to join an Andinna rights group, so he didn’t. It would have ruined his job and his ability to help who he could. They existed, though. They were never going to convince the Empress to free them - or her son, Prince Lothen. The Empress also had a daughter, but she didn’t make many public appearances. No one knew her stance on the Andinna.

“They are gone. You should have gone with them.”

“I never go with them. Drinking, whoring. None of those have been things I enjoyed.” He looked to the old Andinna, frowning. “You know that.”

“I do. But it would be good for you. What you are doing is not good for you.”

“And what’s that?”

“Pining.”

Trevan didn’t respond to that. He was not pining. He didn’t feel that way for anyone. He just felt that Andinna should be free. That was all, especially those who had the hardest time. They really called out to him.

The Champion just so happened to be one of those. Since the day he saw her for the first time, fighting in the Colosseum six hundred and fifty years ago.

13

Mave

She watched them sleeping as breakfast drew closer. There was no training today, only meals, which had to be quick.

The outside gladiators were coming. It was going to be a long week for all of them.

Her eyes fell on Rainev. He was healed, with only faint bruising left in certain areas, like spots on his ribs.

Her little brother. She could feel it in her heart now. Deep in her chest, she knew she would kill for the younger male. Three hundred years old - she had centuries on him. He was an adult, but he was easy and kind. He was patient with her. He gave her family. In only three weeks, he had weaseled his way into her heart, and now she didn’t know if she could be without him.

I can’t. I can’t be without them. Not after the jump. I have never been so fucking scared. Thought they were dead when I saw them. I can’t go through that again.

He had to survive this week, she promised herself. She looked up and for the first time in centuries, she promised it to the sky as well, even though she couldn’t see it inside her room.

He will survive the games.

She’d never had something to lose before. Now she did.

Her eyes fell to Matesh next. Aggravating male. Attractive male. Her body wanted, certainly, but it wasn’t safe or smart. She repeated that to herself every single time she was with him. Not smart or safe.

Very enticing, though. The broken horn bothered him, but she thought it fit. Made him even more of a warrior. She reached out to touch the end of the broken one.

If anyone makes it look good, it’s you, you damn arrogant male.

He grabbed her. Neither of them moved for a moment.

“Don’t touch it,” he growled nearly incoherently, pulling her closer after he spoke. She wouldn’t let him pull her from her cot, though. If he did, she would fall on him. That wasn’t a place she wanted to be, not if she wanted to keep telling herself how not smart or safe it was and believe it.

“You couldn’t feel it. Which means you’ve been awake and have been too lazy to open your eyes and get up.” She watched him sniff her wrist, an odd thing. She tried to pull her hand from him, half-heartedly. Maybe he would explain it, because she was confused. She didn’t want to ask him about it. If she had to ask, it would be a question for Rain.

He didn’t say anything, only tugged hard. She hadn’t expected it, lost in her confusion at his sniffing. She landed on him in the exact way she hadn’t wanted to, sprawled over his chest. He didn’t hold her there, but he did place his nose to her throat and sniffed again.

She pushed off him, glaring down when she stood up. “Damn the Skies, what was that?” she asked, snapping at him.

“You smell good,” he answered in a tired mumble. “Come back.”

“Absolutely not,” she growled.

“He’s half-asleep,” Rain groaned. “Ignore him.”

“Both of you should be getting up now,” she told them. Rain nodded and sat up, his black hair going everywhere. “He sniffed me.” She pointed at Matesh, who had pulled his blanket over his head.

“He did? Damn it.” Rain glared down at Mat, but she couldn’t see any real heat in the glare. “Hey, get up. Breakfast is soon.”

Mat snarled, looking out. He was awake now.

Rain growled back.

Mave just crossed her arms, waiting. Rain had not yet told her why Matesh had sniffed her. Well, come on. Hurry up, Mat, so I can get the answers I want.

As if knowing what she thought, Mat got off his cot and left the room, ignoring both of them. She took a look down the hall and saw him going into the room where he could take a shit.

“Why did he sniff me?” she asked Rain after she closed the door again.

“You smell good. Not to me, but then, you’re not my type,” Rain answered, pushing himself up and stretching when he stood. “Do I smell good to you?”

She leaned forward and sniffed him, getting close enough to him for her nose to brush his cheek. “No. You smell like sweat, earth, and whatever was on that cot before you.”

“Yeah, that’s gross,” Rain said, chuckling. “Does he smell good to you? It’s not an Andinna thing, though I know some of my family are pretty scent-oriented. People tend to be more attracted to people who smell better to us. Or maybe they smell better since we’re attracted to them? I don’t really know, but if he’s sniffing you, you smell good. That…well, you and him both know what’s going on there.”

Mave considered that. She had never sniffed another male, or any Andinna, to know much of their scent. She didn’t have a heightened sense of smell. She wasn’t willing to get close enough to sniff Matesh.

“Let’s get ready for breakfast,” she said quickly. No, sniffing Matesh wasn’t something she was going to do. Yet. Ever.

Damn, she really kind of wanted to now. Just to see. Curiosity was begging her to take a chance, lean in next time and find out what he smelled like.

Another one of those wants you can’t have, Mave. Plus, it’s weird. You shouldn’t be sniffing people. It’s weird.

They dressed while he made his way back in the room. When they were all ready, they silently moved towards the chow hall. The bell rang during the walk and Mave was happy to see they were able to get inside before anyone else. It would grant them some peace. The week had been a long one with the other gladiators. This coming week would only be worse.

They grabbed their bowls and slop, sitting down just as others were walking in. Everyone was quiet. She knew what they were all thinking about.

Who of the newcomers would be the most dangerous? Who would they have to fight? Did they bother trying to make allies among the visitors?

She didn’t care about who the most dangerous would be. To her, they were all threats to be avoided or dealt with. She didn’t care who or what she would need to fight. She was going to survive. And allies? She had two already and that was all she needed. Plus, none of the newcomers would want to know the Champion. She had a worse reputation outside of the pits than she did in them. Most would treat her like a dangerous opponent. Some would forget and think she was a female they could toy with. Those would die.

“I’m not looking forward to this,” Rainev mumbled.

“No one is,” she told him.

The lenasti showed up at that point, carrying scrolls. They were silent as well, handing them out. When one approached her table, he looked between the three of them then dropped three scrolls on the table.

“These are your schedules. Memorize them and the times. They’re in Common for you to understand.” He turned and walked away, as if it had never happened.

If I pretend it’s not there, maybe they won’t ask me to read mine.

After a moment of stillness, Rain was the one who reached forward and grabbed the scrolls. He opened them up and began reading them. He handed the first to Mat, then one to her. She just put hers on the table again, without bothering to open it.

No. I’m not going to entertain this.

“I know you said to ignore the schedules since they might change, but it’s still got us fighting against beasts on a few days, and that is something we can prepare for.” Rain gave her a concerned look and she sighed.

“I don’t care about mine,” she told him. The truth? It brought shame to her.

“I’ll look at it then,” he said brightly, taking her scroll. She didn’t bother taking it back from him. He rolled it open and frowned. “A chimera? Shit. By yourself.”

“They like to mess with me,” she answered. “I’ll be fine.” She had never fought one before, but she knew the basics. Everything about a chimera would try to kill her. Heads, tail, legs. Didn’t matter. It’s like everything else in my life. Mean as shit and wants me dead. Fantastic.

“You sure you don’t want to read this over?” he asked quietly, handing it back towards her.

Stop asking, damn it. “Positive.” She took it back, then dropped it on the table.

“You can’t read it, can you?” It was such a quiet statement, she nearly missed it. Mat looked at her scroll, then at her. She gritted her teeth. “No one has ever taught you. Anything. Not even the Empress.”

“She taught me to speak Common and Elvasi. Slaves don’t need to read. I can tell numbers, for the times, but nothing else.” She lifted the scroll back up and crushed it in her hands. Fury and shame surged in her. “They give me this as a mockery. An insult.”

“Every other slave here can read,” he pointed out, leaning forward. He was talking quietly. “Pre-War and post-War Andinna here can read, taught by someone at some point. The human criminals can read. The fucking dwarf can read. But you can’t. Do the lenasti even know you can’t read your schedule?”

“No,” she snapped. “It’s not important. And no one is going to teach me. It doesn’t matter.” Stop. Stop talking about this.

“We can teach you,” Rain said gently. “We can.”

“It’s fine,” she mumbled, pulling her scroll closer.

Stop.

“Mave-”

“It’s. Fine.” She growled at the end of it. She didn’t need to be made to feel stupider than she already did. She got up, grabbing her bowl and stormed away from the table. Her eyes landed on Seventy-Two giving his own empty bowl to the dwarf.

With her temper where it was, she knew she should have just walked away. But she was itching to piss something else off.

Fuck it.

He turned and she shoulder-checked him, making him stumble back. Whatever talking had been going on stopped as he looked down at her, angry and wide-eyed. She ignored him, shoved her bowl to the dwarf and walked out of the chow hall. She was nearly twenty steps away when her two allies caught up, following her.

“Bad mood?” Rain asked her, leaning in close. “Mave?”

“I’ve needed a lot of skills to survive this world,” she said, trying to explain her stance. “A lot. And I had to be one of the best at them. Do you understand that?”

“I do,” Rain said cautiously.

“Then understand it is embarrassing that I’m uneducated. But it has never been a skill I needed. I get by without it just fine and would rather it not get brought up.” She kept walking, hoping they would drop it.

“It wouldn’t be a big deal for us to use the scrolls to-”

“Drop it, Rainev!” She nearly roared it. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth, horror taking over. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t wanted to give away his name like that. She looked around. There weren’t any gladiators in sight, only a few guards. They were glaring at her, which was bad. Very bad. She grabbed her illi bodyr and pulled him along. Matesh followed, remaining silent. He had a blank face, as if he were trying his hardest to not say anything. Funny how they had switched places - Matesh holding his cool and her losing her temper.

I don’t lose my temper. I never lose my temper.

She pulled Rain all the way to her room and closed them in. “No. Don’t push this. Don’t speak of it ever again. Even if I thought it was a good idea, this is the last week we could start.”

“Okay,” Rainev whispered, looking down to the floor.

“It’s okay to feel shame, but you needn’t feel it over something that wasn’t your fault,” Mat said, sounding diplomatic.

“Leave. It.” She turned to him, growling. She bared her canines at him.

He leaned in closer, baring his teeth in a snarling return. “Calm down,” he ordered. “You say it all the time. Losing your temper doesn’t solve anything.”

She pulled away before he was too close, close enough for her to smell him. She sat down on her cot and sighed. “It’s hard. To know that they can all mock me for something like that. I do so well at everything, but in the end, I’m an uneducated whore with a nice rack.” It felt painful to admit now. This was her one weakness. It came up rarely, but it came up. She remembered the day the other gladiators found out. “I had been here for a few weeks. Things weren’t so bad right at the beginning, not for the majority of it. I was kind of an unknown and the slavery was still fresh for everyone, less than a hundred years after the War ended. One day, I asked one of them to read me the schedule. He did, thinking I was just too short to see it. I hadn’t hit my last growth spurt yet.”

“Mave…” Rain sat down next to her. She held up a hand.

“Later that day, I was staring at the schedule, with no one in my way. Another male asked me to tell him who he was against. I admitted to him that I couldn’t.” She took a deep breath. “The teasing was relentless. I asked one to teach me, to make the teasing stop, but what he wanted in return was something I wasn’t willing to give him. I have always been the only female down here. At the time, I was even still a virgin. He saw a chance to trade. When I turned him down, he hated me for it. Said I could remain uneducated, but eventually, the pits were going to turn me into the whore I was trying not to be. He’d been right. I became the whore for those who paid the Empress enough for the privilege, and I never did learn how to read.” She chuckled darkly. She leaned back on the wall and closed her eyes.

Don’t cry, Mave. You haven’t cried in a very long time, not in front of anyone. Don’t break now. They can’t have your tears. Those who ridicule you don’t deserve anything from you.

“It was the thing that got me thrown down here. Trying not to be the whore Andinna slave they all wanted me to be,” she explained softly. “A guard tried to rape me while I was the Empress’ handmaiden. She had been keeping me pure, for some reason, and this guard saw a whore to use. I lost my temper and murdered him for the attempt.” She was lost in the memories now. “The only time. The only time the Andinna temper ever snapped far enough for me to act on it. I was thrown in the Colosseum during the next month’s fights. I was thrown a gladius. She said if I lived, then I could continue to live, but I was thrown down on the sands to die. Untrained, scared, not even an adult. Ninety-seven, nearly an adult, but not quite. Still short and thin.” She remembered the male jumping on top of her, ready to kill her when she had been too exhausted to run and dodge any longer. The crowd had been laughing like it was funny. She’d been able to slide her gladius into his stomach first, shaking and terrified. “I won. I was brought down here. I’ve never been let out. And I’m still a whore for them. In the end, none of it has ever made a difference. Not killing the guard. Not fighting off the other gladiators. None of it.”

The silence after her words was deafening. Mat sat on her other side slowly.

Tears pricked her eyelids.

Arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a chest.

She didn’t cry; she refused to. She refused to give into those chest-wracking sobs. The tears fell silently, since she was unable to will them to stop.

“You are not a whore,” Matesh whispered into her hair. “You are the Champion. They beg and buy your time because they are desperate to be in the presence of a great warrior, to have a piece of greatness. You are a gladiator, tested on the sands, a battlefield you must walk on time and time again. And then they take you and test you, a warrior, on a different battlefield. But you are not a whore, Mave.”

She sobbed then, her heart burst open for the first time in centuries. Kindness was rare in her world, and yet they gave it to her freely. They didn’t ask for more than she was willing to give in return. Her knowledge of the pits. Her time.

Skies, what have I done to deserve this goodness? Please don’t take it away from me. Please.

She pulled away as the end of breakfast bell rang. The meal was over, and now they all had to just wait until the next one. Lunch would be the next time she felt safe letting them leave the room.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly to them. “I’m sorry.” She stood up and moved away from them. “I haven’t…I haven’t cried in a long time. It won’t happen again. Please don’t think I’m some weak, simpering female.” Well, she had recently, but they hadn’t witnessed it. They had been sleeping and she had been singing that stupid lullaby that she remembered thanks to Rain. It had brought her more memories of her mother. That had brought her to tears, but they didn’t know.

“I would never look at you and say weak,” Matesh replied. Rain was nodding in agreement, pain in his eyes. “Or simpering.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. She left them in her room and went to her bathing room. She stripped quickly and stepped into the waist-high water, then sank down, trying to fit as much of her in the pool as she could.

She bowed her head in shame. She had broken down in front of them. None of the other gladiators cried, so she had promised she never would, not in front of others. Now they knew just how this weighed on her soul. How centuries of pain and loneliness and defeat had broken her down.

Matesh’s words sat with her though, until her skin wrinkled from too much time in the pool. Not a whore. The Champion, a gladiator, a warrior.

When she went back into her main room, redressed and drying from her long bath, they were both lying out, their eyes closed. They weren’t sleeping, though. Softly, they spoke in Andena, their native tongue. She didn’t understand, and she wanted to. She desperately wanted to know her language. It was foreign to her ears. She could only sing the lullaby, but she had no idea what it meant. She wanted to know everything.

She wasn’t a whore, Mat had said. Something in her shifted and she found words that rang true in her. Words that would get her killed if she said them out loud.

I am what I make myself. I am more than what they tell me I am. I’m not a whore, but a warrior on all battlefields. I’m a warrior because I choose to survive. And they can’t take that from me. They can never take that from me.

She didn’t have to be uneducated either, she decided. It was what they wanted, those who were on the outside of her life, looking in. They liked that they had something up on her. And her males offered her a chance to rid herself of that weakness.

“Teach me?” she asked softly.

“Teach you what?” Rain asked back, opening his eyes. She could see the confusion there.

“Everything.” She didn’t care what. She just wanted to know.

“Sit down and we’ll use our off time to get started,” he promised, patting her cot next to him. She settled in as he opened his scroll and pointed to something. “This says I’ll be fighting against another male from a different ludas. We’ll break this down and make it simple. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

“Okay.” She looked down at the scroll. To her, the weird markings had always been just strange symbols. He got information from them, could read them. She wanted it, but she wanted more too. “I also want to learn Andena.”

“Will be harder to do that, since it’s banned here in the Empire. We shouldn’t even be using it, but it’s a comfort from home.” Mat sighed, staring at the ceiling. “We’ll try.”

“Thank you.”

When the lunch bell rang, Mave’s head hurt, but she felt better for it in her own way. They were patient, sounding out words, explaining the alphabet. They had no writing utensils, no quills and ink, so they had to make do with the scrolls and hope she learned from them as best she could.

She felt like it was impossible, but she wasn’t defeated by it, not yet. It was the first day she had ever tried. She knew it would take time, if she ever did get it. It had taken her decades to feel even slightly confident in her ability to fight. This was just another type of training.

“Why is the chow hall so loud?” Rain asked as they drew closer to it.

“The outsiders are here,” she reminded him. “They’ve been arriving all morning.”

When they entered, Mave looked out over the rowdy new males and the regulars. There was shoving and shouts. Guards were trying to break up scuffles and keep it from devolving into a riot on the first day.

Mat took point, forcing them a path to get their slop. Rain and Mave stayed shoulder to shoulder, since there was little space for much else. Her eyes fell on her table, and she saw new people sitting at it. She debated how the best way to approach the situation was.

“Hey, a female! You must be the Champion, right?” A male grinned down at her and she curled her lip in disgust as she looked up to him. “I’ve never been in the Colosseum. I’ve only fought in the smaller rings around the city and down in Myrsten. Look, you might hear this all the time, but I would love to see you in private some time. Maybe some tutoring?”

She didn’t respond, grabbing her bowl of slop and following Matesh towards their occupied table. The male called out to her, angry she had completely blown him off. She ignored the name-calling. Slut. Bitch. Whore. She really only wanted to eat and get the fuck out of the chow hall.

“We need a different place,” Rain said as they drew closer.

“No, we don’t,” she said, backing up Matesh as he went to the table. Only two males sat there. They had the new outsiders outnumbered.

“You done eating?” he asked pointing to the empty bowls of the two new gladiators.

“Yeah,” one answered, looking up at Mat. Then his eyes fell on her and Rainev. “I see. We’ll move.”

“You should just leave the chow hall,” she told him. “We’re not allowed to hang out in here once we’re done. By the way, this is always my table. Don’t come back to it.”

“Of course, Champion. We don’t want any problems.” The male stood up and motioned for his friend to follow. They were both gone without issue. Mave knew it wouldn’t last. Sooner or later, there was going to be a fight. The outsiders weren’t even all there yet. They would be showing up late into the evening.

“How long until a full-blown riot?” Matesh asked her. “I’m giving it an hour.”

“I say during dinner,” Rain said, looking out over everyone.

She watched the crowd. It was there already, under the surface. She had hoped she would get something to eat before it happened, but it had taken too much time to get their food, even with Matesh forcing them a path.

Someone just had to light the match.

Seventy-Two throwing a punch at an outsider was the spark. The other gladiator went over the table at him in retaliation before she could even say anything.

“Right now. Fuck the food. We need to get out of here.” She jumped up and began to run as the fighting broke out. Matesh and Rain were on her heels as swords were drawn by the guards. Nets were being tossed out. Gladiators went through tables, into walls. Guards went down. People screamed.

Mave made it out before anyone could stop her and she grabbed Rain, pulling him along as well, a protective swell in her chest forcing her to make sure he was okay the moment they were free from the brawl. She checked everything about him then held him close. Matesh made it through last, sporting a red spot on his cheek he hadn’t started with. He must have gotten clipped during their exit.

“Damn the Skies,” he growled as they moved away from the chow hall, the fighting beginning to bleed into the halls.

“Just keep walking. We’re not a part of this. This isn’t our problem. If we get back to my room, then we’re in the clear. We shouldn’t get grabbed for the communal punishment.”

They did make it, just fine. The fighting didn’t bleed over to the prized gladiators’ hall. The other prized fighters were all at their doors, listening to the fighting. One even nodded to her. His own friends were with him.

“Glad to see we all stayed out of trouble,” another said, eyeing her. “You didn’t help start it right?”

“No,” she answered cautiously. Why were they talking to her? “Seventy-Two threw a punch at an outsider.”

“That fucking old idiot,” the youngest one scoffed. “He’s so fucking high on himself, yet he’s never earned one of these places and his fucking shit has never earned our respect.”

“Well…” She looked at them in confusion then entered her room. Matesh raised his eyebrows as he entered. Rain pointed back at the other gladiators, seeming to ask what that had been about. She shrugged, shaking her head. She had no idea. They had never spoken to her before, and what they had said…it was like they thought she was one of them.

Confusion pulsed through her.

This week of games was turning out to be much different than the last time, five hundred years before.

14

Matesh

The first day of the games was upon them, and Matesh was distracted. The fights and brawls from the day before had been so bad that Mave told them it was best to skip dinner and just stay in the room until breakfast, where everyone should be more focused on the day ahead.

She’d been right. Of course. Aggravatingly right.

That was his distraction. He’d spent all day and night locked up with her, without even the meals to get him a change of scenery. He knew she was so off-limits, but he was still a hot-blooded male and there she was. Strong, attractive, taking good care of herself, even in the hell everyone called the pits.

She just has to be right there and I can’t have her. I can’t even think about having her, really, but I can’t stop myself either. She’s just so damn…her. I didn’t even like her when I got here and now…

“Good luck, big brother,” Rain whispered.

“Thanks, nephew. Where is she?” He was about to fight, but she had been called out of breakfast and they hadn’t seen her since. He was scared for her. He could only imagine what could be happening to her.

“Another gladiator was saying he saw her in the Royal Box, standing beside the Empress. Apparently, this is just how it’s done. She’s required to watch the games with the Empress then do her fight last, the grand finale.” Rain sighed. “I’m hoping it won’t be like this every day. I wish she’d warned us she’d get called.”

“Stay right here until I’m done,” Mat ordered, pointing to the floor. “I’ll wait for you as well.”

“I know. No one is going to start a fight here at the gate to the sands.”

Matesh hoped he was right. He looked around at the other gladiators arming up, getting ready. They were only outnumbered by the guards. There were a lot of guards. Rain was probably right. This was probably the safest place for any of them to be.

“Twenty-Three. Get ready!” a guard yelled out.

Matesh turned to him, his tail swishing around with irritation. The guard looked at his ear tag then his longsword. “Good. Get to the gate. When it opens, you walk out on the sands. You’ll meet your opponent in the middle, bow to the Empress, then the fight will be called. This isn’t to the death, but if you feel the need to kill him, you can. Also, the Empress may decide his fate. You know the thing. Thumbs down for death, no matter how you feel about it. No thumb, or a thumb up, and he should live.”

“Yes sir.”

“Good.” The guard stepped back. The crowd had already seen two fights, and now it was his turn. There would be several every day. Blood and body parts to appease the people. All in honor for a thousand years of his people being enslaved to the Empire. Only a few long weeks for him, sure, but for Andinna like Mave? She had been living through every second of it. That was what the crowds were celebrating while watching them die.

The gate opened and the muted thunderous cheering became deafening. He stepped out onto the sands. Immediately, he noticed he sank slightly. Mave was right. Movement would be hard.

Why did she always have to be right?

His eyes went to the Royal Box, where the Empress and her son sat. He saw her there, standing to the Empress’ left. Her face was a blank mask, pointing straight ahead, but her eyes were on him.

For a moment, he only saw her. In a different world, she could be standing next to an Andinna Queen, a proud warrior, maybe a general. It was her birthright, anyway. To stand as a great warrior and lead their people, like her father had. She even reminded him of the Andinna Goddess of War, Death, and Darkness, Kristanya. A woman of power, a darkness that could only be directed by the center of their pantheon, her twin sister Lariana, the Goddess of Family, Life, and Light.

Maevana would have been important and powerful. She would have led them, the right hand of the Royal Family.

But this was the world she grew up in. She wasn’t Kristanya, standing at her sister’s right, but a slave beside a cruel mistress, one who had no hope of truly controlling her. Not one where she grew up an experienced and free warrior, but a slave to the Empress who used her as a status symbol, as a sign. That’s where the world had put Mave instead.

Look at this slave. This is the reason you are on the sands. And she is the Champion.

He looked across the sands, snapping out of his thoughts. He needed to be focused on his opponent. The other male seemed well-matched to him. Also using a longsword, the Andinna male’s tail and wings were scarred. His right horn was broken in half and his left had no sharp tip. He had a vicious scar that ran down his face, but his longer black and tangled hair seemed to hide the worst of it. They were both bare-chested, only wearing the smallest of loincloths to cover them. They were a show, not properly armored, so the world could see them and their honed bodies.

They said nothing, just turned to the Empress and bowed. Crowds cheered and jeered. The Colosseum seemed to rumble underneath them. It was a marvel that it didn’t collapse down onto the pits below.

When they straightened, they looked back to each other.

“Did you fight in the Hundred Year War, boy?” the old male asked, knowing that no one could hear him.

“I did. With my fathers, my brothers, my uncles, and my cousins. My mother took up her blade and fought. So did my aunts.” Matesh’s entire family had been soldiers, warriors. Only he and his uncle remained. Three brothers, their wives, and their other husbands. All their sons, Matesh’s brothers and cousins. Even one daughter, his big sister. They had all died in the fighting, the long war that refused to end until that fateful day.

Only he and his uncle remained.

“Good. I would hate to cut down a babe.”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be cut down any time soon.”

“We’ll see,” the old male growled, smiling. It was lopsided and dangerous. There was a terrible glint in his eyes.

“BEGIN!”

Matesh pulled his sword only a fraction of a second faster than the older male. He went for an attack. Steel clashing rang out and he jumped away when the attack proved useless.

With their wings bound, they were stuck on the ground, circling each other. How he wished he could fight this old male in the sky. There, they would be truly tested. This…any race could fight on the earth, but Andinna were meant for the sky.

He buried that thought. It helped him none, as Mave would tell him.

The old male jumped forward, slashing. Matesh parried and kicked, hitting the old male in the gut, sending him back, but not to the ground. He was good on his feet and maintained his balance.

Matesh pressed his advantage, pressing the older male back, making him falter and stumble. He didn’t want to kill his opponent, though. It meant that he needed to fight carefully, make sure nothing was fatal.

He was able to slice the other male’s arm and then backed away. The male looked at the injury and grinned.

“Now my turn, boy.”

Mat was astounded by the speed the old male showed after that. He pressed, spun, dove in and fought hard. Mat got a single cut across his bare chest. It wasn’t deep. He’d been just fast enough for it not to kill him.

“This isn’t to the death,” Matesh said as they began to circle again. “We don’t have to die on the sands today.”

“I get a bonus for every pit gladiator I kill because my ludas hates all of you,” the old male replied, chuckling. “I’m going to kill all of you I get the chance to kill. This is my last week in the Colosseum, and then I’m being allowed to retire.”

“You would cause needless death for your own enjoyment.”

“I would make my enslavement, as well as my daughter’s, a little easier,” he corrected.

Matesh’s heart thumped in his chest at that. A daughter. He would not kill this male, but he couldn’t die to him either.

He had to end this or one of them would be too injured to walk away.

They clashed again, steel clashing in the sunlight, causing the sun to reflect in different angles. Matesh kicked out to his knee and watched the old male fall but he rolled before Matesh could deliver a hit to end the fight.

He continued to press the advantage. He might have been younger and less experienced, but he had energy, and that was something the older male was already failing on. His breathing grew heavier as sweat poured down his brow. He was limping from the kick to the knee. Matesh wasn’t foolish enough to believe it was all real. There was a possibility this was partially an act, the older male trying to lull him into overconfidence.

As the duel continued, the crowd screamed violently at every draw of blood, every slice on their skin, on their tails, and on their wings. The older male tried once to cut Matesh’s tail off, but he was able to pull it out of the way just in time. He shoved his longsword into the older male’s leg, making him scream, making blood spray. He hoped he didn’t just fatally wound the old male.

The old male dropped, his leg pouring blood. His longsword was dropped. He looked up to Matesh. They both knew the fight was over. Mat looked to the Empress and didn’t like the look on her face. She was smiling.

She stood up slowly and her smile turned sinister. Her fist went out.

And a thumb down knocked the wind out of him.

No.

Matesh tightened his grip on his longsword, staring at that thumb. The crowd chanted. His eyes drifted to Mave for a second.

“Do it, boy,” the old male growled. “There’s no reason for us both to die.”

“It’s a needless waste of life,” Mat whispered.

“It’s the life of a gladiator. We’re needless to them, wastes on their resources as we get older. My daughter…she is strong. She’s no Champion, but I trust her to do well for herself. She has two husbands as well in her mayara.” The male fell back and stopped holding pressure to the leg wound. “Do it, boy.”

Matesh stepped over the old male and closed his eyes; the crowd’s thunderous excitement became distant. He took his sword in both hands, pointing it downward. He shoved downward, his aim true. When his eyes opened, the crowd came back. His longsword was buried straight through the old male’s chest and into the sands. Straight through his heart.

Matesh looked to the skies as he pulled the blade from the other male.

And he cursed them.

He walked off the sands without reveling in the death and crowd. He didn’t look at the Empress, his owner. That’s why she had sentenced that male to death, so it would be Matesh to kill him. To wear him down, break him on the sands.

She’s not going to break me. If Mave can survive her for so long, so can I. As long as I have Rain and Mave, nothing is going to break me.

He went into the tunnels, out of the overbearing heat. Rain reached out and touched his shoulder.

“I’m next,” his nephew whispered.

“I know. I’ll stay right here.”

“There’s a guard towards the end of the hall. He’s with slaves who are handing out water. Clean your wounds and have a drink. I’ll win this.”

“Good luck,” Matesh said, nodding. His eyes fell on the guard Rain mentioned and the human slaves he was with. Matesh walked to them slowly, other gladiators looking at him. Some of the pit gladiators even dared to say it was a good fight and good death. He did the pits proud.

Matesh hated all of them.

There had been nothing good about that fight. Nothing good about that death. It brought a bad taste to his mouth. His people were broken in the Colosseum. He had no idea just how bad it was, being free for the last thousand years. Those further from the capital weren’t like this. They weren’t so different from the way the Andinna were supposed to be.

The slave handed him a jug of water without a word. Matesh took a drink first then poured some over each of his cuts. Just enough to clean them a tiny bit, remove the sand. He would tend them further after Rainev’s fight. The guards protecting the rooms of the prized gladiators, Mave’s room, knew to just let them in now. They had given them that privilege during the week of games.

He knew Mave was going to fight last, towards the evening. It was maybe mid-morning. He and Rain would have time to clean up and hide, then get to see Mave battle.

He moved back to the gate as it opened for Rainev. Rain looked back to him for one moment then moved out into the sands.

Mat, who had just cursed the Skies, asked that if anyone of them would die this week, it would be him. He couldn’t tolerate losing Rainev, not after everything the younger male had gone through. He was so young, and he had worked so hard to be the warrior he was, overcoming an overprotective father in the process. Actually, the overprotective father was still a work in progress. Matesh had yet to convince his best friend to relax on his son.

Not like it matters anymore. We’re stuck here. Skies, why did this happen to us?

Mat saw Rainev’s opponent. A trident and net user. Matesh smiled to himself. Rainev could handle that.

It was nearly too fast, the crowd stunned by it. Rainev wasn’t playing games, not letting the net user get a second toss after his first one failed. He broke into the other male’s guard, knocking the spear from his hand. Rainev’s fight was to the death, and death was exactly how it ended. Rainev got a swing across the other male’s throat, blood pouring everywhere, onto him and the sands.

Matesh crossed his arms. He didn’t need to worry about Rainev as much as he thought. He should have figured.

“Good job,” Mat told him as he walked out. “Now, let’s get clean and relax until Mave should be fighting.”

“Good idea,” Rainev whispered, looking somewhat ill. Mat reached out and touched his shoulder, knowing the feeling.

“We need to survive.”

“He was another fighter from the pits. Said he wished he’d taken a chance at getting me alone earlier.” Rain’s eyes were haunted for a moment then cleared. “He’s dead now, but it was a stark reminder of the very thing I need to fear here: being smaller than everyone else. I think I’m the only mutt in the pits.”

“You are,” Mat confirmed. He’d been looking out for others and had yet to see any or even hear about any. He reminded himself of the silent promise he’d made when they arrived. I won’t let them touch you, Rain. I’ll kill them all if they touch you.

They moved quickly back to Mave’s room, and luckily made it without incident. Rainev waved for Matesh to bathe first, so he did.

When he was done, his cuts were clean and the bleeding had stopped. That was a plus. They would close up and be fine by the next day, but Matesh had to be careful. Fighting every day was going to wear them down. Every little injury was going to stack on top of the previous, make them sore and weary. It would make the next fight more dangerous.

Rainev got through with his bath quickly and they sat down, just waiting for time to pass. Eventually, someone knocked on the door. Matesh rose up and answered, frowning at the young fighter he knew lived in the hall. “Yes?” he asked softly.

“I just wanted to see how you both were. I heard you took some hits on the sands.” His eyes fell to the cut over Mat’s chest.

“We’re fine,” Mat growled, feeling defensive. “Why?”

The other male raised his hands, backing away a step. “Like I said, just checking in. You know, she might have told you, but we don’t mess with her here. We don’t get involved with other crowds. Now that she has some friends, we’ve been hoping she’d open up to us. We’re not where we are because we want to hurt her, ya know?”

“What does that mean?” Matesh glared at the younger male.

“Exactly what I said. You’re part of this area now, that much is certain. You’ve both earned her trust, showed her not all of us males are out to have her or hurt her. The rest of us here have been hoping she would see it in us too.” He shrugged. “So I came to check on you guys. In an effort for us all to be more of a community. Bring you three in.”

“Thank you, but I’ll need to talk to her about it.”

“Please. We’re all born post-War, but I was free until a couple hundred years ago. I was raised by a free mother and free fathers. So were a few of the guys living in this hall. Just thought you should know.” He grinned then, looking from Matesh to Rainev. “I grew up listening to stories about you guys too. I know you aren’t heroes or anything, but it was also fun to see the new wanted posters going out, the bounties for any member of the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company going up. We knew you were giving the Empire hell in your own ways.”

“Where were you born?” Mat leaned on the door frame, crossing his arms.

“In Kartan, the free city.”

“We know Kartan. A lot of Andinna settled there after the war, though most moved on to the mountains outside of the city. How did you get caught?”

“I was a sailor, if you would believe it. The ship was hit by the Empire, and I, along with the other three Andinna on board, was taken - and everyone else was let go.” The male sighed. “It was a long time ago. I was healthy enough to get into the fields for about fifty years, getting stronger. Then my owner sold me on the market here in the city. A Lord saw a chance for a new fighter, someone young and capable. Here I am.”

“I’m sorry. Well, my name is Matesh and you are…” Matesh held out his hand, realizing this male was open and honest. He’d been holding back on this for weeks. He looked like Rainev meeting a new friend.

“Varkan,” the Andinna answered, clasping Matesh’s forearm near the elbow in a true Andinna handshake. It was a good sign. “Well, knowing you two are good, I’ll leave you be.”

“You too. Be safe.”

“My only fight is later in the week. I’m staying out of everyone’s way.” Varkan backed away, waving, then went further down the hall. He turned back once. “Feel free to meet any of the other guys too. We’ve all been hoping. We were admittedly worried when you and the other one showed up, but we’re over it.”

“Thanks. Will do,” Matesh said, closing the door when Varkan left his view. He turned to Rain, raising his eyebrows. “We have more allies than I thought.”

“I had a feeling about those guys being not so bad,” Rainev admitted. “But Mave doesn’t trust anyone here and we only ever had a chance because of these.” He tapped his ear tag. “It would be good to have others watching out for us, though. If that’s what they intend.”

“I agree.” Mat nodded as he sat down on her cot. “Did you see her up there?”

“It was hard to miss her,” Rain muttered, sighing. “I felt everything the Empress wanted me to feel, but so much more too, ya know? Mave has a presence to her. One that defies the Empress at the same time.”

“Really?” Matesh frowned at him. He hadn’t gotten that. He’d been enchanted by her, how strong and beautiful she was there. He should have known Rain would get something else from it.

“She shines too dark to be ignored.”

“Shines too dark?” Matesh wondered what his nephew was poisoned with. What the hell is he trying to say? That makes no sense.

“She’s all black wings and dark armor, and cold, detached stare. The Empress can’t outshine her because she’s too dark in comparison. A slave should disappear, but Mave doesn’t. She stands out. She draws eyes to her and not to the Empress. She shines too dark.”

“That…is a very good way of putting it,” Matesh agreed. He hadn’t considered that.

It suited their Champion.

The day was drawing to an end when they went back to the gates of the Colosseum. There, Mat saw her, ready for her coming fight.

“Mave,” he called, ignoring the other males who glared to him as he pushed through them. Rain followed, and they met her next to the guard who would let her onto the sands.

“Do you know what fight I’m about to have?” she asked softly.

“Just an experienced warrior. You don’t have anything too crazy until the chimera,” Rainev answered her. “We know you can do this.”

“I’ll be fine. Are you going to watch?” She looked between them.

“We’re going to stay right here, watch you prove victorious, then hit dinner and get some rest. You’re not losing us for the rest of the day,” Rain explained, smiling.

“Good.” She turned away and the gate began to open. Matesh was surprised the guard didn’t even give a warning. She just walked out onto the sands, into the harsh light of the dying sun, without another word. When she met the other gladiator in the middle, he bowed to the Empress, but she didn’t. She refused to even look at the Empress.

Defiant. She wouldn’t give the Empress what she wanted, not on the sands.

Matesh had never been so attracted to a female in his life.

“So disrespectful,” the guard mumbled, shaking his head.

Mat loved it. Damn, it was a glorious thing to hear the crowd boo their Champion, the best fighter on the sands, the only female. And she couldn’t even be bothered to bow to the Empress who had thrown her in hell to begin with.

Mave wasn’t even close to broken. She was so far from broken. No, in this hell, she’d been forged into the strongest steel, a cold steel like her eyes, strong enough that nothing could break it.

“This is going to be so good,” Rain mumbled, grinning.

The fight was called. Mave pulled her blades and met the other fighter in a brutal dance of steel and shield. She weaved and taunted, looking for weaknesses. The other fighter stood no chance against the aggressive onslaught that had been unleashed on him.

“She’s much faster than you,” Mat whispered to Rain.

“Shit. The sands slowed me down, but you can’t tell with her. She’s just as fast out there as she is on solid ground.”

“Exactly. Want to bet she was holding back in training?”

“I can promise you she was,” Rain mumbled, now narrowing his eyes at the spectacle.

Mat wanted to laugh, but he also saw why the other gladiators hated her now. She made a mockery of them. She refused to bow to the Empress but wasn’t beaten for it. She was forced to stand in the Royal Box in the shade, but hated it. She was female and fast, the sands not causing her a lick of problems.

She was born for war, he thought. It manifested on the sands, the only place where she wasn’t the one on the bottom. The only place where she had a say in everything that happened to her. The sands were her refuge. She hadn’t been concerned by her fights because she was too stubborn to lose, and in a world where she had nothing, she had everything out there. Power and control. Things denied to her for her entire life.

She cut his head off in the end. It rolled across the sands, stuck in a face of shock. The crowd lost its mind, so rough above them that dirt and dust fell from the ceiling. She just walked away from the body and towards the gate. The Empress began a speech for the crowd, but Mave just locked eyes with him and left the sands.

“By the Skies,” Rain whispered in awe. “Well. You’ll need to teach me how you keep your speed on the sands.”

“Just lots of time on them,” she answered. “There’s no area for a training equivalent. You just learn how to place your feet and build your leg muscles so that you can push out faster and faster each time you’re out there.”

“Fine,” Rain muttered. She gave a small smile, one of the rarest things in the pits.

She should smile more often. It looks good on her. I need to find a way to bring it out more.

They walked together to the chow hall, where gladiators boasted about their fights. The day had opened with a large mock battle. Forty males had died and those who walked away were living it up. Those who walked away without any serious injuries, anyway. There were ten males being tended up in the training area, having survived to walk off the sands. They would get some care, paid for by their owners, then be removed from the pits.

They ate quickly and after such a day, Matesh held a decent amount of hope that they would all make it through. He looked at her and Rain talking over the ins and outs of the sands. Like her smile, the light in her eyes was a rare thing. She looked to him and gave another small smile.

Aggravating female. She had beautiful eyes and a stunning smile. He knew it went deeper than that.

She had a beautifully strong soul too.

15

Rainev

Day four of the games, and Rainev was tired. They all were. Every gladiator in the pits that had fought was tired of the overcrowded nature of the pits, tired of the obnoxiously loud city around them, the crowds above knocking dust and dirt down on them.

Mave was the only one in the group who wasn’t showing the exhaustion, but he could see it in her eyes. They were a little dimmer than normal and she was less likely to hold conversation. Not even Matesh taunting her was getting a rise out of her.

“She won’t call me today,” Mave finally whispered at breakfast. “She said she needed a break from my presence yesterday, so I’ll be watching from down here at the gate with you guys.”

“That’s great. I’m sure it’ll be a load off your shoulders,” Rainev said, grinning. “We can drink some cool water and wait for our fights together.”

“The schedule is weird today too, so that might be part of it. You have a midday fight today. The chimera,” Matesh reminded her.

Rain groaned. He had forgotten that was today. “Remember to stay away from its business end,” he added.

She gave him a look that questioned his intelligence. “And which end would that be? The side with two heads, the lion and the goat, or the side where a snake comes out of its ass?” Mave’s tone held no humor, but Rain couldn’t stop a snort of amusement anyway. “Do either of you know where these things come from? And how the hell do they get here?”

“Mythos,” Matesh answered. “A set of islands in the middle of endless ocean. They are the home of the Fauna as well. They’re places where people say gods once walked and touched the earth before leaving to create their own peoples elsewhere. All pantheons originated there, some claim, but even the Elvasi and Andinna, for all the years we live, have forgotten the real origin. Some traders and pirates are brave enough to make the trip. It takes them months to get there, and the entire round trip? Said to take years if the weather is fair for sea travel - and it never is. They capture a few things and bring them back for show, but no trade routes are established.”

Rain saw her eyes light up with the new information. Then they dimmed.

“Mave?”

“I thought about how much I would like to see that one day,” she admitted. “I never will, but it was nice to think about for a moment. Then I remembered where I am. Then I remembered why I don’t bother to think about these things.”

“Big sister…” he whispered, keeping his voice low enough that it was private. “If anyone deserves to travel the known world of Hellios, it’s you.”

“No, but thanks for trying.” She smiled weakly at him. It wasn’t her genuine smile, just a sad attempt at it. “Come, let’s go to the gate. Matesh…your fight today will be a hard one.”

“I thought the last three were hard,” Matesh replied, temper flaring in his voice. Rain didn’t like Mave’s tone, though.

“You’ll be doing executions,” Mave said softly. “Change in plans. The Empress wasn’t pleased with your fight yesterday. I heard her talking about it.”

Rain watched any good mood drain from Matesh’s face. He already hated having to kill all his opponents on the sands, and now this. Rain knew his uncle hated the waste of life. It was a perversion of the warrior ways of the Andinna to just slaughter without cause like he had to do here, especially when he’d been constantly told that his fights weren’t to the death.

“Hard,” she repeated. They began to walk out of the chow hall, leaving their bowls on the table. None of them wanted to fight through the crowds to return the bowls to the dwarf. “You have two options. You can make it quick and grant them peace easily, or you can break them free and give them a fighting chance…On a day like this, I would make it quick. Those people out there are going to get enough blood sport. You don’t need to give it to them. They will die anyway. They know why they are there. They will not hate you for it.”

Rain’s chest felt like it was going to cave in. How is he going to handle this? I’ll need to make sure he knows he can talk to me.

“Rain, you’ll be fighting a gryphon, right?” She looked at him next and he nodded. Today was a day for beasts. “We’ve talked about this. It will fly above you, looking to land on you and make it swift. Be ready, and when it flies into the sun, that is when it will dive. You’ll be blind, so be careful.”

“Of course,” he promised. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know.” She finished walking with them to the gate. Matesh was immediately called forward to start the day with the executions.

Rain couldn’t watch. He knew Matesh would be different after this. He knew it would weigh on his bodrya, weigh on his soul, but Rain didn’t want to watch the weak Andinna slaves, the humans, and the handful of Clan die to swift cuts to the throat from Matesh.

He glanced at Mave. She watched every single slice. He could see the slight flicker of her eyelids, the closest thing to a wince he’d ever seen from her. Not even she could tolerate this with a perfect mask.

It took too long. Rain looked up and saw they had brought out more to be put to death, and he wanted to vomit. He’d witnessed death, he’d dealt it, and he’d seen an execution before, but this was like lambs to slaughter. They were chained, with a metal collar around their necks that held the chain leading to the manacles on their wrists. Their ankles were all roped together so the group had to shuffle along together.

These are my people, dying for nothing. I should be able to witness this. I need to let this mark me like it’s marked Mave and now Mat. I should witness this for them, dying out there.

So he watched like Mave - not able to hide how much it shook him like she could, but he watched. He saw how Mat’s face was stone cold. His posture was stiff. He watched the first die. Matesh didn’t let himself hesitate.

He killed another.

And another.

And another.

When he was finally let off the sands, he looked drained, even though it hadn’t been physically taxing. Rain reached out to him as the gate closed but Mat jerked away and went to the water. He watched his uncle chug down water, shove it back to the human slave then vomit, to the jeers of other gladiators. Matesh only drank more water, ignoring them. The other fight was called before Matesh came back to them, closer to the gate.

“How are you?” he asked.

“I’m better. That was…harder than I thought it would be,” he answered, looking down to his hands. “They told me their crimes.”

“Many are bread thieves or something small like that,” Mave said softly. There was a desperate pain in how she said the words. “We can get away with murder here in the pits sometimes, but they can do nothing. Nothing at all, not even feed themselves.”

“Yeah.” Matesh looked up, his eyes haunted by what he had just done. Rainev had no words for his uncle. Nothing could lighten the blows to his soul he had just had to bear.

They watched fights from there in silence, not rooting for anyone. There was nothing enjoyable about the games. They watched because there was nothing else they could do. They watched to honor those who were out there dying to each other.

Then Mave was called.

“Champion! Are you ready?” The guard looked to her and she nodded, resigned.

Rainev looked up to the sky as she walked away from them and sent a prayer to all the Andinna and Clan gods. Mostly the Andinna ones. They would hopefully hold their daughter in safety. Keep my illo amyr in your care. Please.

She went out alone, and Rain knew she would meet no opponent. She again didn’t bow to the Empress. A pit was opened in the middle of the Colosseum, engineering that Rain would have marveled at if it hadn’t been bringing death with it.

The chimera was massive. He could liken it to a gigantic bull in size. At its shoulders, it was as tall as Mave. She was dwarfed by it, looking up at the angry beast as it jumped from its pit and the doors closed underneath it quickly, slamming. It landed with a solid thump.

Even the crowd was silent. There were Elvasi and Andinna who went their entire lifetimes without seeing a beast from Mythos. He surely never had - only pictures. The chimera were said to be one of the more angry and fearsome things from those strange isles. Rainev always was glad that no one knew how to breed them in captivity. To have them on the mainland, the continents, was a terrifying thing.

The lion head roared at Mave, who smartly took a step back from it. That brought screams of terror and excitement from the crowd. Rainev just hoped she walked out of this alive and the damn thing stayed on its chain for the fight. If it broke free, it would be chaos.

She pulled her blades as it charged her.

Rainev held his breath.

She rolled from its first swipe, getting underneath it and stabbing upwards. It went to crush her as both heads screamed and roared in agony. She rolled out and ran for another area of the Colosseum as it bled. It tore after her, swiping when it was closer.

It was like a cat-and-mouse game. It pounced and she dodged, looking for an opening on its softer underbelly. It swiped and she moved, trying to stay away from teeth and claws.

Finally, it learned, having been stabbed too many times in the stomach. Rainev knew that she could just keep moving - it would slowly bleed out - but he also knew the risk to her was too great for that. It was getting angrier, and that served no one.

It leapt further over her and the tail’s snake head tried to get a bite of her. Rainev didn’t know if it had or not, but he did see the snake head go flying, lopped off by a quick upward slash from her.

The chimera’s goat and lion heads both made awful noises at that. The beast spun, its dead tail now spraying blood over sand and the crowd, making people scream in pleasure and excitement. It jumped for her one more time. She again rolled underneath it, and this time, she was able to drag one of her blades along its tender stomach, opening it up. She didn’t move in time and the body collapsed on her.

The screaming of the crowd slowly went quiet when she never came up.

Rain’s heart was beating too hard. No one spoke in the pits. Mat was breathing hard, leaning in to try and see her.

Where is she? Please don’t be crushed. Mave? Big sister?

Then she pulled herself out from underneath the dead beast, covered from head to toe in blood and gore. The crowd didn’t boo her victory this time. It cheered wildly. Again dust and dirt was kicked down on them. For once, Rainev held no ill will for the crowd, like he had on previous days. He and Mat, even other gladiators, were cheering for her.

Rain had seen great warriors, but the calm intelligence with which she handled that fight had been of epic proportions. It would go down in history. He had heard of chimera tearing through the best of warriors without a second thought.

She had defeated it.

She was limping, though, as she made her way to the gate. When she entered, she sank to her knees.

“Champion,” the guard gasped, kneeling next to her. “Champion?”

She was breathing hard. Rain drew closer and knelt next to her as well, Mat following closely behind him.

“Shit,” Matesh whispered. “It got you.”

“Yes,” she said, looking at him. Rainev looked at what Mat had seen on her side. A hole. “Tooth. Snake fang. Dry bite. I’m positive it didn’t inject but…”

“You need to rest. We need to stop the bleeding.” Rain quickly placed a hand over it.

“You need to…Stay here. Your fight,” she reminded him. Rain didn’t like how pale she was.

“I’ve got her,” Mat promised. “You win, then get back to the room, okay? I’m going to clean her off and make sure she gets into a healing sleep.”

“And if it got its venom in her?” Rain glared at Mat, who shook his head.

“She would already be dead,” he said, helping her stand. Rain wished he would carry her, but he also knew that would be too much of a scene in the pits. To just help a friend walk to their cot was one thing, but carry? That was too much.

“Damn…” Rain watched them walk away, Matesh being the pillar on which Mave leaned, staggering and stumbling with each step. Other gladiators watched, and Rainev didn’t like the cunning in their eyes. Mave was down, and if she wanted to survive tomorrow, she needed to sleep, deeply. While everyone wanted her dead.

When they were out of his line of sight, Rainev turned back to the gate. Leaning against the earth wall, he ignored the whispers of the Champion being vulnerable. It was up to Matesh to keep her safe, since he had a fight against a gryphon he couldn’t miss.

My uncle won’t let anything happen to her. I pity any fools who try to go through Matesh to get to her.

The fights on the sands continued, after the body of the chimera was dragged away by over a dozen human slaves. Rain watched Andinna clash on the sands versus beasts and each other. Some fought together to defeat a bigger foe, or fought against each other while beasts were loosed to escalate the drama of the fight. One man was in a duel when his opponent forced him into the range of a male lion, the big maned cat, which then tore him apart.

The day was a bloody affair. The crowd above loved it.

“Twenty-Two! You’re up.” The guard waved him closer. “Ready? Good.” Rainev hadn’t even been given a chance to confirm. The gates began to swing open and he walked out. He had hunted gryphon before, ones who had taken to eating a farmer’s cattle, but this was his first time doing it without a partner or group.

He stopped in the center of the Colosseum and bowed to the Empress. He didn’t let his eyes linger on the cold Elvasi. He didn’t let his thoughts linger on her charming smile either.

The crowd cheered as a pit was opened and out flew the gryphon, going as high as it could. Then the chain grew taut and the beast cried out, trying to break free.

Rainev’s heart ached in sympathy.

It circled and tried to reach the loud crowd making it upset, but it couldn’t fly close enough. As the pit where it was released closed, it noticed Rainev.

He unsheathed his gladius and raised his shield. The fight was about to be right on top of him.

The gryphon cried out and dove for him. He rolled out of its reach, grazed by the fearsome talons of its front feet. He ran over mentally what he knew about gryphons as it landed to prowl across the Colosseum from him. It was angry.

The sharp beak had the ability to cut him open and tear his flesh. The bird talons of its front feet were capable of puncturing his skin and holding on, never letting go. If it got those in him, they could break bone, and he would be going for a ride, only getting away when it decided to let go. The back end of the gryphon wasn’t as dangerous as, say, the chimera - but the feline-looking back half wasn’t pleasant either. Strong legs helped propel the beast where it wanted to go and it would land on people with them, sinking claws in where it could.

Rainev was lucky this was a beast he was experienced with, but he wasn’t happy he was alone for it.

The gryphon screamed and ran for him. A lightning-fast swipe came at him, and he barely had time to react. It tried to bash in his shield, sending hot pain up to his shoulder. He slashed out, slicing its leg and driving it back. In a group, one person would play the bait, protect themselves while others speared the beast from the air. Rainev could only play the bait.

The gryphon jumped up and began to circle, large eagle wings enabling it to climb and glide. Rainev watched it. When it was in the sun, it would dive. That was Mave’s advice for a one on one combat. He positioned himself so that it had very little opportunity to get in the sun’s dying rays and strike while he was blind. He hid in the shadow of the Colosseum itself, the sun behind the wall of spectators.

Out of patience and angry with Rain, the gryphon dove anyway. This time he didn’t let it swoop past him. He latched on to its feathered neck and threw himself astride.

For one moment, Rain remembered how angry his father had been the last time he did this.

Once on its back, he stabbed downwards, but the bucking beast didn’t let him get a good hit. The gladius slid, gouging the gryphon’s shoulder then he was tossed from its back and slammed into the wall of the Colosseum. Something cracked in his shoulder and he knew his wing was dislocated from the hit.

Rain staggered to his feet and went back into the deadly duel against the beast. It swiped out at him, breaking the shield with the force of its attack and clawing open his arm.

The crowd screamed in delight.

He cut the leg as it withdrew, opening it and giving the gryphon a limp. He’d broken bone, which would only work in his favor.

The gryphon tried to pounce and Rainev remembered Mave’s move against the chimera, rolling into it and stabbing upward when its talons missed him. He struck true.

Screaming, an awful call, the gryphon staggered away and Rain took the chance to get in another hit as it tried. It collapsed two yards from him. He walked slowly, looking up to the Empress as he did. She was watching intently.

The beast was breathing hard, defeated. Too weak to lift its head, bleeding out as he approached, Rain felt for it. He put a hand on its head, listening to it cry out.

“Sh,” he murmured.

He lifted his blade, and stabbed downward, ending its suffering. At least one of them was being granted some sort of freedom.

The crowd was ecstatic. Overjoyed by his victory, they cheered and rattled the entire Colosseum. Rain’s gaze went back to the Empress, who even granted a token clap to his victory. Her son, the Prince, looked more excited about Rain’s victory, gleeful even.

He walked to his gate and left the sands, hurting as he made it back into the shade. He handed his blade and broken shield to the guard, ignoring words of congratulations. He needed to get back to Mave’s room and rest. This was one of those moments where he needed the healing sleep of the long-lived races. Other gladiators were roaming the tunnels on their way to dinner or just leaving it, ignoring him for the most part.

Until a pair of hands reached out of a door he passed and dragged him into the dark. He was too weak to break the hold.

16

Mave

“Arra! Arra, look, I can fly now!” She was so high, her wings flapping as hard as she could. When her arra drew close, they were looking eye to eye. Her arra pointed down and she landed in the dirt.

“Yes, you can, Maevana. I’m very proud of you. Now come, my amara. Time for dinner.” With that order, her arra began to walk away.

Maevana laughed as she ran for her arra, the pretty Andinna with sky blue eyes. She jumped for her, fluttering her wings as best she could to stay in the air, proving she could really fly like her parents. Her arra caught her, laughing as well.

She let her arra carry her into the little cabin that was home and sit her down at the table. Her baba always said to be good for her arra and he would visit. He would bring her illo bodyrs next time, he had promised. Maevana didn’t kick or whine about being forced to eat dinner and knew her bedtime was next.

“Here. Now eat, then get ready for bed. Also, you know better than to go so far from the cabin, little amara.” Her arra looked down sternly and Maevana ducked her head.

“I know, arra. But I can fly now! I can fly!” She grinned and her arra laughed, nodding.

“Yes. You are a real Andinna. Your baba will be very proud, little Maevana. So will your bodyrs.”

Maevana laughed, clapping her hands until her arra pointed at the plate. Maevana looked down to her dinner and began to eat like a good amara should.

When her meal was done, she tried to fly to her bed but her wings felt sluggish and tired. She crawled into her bed, snuggling down into the pillows and blankets, all made of fur that her baba and bodyrs brought home for her and arra.

Then the world changed.

A crash had Maevana screaming. Her arra pointed under the bed, a blade in her hand. Maevana did as she was told, crawling to hide. Metal crashed together, voices yelled - male and not her baba.

Maevana heard her mother’s battle cry, the horrifying scream of an Andinna warrior riding on their temper to fight to the death.

Then it ended, cut off in a flurry of other sounds, the thumping of things hitting the furniture.

Maevana cried out as she saw her mother fall to the floor of their cabin, wide-eyed and still. She screamed and screamed as hands reached under the bed to grab her, dragging her to them. She bit down and was shaken roughly for it.

She didn’t understand the words being spoken around her, only that her arra wasn’t going to come with her. Even an Andinna child knew what death was when they saw it.

* * *

Mave jerked awake, breathing hard.

My last day of freedom. Why am I having that dream now? It’s been centuries.

“Mave? Mave, why are you awake?” Matesh asked softly, sitting up from his cot.

“A dream,” she answered, staggering to stand. Matesh was faster than her, grabbing her to stop the movement. Pain flared in her side and she looked down to see that the hole in her side was still there. “How long have I been asleep?”

“Only for a short time, and you need to get back to sleep. If you move around, that won’t heal as much as it can by tomorrow.” Matesh applied some pressure to her shoulders and she didn’t fight, lying back down. She trusted him to look out for her. “The bleeding stopped while you slept, but I’m afraid it’ll tear open and slow the healing process. We need you closer to healed by tomorrow.”

“Of course,” she sighed. She should have been faster, better. Taking the injury could have killed her. She’d been smart enough to lop its damn snake head off before it could inject its venom, which would have killed her in seconds, stopping her heart. “How deep is it?”

“Deep, but there’s no tearing to it. Clean in and clean out. It didn’t hit your vitals either, from what I could tell. But you still need to rest.”

“Fine,” she agreed.

The aggravating and arrogant male know-it-all was right. He sat on her cot next to her, looking over her wound. His hands were warm and she was tired. He wandered into the other room with an extra cloth shirt of hers and came back to clean the wound gently.

He’s touching me. I like that. I wish he touched me more often.

Her eyelids began to droop, and she grabbed his hand to stop him from moving away. Don’t stop.

“Why are you so attractive?” Her speech had slurred. She should have realized there was some blood loss, that her adrenaline from the dream had briefly pushed past.

“My uncle blames it on my mother,” he answered, smiling at her. She pulled him, trying for force. He bent willingly until their faces were close together.

“You’re too aggravating to be so nice-looking,” she whispered to him.

“Says the one who refuses to sleep while she’s injured,” he reminded her. His green eyes had that hot glint she had seen before. She liked when his eyes grew hot and dark like that. “I think the same thing about you on a near constant basis.”

“Just kiss me.” She shouldn’t have said it. She didn’t care. She could have died today without one thing she wanted. One thing she could steal, and no one would need to know.

“Terrible idea,” he murmured. “Like I know you always want to tell me.”

“I don’t care right now,” she retorted. He was close enough for her to smell, and he smelled good. It was a spicy, hot heaven of a smell in her dull and damp world. It was alive. All that from a smell. She wondered if she was just imagining it.

Then his lips touched hers gently, giving her a taste of all the things her nose had told her. He tasted like he smelled, but he didn’t act like he smelled. He was dominant and she wanted it, the aggravating and fierce male. She growled and bit down on his bottom lip. She didn’t want gentle. She wanted his strength. He deepened the kiss, giving in for only a moment, then broke away, snarling as he turned from her. She tried to touch his face but he pulled back further, shaking his head.

“Stop. Don’t…” He growled at nothing, running a hand over his face. “We can’t, Mave. You know it. I know it. Plus, your body isn’t up for it. Not this. Not us.”

Her chest hurt, even though he was right. By the Skies, was he right.

“You should get Rain when his fight ends,” she told him. She wanted to ignore the hurt in her chest, and changing the conversation was the best she could do.

“It would mean leaving you alone in the healing sleep.” He didn’t look at her, sitting on her chest, far from her.

“I’ve never been attacked in here, but he could be hurt out there. I don’t want my illi bodyr to be hurt.” She rolled onto her side so she couldn’t see him either.

“Illi bodyr…We can’t share a family, Mave. He was mine first.” Something about it was teasing, but it was also possessive.

“It’s not like he’s your real nephew or my little brother,” she retorted. It was obvious and always had been. She knew it was just how close they were, and Rainev had offered that closeness to her too, but not Matesh. He’d never offered it to her. “And we don’t see each other as family.”

“No…no, we don’t,” he agreed. He sighed. “Amanra is how I want to see you. That’s the place I wish you filled in my life.”

“What does it mean?”

“Lover,” he whispered.

Yes. I like that. That sounds like something I want. Permanent. The ability to have him and keep him. To own him. Like no one else I’ve ever had. Her heart squeezed. “And what would I call you?”

What will I never be able to say out loud? What will I never call any male? Only you and Rain like me, and I can’t have you. Not here. Not in this world.

“Bodanra,” he told her. “In Andena, female-specific words begin with ‘am’, like amyr for sister. Male-specific words are ‘bod’. Bodyr. There are two exceptions, informal for children to use. The difference is comparable to Common. Mommy to mother, daddy to father.”

“Arra for mommy and baba for daddy,” she said softly. Her dream was her mother dying. She had wanted her father to visit if she was a good daughter.

“Yes. The proper terms are amra and bodra. They serve as a basis for all other words, since we all come from our parents. Sister, niece, and aunt are similar, though, thanks to their similarities in familial position. Same with brother, nephew, and uncle. Uncle is bodrya. Nephew is bodyra.”

He continued to softly explain the differences of male and female terms in Andena. Her eyes slowly closed again, missing much of what he was saying, just listening to the full tone of his voice. He had a deep voice, rich like a fine wine she’d once been allowed to sip. She figured he could sing even better than Rainev.

Bodanra. Lover. She wished she could see him as that as well. She wished he could fill that spot in her life. Finally, they had some commonality. Wanting something they couldn’t have.

It wasn’t safe or smart. It didn’t help her survive or him. It wouldn’t help their Rainev, but how she wanted and wished it could be. Just for a moment.

“Sleep well, amanra,” he whispered.

She was too tired to make a response, but she took that word with her into the healing sleep. It warmed and cracked her tough heart.

He called me lover.

17

Matesh

Matesh rubbed his eyes, trying to stop watching her while she slept. Damn, he’d nearly done it. He’d nearly fallen for those sleepy silver-blue eyes, the soft skin only marred by the scars of a warrior.

He knew better. He wanted so much, and this was one of the very few times they had ever been alone. Neither of them liked to leave Rainev anywhere. Before this, it had only ever been for him to leave and bathe or do his business. This had been their first extended period, just the two of them, since the day they met.

And he’d nearly fallen onto her cot, wanting to slide between her legs, listen to her mewl in pleasure. Wanting to give her exactly what she wanted.

Damn it. Curse being an Andinna male right now. I can’t resist her.

He knew it was a moment of weakness for them both. She was injured and he’d been…captivated by her ability to fight during the games. She had just needed to crook her finger a little, tell him what to do, and he’d been a good Andinna male, ready to please a female who wanted him back.

Then she bit him, wanting to get rougher with it. Her injury had flashed through his mind. His thought? He couldn’t be too rough without hurting her further.

Which had reminded him that he shouldn’t have been kissing her at all.

It had physically hurt to stop.

So, he had launched into explaining their language, after admitting how he felt. He forgot to tell her that amanra and bodanra were lovers in more than just a casual way. Casual relationships were completely ignored by Andinna society. But to call someone a lover…The Andinna had no formal terms to differentiate between wife and lover, or husband and lover. They were the same thing to their people, even if the relationship was temporary. He wondered if it would ever matter.

When the dinner bell rang, he knew Rainev’s fight would be starting soon, and he stood up to go get his little brother. He should have left earlier, but he had been too lost in his thoughts and watching her sleep, worried that if he left her, everything would go wrong.

He left her room quickly, knowing he needed to hurry, but was immediately stopped by Varkan. “I heard she was injured?” he asked quickly, trying to look around Matesh, who filled the door.

“She was. It’s not a secret.” Matesh didn’t move, not a single budge. “Why?”

“I mean, it’s never been serious, but they say you helped her walk away from the gate,” Varkan answered, shrugging. “I was worried.” He didn’t seem worried in Matesh’s eyes. A bolt of distrust ran through him. “Well, with you watching her back, she should be fine. I’ll leave you be. Oh, and have you talked to her? About joining the group? Banding together?” Varkan smiled at him.

“Not yet. The games have kept us busy,” Mat reminded him. “It’ll have to wait until after.”

“Ah, a pity.” Varkan was still smiling as he walked away.

Mat hated that. He needed to get Rainev, but now he didn’t want to move away from Mave. He was at an impasse. Varkan went into his own room, and Matesh hoped that the other male was just bright like Rainev, always looking on the bright side, but he didn’t count on it.

Matesh looked down the hall at the guard. He could ask for a favor, or just information. He moved to the Elvasi guard, who opened the door without looking at him.

“Sir, may I ask something?” Matesh tried for submissive, keeping his eyes down.

“Yes. Hurry up though, slave.”

“Do you keep an eye out for people entering each other’s rooms in the hall?”

“Yes. They aren’t allowed into each other’s spaces without being invited. Fear of stolen weapons and such,” the guard answered. “Now move along.”

“Yes sir. Thank you, sir,” Matesh nodded his head in an attempt of a bow then began moving through the tunnels to the gate he and Mave had left Rainev at.

He was nearly there when a group of Andinna gladiators stepped in front of him. He could hear the fight going on in the Colosseum.

He had been so close.

“We’re going to do this right now?” he asked the group, waving a hand between them. He sized them up as he spoke. They were a few of the same males who had jumped him and Rainev before.

Well. I guess this is it. Going to have to kill them or die trying.

“The Champion is injured. Your little friend is out there fighting a gryphon. You’re alone here in the pits. We can blame it all on outsiders, bring the Empress’ wrath down on them. The timing couldn’t be better for this. So yeah, we’re doing this right now.” Seventy-Two stepped forward. “Time for you to return to the earth. The Skies won’t have you anymore.”

“At least I had the Skies at all,” Matesh said, spreading his arms.

The first two jumped, one throwing a punch, aimed for his head. The other aimed for his gut. Matesh was able to dodge the one for his temple, but the other to his gut landed.

He felt his temper boil and lashed out, slamming one in the cheek with a hit that cracked bone and rendered him unconscious.

“Not this time,” he snarled to Seventy-Two, grabbing the second male who had come close and punched him in the gut. Matesh snapped his neck before he could get away, using his horns as leverage. “I’m not dying in this fucking place. Not to a bunch of disgraced and dishonored trash.”

The crowd was cheering louder. He could hear the gate opening for Rainev. His nephew won.

A male slammed into him at that moment, forcing him into one of the side rooms. Throwing him to the side, Matesh tried to get back out the door, only for a punch to land on the bridge of his nose.

He needed to get to Rainev. He had to.

Between him and his nephew? Five angry Andinna gladiators.

18

Mave

Mave woke up at a touch. A touch that she had not approved, that was too rough to be Rainev or Matesh trying to wake her. She didn’t open her eyes, though. There was a hand over her mouth, close enough for her to smell. Not Matesh or Rainev either.

“Ah, Champion,” a voice whispered. “With you dead, I’ll be the leader of the pits. You’ll be missed by your new friends. For a moment.”

Rain and Mat. Where are they? Her eyes flew open, startling the male above her. He held a dagger. He was one of the other prized fighters. She didn’t know his name.

He stabbed downward and she caught his wrist, holding it back. His hand on her mouth moved to also cover her nose, hoping to suffocate her.

Her mind raced. He was one of the new prized fighters. He obviously had delusions of grandeur, thinking she had something he obviously didn’t.

She bit down on his hand hard enough for her canines to sink into his flesh, making him curse. She disarmed his other hand, the dagger flying away, bouncing on one of the cot mattresses, then sliding across her stone floor towards her bathing room. He slammed a fist down, smartly aiming for her injury.

The hit only pulled an annoyed grunt from her. She snarled, pushing off her cot and taking him down to her floor with her on top of him. He continued to punch the hole in her side. She felt something warm. She was bleeding again from it.

She didn’t care.

She grabbed his head, holding on to his hair for leverage, and slammed it down.

Over and over again.

Until he stopped struggling underneath her.

Breathing hard, she stood up, looking around for any other sign of trouble before examining the male on her floor. He’d just tried to kill her.

Well, now his brain matter was all over her floor.

“Did you really think…” She knew he wouldn’t answer, but she couldn’t resist asking anyway. She thought about what he said. She would be missed…

For a moment.

“Matesh,” she whispered, reaching for her armor. “Rainev. Damn the Skies.”

They were out there in the tunnels somewhere. She had no idea what time it was. She prayed to the Skies she wasn’t too late. She couldn’t be too late.

At that moment, two males pushed into the room.

“He’s dead,” she told them.

One snarled and came for her. She found the dagger on the floor and shoved it into his throat before he could get his hands on her. The second tried to run, but she wasn’t having any of that. She yanked the dagger out of the first and threw it, satisfied when it went hilt-deep into the other’s back. He hit the wall and slid down.

Three bodies in her room in a matter of moments. Now she needed to find her guys.

She strapped on her belt with her steel. She was going out armed and no one was stopping her. She put on her leather chest piece, shoving in an extra shirt to stop the bleeding. The armor was tight enough to hold it in place, she hoped. She stepped into the hallway, her rage giving her a narrow focus on what needed to be done.

She turned down the hall to the guard who should have stopped the other male from trying to assassinate her. She unsheathed her swords and began to move to the guard, who was trying to unsheathe his sword. He was untrained, which might have explained why he hadn’t tried to stop the other gladiators from trying to kill her. It didn’t matter anymore.

None of this matters anymore.

She shoved the door open and forced her gladius through his armor and into his chest. He stared, wide-eyed, at her then looked down to the sword. She snarled, unable to say anything to express her rage. She yanked the blade back out, letting the guard slide to the floor, dead.

Fury climbed inside her, but she kept her cool. She put her short swords away, to hide the blood on them, and walked. Andinna made rash decisions when they were angry, but she had a thousand years of experience at holding her temper back. She would do this right.

I’m going to kill them all. If Rain and Mat are dead…

I tried. For centuries I’ve tried to help them. I’ve been beaten, abused, and spat on. I tried to kill the Empress. I tried to escape with other gladiators and failed. I’ve tried everything until I’ve run out of ideas.

I’m done. They deserve to die and rot here. I’m going to make the pits their grave.

She walked through the tunnels, ignoring any gladiators she saw, pretending nothing was wrong. She looked into rooms, hoping to find one of her friends, or any evidence of them. She made her trip towards the gate, knowing they would be in that direction.

Scuffling and growls was the first sign of finding one of them.

That’s when she began to run, unsheathing one of her gladius as she entered the room. She ran it through the first unknown back she could. The male gave several gurgling noises as death claimed him.

That stopped the fighting. Her eyes fell to Matesh in the middle. He was beaten up, bruising on his face and chest, but he was still standing. She looked down slowly to the body she just put on the floor.

“Ah, Thirty,” she whispered. “I never liked you. Where’s Seventy-Two? He still too much of a coward to fight his own battles?”

“Fuck, you’re supposed to be dead,” one said as she looked back up to the other dead men. “Kill them. Before they kill us!”

“Too late for that,” Matesh said, chuckling.

She met those green eyes again and threw the sword she had to him. With a gladius, Matesh was fast, cutting down the two close to him before they could stop him. She drew her other blade and ended the other three before they had a chance to run. They were unarmed and it was like pigs to slaughter.

Blood and glory. She was reveling in it, a dark elation coursing through her.

Standing over their bodies, she looked to Matesh again. “Where’s Rainev?”

“I don’t know. They’ve kept me in here for a long time. Dinner was called. I heard Rainev’s fight end, but I hadn’t been able to get through all of them. They said…fuck, they said that his fate was to last a while.” He was worried, she noticed. She was too. “Why are you awake?”

“One of the prized fighters in my hall made the mistake of touching me before trying to stab me in the chest,” she told him. She knew what the other gladiators had been saying to Matesh and her fury climbed higher. She was done with playing nice or safe. “Keep the blade. We’re killing all of them.”

“Good,” he growled, a satisfied smile coming over his face.

They walked out of the room, stepping over the bodies without a thought. They began to run as they got closer to the gate, checking rooms, shoving over gladiators out of their way.

Then they found Rainev. Or rather, they found the group of Andinna who had beat him into the ground. She saw one of them preparing to do the last thing she wanted done to her little brother.

Her temper snapped.

The sound that came out of her mouth was one of violence and death. It spooked the males around Rainev, who looked up, one of his eyes swollen shut. He smiled. It was a beautiful smile. It was a broken smile.

She could only roar. Matesh’s roar joined in and they both jumped into the center of the room, cutting down the first Andinna they could.

Blood sprayed on the walls. More Andinna ran in the room, to see the commotion, to help save their friends and fellow slaves from her and Matesh. She cut them down as they came.

Blood sprayed on her face, on her armor, on the walls.

She reveled in it.

This was what they deserved. They had finally pushed her too far.

Guards yelled for the fighting to stop, more steel singing at it was drawn.

Bodies piled up at her feet. None of them landed a blow on her, unarmed, only trying to get to her, disarm her. She was much too fast for them to let that happen, though. Hands and arms were lopped off without a pause.

I’m going to kill all of them.

They had forged a monster in the pits by giving her nothing to care about except only her survival. So she had forged her skills in the effort only to defeat them. She knew how they fought, how slow they were, how easily their skin parted under a sharp blade.

Then she found something she cared about.

Something worth killing for. Killing all of them.

She took only one glance back to see Rainev standing and leaning on the back wall, behind her and Matesh. Safe.

She turned back to attack the next foe for her blade to clash against steel.

A guard.

She was shocked out of her temper for a moment and got a kick to the stomach, sending her into the wall next to Rainev. She pulled her sword to stop a fatal blow.

She was disarmed as the blade sliced her hand instead.

And the pommel of a sword slammed into her temple, dropping her to the ground.

19

Mave

“A shame,” a cold voice whispered down to her. “A thousand years and the near perfect slave. A trophy, an achievement. All to prove a failure.”

Mave groaned and pushed herself up. The Empress. The voice was the fucking Empress.

“You three seem to have caused me some problems. There are people screaming for your heads, ruining my games the way you have.” A sad sigh, a bored sigh. “Twenty-eight gladiators. Dead. Strong and expensive slaves, they had been. A guard, a loyal subject of my Empire. Dead. His training had been more than you’re worth. Any of you.”

He should have been trained better, whore. I’m better than a dozen of your guards combined.

Mave looked up at the Elvasi whore. Her ice-blonde hair and tan skin. Her pale blue eyes, which could have been pretty if they held any warmth. They never had.

“Here I thought I had the three best gladiators in my Empire. I guess I do, after the display you put on in the pits, but I expect my slaves to be obedient. I’ve always let some things slide, of course. A kill here or there, while you protected yourself, my property. I always thought that was very good of you, Maevana. Not so weak as to just roll over and die.”

Mave watched her walk around the cell and look down at Matesh. Then she moved to Rainev, who stirred but didn’t awaken. A tsk from her then. Mave glanced at her wrists. Manacled, chained to the floor. The chain also looped through a ring on her slave collar.

“Maevana, what changed? You have never behaved this violently before.” The Empress looked back to her, genuine confusion on her face. “I thought I raised you better than this.”

Mave’s only response was a blood-curdling snarl.

“I see. Was it the new friends I heard you made? My other property? I have heard, you know. You made friends. Did they give you these bad habits? They were free, you know. I could see them giving you bad manners.” She sighed again. “A thousand years wasted trying to prove you Andinna can be more than temper-driven barbarians. Maevana, you had been doing so well. Cold on the sands, intelligent. And now look at you, another animal.”

Mave snarled louder, trying to stand. The chains weren’t long enough, and she jerked against them. I’m going to kill this whore, even if it’s the last thing I do.

“See? That’s what I mean. So, here’s the idea. I have to pay back the other Lords. My property destroyed theirs. I’m the Empress. I could just tell them to get over it, like I have before, but the damage was just too severe - and you killed a guard. That is a huge problem, Maevana. You know how much I don’t like that.” The Empress continued to watch her as she walked closer. “You care for those two, don’t you? Be honest, please. The answer is obvious.”

“Yes,” she admitted. Mave knew there was no lying now. Her silence or her admission…none of it changed the result of this conversation.

“Yes…” Empress Shadra smiled sadly. “The purebred would have been a fine specimen to breed you with, but sadly your actions have taken that privilege away from you. Here’s what’s going to happen, Maevana. On the last day of my games, you will fight them. One on one, back to back. You will either kill them and continue to survive, or you will die to them, dead to those you think care about you. And they don’t. Maevana, you’re the only female down here. Of course they wanted you to think they cared. They wanted the expensive cunt between your legs.” The Empress sighed happily. “We both know how much you like survival, don’t we? It’s how you became the Champion. I threw you down here to die and yet, here you are, nine hundred years later.”

Mave’s heart felt cut out and thrown away.

No. I can’t. Can’t do that. I don’t care if…I don’t care if they hate me secretly. They’re mine. I can’t…

“Has it finally happened? Are you broken yet? Even better, you’ll probably be able to kill one, but these two are much better fighters than the other gladiators of the pits. If you fall, it will be to the second. And then I’ll be left with one lonely male who can supply me with information on the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company, if I so desire it. But honestly, if I really needed to deal with that nuisance, I would have started torturing them already.” Shadra knelt down. “But I would rather see my trophy broken finally. And we both know that’s going to happen. You finally got a piece of your people, and for what? It’s destroyed you.”

NO!

Mave roared as the Empress walked out of the cell. She roared until she was hoarse. She yanked and pulled against the chains, trying to break free.

She screamed, which woke Matesh and Rainev out of their healing sleeps. They looked at her then the Empress, who shook her head, denying what Mave wanted to hear. Mercy. Just once.

“No.” The cold voice was clear and final.

Mave broke.

No, no, no, no. not them. Anyone but them. Don’t make me hurt them. I can’t. Don’t leave them alone. Don’t hurt them. Don’t take this from me, please. Please.

She began to beg as the Empress just stood on the other side of the bars, staring through her. “Please, Empress. PLEASE!” she screamed, hoping against all things. Praying and hoping. Maybe once her gods would do something. Maybe the Elvasi gods would hear her. She didn’t care. “ANYTHING! I’ll do anything!”

When Mave opened her mouth with nearly no voice left to say anything, much less scream, the Empress turned and walked away.

“No,” she forced out. “No…”

“Mave?” Rainev whispered, trying to move closer. He was also chained, unable to get further than she had been able to. Maybe a foot of loose chain was all they had. “Mave…”

“Are you okay?” she asked, her throat raw. It barely came out, too soft. She wondered if he heard it. She looked over his face. He was rough, but obviously was already healing. His nose was a little crooked. No one had set it for him like he had done for her. It would always be that way. A visual marker of what had happened to him.

I failed him.

He’d given her family and she failed him in the worst way.

“I’m sore, but I’m okay. What was…what was that about?”

“We’re to fight again on the last day of the games,” she answered, or tried to.

“Okay…that’s good, Mave. We’ll fight, we’ll win, we’ll be released back into-”

“Against each other,” she corrected, her chest hollow.

“What?” He fell back, stunned. “We’re…”

“We’re going to have to kill each other,” Matesh whispered. She met those green eyes and all she could do was nod. He took a deep breath. “Damn.”

They sat in silence for a long time. She had no idea the time of day, but eventually, a group of guards came by, holding trays. The door to their cell opened and they walked in, a unit. Three broke off and undid the chains. None of them fought back, since there were fifteen guards and three of them. Mave was too weak to even consider a plan of action.

The food was dropped in front of them.

“Slide these under the bars when you are done,” a guard ordered. “The chains were for the Empress’ visit. You are blessed to have seen her on your final days.”

Blessed? Is this the blessing my gods would give me? The Skies would bless me with this?

No, they cursed me before I was even old enough to understand why. They threw me away and now I’ve taken down two wonderful males with me.

With that, the guards left. Mave ignored the food as Rainev and Matesh moved closer to her. It was Mat who picked up her bowl of slop and shoved it under her nose.

“Eat. You need the strength.”

“No,” she said plainly. She didn’t. “No.”

“Damn it, Mave.” Matesh growled at her. “Eat or I’ll force-feed you. You will not waste away on me now. Not on Rain.”

She looked at her illi bodyr. He was so worried. Such a good man, such a brave one with an easy smile. She was going to lose it soon, that easy happiness. Nothing she could do would change that. Even if he lived, what happened to him would cast a darkness over him. Even now, she could see it.

“Eat, illo amyr,” he whispered.

She took the bowl and forced a spoonful of slop into her mouth. She swallowed and it hurt. When she never took a second bite, Matesh growled, taking her spoon and shoving another bite into her mouth.

She tried to spit it out, but he grabbed her jaw and held it closed.

“I fucking meant it,” he snarled. “You have not fought for a thousand years to fucking quit now, do you understand? I can’t have you give up on me. Please.”

She grabbed his throat and shoved. He fell back, releasing her jaw. She swallowed the slop in her mouth and snarled.

“There she is. There’s the Champion,” he said, a dark smile taking over his face.

“Damn you,” she hoarsely cursed him and the very air he breathed.

“We need a plan,” Rainev cut in.

“There’s nothing to plan for,” she retorted. She already had her plan. She didn’t need food for it, but she ate anyway, hoping Matesh wouldn’t get on her again. She didn’t need that either. The slop was the lesser of the two evils.

He’s only doing it because he cares for me. I should remember that.

They sat in silence until the guards came back and opened the door.

“Slave. You have lost the privileges as Champion of the Colosseum. It’s been decided that you three will not be a waste of resources, staying in a cell until the seventh day of the games. You are being released back into the general population until your fights.” The guard speaking stepped out of the doorway. “You will report to every meal. You will not fight with the other gladiators, on pain of being tortured, until the last day of the games. Go on.”

Mave stood up slowly, with Rainev and Matesh beside her. Together, they walked out of the cell into hell. Mave knew this could get ugly.

All of her protections. Her room. Her weapons. Her respect from the guards.

Gone.

For some reason, as she stepped out of the cell, none of it mattered. Those were things she could earn back, things she had never needed to begin with. They had just made her survival a little easier.

“Let’s find a place to hide out. Rain needs some attention to his injuries,” Matesh whispered as they moved away from the cell. She recognized where she was, deep in the bowels of the pits. The Empress had come here to see her, a surprise.

“I know where we can go,” she said softly, leading them down the dark tunnel. It was a long and winding path before she found the room she once hid in, during her first, very formative years in the pits. It was just big enough for all of them. There were no cots to sleep on, and only a tiny grate at the top gave them any idea of the time. “We ate breakfast,” she whispered. “We were out all night.”

“Would explain how much we’ve healed,” Matesh commented, looking down at his bare chest. It had bruising still, but nothing serious or lasting. Mave checked her own wound, the hole in her side. It wasn’t closed up fully, but it was on its way. The fighting from the evening before had done it no favors, probably setting it back by another day.

“We need to find a way to secure this,” Rainev mumbled, looking around.

“There’s nothing to use,” Mave said. “But we can rotate on sleep. We only need to make it to meals and our fight. Today is…day five of the games. So we have to make it through today and tomorrow.”

“Mave, we’ll find a way through this,” Rainev whispered, reaching out to her. “I mean, it’s not like it can get any worse, right?”

“We’re required to go to the meals so we get into trouble. They want us in trouble so they can have some fun torturing us before the fight,” she retorted, turning to glare at him. “Don’t you get it? One or two of us will be dead in two days. There are no other plans. Escapes don’t work. The Empress has no mercy, and we no longer have anything.”

She turned away from him and leaned against the wall. She sank slowly, covering her face. They ignored her and talked to each other, and she heard groaning. Probably tending Rain’s injuries. It sounded like he was having a wing reset.

She needed Rainev and Matesh to understand that they had to do anything they could to survive. Not escape, not save everyone, just survive. This was not a world for heroes. She was not a hero. They didn’t have the ability or resources to be heroes, not in the pits.

I tried to be a hero to them, and all I’ve done is sentence them to a worse hell.

“We can hide her,” Rainev whispered. She rolled her eyes. “Damn it. Why couldn’t they just leave us alone? Why?”

“You haven’t answered my question,” Matesh growled. Mave looked up. What question was he referring to?

“No, they didn’t rape me,” Rain snapped back. Oh. Mave’s heart dropped again. Her stomach did flips. They had been planning on it. She’d been so wrapped up in what was about to happen she hadn’t asked about what had happened. She felt again like she failed him. Her first family in a thousand years and she failed him repeatedly. “Okay? They didn’t get that far. Forgive me if I don’t exactly want to think about yesterday. For a solid moment there before you showed up, I seriously thought it was going to happen. I was fucking terrified. I’ll admit it. But it didn’t happen. I’m fine. It’s all fucking fine!” Rain ended in a loud, growling yell. “I’m fine.”

Mave didn’t miss the way his voice broke at that. The way fine was snapped in half by his emotion. His pain. Matesh didn’t miss it either.

“Sit down and rest,” he ordered softly. “Sleep. Rain, it’s not fine.”

“I’m fine,” Rainev mumbled.

“No, you’re not,” Mave said for Matesh, looking at the smaller male and his beautiful blue tatua, and his delicate horns going up and back. “But you will be, illi bodyr. Come sit down and rest.” She patted the earth next to her. “Come.”

He did as she asked and she wrapped her arms around him. She rocked softly, like she had always wanted someone to do for her when it was at its worst. There was a pain, a fear that settled when something terrible became real. They might not have done the deed, but they instilled the fear. She could feel it in how stiff Rainev was, how angry he was.

They’ve shaken him. Yes, I know where he’s at right now. I know exactly where he is, what’s going through his mind.

He slowly began to relax. She looked up at Matesh’s green eyes as Rain slowly fell asleep. Right as she knew he was slipping deep into another healing sleep, she began to sing, but she kept her eyes on Matesh.

She sang that lullaby to her little brother, that first real and precious gift he had given her. A memory of parents and safety, love and kindness. It didn’t matter anymore if Andena was banned in the Empire or a beatable offense in the pits. It sounded terrible; it could barely be understood. Her Elliar accent butchered it, and her raw throat made getting any sound out difficult.

“Are you okay?” Mat asked her softly, staying near the door to keep lookout.

“No, Mat. Nothing can make this okay.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” he said, looking defeated for a moment.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t blame you,” she replied. Slowly, she let go of Rainev and laid him on the floor. “He’s so young.”

“He is. Sure, he’s a good adult, but he’s never had life this hard. He’s not weak, but…this is hard. I feel it, how hard it is. I see why the others…I see why they break and why there’s no mutts here, not ones that last long.”

“I’ve seen bigger, more dominant men, purebreds, break under the weight of what they tried to do to him.” She stood up slowly, sighing. “It will happen to them and they will go off into a dark tunnel and no one will be able to find them. The guards will drag them to the training fields when they are found. They will have lost their fight, their will. The other males will taunt them, calling them all sorts of things. They normally don’t last long after that.” She looked down at her only family. “Not weak. No, he’s not weak. He needs time and protection to regain his courage, that’s all.” She swallowed on the well of emotion in her throat. Her throat burned from screaming it raw. She could barely talk over a hoarse whisper. She shouldn’t have tried to sing. “We should have protected him better.”

Mat, you need to protect him after all of this. You can’t let him get hurt anymore.

“We should have,” Matesh agreed softly, looking away from her. “Gods, we fucked up.”

“No, we were caught in a bad situation, and this…this is what I get for caring. Before I met you both...It was different. I had wishes, sure, but I gave up on acting on them years ago. I didn’t let people close to me. I had given up hope, in a sense. I would have thought of my own survival.” Mave walked to him and leaned on the doorway as well. This had been a wish. A wish for community, for family, to be accepted. It had been granted. “I’m okay with it. I just wish I had gotten to you both sooner.”

I would do it all over again, to know them. To have just a few days of this.

“You did what you could, and it was enough. More than enough,” he whispered. He reached for her and she let him pull her closer. Her head fell where his neck and shoulder met and she leaned on him. He placed his lips on her head between her horns. “Thank you for caring. We’d have been dead long before now without you.”

“Yes, you would have been.” A weak smile came over her face. She remembered the day Rainev sat at her table. Little had she known it would have been the best thing that happened to any of them. Even with her looming fight against them, she would not go back to her lonely life before them.

I have that choice. I will not go back to that. It’s what the Empress wants, and she can’t have it. If she has no mercy to spare for me, I have no obedience to give her.

“I like that vote of confidence,” he murmured. She looked back up at him and a gentle kiss happened. Then he growled, low in his chest, wrapping an arm around her waist. “I guess none of it really matters anymore, huh?”

“I guess not,” she whispered on his lips. She ran her hands up his solid arms, then his shoulder. She took his cheeks and pulled him in for another kiss, one that didn’t care anymore. She growled this time, biting down on his lip again.

He didn’t pull away, yanking her against his hard body. Oh, she could have him now. Now that there was no need to hide and pretend. The hard body, the arrogant smirks, the brilliant emerald eyes set in black.

He was so Andinna and she loved it. She wanted it. She wanted him.

His hands were rough on her hips, spinning them so she was to the wall. It wasn’t that she was willing to be submissive to him, as his left hand traveled down to part her legs. It was that she had wanted his strength, and now he was giving it to her. Finally.

A strong male who didn’t fear her or distrust her, or just want her body. A male that didn’t spit on her. They butted heads, but they respected each other.

And he wants me.

Nothing the Empress said would change how much she trusted this male, how much she wanted him.

She gasped as he sank a finger into her. He reclaimed her mouth to silence it. She moaned against his lips as he pumped the finger quickly, his thumb against her pearl, bringing her to a fast peak and then…

He removed it. She snarled, biting down hard enough on his lip to draw blood, making him chuckle. That just pissed her off more.

“Wait for it,” he growled, that arrogant smirk on his face. He kissed her neck, his horns scratching her skin deliciously, and moved downward, his right hand still holding her hip, keeping her against the wall. She didn’t know what he was up to.

Then he yanked down her breeches enough for his mouth to take his hand’s place over her core. He shoved his tongue in and her head went back to hit the wall. Her horns bounced against it. She grabbed his horns, holding on as he devoured her. His tail caressed hers, and her wings, sending shivers up her spine.

He didn’t stop when she was ready to finish this time. With a growl from him that vibrated through her entire body, she came, panting his name while his tongue stayed deep inside her.

He was chuckling when he pulled away. “That is how an Andinna male pleases a female,” he murmured to her, rising back up.

“No one has ever…” She couldn’t breathe. It all came shallow and quick. She felt slightly lightheaded.

“Given you an orgasm or eaten you like a fine meal?” he asked, a purr in his voice as he pressed his chest up to hers. She was pinned still, by his body and his eyes.

“Either?” she answered, unsure if it was the truth. She thought she had achieved pleasure before, in a rushed and hurried away. It had been all she had ever gotten for herself, but what he had just done was so different and so much better than what she had ever gotten.

“Well, later tonight and tomorrow night, we’ll continue,” he promised. He reached down and pulled her breeches back and tied them quickly for her. “I think now isn’t the time for the rest.”

She looked down to the loincloth they had him in. It was what they forced him to fight in, sometimes a pteruges over it, and now, he probably would have no other clothing. They needed to find him some pants, but for the moment, she enjoyed the hard length waiting there for her. For later.

She grazed the tips of her fingers over it, the bulge that was well defined in what little he wore.

“You can stop staring,” he teased, his lips making a soft trail across her jaw.

“Arrogant male,” she groaned, pushing him away. “For that, maybe we won’t continue.”

“You say that now,” he retorted, chuckling.

Somehow, on the worst day of her life, she smiled back at him. A stolen moment, since it no longer mattered what the others thought. She had lost everything except these two.

For now.

When lunch was called, Matesh woke up Rainev. Mave waited for them at the door, ignoring the heavy tension between her and Matesh. Later, his eyes said when he looked at her. He would show her more of how strong he was later.

Too bad later was also a moment closer to when she didn’t have them anymore.

They walked in a tight group to the chow hall. Other gladiators, both of the pits and the outsiders, watched them, whispered. They knew she had fallen from grace. The deaths she had wrought the night before should have brought her an execution date, but instead, they knew the Empress was more cruel than that.

When I’m gone, they’ll be left to that whore’s cruelty - and they deserve it. The only reason I regret anything is because Mat and Rain will be left with all of them too.

When they had their food, they moved to their table. Which was claimed.

“Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” an outsider gladiator taunted, leaning back in her seat.

“Oh, how much I don’t care about punishment anymore,” she retorted, glaring down her nose at him.

“There’s a lot of people here who would rather just kill you right now, so I wouldn’t pick that fight, Champion.” He laughed. She memorized his number. Fifty-three. “Do you…still have that title? Or was that taken from you?”

“The next Champion will be the person who kills me on the sands, not the arrogant, foolhardy ass sitting in my chair, or jumping me in the pits, or trying to stab me in my cot. You hear that? You want to be Champion? Kill me right, or get out with your tail between your legs, coward.” She pointed for the door. She said the ending loud enough that it could be heard over the entire chow hall, a challenge to all of them.

The male growled at her, standing up. “Don’t. You have no one backing you up anymore. Not even the Empress.”

“She still has us,” Matesh reminded him. Mat took the bowl from in front of the gladiator, then threw it across the chow hall. “Now, fetch that and take it where it belongs, since you’re done with your meal.”

“I’ll fucking kill you for-”

“No fighting,” a guard roared. Mave heard the sweet sound of steel singing as it was unsheathed. The guard approached, his blade up. “Your meal is over. Get the bowl, turn it in, then move along.” He turned on Mave, a dark glare. “One fuck up, Champion. One punch. You know the consequences.”

She said nothing as the gladiator and his three friends got up from her table and left, snarling as they passed her. One shoulder checked her, but she refused to stumble to it. She was stronger than them, stronger than all of them.

She would only fall to one person on the sands. Because it was the only way for everyone to live. Everyone that mattered, anyway.

There were only two people that mattered.

Mave had her work cut out for her. It’ll be easy, really. I won’t have to worry about them anymore and they’ll have each other.

When lunch was over, they wandered back to the hole they had claimed. They settled in, silently. Mave leaned on Matesh’s shoulder in the dark room, gaining an eyebrow raise from Rain.

“So, that’s how it is?” he asked, a sad smile breaking out. “Just going to do it and be damned to the consequences?”

“Why not?” she asked back. “In the end, no one can stop me. Or him. There’s nothing they can do that hasn’t already been planned for us.”

“Enjoy it, but please, get some rest tonight. You’re both injured. You still have a hole in you.” Rainev pointed to her side and she sighed, nodding. “If you stay up for the kind of activity you two might get into, that thing won’t heal and you might not make it to the sands.”

“Don’t worry, nephew,” Matesh said, smirking. “I plan on making sure that is well taken care of. She’ll sleep tonight and we’ll keep the rough stuff to tomorrow night. Before the fight.”

“Good plan,” she agreed. He turned his head and kissed her forehead. It was kind and sweet. Gentle. A show of affection that held no expectations.

Another little gift from him. Like so many they had given her before.

I want more of those. I want one every moment I’m on this earth, however short it may be.

Rain’s smile was still sad. “In another life,” he whispered. “I would have rooted you two on, this very moment, then left you to have a moment together. I wouldn’t worry about healing wounds and fights on the sands.”

“This is the life we have.” It was all she could say.

20

Mave

Matesh had been careful. He had taunted and teased her again. He’d kissed her body and made her feel beautiful. He’d been gentle but strong, moving her body the way he wanted it.

Mave had craved and wanted until he’d given her a release, claiming her mouth so it wouldn’t wake up Rainev.

But he hadn’t given her what she truly craved - a piece of him. All of him. He’d brought her to finish, but not with everything. Hands and mouth in places she’d never known would work. He’d even used his tail to tease her and bring her releases that brought her a bliss she’d never known.

But not all of him.

“That’s how a male shows a female she’s more important, worth every ache and bruise,” he whispered on the morning of the sixth day of the games. “To help you sleep and heal, making the moments in between easy on you. You should be healed as well as you can by tonight.”

“Maybe tomorrow will be easier if it’s only once,” she murmured into his chest as sunshine broke in through the tiny grate far above them, out of reach. Always out of reach.

“No, it won’t be, but it’ll be one happy memory. We won’t have a chance to fuck up the morning after since we’ll be meeting on the sands anyway.”

“Damn the Skies,” she cursed, sitting up. The sands. Underneath a sky they couldn’t reach. “I had prayed for the first time in centuries for Rainev to live. For this week to be survivable.” She glared up at the light. This was the gods’ faults. “And this is what you give me?” she asked the sky. “This is what I deserve? A stolen two days with them, without pretending? Without trying to hide how much they mean to me?” She ignored Matesh trying to hush her. She shouldn’t be cursing the gods of her people, but she was done with them. She had finally given them some of her faith again and this was their answer. Because of them, she was going to die and lose the only good thing she ever had.

The day had barely begun, and she was already angry.

“I hate you. I hate you, my gods, like I hate the crowds. Like I hate the Empress. Maybe even, I hate you more. I’m supposed to be your child and this is what you’ve given me. Hell and pain. Is it because I don’t know your names?” Matesh gave up, just looking away as she ranted. “I don’t know what you are? I’ve never visited a temple and done sacrifice for you? This is what I deserve? A gift of family and friends for such a short time, and only for you to hurt them too?” She snarled and said every word out loud, hoping the words made it to the sky and her gods took note. Like the gladiators, she was done with them.

Rainev doesn’t deserve this. Matesh doesn’t deserve this. They are good. Are you punishing them for being with me? For being my family?

By lunch, her bad mood had not abated. Luckily, the guys kept her out of trouble. None of the other gladiators tried to cause any problems.

By dinner, it was much the same.

When they were alone, for their last night together, she knew it was time to tell them her plan, since they were frantically trying to find their own. It was already late; the dark had fallen outside the tiny grate above. She figured they had been talking for more than a few hours. Midnight would soon be approaching. It was time to end their worries.

“I will lay down my swords to whoever of you meets me first on the sands.”

Silence from them. Whatever conversation they had been having ended.

“Mave?” Rain’s soft, confused voice was the bravest one in the room.

“You heard me. One of you will give me a quick death, without a fight. You will leave the sands and you two shall remain together.” She was ready for it. She had been ready for it since the moment the Empress had walked away from them. Shadra wanted Mave to kill them or die trying.

She had a reputation for stubbornness. To defy the Empress, she was going to give the crowd what it wanted: a fallen Champion. Willing and ready for her blood to meet the sands one last time.

And her family would live.

They have to live. I can’t be in a world without them. Not anymore. They changed me too much. I can’t know a life with them and then keep going without them.

“I can’t…” Rain had a wide-eyed stare. “Mave, I can’t…”

“You will,” she snapped. “Damn it, I’ve been here for a thousand years. I’ve suffered and I’ve bled for them and I have nothing to show for it. Nothing until you two has mattered at all. I won’t kill you. I won’t even fight you. I am going to throw my blades down on the sands and the only gift either of you can give me is to run me through. Strike fast and true, make it quick.” She took a deep breath. “If the Skies won’t have me, then the earth can. It’s at least always been under my feet.”

“Holy shit,” Matesh whispered. “You’re not joking.”

“I don’t joke,” she reminded him. “Tonight…I’m going to enjoy my last night. Tomorrow, one of you will kill me.”

“I’m…” Rainev stood up and looked between them. “I’m going to the room across the hall. I can’t…”

“Rain,” Mave said, trying to stop him. He left, though, leaving her alone with Matesh. She looked over at him. “I won’t be sorry for it.”

“You would just give me the night of my life, then die on me,” he retorted, looking angry.

“One of us is going to die tomorrow anyway,” she growled back. “Or him. He can’t beat me, not in a fight. I’m faster, with more experience. I’ve got centuries of experience on those sands. I was the Champion of this Colosseum before his short-lived great-grandfather was even a sperm looking for a cunt.” She threw her hands up. “And I won’t kill him. So this is what I have. To let one of you kill me. Without a fight.”

“I’m not letting you die. I’m not letting any of us die,” he said, that arrogance running strong in him.

“How?” she asked, spreading her arms to the empty room around them. “What in the pits will save all of us?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’m not going to fuck you, then run you through the heart. I won’t do it.”

“Fine,” she mumbled. “I’ll spend my last night alone then.”

She went to leave the room and he grabbed her. She snarled back at him, then was cut off by a kiss and a hand at the back of her neck. He yanked her back further into the small room, holding her mouth to his. She gave a token struggle, trying to pull back, trying to get her nails into his flesh. She bit down hard enough to draw blood from his bottom lip.

But when he turned her and her wings and back hit the wall, when he pressed his cock to her core…

Her nails scratched as she ran her hands over his muscles. She nibbled instead of biting.

“Fuck, Mave, why?” he asked one more time, holding her there, pinned.

“Because I care, and you both…you both have given me so much. I can give you this. This is the only thing I have to give.” She had never said something that made her sound so vulnerable. Not to her own ears.

“Then I guess I should give you one more gift, shouldn’t I?” He leaned down and kissed her neck.

She reached and tugged open his loincloth. While he opened her shirt, she threw away the only thing he wore. Her shirt went next and his mouth claimed one of her nipples. Her other breast was found by one of his large hands, massaging it. Then he pinched her nipple lightly, while nipping the other with his teeth.

It brought out an unashamed cry of pleasure.

“Are they back here? Was that what it sounded like?” a male asked. Matesh pulled away from her and looked to the door, his eyes wide in shock. She growled, ready to attack whoever walked through the door. She wouldn’t die yet. She would die on her terms, not some stranger’s.

“Yes, this is where they have been hiding,” another male answered. The accent of this one was of Elliar. Elvasi or human, then.

She bared her teeth. The Empress sent assassins? Really? She can’t just let me fucking die tomorrow? She’s got to kill me now?

“This is a crazy plan.” That one was Dave. She stopped growling and grabbed her shirt. Matesh was already putting his loincloth back on. She made it to the door first and watched the guard that had acted strangely, had spoken to Rainev, leading Dave and an Andinna she didn’t recognize. He wasn’t dressed like a gladiator. He wasn’t dressed like a slave.

Who is this? What…

“Mave,” Dave gasped. “You’re still alive. Good.”

“What?” She looked down at the human, then to the others in the room. A human, an Elvasi, and an Andinna. What was the meaning of this?

“Zayden?” Matesh’s voice was cautious and wary.

“Where’s my son, Mat?” Son? She looked at the big Andinna longer, the one she didn’t recognize. He had dark blue eyes in the Andinna black and the same style horns as Rainev. He looked at her as Matesh walked across the hall and she could hear him waking up Rainev. “Ah, and the Champion. At least you’re all together.”

“You’re Rain’s father?” she asked softly, pointing at him. He didn’t seem old enough to be a father, but then, the long-lived people never seemed old enough for anything until they were too old for most things. He seemed barely older than Matesh.

“Yes. More on that later,” he ordered. “We’re getting you all out of here. I’m not letting you kill my son in the Colosseum.”

“She wasn’t going to,” Rain cut in. “She actually wanted me to run her through. What the hell is this?”

“Your escape, bodara,” he said. He elbowed the Elvasi guard, who took that moment to swing a bag off his shoulder. Inside, there were weapons and cloaks. “Get ready.”

“There’s no way the Company approved this.” Rain was confused like she was. “Are you here without-”

“The entire Company agreed we weren’t leaving you idiots to die in here. We hadn’t planned on coming in during the fucking games, though. Then you three went and got into trouble. Shit, she was never a part of the plan, but he,” he pointed at the Elvasi, “wouldn’t help us without a guarantee that we would try for her too.”

Mave was too confused to catch all of that, other than the Elvasi had wanted to help her escape. This auburn-haired Elvasi guard. From the night she came back and he let them help her. From the time he showed a tiny moment of concern for Rainev after he and Matesh were jumped.

“Escape?” She looked frantically between them. “If we’re caught, we’ll lose our wings.”

“Then let’s not get caught,” Zayden said, pointing to the bag. “Get ready. Hurry. We don’t have much time.”

She reached down, her hand wavering for a moment. A hand landed on her shoulder and she looked at the source. Dave, and his pity-filled eyes.

For the first time, she didn’t question the pity, didn’t growl or get angry at him for it. He pities me enough to try and save me. Save…me.

“Years, we waited for a chance, for anyone willing to come get you,” he whispered. “Me and Trevan have been planning on defecting for a long time. Him longer than me. A lot longer.”

“Damn the Skies. Later, all of you. Questions and talking about this later.” Zayden was looking even more angry by the second.

Mave stopped talking, grabbing a belt with a gladius on it. She attached it quickly, but didn’t bother with anything else. The cloaks were useless, a very Elvasi or human thing to do. Andinna couldn’t wear them, that was certain. Rain and Mat were just as quick, arming with what they had available. Rainev with four daggers while Matesh took the only longsword. The other proved to be an extra gladius and Zayden pointed to it.

“That’s for you, Champion. I hear you use two?”

She nodded and took it, unsure what to say. She carried it, waiting for the others.

“Don’t be an ass, Zayden. Also, did you bring any pants?” Matesh motioned at himself, making Zayden chuckle. She glanced over. He was still only in the loincloth.

“I would love to leave you like that. It’s funny.”

“We grew up together and that’s how you would treat me?” Matesh coughed, glaring at Zayden.

“No.” Zayden reached further into the bag and pulled out a pair of pants. “There’s more clothing in here; you just missed it thanks to the cloaks.”

“Grew up together?” she asked, looking between them.

“She asks a lot of questions,” Zayden noted, looking back at her.

“We haven’t told her much and you’re breaking her out. She has a right to be curious,” Matesh defended her.

“Illo amyr, meet my bodra, Zayden.” Rain smiled between them. “He and Matesh are only a couple hundred years apart. My bodra is a grumpy shit, though.”

“I had a kid too damn young,” Zayden mumbled. “Thirteen-hundred was much too young for a child.” His eyes were curious as they stayed on her. “Illo amyr, huh?” He said it in a mumble, not really asking anyone, but rather just to understand what his son had said.

She did the quick mental math as he gave her a curious look. That made him sixteen-hundred. Not even that old. She didn’t know how to comment on it, though. She looked over him further as the others got ready and Matesh put on pants.

He had Rain’s blue eyes, that she already noticed. The same style horns. There weren’t that many styles, but his were the same as Rainev’s in every way except color. He was much broader than his son, but leaner than Matesh, who was huge. He still had the black hair, black wings, and tail, but if she ignored the pure annoyance on his face, he was attractive, an older, taller, pure Andinna version of Rainev.

He was more attractive than his son. She could admit that, though it was in part her own leaning to the real, rough Andinna look.

“Does she always look people over like she’s sizing them up to eat?” Zayden asked, pointing at her.

Heat hit her cheeks as all the males who knew her in the pits answered. Dave, the guard, Matesh, and Rain. Not a single one resisted giving an answer.

“Yes.”

“Don’t eat me,” he ordered her.

“I don’t eat people,” she said quietly. She felt like a fool and sought to change the focus off herself. “Are we going to go? Is this going to happen, or are we going to stand down here all night until we’re dragged out onto the sands?”

“Waiting on Matesh to get his damn pants on,” the father grumbled.

“I’m ready,” Mat growled. “Shit. You’re an extra bastard tonight.”

“I’ll tell you why later. Let’s fucking move.”

Mave was nearly dazed. This was it. They were about to try and escape. For the first time in ages, she was scared. They all began to walk and she didn’t move, watching their backs.

“Mave?” Rain called out to her. “Mave, we need to move.”

“If we fail, they’ll tear our wings off,” she whispered. She could remember the pain as they had started, and even though she had no lasting damage, it had stuck with her. The fear. She had never touched the skies and if they had done it, she never would have.

Mave, you have to move. You can’t be so scared of this. This is your only chance. You’ve tried before, sure, but this time could be different. This is it.

“Why is she stuck on this?” Zayden asked, hissing it out.

“Because it nearly happened to her once before,” Rain told his father. He reached out and pulled her along. “Mave, we’re getting out, and if we lose our wings, we’ll all lose them together, but if you stay down here, you will die. There’s a slim chance at escape, but it’s the only chance of staying alive. Surviving.”

He’s right. Mave, he’s right. Just move.

She nodded, unable to find more words. She let him hold her arm. She had never felt so much fear in her life. She didn’t understand why it continued to affect her as they snuck through the dark tunnels, led by the Elvasi guard. She didn’t trust him, that was certain. She was confused by Dave’s words. Defecting. Leaving the pits. Escaping Elliar. Wanting to help.

Minutes ago, she’d been well on her way to having sex with a strong male she cared about, knowing she was going to die in the morning, maybe at his hand. Now, she was armed and quickly walking through the tunnels of the pits towards freedom.

As they moved to an area always blocked off by guards, Mave’s courage grew.

Leaving the pits. Escaping Elliar. This was really happening.

“The guards are already out. I drugged the evening meal and drinks with a decent sleeping draught, so everyone in the guard house should be out cold. We knocked out the few on the way here as well,” the Elvasi whispered, explaining the bodies of guards as they passed.

Mave resisted the urge to slip her sword between their ribs just to be certain. She wasn’t the only one.

“We should kill them,” Matesh murmured loud enough for Zayden at the front to hear him.

“No. We don’t need too many bodies. In and out was the rule from Luykas, if we did this. You know how he and Alchan are. They don’t like big splashes, not for things like this.” Zayden motioned for them to stop at a corner, but the guard continued going around it. Dave went with him, but none of the Andinna moved.

They waited in the dark. Mave could cut the tension with her steel.

A thump and groan. Something hit the ground, and silence again. The Elvasi came back and waved them forward, not saying a word. He even put a finger on his mouth when Mat opened his mouth to speak.

They continued to a staircase. Mave had never been through this exit out of the pits. This area had always been blocked by the guards, and she had never been curious enough to try and sneak through them, since it was a death sentence. She hadn’t known there was a way out. A thousand years and survival on her mind, her curiosity had only reached so far. There has been a way out that I didn’t know about. Skies, I wonder if I could have used it long before this.

The Elvasi led them up the stairs, spiraling into a building and leaving the tunnels behind.

Mave’s heart wouldn’t rest, feeling like it was going to beat so quickly that it would quit soon.

The Elvasi opened a door forty steps up - she counted - and went through, motioning again for them to remain silent as he looked around. After a moment, he motioned for them to follow him.

Dave went first, human and the least threatening of them. After him, there were only Andinna. If anyone saw them, they would know something was terribly wrong. They would know this was a breakout.

A hand touched her lower back and pushed gently. She moved through the door, Mat right behind her, staying close to her, his hand never moving from the small of her back between her wings. She could feel his breath on her ear, he was so close. Rainev and Zayden came last, with the young father closing the door behind them without a sound.

Mave’s eyes took in the room around her and her anxiety climbed.

Around their group were sleeping Elvasi guards. A dozen of them.

The Elvasi waved them to follow and she resisted the urge to just run from the building. They had to go slow and quietly, or run the risk of waking up every guard within a hundred yards of them - and maybe the entire city.

He led them through the first room, what had appeared to been an armory, and into a dining hall. A few soldiers were sleeping at their plates, but the room was fairly empty.

After that, they were in a recreational room. Mave heard a groan as her foot connected with something. Everyone froze and Matesh looked down, pointing. Her eyes fell on the guard who had fallen asleep. His leg was sticking out. That was what she had kicked. She stepped over him carefully, overjoyed that he hadn’t awoken thanks to her clumsiness.

The guard pointed to one last door. He mouthed a message back to all of them. ‘Exit.’ Mave resisted the urge once again to just run out of it.

As he opened the door, however, things took a turn for the worst.

“Trevan, why are you here tonight? Isn’t it your night off?” an Elvasi guard asked, walking in the door. Then his eyes fell on the Andinna in the room. “By the fucking Gods.”

It was Trevan who slid a quick dagger between the other male’s ribs. The guard was wide-eyed, gurgling out words that Mave couldn’t understand as Trevan pulled the dagger free and laid the other guard on the floor. He was dead quickly.

“We need to move now,” Zayden snapped.

“Gentry? Did I hear you say Trevan? What is that idiot doing here?” another guard called out from the outside. “Shit, I can’t take in my pipe. Let’s finish smoking and let Gentry deal with Trevan. That fucking stick in the mud.”

“Shit,” Trevan cursed, peeking through the door. “There’s a fucking small group of them. They must be coming in from a night out at the taverns. Damn it. We have a moment since they are using pipes.”

“Well, if we have to fight, then we have to fight,” Matesh whispered. “But we can’t stay here in a hotbed of them.”

“You’re right,” Trevan agreed. “But they all need to go down or one will sound the alarm. The sleeping draught won’t keep these guys down for that and other guard houses around Elliar will respond as well. It’ll be madness. We only get one chance.”

Mave unsheathed her swords without needing to hear anymore. It brought the gaze of Zayden, who began doing the same, pulling the longsword at his back. Matesh drew his, then Rainev. Trevan’s pale gold eyes ended on her as well and she bared her teeth at him.

“If killing people will get me out of here, then amazing. I’m actually good at that,” she said to him softly.

“They outnumber us, but they’re drunk,” he explained.

She shrugged. I’ve been outnumbered my entire life. This means nothing.

He looked over them all. The temper was boiling underneath the surface of every Andinna in the room. They were ready for blood. Freedom stood just beyond the door, and behind that door a group of guards who had no idea what waited on them. He pulled the door open and they charged through.

One was watching the door and his mouth opened to scream. Mave went for him first, jumping through the group without a sound and tackling him to the ground. Both her swords were in his chest as the other guards cursed and swords were drawn.

“The Champion has escaped,” one screamed. He was ended seconds after that, Rainev in his face snarling, a dagger buried in the guard’s throat.

Coming up, she swung and cut another down at his knees. He fell, screaming in pain. Activity at nearby buildings began to pick up as the noise got attention. They hadn’t been fast enough. Mave cursed as she killed another of the drunken youths, guards who hadn’t thought this would be their night.

“We need to move!” Zayden roared. “We’ve lost our ability to sneak out now!”

“We weren’t fast enough,” she snarled, whipping her blade to knock blood off it. Around her, the group of them had killed the guards, but now people were running into the street around them. Some saw her and gasped. Others just screamed as if the Andinna were there to topple over their great white marble city in the night.

“Lead the fucking way, Zayden,” Matesh ordered. “Go!”

Zayden began to run for an alleyway, and the Andinna ran after them. Soldiers and guards were beginning to show up, following them since the bystanders were pointing towards their escape.

Mave didn’t turn back for a long time, hearing the soldiers yell orders as they followed. At the back of their group, winding through the tiny alleys of the capital, Trevan turned his back on them, looking back to the soldiers.

“What are you doing?” she screamed back at him. “Let’s go!” She had no idea why she suddenly cared about this Elvasi, but he was helping them escape and that had to count for something.

“I can hold them here,” he told her. The entire group stopped and looked back at him. Matesh grabbed Mave, who refused to be moved.

“Why?” she asked.

Tell me. I need to know. Why would an Elvasi do this for me? Why would an Elvasi die for me?

“Because not all of us agree with the Empress,” he answered as the soldiers came into sight. “And I spent six hundred years looking for a way to help you.”

There was something in his voice, an emotion she didn’t understand. He turned back and smiled at her. It was a sad, lost smile.

She stepped away from him, letting Matesh pull her. She turned on her heel and began to run as the soldiers tried to get past Trevan in the tiny alley. She knew he was going to die and that unexpectedly hurt.

But he was buying them more time.

I’ll remember you. Trevan. The only Elvasi to ever show me a shred of kindness. A silent promise from her to him. An unexpected act of sacrifice. He deserved to be remembered, even if his ears were pointed.

“There’s a few ways out of the capital,” Zayden called back as he led them through the dirty alleys of the poorer areas of the capital. “We’re taking one that shouldn’t exist. An old construction tunnel for the wall.”

None of them had anything to say to Zayden as they kept moving. Mave looked at their little group, already a male down. Somehow, they still had Dave with them, which surprised her. He’d been able to keep up with the breakneck pace of warriors. He was breathing much harder than them, but he was keeping up.

Soldiers were everywhere. Zayden called for them to stop and she ducked into a dark corner of the alley they were in. She stopped breathing as the entire group scrambled for their own hiding places. Matesh ended up with her, pressed up against her, chest to chest, her back against the wall. If they hadn’t been running for their lives, she would have enjoyed it for a moment.

He must have read her mind, because in the dark, that arrogant smirk showed up. She nipped his chin with her canines, which only had him press against her harder.

When the soldiers passed, he moved away from her and they moved on in silence, still letting Zayden lead them out of the capital.

He pointed to the wall as they drew closer to it. He pointed at their wings and, quickly, pulled a dagger to cut Rainev’s free. Mave held her breath as she watched Rainev’s stunning deep, dark blue wings expand and flex, flapping twice as he stretched them. Next were Mat’s, those pure Andinna black wings larger than Rain’s. Rain freed hers, but she kept them pulled to her body, used to it. She hadn’t expanded them since the last time she tried to escape, centuries before.

Zayden frowned at her but said nothing.

“I can’t fly,” she told him softly. “If we have to fly the wall…”

“We’re not flying over it, that’s for damn sure,” he whispered back to her. “There’s horses on the other side, but if one of the horses goes down, the rider will have to fly. Two Andinna can’t ride together. You can’t fly?”

“I never have,” she explained. “I tried once.”

“We’ll figure it out,” he promised.

Then they were back to moving, closer and closer to the wall. She could see the door to the construction tunnel he mentioned. Then a unit of soldiers came into view, blocking their way, guarding the hole. They had known it was there.

“They must have every known exit blocked,” Dave whispered. “What do we do?”

“We have to fight,” Matesh answered. “They are going to shut this city down to find us. We won’t be able to hide out until they forget about us and move along.”

“How do four Andinna and a human take down…” She counted the guards quickly from their position, unseen for now. “Twenty-five guards?”

“We’re Andinna. We’ve had worse odds,” Zayden said, sounding just as arrogant as Matesh ever could. “But I’m on her side, Matesh. We can’t deal with all of them with just blades. We need a distraction.”

“I’ll do it,” Dave said, looking between them. “You all getting out…that’s more important.”

“You’ll die,” Mave reminded him. “We already lost Trevan. Are you sure?”

“I’m human. I can be forgotten and blend in,” Dave retorted. “Plus, you remind me that I’m going to die pretty often, you know, just of old age.”

She glared at him. Old age was better than dying for a bunch of slaves making a run for it.

“Fuck…” Zayden groaned, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Bodara?”

“I have nothing, bodra,” Rain answered, shaking his head. “We can’t stay here either. Eventually another group of soldiers will walk by and we have nowhere else to go.”

“I can do it,” Dave repeated, stronger. “I’m fast.”

“You’re exhausted,” she snapped at him. She was feeling possessive. She wasn’t letting another one of the freemen who helped them die for them. She couldn’t believe the Elvasi was anything but dead. This is my human. He annoys me, but he’s mine.

“If he can do it…” Zayden looked at the human. “Make them believe we’re with you, looking to see if the way is clear. Then haul ass. You know another way out of the city?”

“I know most ways out of the city,” Dave confirmed. “It’ll be hell, but I think I can do it.”

“I hate this,” Matesh mumbled. “But if I never see you again, human…thank you.”

“The Andinna deserve to be free. I’ve seen what they do to your people.” Dave’s eyes slid to her and she looked away. He meant her. “Things that are unspeakable. Wait here. I guess you’ll know when it’s safe to make a break for the tunnel.”

“Thank you,” Rainev whispered. “You’ll be remembered, Dave.”

“Don’t talk like I’m dead yet,” the human said, giving a weak chuckle. He turned to leave and Mave grabbed him, holding him for a moment.

“Have wings,” she whispered to him. “Fly like the wind, human.”

It was all she could say. He only nodded in return, then disappeared into the dark. Her human was gone.

They waited in silence until they heard it.

“You! Halt! What are you doing here?”

“Shit! Champion, run! They have this exit blocked!” Dave’s voice rang out, in fear and terror. Mave was impressed by his acting skills. She felt the need to run even though he was down another alley. They could hear the soldiers shouting, the telltale sound of plate armor rattling as they ran after the human.

“The guards are following him. Not all of them, but there’s only a few left at the exit. We can fight our way through now,” Zayden whispered, looking around their corner. “Hold. On my order, we run for it and cut down anyone still in the way. The tunnel through the wall is a straight shot. If they follow, we won’t be able to lose them until we’re outside the city and that will be hard. It’s all plains on the other side, farm land.”

Mave tightened her hold on her swords, ready for the word.

“Move.” Zayden’s order was quiet, but firm.

They turned the corner and began to run. Rainev jumped up at the last moment and with two easy flaps, was above the group. Mave ran underneath him and stabbed the first soldier she ran into, catching him unaware. Rainev landed on the one behind him, silencing a scream.

The Andinna were a warrior people and death was something they were good at. Mave knew it; the soldiers knew it. Their screams could probably be heard through the entire capital.

It was brutally efficient and then Zayden was leading them into the wall, at a full run. They had to tuck their wings in close since the walls weren’t built to accommodate the large additions of the Andinna.

“Did we leave any alive?” Matesh yelled as they ran.

“No, but they were squealing like pigs as they died. More will come,” Zayden roared back, turning sharply and leading them down another long stretch of tunnel. He’d been right, Mave noticed. There was only one path, which snaked through the wall that enclosed Elliar. There were no rooms attached to it, or other tunnels. A ‘straight’ shot.

They could hear soldiers behind them, echoes of armor, but nothing close.

Zayden shoved a barred door open and they pushed out of the city, and Mave felt a rush of freedom. The farm land around the capital was expansive and wide, also very flat. There weren’t any trees until the horizon, far in the distance. She looked up, stunned by the night sky and how big it was. She had never seen so much sky. So many stars, covering the entire black expanse.

It’s beautiful.

“Mave, marvel later,” Rain whispered to her. “We have to move.”

“I’ve never ridden a horse,” she whispered back, still staring at the sky. “I could die happy right now.”

“You aren’t dying tonight,” Matesh growled. He yanked her to keep moving, forcing her to break her gaze at the stunning sky. She stumbled after him to the set of horses waiting.

“We have extra since we lost those two,” Zayden said quickly. “Just get on and hold on. I’ll lead yours.” She fought with the stirrups, but managed to pull herself into the saddle. Everyone else mounted easily. “Thank the gods we’re not stupid enough to fly, since you can’t.”

“Why aren’t you flying?” she asked, suddenly curious.

“Because it’s what they expect, and they have people all over the walls to shoot Andinna down.” He slammed his ankles into the horse’s side, holding a lead for her horse. “We’re going hard until we hit the trees. From there, we hit the river and meet up with a boat where everyone has been waiting.”

They were off and Mave looked back at the city of Elliar, her home, her hell for a thousand years. Guards were pouring out now, but they were far behind. The white walls towered over the world around the city.

She watched it disappear as they moved.

She was free.

21

Zayden

The damn Champion didn’t know how to ride a fucking horse. Zayden thought this mission couldn’t get more shitty, but the Champion couldn’t fly, she couldn’t ride, and she was the oddest female he’d ever encountered in his life.

Why can’t females just be normal? Why do I always have to deal with weird females?

He needed to think on it later, since they were still running, but she was right next to him, the horse she rode keeping up with his easily. The forest, where they could slow down, was drawing closer by the minute. They needed to get into the trees, which would help them lose the soldiers. The boat wasn’t far from there.

He had the time to devote to considering the female his damned son called big sister. If she had gotten Rain to like her, Zayden knew she was going to infuriate him. His son was carefree and loving, something he appreciated, since the boy got it from his mother, but Zayden didn’t trust anyone as far as he could throw them.

Zayden glanced at her. It was too dark to see her clear feminine Andinna features now, or her silver-blue eyes, but he knew they were there. Luykas and Alchan were going to curse the damn Skies. She really was Maevana Lorren, daughter of their once-great General.

That hadn’t been something he was expecting. He wondered how Rainev and Matesh had taken it when they met her. Did they know? He was certain he taught his son their entire history, but there were some things that had to be seen to be believed. Maevana Lorren, Champion of the Colosseum, was one of them.

Mave. That’s what they called her. He would need to make sure she hadn’t been hiding her identity from them. I won’t tolerate someone lying to my son.

“We’re here,” he called back. They had spent a long time trampling through farm lands and the trees were now right in front of them. He slowed his horse, and the one she rode also responded, going from a full gallop to a steady trot. “We just need to get to the river now. Then we’ll be on our way out of Elliar.”

“But…we are out of Elliar,” she said, pointing back to the city on the horizon.

“We’re out of the city of Elliar, not the province. We’re a long way off from being out of the Empire, too. Freedom is beyond the borders, so don’t start feeling secure yet. We’re not out of the woods yet,” he bit out, glaring at her. Was she stupid? Daft?

“She’s never left the city, Zayden. Don’t be an ass.” Matesh had the balls to growl at him as he rode up next to her. Zayden raised his hands in a non-threatening way. He hadn’t expected Matesh to jump to her side every time he spoke to the female.

Considering how Zayden had found those two in the pits, he figured there was some explaining to do all around.

“I…uh.” She looked away, her eyes going to Rain, like she was looking for some sort of backup, reassurance.

His son just smiled at her and he gritted his teeth, trying to ignore his boy’s crooked nose. “We’re getting out of this hellish Empire. Don’t worry, illo amyr.”

“Okay, illi bodyr,” she whispered.

“So that’s how it is,” Zayden mumbled, looking away. He kept them moving forward until they were covered by the trees. Once inside the dark forest, he dismounted to give his horse a break. She began to follow his lead but he stopped her, holding up a hand. “Stay mounted, just in case. I didn’t see any soldiers following us, but we’ll be riding all night to get to the river if we want to be on schedule. There’s a chance they might catch up. A high chance.”

“Yes sir,” she replied with zero emotion. He glared at her and resisted the urge to slap the back of her head like he would do to Rainev. He wasn’t fucking old enough to be a sir.

Then he felt like the ass Matesh always called him. She was a slave. He could see the collar. All three of them were wearing the vile things that blocked their magic.

“Oto ildan.” Matesh rode next to him then dismounted as well. They walked silently for a moment until he got the question he knew was coming. “Have something on your mind?”

“You got captured by the Empire with my son. You got thrown into the fucking Colosseum as slave gladiators. You became friends with a myth. You all got into trouble and we had to rescue you on one of the worst nights possible because of it. Now we need to get out of the entire Empire.” Zayden growled to his friend. “Yeah, I have a lot on my mind.”

“What does oto ildan mean?” she whispered. Zayden snapped his gaze back to her. She was talking to Rain.

“Old friend. Oto is old, ildan is friend. Young is oti, just for the future.” Rain was just as quiet answering her.

Zayden frowned. She didn’t know Andena? Her accent was Elvasi, more specifically the one of Elliar, city-folk. They had a crisp way of speaking that the Andinna never had. She over-enunciated the ‘t,’ which was supposed to be quick. She instead made it bigger, in a way.

“So you are not just illi bodyr, but oti bodyr?” she asked, frowning herself. Zayden saw her concentrate, confused as she tried to put the words together.

“Younger and older are different from young and old. Younger is otin, and older is oton. So I’m your otin bodyr and you are my oton amyr. I like big and little better, more endearing.”

Zayden checked out at that point. She didn’t know Andena at all. He was stunned by it.

“So, who all is waiting for us?” Matesh asked, also ignoring the quiet conversation between Mave and Rain.

“Luykas and Alchan, since those two wouldn’t miss this shit for the world. I told them I was coming for my boy with or without the Company and they laughed at me. They already had a plan.” Zayden snorted. The co-leaders of the Ivory Shadows were known to love a bad plan, but they were also known to be loyal to the core. Zayden knew from experience how deep that loyalty to their men ran. He’d been one of theirs since the War ended. “From there…your old fart uncle-”

“Leshaun agreed to this?” Matesh sounded surprised and Zayden looked at him like he was stupid too. Did all of them lose what little intelligence they had in the city?

Why did I rescue them again? They’re all addled.

“I’m a father, you fucking moron, and he might as well be your father. You’re the last family he has. He was right next to me, telling Luykas and Alchan we were doing this. Now, let me fucking finish.”

“Okay,” Matesh mumbled. “Fatherhood has made you cranky these last couple of centuries.”

“Well, Rainev is my son, not my funny little brother or nephew. I don’t find his antics cute like the rest of you. They just give me a fucking heart attack.” Zayden glared at Matesh. “Like this last one.”

“The capture wasn’t his fault. He’d been following orders. He couldn’t get out in time when the patrol changed their route. And I told you I would protect him through anything, so I have.”

“I know,” Zayden snapped. “But damn, seeing you both hauled off was painful, Matesh. We couldn’t find a good time to strike, then it was too fucking late.”

“Keep telling me who is waiting for us. We’ll revisit this topic where ears can’t hear us.” Matesh nodded at Rain and Mave, who had gone silent. Zayden growled over at them. Rain had the balls to roll his eyes back at him. Mave just looked down at her hands. He hated that. She was in slave mode still, or at least too uncomfortable with her place in the group to speak her mind.

“Varon and Nevyn came. Those two didn’t like it, but they came. Brynec is along for the ride, but you know him. We only left Kian.”

“His wife,” Matesh guessed softly.

“Aye. None of us wanted to leave her with only two husbands. She loves her idiot mercenary, but rescue missions in Elliar were not what she signed up for. If he got hurt doing this, she’d throw his ass out. None of us wanted that.” Zayden sighed. “He’s probably worried sick. We’ve been in the damn Empire for weeks now. Probably just a few days less than you.”

“How did you get a guard and human servant to help?”

“The guard has been a contact we didn’t know we had for centuries. One of Leshaun’s little secrets he’s been keeping. Old fart has people everywhere, even if he doesn’t use them unless he absolutely has to. The human we got in touch with through Trevan.” Zayden glanced back, towards Elliar. He couldn’t see it anymore, the thick forest blocking his view. “Poor bastards. We’d been hoping to get them out, but you and Rain were the top priorities.”

“I have faith in Dave, but Trevan…He’ll be executed, if he wasn’t killed in that alley.” Matesh sighed as well. “Anything you have questions about?”

“Yeah-”

“Increase the search radius! We need to find the Empress’ slaves!”

“Fuck,” Zayden snapped under his breath. “Everyone mount back up and get ready to fucking run. We need to pick up the pace and get away from them.”

“They fucking snuck up on us,” Matesh whispered.

Zayden didn’t disagree. They had. He hadn’t heard them, and he should have.

He and Matesh were back in their saddles in a heartbeat. The female was smart enough to hold her own reins, and wait, instead of panicking. She could have, and the horse would have bolted. Rainev, to Zayden’s pride, stayed completely cool. Good boy.

“Sir, I think there’s someone else out here! Tracks here!”

“Damn the Skies,” Matesh growled.

“We need to hurry,” she cut in. “I’m not losing my wings.”

“Yeah, we’re moving,” Zayden snapped at her. She now bared her teeth at him. He was impressed with the size of her canines. A lot of slaves in Elliar were unfortunate enough to have them filed down. “Now she gets a bite to her.”

“She has a pretty nasty bite when you push her,” Matesh warned him. Zayden would have to see it to believe it. So far she’d been a mix of timid and detached from the rest of them. Soft-spoken, even though he could hear a bit of steel, like the possessiveness she’d shown in the city with the human. But she seemed vulnerable and unsure.

They were moving now, quickly. It would only be a matter of time till the soldiers caught up. He wanted to get the horses moving faster than a trot, but he didn’t know the terrain well enough. A broken horse now would be the death of them.

The soldiers didn’t have the same fear. He looked back and saw one of them.

“I see them,” a soldier yelled.

“MOVE!” he roared, slamming his heels into the horse. He didn’t have time to worry about its wellbeing, which would shame him later. It took off underneath him. He had to give the pointed-ear Elvasi one thing: they bred damn fine horses. Probably compensating for their lack of wings.

“CAPTURE THOSE SLAVES!”

He pulled his sword, just in case, as they ran. He saw that his son and friend did as well. She didn’t, holding on for her life. He didn’t like how pale she was on top of the mare he’d given her. She wasn’t doing poorly, but her inexperience on horseback was obvious.

“I want their fucking horns for my wall,” a soldier yelled. Zayden saw the one yelling the taunt pushing ahead of his unit.

“Take him out, my boy!” he yelled at his son. Rain pulled one of his daggers and turned at the waist. Zayden watched the dagger fly and slam into the chest of the soldier, who sank to the ground, causing the horse to freak and rear up. It slowed down all the others, who had to get around the dead fool. “Good job!”

“Learned from the best,” Rain reminded him, a laugh in his voice.

“Yeah? Who?” Zayden wanted the right answer to come from his boy’s mouth.

“Varon!” Rainev was laughing harder now.

“You little shit,” Zayden growled. It only made Matesh laugh as well as they continued to tear through the forest, pursued by soldiers who wanted their body parts.

I’m going to tan his hide for that later, if we’re alive. Or I’ll do it in hell. Prick.

“They’re gaining on us!” Mave yelled out, fear in every word. He looked at her, wondering how the scared female was the Champion of the Colosseum for a moment. Sure, she had taken out a guard or two on their way out of the city, but he wasn’t seeing that warrior now.

“We need to turn and fight or we’ll break the horses and be run the fuck over,” Matesh said, pulling on his reins to slow down.

“They outnumber us!” Zayden snarled, turning his horse to see his fucking friend dismount. Skies damn him.

“I agree with him,” she said quickly, jumping off the mare before he even stopped it. He frowned at her and then looked at his son, who was stopping as well.

No one ever listens to me. It’s always like this. I’m put in charge of something and they all do whatever the fuck they want anyway.

“Fuck. Get to cover!” He jumped off his gelding and dove into some bushes. Rainev and Matesh followed his lead, but she didn’t. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve never fought with cover before or on horseback, but I do know how to fight on the ground against horses.” She bared her teeth in a vicious satisfaction. “This, I can do.”

She was mad, he decided. As soldiers closed the distance, she unsheathed the two short swords he’d given her. Was she really going to face down mounted cavalry head on?

As the first one drew close, he watched the Champion at work. She was mad. And very good.

Now he understood.

The first soldier was crushed under the weight of his horse when she sliced through one of its front legs. The second got similar treatment as she kept her wings tucked to her back and spun to avoid being trampled. The third tried to shove a spear into her and he saw the steel meet, heard the clang. She didn’t kill his horse, but rather pulled the soldier down when his spear missed its mark. She killed him quickly, then used the horse to block arrows, moving out of its way as it fell dead under the onslaught.

He jumped in after that, yanking a soldier off his horse and killing him. He saw Rainev sneaking back and killing off the archers in the rear, with Matesh meeting him. They cut down the archers, who hadn’t thought about any of the Andinna going around the mounted cavalry in the front.

“Well, it seems I’m not needed!” a voice called out as Zayden killed the last soldier, who had been screaming for mercy. He looked up to see the source of the voice and grinned at the obscenely white wings.

Praise the damn Skies. Finally someone fucking rational is here.

“Luykas, I was wondering if you would get bored on the boat,” he called back.

“I was, but looks like the fun is already over.” The white Andinna walked closer and Zayden chuckled, reaching out to clasp elbows with him. “I’m glad to see you all got out.”

“Not all of us. The Elvasi stayed to fight the guards chasing us back in the city. The human played distraction so we could get through the wall.”

“So it wasn’t a clean mission, huh?” Luykas went from smiling to concerned in a heartbeat. “Any injuries for you all?”

“No, bodrya. We’re good!” Rainev called out.

Luykas’s face softened. “Well, he hasn’t changed during his time as a slave,” he muttered, a smile taking his face again.

“No. And he’s got a new fucking sibling. He’s collecting them now, I swear.”

“Who has he picked up now?”

“Maevana Lorren herself,” he answered, waving a hand at the female, who snarled loud enough to make him stiffen. There was the bite. That was all Andinna, and it made him pay attention to the female in a way he hadn’t yet. As a threat. After what he’d just seen, a very serious threat. “What?”

Matesh and Rain were both coughing, like they needed Zayden to do something for them or her to say something, explain her anger.

“Don’t call me that,” she demanded. She wiped blood off her face, none of it her own.

He was inclined to follow the demand at the sight of her covered in the gore of her enemies. “Mave,” Zayden corrected himself. “The Champion of the Colosseum.”

“Not anymore,” she corrected him.

“Well, we can deal with all of that on the boat,” Luykas said slowly, carefully, looking at her with a concentration that Zayden was curious about. He wasn’t stupid enough to ask about it. They had plenty of time, once they were out of the Empire, to deal with the one they saved and hadn’t wanted to. They weren’t heroes. She was only saved since they needed to promise it to get his boy and friend out. “Let’s go. The boat isn’t far and if those were the hunting party…I think we should be fine taking it easy.”

“How is everyone?” he asked as they started walking again, grabbing their horses to lead them.

“We’ve been worried. You had to go in alone, and a lot of the guys wanted to follow you in when you didn’t get word back to us.” Luykas nodded back to Mave, Matesh, and Rain. “Plus, they want their guys back too. Leshaun has been a pain since I pulled him out of the Capital for the games. You know that.”

“The city was crowded, like we knew it would be. Can’t exactly walk out and send you a note when all the Andinna there are slaves.” Zayden snorted, shaking his head. “Plus, Leshaun is always a pain.”

“He’s an older male who remembers things we can only read about. Matesh is the last in his line. He’s got reason to be a cranky old man when it comes to Mat,” Luykas reminded him. Zayden felt he was just saying this to Mat. “Mave, come up here. I want a look at you.”

“She really is-” Zayden wanted to warn him, but Luykas waved a hand.

“I know. I don’t think anyone in Elliar would be lying about a female with her name.”

And you never bothered to tell anyone you thought the myth was real? Of course not.

She went to his side in silence, stiff. Zayden saw her eyes flicking all over Luykas, taking him in. An Andinna male with the black eyes and black hair, but Luykas stopped being a normal Andinna at that point. He was too naturally tan for one, a tan not just from the sun. His eyes were black, but the irises were a pure molten gold, a color not found in their kind. His horns, wings, tail, and tatua were a pure ivory white, making him an unusual-looking man.

“I’m Luykas, one of the leaders and founders of the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company.” He talked as they walked. Zayden moved back to end up next to his son, with Matesh on the other side. “My co-leader and founder is Alchan. You’ll meet him on the boat. I need to know now. Are you in any way loyal to the Empire?”

She answered with a snarl.

“I thought so. We’re going to get you out of here. We don’t normally just free Andinna slaves, since it draws a lot of attention to our operations and our people that isn’t needed. When we get on the boat, I know the spell that will remove the collars from all of you. Just know, you aren’t free just because the collar is gone. We need to get out of the Empire first. The boat will take us down the Myriar River into the Aegan Sea. Once we hit the sea, pirates become a bigger problem, and you can cheer and get excited about being free. Until then, I need you focused on doing whatever you can to help us.”

“You think the boat will get boarded?” Matesh asked, calling out to Luykas at the front of their party.

“On the river? Definitely, though we could get very lucky. I think we’re about to be the most wanted criminals in the Empire, if we weren’t already. She knows we’re here now, and she’s going to know the river is our fastest way out of the damn Empire.”

“She…Empress Shadra,” Mave whispered. Zayden noticed she said it like a curse, a nightmare, like she was haunted by the Empress. “I’ll stay focused,” she promised. “I can do that.”

“Good. That’s all. Oh, and one more thing.” Luykas snapped his fingers. “I was friends with your father before and during the War. You have his eyes. He would be proud of you for surviving so long. If you’ve become even half the warrior I’ve heard about, he’d be so proud of you. So would your mother.”

Zayden nearly walked into her, as she just stopped walking. Her eyes were wide. He wondered how fast her mind was working to absorb what Luykas had just told her.

Matesh grabbed her and pulled her along, trying to keep her moving.

Zayden knew her small world of the Colosseum had just been blown wide open. He wondered how she was going to handle that. His son’s new illo amyr.

22

Mave

Mave hadn’t thought her night could get more interesting. Telling her only two friends she wanted them to kill her. Trying to fuck the aggravating male she had wanted since she laid eyes on him.

Escaping Elliar.

That hadn’t been on her to-do list for her last night alive. Neither had been feeling a pang of sadness over the loss of two freemen who helped them escape.

Remember them, Mave. Don’t forget such kindness.

Now she was walking through a forest in the Empire, having cut down a group of soldiers that had been hunting them. She was surrounded by Andinna males, only two of which she knew and trusted. The other two…

She didn’t like Zayden, from first impressions. He might have been Rainev’s father, but he was an angry son of a bitch. Every time he looked at her, it was like she was the stupid cow, the uneducated whore that the Elvasi had always wanted her to believe she was. Confusion and distrust were in his eyes, or that’s how it seemed to her. The only thing that lessened the sting of his looks at her was that he looked at everyone like they were stupid or that they annoyed him, including his own son. There’s a real possibility he’s just an asshole, and it’s not me at all. Which I’m not sure is better or worse.

The second, Luykas, was an enigma. He’d thrown her for a loop, as if it wasn’t a big deal. He’d known, been friends with, her father. She wasn’t sure what to do with that information. She had his eyes? That was something she hadn’t known, or at least didn’t remember. Then when she took in how Luykas looked...

He was an odd male, no doubt. A mutt, definitely, though she wasn’t ready to admit that she figured she knew what his other half was.

“Going to keep up, Mave?” The gold eyes in the dark looked back at her. He was hard to miss or lose in the forest. White wings stood out in the night. Not just white, but a pure ivory white, like the marble of Elliar itself.

“Yes, sir,” she called out to him, picking up her pace. She settled in next to Matesh, who gave her a concerned look.

“Sir?” Luykas asked Zayden softly.

“Slave,” Zayden answered, shrugging.

“Good point,” the white Andinna murmured, glancing back at her.

Rainev walked up next to his father, saying something she missed in Andena. It launched an entire conversation in the language she didn’t fully understand. Stuff about her came up when she heard illo amyr and her name. Her real name and her chosen one.

She looked down at the earth. She was a slave, wasn’t she? Calling them sir. They had probably expected a loud female Andinna who was going to walk all over them. They had probably expected a warrior who would battle and be fierce at every opportunity.

She was proving to be much more scared of freedom than she had ever been on the sands. I don’t know anything about freedom. I’ve never known so little.

“Are you okay?” Mat whispered, pulling her closer to his side. “Mave, you with me?”

“Yeah, I’m just…I don’t know what I’m doing here, Matesh.” She tried to find the words to describe the confused and fearful sensation in her chest. “This was never a thing I thought would happen. I’m…getting used to this idea of running still. Freedom. That’s never been…” She still didn’t know if she believed it or not. Once they had left the city walls and she had seen the sky and the fields, and the forest, she had known she was out of her depth. “I’ve been a slave for a thousand years. Freedom was never something I expected, and suddenly, without even a warning, here I am. Walking to a boat with two males I met only a few weeks ago, having lost everything I spent a thousand years building up, with two other males I don’t know.”

“I can see how that’s thrown you,” he agreed, nodding. “Rain and I are here with you. We know all of these guys, and we have for centuries. I’ve known many since the War ended, some before. This is the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company, the people Rain and I work and live with, or did until we were captured.” He pulled her into his side and slid his arm over her shoulders. He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “You are still a warrior. You were all over my idea of what to do about those soldiers. You helped fight us out of the city.”

“It just feels surreal.” She folded her arms, pulling them to her chest.

He let go of her, still nodding in agreement. “It does to me too,” he admitted softly. “It’s not in our code to go get anyone that’s been captured. I should have known better than to think Zayden there would leave Rainev to slavery, or Leshaun would leave me, but I wasn’t prepared for this either.”

“I thought dawn was going to rise and I was going to die.”

“Still a possibility,” he reminded her. “We’re still in the Empire.”

“True. You know, they took me to Elliar and I never left. I have no idea where we’re going. Tell me?”

“Do you know the Myriar River? It comes off the Sun Lake. Elliar is near both.”

“I’ve heard of them both.”

“Okay. We’re moving now to Myriar River. There, we’ll move south into the Aegan Sea. We’ll cut west towards Olost and its Free Cities. Olost is a smaller continent, but it’s all free, and the Empire has never been able to get a foothold on it. It’s a month-long journey by boat. Once we’re there, I can tell you anything.”

“Like what the hell I’m supposed to do next?” That was a large topic weighing on her.

Freedom meant choices. Freedom meant options. She had no idea where to start.

“Definitely that,” he murmured. “And I hope there’s space for me in whatever is next for you.”

“I’m not sure I can do freedom without you and Rainev. Plus, you might want to get rid of me in Olost. I wouldn’t blame you.” She knew she’d been a pain in his ass for the entire time he’d been in the pits with her. They were no longer going to be forced together by circumstance and an alliance for safety.

They don’t need me anymore.

Everything she knew was based on a life she didn’t have anymore. One she refused to go back to. She would die before she was dragged back into those pits to live that lonely life.

“Freedom changes people. You never know. You might not need us as much as you think you do.” Truer words had never been said.

She had no idea.

He ran a hand over her wings and she shivered from the touch. The Andinna never touched each other’s wings, since they were somewhat sensitive. They had to be so they could read the air currents. As it was, the bonds had always chafed and itched them.

All of that told her the touch was supposed to be intimate reassurance.

They could hear water finally. Mave felt like she’d been walking for hours. As they left the forest to reveal the river, she could see the hazy tint of dawn breaking.

A dawn that should have been her last.

As Matesh had reminded her, it could still be her last.

“Luykas! You found them?” a male called out. She found the Andinna who spoke on the pier. He was a standard male Andinna, with the black features that all their people came with. He had a strikingly similar face to Luykas though. She would have guessed they were relatives.

“I did! Mave, meet Alchan, my partner in leading the Ivory Shadows.”

The moment he said that, more Andinna showed up, climbing off the large boat and down to the pier. A couple flew, landing roughly, feet thumping on the wooden pier. Rainev was laughing as a few caught him, roughing up his hair and hugging him. Zayden watched with an annoyed smile. Matesh found the oldest male in the group, obviously past his prime, and hugged him tightly.

Mave just stood awkwardly as Luykas and Alchan walked over to her, leveling her under weighty stares, unusual gold and a rare Andinna amber. She even shifted her wings, trying to make them comfortable. Everyone had their wings slightly open, but she kept hers tight to her back, since they had always been that way.

“Mave is General Lorren’s daughter. The Champion. She was real, like our contact had told us. She was our boys’ ally in the pits, as they’re called. The tunnels under the Colosseum where most of the Andinna gladiators live. Rainev explained some of it to me, but not much past what we didn’t already know.” Luykas motioned to her.

Alchan kept his amber eyes locked on her and extended his hand.

She had seen the Andinna handshake to know what he wanted, but she had never been one to touch strangers. She looked down at it until he began to pull it away then she took a chance. Matesh said he knew and trusted these males. If they were anything like him, they would aggravate her but she wouldn’t hate them.

She grabbed his elbow and met his gaze. “It’s nice to meet you. Forgive me for any oddness. I’ve spent a thousand years with Andinna who…” She wasn’t sure if she had the right to talk down about the other Andinna left in the pits.

“Rainev explained some of that too,” Luykas whispered. He leaned to Alchan and his voice stayed low, keeping the conversation private. “They didn’t trust her, didn’t treat her right, didn’t teach her anything about our people. She’s plain-faced because they wanted her to be.” His eyes went back on her. “Rainev said there was more you would need to tell us in your own time.”

“There is. I’ll put it lightly. I’m not sure I’m comfortable being on a boat in the water with no way out, surrounded only by males.” That was hard for her to admit. The pits had places to hide, had securities she had earned over years of hard work. But this was a new, potentially dangerous situation. It was best they knew not to mess with her, or bodies would start dropping - and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop herself. Not after the last few days she’d had.

I probably wouldn’t realize I’d killed any of them until after it was done.

“It’s the only way to get all of us out of the Empire.” Alchan’s tone wasn’t gentle, but still not cold or angry like it could have been. It didn’t have any pity in it, either. “We need to get on the boat and get moving.”

“We do. This long journey isn’t over by a long shot. We need to smuggle three gladiator slaves out of the Empire.”

“We need to smuggle ten Andinna out of the Empire,” Alchan corrected, turning away and walking back to the boat as he spoke. “Everyone load up!”

Luykas didn’t move. He just watched her. She stared him down.

“Do you know what I’m mixed with?” he asked softly. “What makes me a mutt?”

“I have a guess,” she answered. There was only one race that had pure gold eyes and they were rare, that molten hot gold.

“Will it be a problem?”

“No.” She hoped, anyway.

Then again, she had no idea if he was more Andinna or more Elvasi in nature. Either could prove dangerous for her based on her experience. She had no idea what a mix of those two races could mean for her.

“Let me escort you onto the boat,” he said, offering an arm.

She looked down at his arm and a bit of her stubbornness flashed through her. “No, thank you. I know how to walk up a ramp.” She walked past him and towards the boat, ignoring the stares of the other males. She wasn’t an invalid. She was just thrown for a loop. The night had brought some huge changes in her life.

But she could walk herself onto the boat, and she did. She was on the deck when Matesh caught up to her, stopping her before she could go find a place to hunker down and wait.

“Let me introduce you to my uncle. Bodrya, this is Mave. Mave, this is my uncle, Leshaun. My real uncle, not adopted.”

She shook hands with the aging male, who had a firmer grip than she had expected. He looked her up and down, nodding in appreciation. It didn’t seem sexual at all, but rather, he was judging her on other merits, ones she didn’t know. His pale green eyes, one nearly white from blindness, were still calculating and intelligent, even with his age. He was probably over five thousand years old. Ancient by the idea of the short-lived races, but then, so was she. He was old even to the Andinna.

“Glad to finally see and meet you. Thank you for taking care of Matesh and Rainev in the pits.” The words were full of emotion and respect.

I don’t deserve this. “I could have done better,” she admitted. “I failed them in the end.”

“You didn’t fail anyone,” Matesh cut in, giving her a glare. “She didn’t, Leshaun. She fought like a beast when we were in danger. It's why we ended up in so much trouble.”

“What made you fight so hard?” the old male asked her, ignoring his nephew’s energy. He remained calm, a little soft-spoken.

“I never had any allies before. I wasn’t losing the two who finally gave me a chance.” She didn’t see any reason to lie to the old male. She didn’t want to get into it further, though, pulling her forearm away from him.

“Can anyone tell me exactly how you all got into so much trouble?” Alchan asked it, walking up. “One day we were planning an escape for next week, then suddenly, we’ve got a change in schedule where she was supposed to fight you two today. And with the track record she has, we couldn’t let that fucking happen.”

Mave looked to the deck, hoping she didn’t draw attention to herself. Yeah. The Empress had been hoping her track record would prove consistent as well.

“She got injured. We all got separated. The other gladiators took advantage of that. It was a well-executed hit to kill us all and get rid of the Empress’ favorites, or something,” Matesh answered, turning to see his leader. “It was messed up in the pits, Alchan. None of you would have liked the males down there.”

“He’s got most of it right,” she agreed. “There wasn’t much else. Let’s say that meeting me and convincing me to be their ally wasn’t in their best interests, but it’s what happened.”

“I’ll explain what I got from Rain about it later,” Luykas whispered to Alchan as he walked by. His eyes went over her again as he said that. “We need to get moving though, like you said, Alchan.”

“You’re right. Everyone gather around!” Alchan called out, suddenly becoming more of a military commander than he’d been. She jumped a little at the change in tone. He stood, tall and stiff, while Luykas leaned on a rail behind him. The difference between them was startling, but she still felt they were probably related. Their faces were too similar. They had the same type of horns that went out the sides of their head and up.

She stayed glued to Matesh’s side. Rainev was with his father, talking about something. She didn’t know any of the others, and those she had met weren’t making the best of impressions.

“To get here, we traveled at night and docked to sleep during the days. You’ll notice we have Empire flags, which gives us leeway. You’ll also notice this is too small to be a seafaring vessel. We will be meeting with our friends in Myrsten, boarding their ship and getting out of here as cargo.” Alchan looked back to Luykas, who shrugged. When he turned back to them, he sighed. “I’m getting ahead of myself. It’ll take two days to get down the Myriar, at a steady, safe pace, but we can push it into one day if we go hard enough. We’re going to go hard. We’re going to work on a skeleton crew with most of you hiding below deck unless we need you to come up to defend the ship. We’ll arrive in Myrsten at night and board our friends’ ship under the cloak of darkness. They will leave as soon as we’re all on board. They are doing us a huge favor, so let’s not get any of them killed.” Alchan pointed to a few of the males. “Varon and Nevyn, you’ll be up here with me for the first shift. When night falls, Luykas, Leshaun, and Brynec will take over.”

“What about these guys?” one called out, pointing to her and Matesh, then Rainev. “They’ve been having a vacation. Put them to work!”

There was some laughter from three or four of the guys, which ended quickly as Luykas and Alchan both leveled dominant and annoyed stares on the jokesters. She again saw the similarities between them.

“They will get some rest. I’ve only heard stories of the pits and I think they deserve it.” Luykas said it, his enigmatic smile gone as if it had never been there. “Everyone get to work. Matesh, Rain, and…Mave, meet me below. We’re going to get those collars off you.”

Matesh followed him first and Mave took a beat before she realized what Luykas had said.

“Alchan, we were just teasing,” one of the laughers quietly explained.

“Now isn’t the time for it,” he replied, sounding colder than he had before.

Mave went through a wooden door and below deck, Mat in front of her and Rain right behind. They were led into an eating area with a table attached to the wall and countertops for people to prepare meals. Stools were scattered around and a bench ran along one wall, but not on the wall. It was a foot from it, with a slot for wings and tails to fall back without being uncomfortable.

“Sit down. I know the spell for this and it’ll be done quickly. Then we can have a nice chat.” Luykas pointed to the bench along another wall. Mave sat between her two friends and Luykas went to Mat first.

His fingers danced with light as he whispered the releasing incantation for the collar. It snapped open and he pulled it away from Matesh quickly, throwing it to the table. He skipped her and did Rainev next.

“You know sorcery?” she asked, knowing that was what he had to be doing. Andinna used a race-specific blood magic, but other races could pick up sorcery, incantations, hand symbols, potions, and other arcane tools.

“I know both,” he answered softly when he was done removing Rainev’s collar. “I’m also a Blackblood.”

“I thought that was taboo.” She brought her eyebrows together, considering the half-Elvasi Andinna. There were some things she knew, and that was one she thought she had been certain about.

“It is, but I’m already half-Elvasi, so no one gives me a hard time.” He gave her a small, bitter smile. He didn’t get to removing her collar, and she looked to Matesh, who was rubbing the spot where his had been. “You’re a Blackblood. Once I remove this, we need to train you. Also, the longer these are worn, the more painful the removal.”

“Why?” She swallowed some fear. Why would being rid of it be painful?

“It’s been on your skin for so long that it…could tear, since there’s a possibility it’s stuck. Matesh, get a washcloth for this, and bandages. I don’t know any healing spells. I keep saying I’m going to learn some, then other shit comes up.”

She felt warm fingers touch her neck and took a deep breath. Pain came easiest when she was relaxed. Tensing up would make the damage worse. A hand took hers and she slid her eyes to Rain, who squeezed lightly.

Luykas whispered the incantation one more time and she felt it pop open but it didn’t leave. The collar was still on her neck.

“Fuck. Matesh, that washcloth?”

“I have a few. It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“A thousand years is the absolute longest it can be on, and I’m guessing it has never been removed. It’s unlocked but didn’t move - that’s how bad it is.” Luykas pulled no punches. She listened to everything he had to say. “You see how it’s slightly dug into the skin? Just a little, but enough to make everything underneath completely raw. It was just too tight for the skin to have space to heal underneath, except battling off infection constantly. Does your collar itch at all?” He frowned at her. He was too close to her face, but she didn’t move away, not with his hands on the collar on her neck.

“Maybe it did a long time ago, but…” She frowned. She had felt it itch once or twice, but she never messed with it. “This one has been on for nine hundred years. They kept being replaced until I reached maturity, but once I was grown…”

“She’s very good at just getting over things and blocking out inconveniences,” Rain whispered. “Mave, this is going to hurt.”

“It’s going to hurt like hell and definitely scar.” Luykas’ face was hard, but the sympathy in his eyes was forgiving and gentle.

The boat rocked into motion at that exact moment and she was shifted away from Luykas, who still held her collar. It tore along the left side and dug in on the right. She growled, tears welling up in her eyes. She had never experienced such pain. No slave ever tampered with their collars. She had it beaten into her as a child not to play with it.

“Woah, woah,” Luykas murmured, pulling her back in front of him. He knelt between her legs, and she felt more secure because of it. “There’s no holding back now. This is going to hurt. Do not tap into the power of your blood, Mave. You’re untrained and could hurt people.”

She could barely nod, but she managed. “Okay.”

It was off in a second that felt like an eternity, and she screamed as it tore the flesh it was stuck to, revealing the raw, gory show of muscles on her neck to the males. She was glad she couldn’t see it, but she could feel it. A wet washcloth was placed on the front and wrapped gently around her neck. She squeezed Rain’s hand as the pain made her vision blurry.

Breathe, Mave. Breathe. In and out. The pain will end. Rain has your hand. He’s here for you.

A thump told her the collar was thrown to the side, and hands took her cheeks.

“You’ll go lie down and get some healing sleep,” Luykas ordered softly. She couldn’t focus on his face; the pain had brought too many stars in her vision. She didn’t disagree with him either.

She released Rain and moved to touch her neck, wanting the pain to stop. She’d known pain before but this was different. It was also a sign she was free. She wanted to touch her neck and feel no collar there. She could feel the power of her blood as it seeped from the open wound. She had never touched the power there, and she had always wanted to. She resisted the urge now, though, since Luykas had been right. She had no idea what to do with it if she did touch it, try to draw on it.

Her fingers were nearly at her neck when Luykas grabbed her hand. “You can’t touch it. It needs to be fully cleaned then given time to heal. It will scar. Are you okay with that?”

“Look at me,” she retorted. The scar on her face. The scars on her body. Another scar wasn’t going to bother her. “At least this one means I’m free and I’ve lived through hell. I survived. At least this one wasn’t given to me at the amusement of the crowd.”

“I guess it does,” he agreed, something lighting up his eyes. She wondered if it was respect. “Matesh, put her in a bed.”

“Of course.”

“Don’t get in it with her,” he added, standing up. “I’m not stupid. You, me, and Rain are going to have more of a talk once she’s down.”

Why am I not in that talk? Does he not trust me?

“All right,” Matesh sighed. “Come on, Mave.” He put a hand under her elbow and she was grateful for the help standing. “I’m sorry it hurt so much,” he murmured.

“He warned me. I’m fine. It’s off now. That’s…” She struggled again to find the words of gratitude she never needed before. Mat seemed to understand, only nodding before he placed a kiss to her temple.

Luykas watched them with that intensity he’d shown before.

“Rain, come with.”

“Okay?” Rain jumped up and followed them deeper into the boat.

Matesh looked into rooms and decided on one towards the end. He led her inside and she saw two beds. Rain entered last, moving to pull back blankets on one of the beds for her. She had never been tended to, not like this. She could tolerate it for a moment. For now. Then she had to get back on track, focusing on her new, unknown future and what she would need to survive it.

“I don’t know whose room this is. They can fucking deal and move somewhere else,” Matesh muttered, sitting her down. He bit down onto his thumb until a drop of blood welled on his skin. He rubbed it over a section of her wound, and her eyes went wide. Power flowed into her, making her feel stronger than she had all night. The pain dulled. “Simple. I transferred the life force from that drop of blood to you. It will speed up the healing process even more while you sleep since you have more to burn. It’ll be one of the first things we’ll teach you, since it’s good practice for control.”

“You didn’t say anything,” she noted. He’d been silent.

“Andinna blood magic doesn’t need vocal words of power like sorcery. Only intent, very clear intent. It makes the magic volatile and unstable, but useful if you’re creative enough. There’s a reason that you need training. You can easily kill yourself by pulling too much. It kills the blood used. It’s the life in the blood itself that is the magic, and a Blackblood can use it.”

“And I could kill all my blood,” she finished.

“Exactly. It's why we normally keep larger uses of it to rituals and rites, where it can be controlled, the intent of it clear.” He smiled wearily at her. He pulled the washcloth off her neck and wrapped bandages around it slowly. She marveled at how gentle his hands could be when he wanted them to be.

She still had the want. The need to find out how strong he could be. With everything else going on, her mind still drifted to that. He must have noticed, because his green eyes darkened and that arrogant smirk took over his face. “Get some sleep, aggravating female.”

“Arrogant male,” she mumbled, lying down. It was so soft. A real bed. How long had it been? Had she ever been given one before?

She was too tired to think about how much her life changed in a single night. The moment they left her alone, she was asleep.

* * *

“Bring the little one to me,” a cool, yet kind voice called out in Common.

Maevana didn’t want to go. She didn’t want to be here. She wanted to go home and find her baba. The hand on her arm was mean and pulled her. The man with pointy ears just tugged her roughly. She was yanked in front of the pretty lady with very light hair, who smiled gently at her.

“We’re going to take good care of you, don’t worry,” the woman told her, kneeling down. “Maevana…Don’t worry. You are going to live in the palace with me, forever my little treasure. As long as you behave, you’ll live a great life.”

“I want my baba!” she cried out, trying to pull away. The woman grabbed her other arm and yanked her closer.

“I’m all you have now,” she hissed. Her face was so angry for a moment. Maevana was scared. She didn’t want to be with this lady. “You’re going to be mine, and I’m the Empress. You’ll live a wonderful life. You’re too precious for me to lose now.”

Maevana didn’t understand. She knew her arra was gone and now she was here. Why was she here? Why wasn’t she with her baba?

“Now, I have a pretty gift for you,” the Empress said kindly, reaching to grab something. She showed off a pretty silver necklace that Maevana didn’t want. “What do you think? I had it made just for you.”

“I want my baba,” Maevana said again.

The Empress didn’t respond. She put the necklace on her and stood back up. Maevana tried to pull it off, until her hands were yanked away from it.

“Don’t play with your slave collar,” a man snapped at her.

Slave…collar.

Maevana began to cry again, trying harder to pull it off, until she was picked up and tossed over the guard’s shoulder. Her small wings flapped and she tried to fly away, but she was too small and couldn’t get away.

“Take her to my servants. They’ll see her trained.”

“Do you really intend to keep her, my wife?” an older man asked, looking at Maevana on the guard’s shoulder. “I understand she’s a little trophy for you, but certainly you can give her to a friend or someone. No reason for us to keep any of the trash in the palace.”

“She won us the war. Of course I am going to keep her. She’s mine now. General Lorren took something of mine. Now I’ve taken something of his, and I have the added bonus of destroying him with it.” The Empress kissed the old man’s cheek. “Now, let’s go rule our Empire.”

“How did you convince the Andinna Prince to betray his Queen?” the Emperor asked, now ignoring her and the guard. Maevana was stuck on the guard’s shoulder as he turned away and began to leave the room with her.

“You know I never give up my secrets,” the Empress said, laughing. “I won you the war, love. That’s all that matters.”

“And the Prince?”

“Oh, he’ll get what he’s due.”

Maevana missed anything after, crying softly as the guard dropped her down on her feet. Another hand grabbed her and pulled her further. She didn’t know where she was going.

She only knew she wasn’t leaving. She wasn’t going home. She wanted her baba and her bodyrs. She missed her arra. But she knew what a slave was, and that meant she was never getting anyone back.

Mave woke up and wiped her face. Fitting she would dream of her first collar when she was finally free of them again.

A thousand years. It was over.

She pushed her face into the pillow harder.

It’s gone, Mave. It’s finally gone.

She didn’t have anyone to go find, no home to go to, but the collar was gone. That was something, and that helped her get back to sleep.

23

Luykas

Luykas waited patiently for his two warriors to return to him. His mind was running through the last months. Mission gone wrong, leaving their newest member and one of their more stalwart ones captured by the Empire. Stalking trails of where they had been taken. The slow planning on an escape that had to be pushed up. Enemy territory. Unknowns, myths, legends turned real.

Eyes he used to know so well.

Why did she have to have her father’s eyes? There was no denying those silver-blue orbs. They were exactly like the General’s, and damn, did they make him feel guilty.

Does she have to be the perfect mix of her parents? Those two are both so prominent in her. Every time I look at her, it’s like getting punched in the fucking gut.

Matesh walked back in, with Rain behind him. Luykas wondered just how close they were with her. It seemed like there was a tight bond there now. Only a few weeks down in the pits and they seemed closer than anything. If Rain was calling her big sister, and Matesh was kissing her temple, then it was a strong one. They were her mayara now. He had a feeling she didn’t know it, and maybe the males didn’t either.

“Start talking,” Luykas ordered. “Don’t cut corners. I need to tell Alchan everything. All of it. I know you left some out, Rain. Actually, I think you left a lot out.”

Mat and Rain looked at each other as they sat back down with him. It was Rainev who launched into the full story first. How they arrived, what they had heard about her. Matesh picked up, telling him how the other males there had completely denied her the culture of their people and disregarded it themselves.

On and on.

Seeing Mave come back from ‘whoring’. The games being announced. Being jumped by the other gladiators. The events during the games.

“So, the punishment for being allies was to fight each other,” Luykas said, sighing. “You said that earlier, but it’s something I think I needed the lead-up to. How it all happened.” He’d been missing key points of their time together in the pits. “Tell me more about her. Not events, but her.”

“She’s absolutely terrible at personal relationships, or most social interactions, really. She knows only what we’ve been able to tell her about her people. She remembers nothing about her life before slavery.” Matesh growled, annoyed. “She has that damn Elliar accent, which doesn’t lend itself to having any sort of personality.”

“That, I noticed,” Luykas murmured, tapping a finger on the table. “But that tells me things that should make you dislike her. Matesh, you’re either sleeping with her, or about to start.” He needed to understand. He had to know everything so he could make any sort of decisions about her.

“Oh, he likes how aggravating she is,” Rain teased. “She’s not terrible, Luykas. She’s just never been given a chance. She closed herself off from even the possibility of friendships and community, even though it’s obvious she wanted those things. When we arrived, she thought we would turn out to be like everyone else. The only thing that got her attention, got us near her, were these.” He flicked the ear tag and Luykas looked at it. The sun and moon symbol.

Talk about a blast from the fucking past, that symbol. Those need to go. I should have done that first.

“Let me get those damn things off you.” Luykas reached forward and then remembered what he gave all escaped slaves and smiled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his favorite gift: little silver hoop earrings. Like the scars, any escaped slave he knew could wear it and show they made it out alive. “You two want yours?”

“Fuck you, Luykas,” Matesh said, laughing. He grabbed one and exchanged it for the tag. Luykas helped Rainev with his, chuckling. “I’ll give her the last one. She might not understand your humor about it.”

“I noticed she was stubborn. Her little display of rejecting a male’s help.”

“She doesn’t know you,” Matesh whispered, looking down. “We had to force our help on her originally. When she came back from whoring.” That last word was said with a level of disgust that Luykas could relate with. Not with her. No, he knew Matesh wouldn’t judge her for whatever she had to do, only that it needed to be done at all.

“Do you know who?” Luykas asked softly. “Who she whored for that night?”

“Lord Fenoth and the Prince,” Rain answered quickly, looking away. “I promised to kill them for her. I wish I had the chance.”

Luykas knew he felt guilty for revealing that, but there was a time and place for secrets. This wasn’t one of them. He was glad one of them even knew. It gave him an idea of how bad that event probably had been for her.

He didn’t like the answer. The Empress’ lover and her son, playing games like that with an Andinna. He had personal experience with one of them. It had never gone well when he ran into the Lord either.

“And…” Luykas tried to find a way to learn more. He needed to know more. “You said she was never given a chance. That the other males of the pits totally made her an outcast. Full on ensam. That’s why she’s plain-faced.” There was a chance she was plain-faced because she rejected her people. Luykas really needed to make sure that wasn’t the case. Then he couldn’t help her at all.

“Yeah. They didn’t even tell her the right word. She barely remembers anything of our language. We’ve been teaching her little bits and pieces. She eats them up, too. You can see a bit of fire flare in her eyes when you give her something new.” Rain chuckled sadly. “She didn’t have a single chance of truly knowing her people before meeting us. Shit, she doesn’t know how to read or write the languages she can speak.”

An outcast through no fault of her own? I can work with that. Maybe in freedom, we can find her a place where she isn’t.

“So, she’s desperate for more,” Luykas mumbled. He could give her that, too. More information. He understood the want to know, the need to understand his people. He stood on the line, knowing too much about both and not enough of either. He’d been there once.

“I wouldn’t say just the knowledge, Luykas. She’s an Andinna who has been alone. Little things to us changed her fucking world, I think. She didn’t…doesn’t know what to do with them. Being rescued? Her entire world is thrown off its axis.” Matesh groaned. “She spent a thousand years changing and adapting to what was needed for her to survive to the next day. She never thought this was going to happen, in her wildest dreams. No, that isn’t right. She didn’t dream, Luykas. She never allowed herself that. Everything she had, she had to earn, fight for, bleed for. Nothing has ever been just given to her. Not like this.”

“So, she knows very little, doesn’t fit in, is generally hated by other enslaved Andinna in Elliar, and has zero confidence. What can she do?”

“Kill. Efficiently. Violently. Fast or slow. Against one opponent or many. She can use a blade, and she’s fast as lightning. She doesn’t hesitate.” Matesh’s voice was full of respect at that. “She deserves the fear she got from the other gladiators, because she doesn’t fear anyone when she has a sword in her hand.”

“Hesitation didn’t help her survive.” Luykas was putting it together now. He and Alchan would be able to find a place for her now, hopefully one she could be happy with. “Moving on. The horn. Broken in one of the jumps?”

“Yeah,” Matesh grumbled. “Whoever broke it fucking kept it too. I’ll live. Just a horn.”

“Someone has grown up from his time in the pits,” Luykas teased lightly. “Not worried the females back home are going to think you’re damaged goods now?” He would have been, before he got taken.

Luykas wanted to get nosy, though, his smile growing.

“She doesn’t mind it,” Rain added in, a grin splitting out. Luykas loved that kid. “I wonder if she finds it better than the perfect shit you’ve always had going for you.”

“We haven’t…” Matesh shook his head. “You know, this is normally when I would tell everyone about how I’ve done this or that, but you know what? Not this time.” Matesh stood up and began to walk away.

“Your uncle wants to see you. I’m done. I’m going to keep Rainev for a moment.”

He watched Matesh glance at Rainev, who paled a little. Luykas hated what he was about to do. Rainev was great at telling him Matesh’s story, and Mave’s. Not his own. Matesh must have realized this as well.

Matesh left the room, leaving it heavy.

“Rain-”

“Luykas, you’re a nosy ass,” Rain growled. “A nosy bodrya.”

“When one of my men goes through something awful, I need to know. I need to know if you need time to heal and rest. I need to know if we’re going to have someone waking up screaming from nightmares. You were jumped, alone, by a group of males who have seemed to disregard everything about our people. If I have to go wake up Mave to get her to tell me what they intended to do to you, then I will.”

I shouldn’t be such an ass, but I can’t help him if I don’t know.

“Don’t tell my father,” he mumbled, collapsing in on himself.

Luykas reached out and ran a hand over the young male’s hair. “I’m not going to tell anyone. Not even Alchan. Not this.”

Rain began to talk more. How the other males looked at him, and how he knew Mave’s own history in the pits. How he fought the gryphon, and won. Luykas was proud of that. He knew Zayden was too. A gryphon taken on alone was dangerous, doubly so since he couldn’t fly and meet it on an even playing field.

Then he was dragged into a room. They had taunted him for being younger and smaller. How he was probably a bitch for Matesh. They had shoved him around. They’d beaten him. They’d kicked him to the ground.

“Mave and Matesh got there right on time,” he whispered. “Right on time.”

“To stop a rape,” Luykas whispered back. He said it as gently as he could, but he couldn’t let it be unsaid. “But not to stop them violating you. Your spirit, your sense of safety, your belief in the good of people, the good of our people.” Luykas knew all about it.

“Fuck, Luykas. I’ve been trying to just not think about it, okay? We’re out now. We’ll never see them again. I know those males were fucked in the head. I know the pits had twisted them, broke them in ways that free Andinna don’t have to worry about. They haven’t robbed me of my ability to trust all of you. You all raised me. But I’ll take the time off. This was hard, Luykas. Skies, it was hard.”

“Good. You can stay in one of the villages, let some females pamper you a little.” They loved to pamper Rainev. And it would put you out of danger, danger none of us ever wanted you to be in.

“You’re really not going to tell anyone?” he asked softly.

“No.” Luykas would never betray his adopted bodyra like that.

“Thank you.” Rainev groaned. “He’d never let me leave Olost if he knew.”

“He loves you, and take it from me, I would rather have the overprotective father than the one who never asked to begin with.” Luykas patted the young male’s head, ruffling his hair a little as he did. “I’m going to go let the others down now. They’ve been giving me a moment to talk to you all.”

“I’m going to crash in the same room as Mave.” Rainev got up and left him at that, his arms crossed protectively over his chest.

Luykas sighed, rubbing his neck. This was a shit-show, but at least they had everyone back. Now they just needed to get out of the Empire and not come back for a long time. A very long time.

He went above deck and whistled, letting everyone know that those off-duty could come down. He quickly got out of the way as they all tried to shove through the door. Matesh snarled, so everyone backed away to let Leshaun go in first. Then Matesh, so Leshaun had a stronger arm as he went down the stairs. Not that the older Andinna needed the arm, but he liked his nephew doting on him. A proud warrior, and respected enough to earn some help with his bad knees and not feel like an invalid from the help.

Luykas had missed Matesh dealing with his uncle.

“Alchan,” he called out. With everyone going below, he could talk to Alchan for a moment. If Alchan was feeling talkative.

“Luykas,” Alchan replied, looking up from the lines he was tying. “We’re well on our way now. We haven’t passed another boat yet on the river, so that’s working in our favor. We’re on track to meet our friends tomorrow night-”

“That’s all fine. I have all the details from the group of them.” Luykas waved a dismissive hand. He smiled sadly at Alchan, who glowered in return. “It’s not good. The broken horn is the least of the damage.”

“Why was she screaming? The collar? Maybe you should have left it on until we got out of the Empire. She could have given away our position.”

Luykas shoved his hands in his pockets, to wait for Alchan to realize how that wasn’t okay of him to say. It never happened. They just stood in silence for a long time. Alchan was all business, all the time. The mission wasn’t a success until they were all out, and Alchan wasn’t going to let anything go wrong, even in the quietest of moments.

Brother, one day you’re going to meet someone who breaks you, and I’m going to laugh.

“No, I wasn’t going to leave the collar on her any longer. The damage from it was severe, and it needs to start healing. Nine hundred years since they took it off or replaced it. One of the longest I’ve seen on. Just a little too tight. It was done to slowly hurt her, that’s for sure.” Luykas waved a hand. “Moving on. We have our wyvern back. He’s fine. I’ve learned a lot more about Lorren’s daughter. Like Matesh is half in love with her.”

“Matesh? Matesh is with her? Are you sure?” Alchan crossed his arms, waiting for Luykas to give him more. Then he shook his head. “I can’t believe that it’s her, or that Matesh is into her. Her. Alive. It is her. Only she got her father’s eyes. Neither of her brothers had them. She’s the right age, in the right place. She has her mother’s face.”

“It was easy outside the Empire, to think she was dead and that there had to be a different female who was this grand Champion of the Colosseum. I think we spent too long convincing ourselves it was just propaganda.” Luykas shrugged. He’d always sort of believed in the myth. It was something the Empress would do. “Sadly, we were wrong. General Lorren would be disgraced to know we never came to check out the rumors. Saved his daughter.”

“Is that why you pushed for us to save her when I thought it was just going to get us in more trouble?” Alchan growled at him. “General Lorren is dead. He’s been dead for a thousand years. It’s not like he was our father or anything.”

“He was the only father we had,” Luykas snapped back. “Yes, that’s why I pushed to save her. I’m glad I did. Let me explain exactly how bad the damage is, Alchan. Daughter of our last general, daughter of the man who taught us everything we know - and she doesn’t remember us. Or her people. Or her language. She’s spent centuries in the pits with males who would rather rape or kill her than give her a mayara. Or her tatua. Who made her live in such fear that she dropped the fear and did everything she needed to survive without a single shred of guilt for doing any of it.”

“I figured she didn’t remember us.” Alchan snorted. “She was a babe when we met her. When he paraded her in front of us and his men, excited his wife had brought them a daughter. Like three years old. She couldn’t even hover with those little wings.”

Of course. Bring up the happiest day of the General’s life, having a moment to show off his little girl. You fucking dickwad of a brother.

“We left her there, Alchan. We should have been here the moment her name was whispered as a gladiator of the Colosseum, instead of just passing it off as more propaganda from the Empress.” He felt an indescribable guilt over it. He’d promised General Lorren to remain loyal to his people for as long as possible. So had Alchan. But they had never moved themselves in any way to free their General’s daughter. They barely moved themselves to save anyone anymore outside those who were easy to help.

“I agree, but I won’t live in this bubble of guilt like you, Luykas. We have men who have relied on us for centuries. We have duties in Olost and Zira to our free people. We had other things that were always more pressing than a dangerous mission based on a rumor. We have her now. We got our men back and we saved Maevana Lorren, just like our now-dead General would have asked of us. Sure, it took a thousand years, but we’ve done it.”

“He did ask us,” Luykas reminded him, trying to remain passive. “If you have forgotten, please remember those were his dying words, Alchan.”

“Then we lost the war, Luykas! Our Royal Family was slaughtered thousands of clicks away in the capital, in their fucking beds. We were scrambling to find anywhere to go, any way to survive, to keep as many of our people free as we could. Something like eighty percent of our people are slaves.”

They stared at each other for a moment, Alchan’s a glare. A battle for dominance between equals. Normally they could hold it until someone got in between them. Alchan was the one who broke the stare this time.

“We’ll continue this later,” Luykas told him, knowing he’d won. Alchan could say whatever he wanted, but eventually, he’d fall to the same guilt Luykas felt. He couldn’t cover it up forever. “Then we need to figure out what to do with her.”

“Drop her in the nearest village and let her two friends visit her on occasion, when they take leave. I see the wheels turning in your mind, Luykas. I don’t know what you’re scheming, but can we please keep this simple? You’ve been doing really well not making this any more complicated than it has to be. I gave you her freedom at the risk of our own men.”

“We needed to save her too, if we wanted that guard’s help…remember?” Luykas slapped Alchan’s shoulder. “Stop making it sound like it wasn’t beneficial. It made getting them out of the pits, and the city, easier. Those two, who were in it to help her, gave their chance to escape up too. Now we’re on our way out of the Empire with everything we came for.”

Alchan glared at him again. “Get below. I’ll come get you when we change shifts.” Luykas growled at Alchan and turned away. He was grabbed before he could leave. “You know her life isn’t going to get easier, right? Free Andinna might not blame her for the war ending, they might not blame her for what she’s supposedly done in the Colosseum…but she’s still the reason General Lorren put our army in the worst place it could be. She’s still the reason our Queen let him. They won’t blame the war on her, but they will say she was the reason the General lost our homeland.”

Luykas tried to put that out of his mind. He would help her. He knew the pain of living in between two worlds for so long, alone. He was smart enough to help her like her father would have wanted.

“You don’t give me orders, Alchan,” Luykas whispered. “You don’t make all the decisions for this Company. Before we get back to Olost, we need to get on the same page about her. We owe her.”

“We owed her father.” Alchan’s face was hard.

“You keep telling yourself that,” Luykas said, pulling away. They owed her. Certainly, they did owe her father, and her brothers, but they also owed her.

He went back below deck and glared at Brynec as the rogue looked over the slave collars.

“Don’t play with those. If you accidentally put one on, I’ll leave it there until I think you’ve learned your lesson.” Luykas was feeling out of patience with all of them.

“I figure we can sell ‘em,” Brynec mumbled absentmindedly, still holding one and looking over the intricate designs on it. “They’re pure silver. We could melt ‘em down. That should destroy the magic in ‘em. I’ll need to clean this one though.” He poked the one Mave had been wearing with a finger, looking disgusted by it. It was fairly gruesome on the inside. “Easy money for this trip, since we sank a bunch of resources into it. Plus, gets ‘em some use since we don’t want ‘em goin’ back to the Empire and have no use for ‘em otherwise.”

Luykas considered that and nodded. “Okay, Bryn. Just don’t put one on or anything stupid. Or on anyone else.”

I’ll need to keep an eye out. These guys would all probably get a laugh out of it, and it would happen at the worst time.

“Perfect. I’ll get ‘em clean and we can melt ‘em down when we get back to Olost.” Brynec grinned, picking up the collars. “I’ll keep ‘em safe. No worries.”

Luykas didn’t say anything to that. Brynec was very money-oriented. He had a mind for numbers and keeping them financially afloat.

He wandered into the back towards the rooms. He whispered a small spell and followed the tiny light to where it bounced in front of a door. He opened it slowly and looked at the occupants. Mave and Rainev were both asleep.

She shifted as he walked in and sat in the sole chair of the room.

He had wanted to free her because he owed her family. Her father had given him a place in their people, even when he was the worst type of mutt possible. With the worst father and mother possible. With the worst history surrounding his birth possible.

He could do that for her. It was the only way he could think to repay the debt. Now that he knew how desperately she wanted to know her people, he was going to do his best to give her a place among them. Alchan didn’t understand how terribly lonely it was to be withdrawn from the people you most related to, and he never could, being a purebred Andinna.

“What do you want?” he asked softly as Matesh walked in.

“What do you want?” he retorted. “I’m here to keep an eye on them, like I have for nearly a month. You’re the one being weird. Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep for the night shift?”

“I was thinking,” Luykas answered, looking slowly at the male.

“You’re always thinking. The most Elvasi thing about you, if one could ignore the sorcery. Think somewhere else. She doesn’t know you and won’t trust you up in her space like this.”

“I can handle that,” he mumbled absentmindedly, waving Matesh away.

“Get. Out.” Matesh snapped, holding the door open. Luykas sighed. Yes, Mat was her mayara now.

“Does she know what a mayara is? If she doesn’t, and she probably doesn’t, tell her.”

He left before Mat could say anything.

24

Mave

A hard rock of the boat woke her, and Mave jerked quickly up to look around frantically. She grabbed onto the sheets, holding on as it continued to sway harder than it had before. She tried to stand, but her stomach turned uncomfortably.

“Whoa. We hit some white water on the river,” Matesh whispered, grabbing her.

“What’s white water?” she asked, letting him help steady her. She didn’t sit back down, instead straightening up to stand fully. She glanced at a silver ring where his ear tag once had been. She would ask about that later.

“Rough waters, or rapids. Rocky, dangerous. The Myriar River has huge patches of it. The guys know what they’re doing and will get us through it. It’s just a rough ride.” He smiled at her.

“Is that why they decided on a river to get through the Empire?”

“Yeah. This river is too dangerous for major trade. Most people unload in Myrsten and take the roads up to Elliar. Those were too populated for them to use.”

“Thank you for explaining,” she said softly. “I feel so stupid.” Admitting it was hard, but she wouldn’t get over it and learn if she didn’t.

Why couldn’t I just be a normal Andinna? Free or slave, it doesn’t matter. Why do I have to be me and stupid with it?

“Don’t. You just have a very specific knowledge base, one none of us have. You shared it with me and Rainev. I have no issue explaining other stuff to you.”

“Can I eat? Walk around? How long have I been asleep?” She touched the bandages on her neck and hissed. Those wounds were still very raw.

“It’s just past midday, so not nearly long enough. You should get back to sleep.”

“Don’t try to coddle me,” she ordered softly. She didn’t need to be treated like a child. She might have been the stupidest person on the boat, but she wasn’t a child. “Please. Just help me get up to speed so I don’t feel like an idiot. And food. I’ll eat anything right now.”

“Fine.” Matesh’s voice turned harder. “The aggravating female wants to do whatever she wants to do right now.” He let her go and she growled at him for the comment. Her neck was injured, but not her vocal cords.

“The arrogant male thinks he knows everything. Like always.”

“Both of you, shut up,” Rainev mumbled from his bed. She smiled at him, and he glanced up at her, smiling back. “You’re nearly free, Mave. Once we get out of here, your life as a gladiator will be history. But seriously, you two need to argue somewhere else. I want more sleep.”

“Fine, little brother,” she whispered, grabbing Matesh. Another hard rock of the ship as she tried to open the door had them falling into each other. Mat grabbed her hips, and she found herself pushed up to the door, with him pressed against her back between her wings. Hot breath washed over her ear. She could smell him, that delicious hot and spicy scent. His tail wrapped around her own, holding her there as their horns knocked together.

It felt good. She pushed her hips back, knowing his tail was pulling hers up. She ground her ass to his crotch, pulling a soft growl from him.

Well, I know one thing hasn’t changed in this new freedom.

“None of that, you two. Get out.” Rainev growled at them, but she didn’t hear any anger in it.

She grabbed the doorknob, elbowing Mat off her back, and yanked the door open. She was in the hall and walking away when she heard him chuckling behind her.

“You know you still want it,” he teased before they made it to the dining area. She turned back and looked him over. She did still want it.

“Now isn’t the time for it,” she reminded him. She knew they were still in the Empire. People were looking for them, to drag them back to the pits and the Colosseum. If they got caught now, distracted by a hot moment, then they would lose their wings and only have themselves to blame.

She had never dreamed of escape, of freedom, but she wasn’t losing the opportunity given to her now. No mistakes. She needed to get her head on straight, heal, and keep focused on getting out of the Empire.

“You’re right,” he agreed softly. He reached for her hips again and pulled her close. “But I don’t want you to forget what we’ve got going on either.”

“I won’t,” she promised. There was no way to forget how much she wanted him. “Introduce me to everyone?”

“We can do that. You’ll be getting to know them fairly well on the trip to Olost.” He walked with her into the dining area and they only found Zayden and another Andinna playing with some cards quietly. Mave knew they must have heard what she and Mat were talking about.

“You know me,” Zayden said, not looking up from the brightly colored cards. She didn’t know what they were doing, but she was intrigued by the artwork. “Rainev’s father. Grew up with Matesh. This is Brynec. He should be sleeping but he’s incapable of it.”

She looked at the other Andinna. He was leaner than average and his black wings were like hers, tight to his body. He had leather armor on, like all the others did.

“I don’t like boats,” he retorted. He had an uncultured accent, one that said country, rough. He dropped two cards on the table, gorgeous things with wyverns on them. “Now, give me yer money.” He grinned at her as Zayden pushed a pile of copper stars to him. Mave was even more interested in that. They had real money. “Those are mine, little miss. Keep yer eyes off ‘em.”

“I won’t steal from you,” she promised. “But I’ve never…”

“Never what?” Zayden frowned at her.

“Never touched money,” she admitted. “Or had any…”

“Ah.” Brynec considered her. He picked up a copper star and flipped it to her. She caught it, fumbling for a moment, but thankfully didn’t drop it to the floor. “Ya first coin, then.”

She looked down at the coin in her hand, mystified. Copper stars were named for the star emblazoned on them. It was Empire currency. Copper stars, silver moons, and gold suns. One hundred of each normally made the next. This was stuff she knew, having heard the guards talk about their pay on several occasions. She had never thought she would touch currency though. She held it back out to him after looking at it. “Here-”

“Keep it. I know how it feels to have nothing.” Brynec was still grinning, and she saw a glint in his blue eyes. They were like the light blue gems the Empress liked to wear, the same color as the sky. She continued to hold her hand and the coin out to him. “Seriously. Keep it. First coin and all that. Ya earned it for takin’ care of Mat and Rain when ya didn’t have to. Also, don’t call me Brynec. Bryn works.”

“Thank you, Bryn, but I don’t need any currency.” She dropped it on the table for him. She turned to walk away when he grabbed her wrist.

“You will-”

She wasn’t thinking. She spun and her hand wrapped around his throat, a snarl rumbling in her chest, her canines bared to him. The chair he’d been sitting in tumbled to the floor. Something sharp pricked her abdomen. They stood that way for a long moment, as Zayden mumbled curses, looking between them. Mat touched her back, calming, but not enough for her. A stranger had just touched her and that wasn’t okay.

“Little miss, keep the coin. Sorry for touchin’ ya, but don’t think to threaten me neither.”

She looked down. It was his hand on the dagger pressing against her stomach. He was as fast as her.

“Let go of him, Mave,” Matesh whispered in her ear calmly. “He’ll gut you.”

“He’ll die in the process,” she retorted. She let him go though, not intending to kill any of her rescuers. They weren’t there for her, that much she knew, but still, they had rescued her as well.

Shit. I can’t lose myself like that. These males are helping me leave. I can’t hurt them.

The dagger was sheathed quickly. “I won’t touch ya again, and I should have known better. Yer quick. I like that. Maybe I can teach ya work with the dagger.”

“I’m not one to slide daggers between ribs,” she said, looking to the two daggers on his waist. “I prefer open combat.” As she spoke, she picked up the coin from the table and held it tightly.

“Already got me pinned as an assassin?” Bryn chuckled. “Yer close to right.” He pulled down the scarf he wore over his neck, exposing a scar that ran around it. “But then, I really hate the Elvasi.”

“You were a slave like me.” She crossed her arms, considering the scar. Her eyes flicked to his right ear. He wore one of those small silver rings like Matesh now.

“Aye. For about six hundred years, from the end of the War until the Ivory Shadows accidentally freed me doing a mission against my owner. I followed them like a pup after that, sneaking around until they let me join. Even stowed away on their ship.”

“What did you do?”

“Fought as a small-time gladiator in Myrsten. Never saw the Colosseum, but heard a lot about ya. I always told ‘em ya were real.”

“What is the ring in your ear?” She pointed at it then looked at Matesh, pointing at his.

“Ah, a bit of a sign, a signal ya can say. Says we used to be slaves. If someone wasn’t scarred from the collar, or wants to hide that, the earring is just another way of showing it. We Andinna don’t pierce our own ears. Other things, sure, but not our ears.”

She was about to ask what other things Andinna pierced, wanting to know, but she didn’t get the chance.

“I have one for you. We hadn’t gotten to it yet,” Mat said quickly, pulling a small ring from his pocket. “If you want it. If you don’t, the hole should grow in…”

“I’ll take it.” She sat down next to Zayden on the bench connected to the wall. The male shifted away from her, as if he was scared. Mat removed her ear tag quickly and she felt the cold silver slide in. Her ear felt lighter for it. Another piece of freedom.

“There. Looks great.” Once again, Mat was too close. She slid away from him, closer to Zayden, who furrowed his brow at her but said nothing. Mat just got that arrogant smirk. He knew what he was doing. She narrowed her eyes at him. Now was not the time for him to want to play stud, no matter how much she wished it was. There was something undeniably alluring about the male. “Want something to eat? Zayden, what do you have on this boat?”

“Jerky, jerky, and more jerky,” he answered, escaping out the other side of the bench and moving to a cabinet. He pulled out a bag and tossed it onto the table.

“I’m goin’ to sleep,” Bryn said, retreating from the room. She watched him go, confused by his sudden retreat. She thought he was having a hard time sleeping.

“Bryn doesn’t like crowds, and this might as well be a crowd to him,” Matesh quickly explained. “Plus, you’re new.” He grabbed the bag of jerky and pulled out a piece. He chewed on it, holding the bag to her.

“Ah.” She could understand that. She took out a piece and bit into it, thinking she could just eat it, but it proved tougher than that. She tore off a section and chewed harder. Flavor exploded in her mouth, spices she hadn’t tasted before, not in her living memory. Pepper and salt, with things she didn’t recognize. She didn’t tear off a second piece as she came to terms with the first. It made her mouth hot in a way she didn’t expect either. Her eyes teared up. Food shouldn’t hurt. Why does it hurt?

“Based on the tears in your eyes, I think you weren’t expecting the taste. Andinna, being from the northern reach of the continent, tend to make spicy foods. They keep us warm,” Zayden explained, sitting down across from her. “You, growing up in Elliar, probably tasted a lot of bland shit, since they don’t know what good food tastes like.”

She didn’t know whether she liked how hot her mouth was getting. She breathed out and in quickly, hoping that would cool it down.

“Should have warned her,” Matesh mumbled. “You okay, Mave?”

“Yes.” She swallowed the piece and waved at her mouth a bit. “I need some water.”

“Can do.” He got up quickly as Zayden chuckled at Mave’s pain. She glared at him from her spot, and he only chuckled harder.

“I love this. I thought I hated it, but seeing this is like seeing a human try to eat our food, and that’s always funny.”

“Stop being an ass, Zayden,” Matesh ordered, smacking him as he walked by. Mave resisted a laugh, something that surprised her. Laughter. Not much ever pulled that sort of thing out of her.

“Oh, yeah. Let lover boy fight your battles,” Zayden taunted.

She narrowed her eyes again at him and bared her teeth. “I think you don’t want me fighting my own battles.” She meant it. She wasn’t sure how to feel about his teasing, which seemed a bit mean-spirited. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to earn his ire in such a way.

The boat rocked hard again, sending her to the bench, unready for it. Mat hit the floor and Zayden fell out of his chair.

“Skies, what are they doing up there?” Zayden was snarling as he got up and stomped out, up the stairs to the deck. Matesh staggered to her and fell on the bench next to her. She sat up and leaned on him.

“I feel so out of place,” she admitted. “In the pits, I was an outcast, but I was a gladiator just like them. Here, I feel like I just don’t fit.”

“It hasn’t even been a day. You, me, and Rain had a good unit in the pits. If you fit in with us, you’ll fit in with them. They’ll all help teach you about the Andinna, about what you are, like Rain and I have been trying.”

“I still want to learn Andena. And how to read and write.”

“Those will come. We just need to get out of the Empire. This is still a rescue mission. The Empress is probably screaming in rage right now in the palace and having the entire Empire searched for you, anywhere she can get word to.”

“She has sorcerers who can send out messages faster than we can move,” she reminded him. She knew about those. She had stood in meetings, a show piece for Shadra.

“She does. Myrsten will be on high alert when we get there. That’s okay, though. We’ll be fine. We’ve done stuff in Myrsten before, using traders from Olost as cover. The Company had just never gone up to Elliar before. It’s always been considered too dangerous.”

She appreciated and also didn’t like how he explained everything. She was a skilled warrior. She just wished she wasn’t so damn uneducated. One day, she promised, no one would have to explain anything to her. She would know it or be able to find the knowledge on her own. Never again would she be confused by water travel. She would learn to ride a horse.

She stretched her wings a little.

She would learn to fly.

“You’ve gone into your head on me,” Mat commented, tapping her thigh. “Get out of there and ask the questions you want to ask.”

“I’m not sure what to ask that can be done or answered right now. Much of it will have to wait until we have finished escaping the Empire.”

“I know something else we can do,” he crooned.

“I need something productive.” She stood up, running a hand through her hair. “In the pits, I trained. I liked my days off, but I also hated them because I had nothing else to do. Maybe I can clean my weapons. I haven’t done that yet.”

“I already did for you.”

She exhaled a long breath. There went that idea.

“They hit a fucking rock. We’re not taking on water, but there’s damage. We won’t need to stop unless they do it again,” Zayden explained as he walked back down. “Damn fools were trying to push too hard through a stretch of rapids. Matesh, play a game of Wyverns with me.”

“I have no money,” Matesh replied, chuckling. “Plus, that’s a fucking kid’s game.”

“No money. She wants something to do? We’ll teach her to play. And I know it’s a damn kid’s game, but it uses the same deck as Andinna poker and it’ll be easy to get her used to our cards with it.” He motioned for her to sit back down. She complied, looking at the gorgeous cards in his hand. “There’s three suits in an Andinna card deck: magic, beast, and warrior. They each have their own symbol.” He dropped three cards on the table and she looked them over. She ignored the symbols, instead looking at the stunning artwork on them. One was an Andinna warrior, blade raised high to the sky, triumphant. Another had a wyvern flying on it, colored like a dark emerald. The last was a Blackblood Andinna, blood pouring down his arm and turning black as it went.

Zayden launched into more of an explanation about the cards, but she just watched the artwork. She had never seen work of her people. This was something an Andinna had made.

“Who painted the cards?” she asked softly, finally too curious to resist.

“Luykas, as a gift to me when Rainev was born. He spelled them to never wear or tear either. So I could teach my boy the cards as he grew up.”

“He can do this?” She reached out to touch one and they didn’t stop her from picking it up.

“Aye. He spent a lot of his childhood in Elliar, where his cunt mother apparently taught him art skills and how to play instruments. They stuck, but he doesn’t talk about them very much.” Zayden took the card back after a moment.

“How old is he?” She was curious. Half-Elvasi - he was probably born before the War. Any Andinna-Elvasi mutt now was either a slave in hiding or dead. It was illegal to breed with the Andinna slaves, and the Empress detested the idea of enslaving someone who was partially Elvasi. Her people weren’t meant to be slaves in her eyes.

“I thought you wanted to learn more about your people,” he retorted.

“Isn’t he one of my people?”

“Well, shit. Smartass,” Zayden groaned. “He’s somewhere in his eighteen hundreds. Older than everyone here at this table. Same as Alchan.”

“You seem older than you are,” she commented. He really did. He didn’t look past his prime, but he spoke like a man who was tired of the world, and tired of other people.

“It’s because he’s a cranky single father,” Matesh teased. “Seriously, he used to be a lot more fun.”

“Now who’s being an ass?” Zayden snapped, glaring at Mat. “I’ve always been a cranky shit. My Summer used to say I was too old for my body. Too serious. That Matesh lightened me up. Then Rainev came along and even that stopped working. He was a handful.”

Mave didn’t miss how his face softened at the name Summer. His Summer.

“You…married a short-lived woman?” Mave asked, trying to understand why any long-lived male would do that. Why any of the long-lived races would put themselves through that was beyond her. She had tried to be a friend to one, and it had nearly broken her to watch him grow old and die. It had stopped her from truly trying again.

“I did. A Clan-member who was tired of Zira and the tribal warfare that ravages those people. Official marriage isn’t an Andinna thing, but she wanted something of her people with me. I married her under the eyes of her gods.” Zayden’s entire personality shifted as he spoke of her. Something gentle took him over, his eyes becoming unfocused. Mave knew that look. The other gladiators would get lost in their memories just the same way. Dreaming of times past as if it changed the world they lived in. Zayden refocused, his eyes sharp. “She passed away a long time ago.”

She figured that, since Rain was over three hundred years old. None of the short-lived races lived over a century. The dwarves sat in a middle ground like mutts, living to nearly three thousand, but no one lived as long as the Andinna and Elvasi.

The conversation disappeared as the two males began to play cards. She watched and slowly picked up the rules until Mat decided to deal her in.

They felt the boat stop and Mave stood up with the others, ignoring the hand of cards in front of her. “Why did we stop?” she asked Zayden, hoping he had the answer.

“I don’t know…” he answered quietly. He headed up the stairs to the deck and she moved to follow. Matesh stopped her.

“We have-”

“You need to stay below deck. People are looking for you, Mave.”

She considered that reasoning then shook her head, pulling away. “We need to help them fight if they need it.”

“They would have called a warning if it came to that.” Matesh was stern. “In the pits, I trusted your judgment. Trust mine now.”

She narrowed her eyes on him. He had a point. He had listened and learned to survive her world, and now she was in his. Covert operations, sneaking through enemy territory. This was what the Ivory Shadows did. They were so well-known for it that the Empress had bounties on their heads so high that some thought she was crazy.

“I think we hide here for the rest of the day and then move again at night. We’re approaching a busy area and things could get ugly if we just float through when everyone can see us.” That stern voice was Alchan. She looked up the stairs and he stood in the doorway. She could see the bright afternoon sun behind him. He turned and saw her, frowning. “You’re awake. I figured you would be out for another day.”

“It’s easy to knock her out of the healing sleep,” Matesh called up. “The rapids did it. We’ve been playing Wyverns.”

“Damn kid’s game.” Alchan snorted. “Really, Zayden? When are you going to stop playing that? Rainev has been playing poker for two centuries.”

“I was teaching her the cards,” Zayden snapped back.

“He’s got excuses!” a male laughed. “Get in so we can all camp out down here until the sun goes down.”

Alchan walked down the stairs, followed by three other males. Zayden was obvious, but she hadn’t met the other two yet. They looked her over as she did them. They weren’t quite purebreds. One had a dark emerald tone to his coloring and the other was a dark, deep red. They both sported the black hair and eyes, though, and the large, masculine build.

“What kind of mutts are you?” she asked them, tilting her head.

“We’re not. Not half-breeds, anyway,” one answered, his eyes locking on hers. They were a common yellow-orange, a knock off of the rarer amber color Alchan had.

“But your coloring…” She was now incredibly confused. Off-coloring made them mutts.

“Oh, you’ve never…” He frowned. “Only the purest Andinna have black wings and horns. About a third of our people have a little bit of something else thrown in, though. It throws our coloring off, even if we have regular lifespans. I’m part-human about five generations back. Varon here is part-Clan, nearly seven generations back and doesn’t have the ability to shift. Eventually, our lines will become pure enough again for the black. But all of our parents lived full life-spans. So sure, we’re technically mutts, but not really. Black is dominant too, so any kids might get the right coloring.”

She wondered if she had just always passed them off as mutts, if she had the chance to know this earlier, but missed out on the knowledge.

“Mave, meet Nevyn and Varon,” Mat cut in quickly. He pointed to them respectively. The one with the dark red wings and yellow-orange eyes was Nevyn. The dark green one was Varon and he had green jasper eyes. “They’re good guys.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said, daring to extend her hand first this time. Nevyn smiled kindly and grabbed her forearm near the elbow, allowing her to grab his. The shake was strong and friendly, none of Alchan’s stiffness in it. Varon peeked around next and extended his hand without a word.

“Nice to meet you too, Mave.” Nevyn was still smiling as he walked around her. “Oh, excuse Varon. He’s a mute. He knows a form of hand signing to speak. I can teach it to you if you want. Everyone in the Company knows it so Varon doesn’t need me always translating for him.”

Varon did a few weird hand signs at that. Mave furrowed her brows. There was even more for her to learn. She would. This form of silent communication was probably a strong skill in battle. It only required line of sight.

“What did you mean by the black is dominant?” she asked quickly, going back to the talk of generations, mutts, and Andinna coloring.

“Like, if I had a kid with a female with black wings. There’s a higher chance the babe has black wings, but not certain. The biggest thing to look for in a mutt? The eyes. An Andinna with a full life-span will have the black eyes. Ignore all the other attributes. Sometimes someone just throws back to an odd color, but it’s not a big deal.”

“Like Rain has white eyes,” she mumbled to herself, considering that. “That’s odd.”

“It’s the way we are,” Nevyn responded, moving further away. “She’s got a lot to learn, Alchan.”

“Apparently,” he muttered back, staring at her. She felt that insecurity run through her again. She repeated her promise to herself. She would learn everything when they were out of the Empire. She would listen to all they said, and she would dedicate her time to reclaiming all the knowledge she was never granted. “Do you know what a mayara is?”

“No,” she answered honestly. She’d never heard the term before.

“Well, when you do learn, please understand that we aren’t that.” Alchan said nothing more after that, walking out of the small dining area and into the tiny hallway.

“He’s such an ass,” Nevyn chuckled out.

“A mayara is a unit of males who dedicate themselves to a female. An Andinna family unit, really.” Zayden was the one who gave her the explanation she was hoping for. “More specifically, it means the husbands and lovers of a female, but can be looser to include brothers, fathers, and even male friends who have no other females to watch over. It also includes any children the female has who haven’t reached maturity.”

“Oh!” She liked that word. A mayara. It had a nice ring to it and she felt like she’d heard the word before. “My father would have been in my mother’s mayara, then.”

“Your father was your mother’s mayara. She only took one husband in her life. Your brothers, who never married, were also considered members. When the war started, they returned to live with your parents. They were also in yours, being a babe at the time,” Luykas’ gentle voice said as he walked in with Alchan.

She looked at him, almost upset with his words. He knew more about her family than she did, so much more. It wasn’t fair. She should have known those things. She should be able to recall her father’s face, or her brothers. She could only remember the hazy details of her mother, only on that last day. It was like that was the day her life started and ended. The next thing she could remember was Elliar, her first slave collar, and being trained in her duties as a handmaiden.

“Why are you awake?” Mat asked, ignoring the conversation about mayaras and family, her family.

“I don’t answer to you,” Luykas replied, chuckling. “I’m awake because Alchan hates me. Obviously.”

That brought laughter out of all the males except Alchan, who just glowered at the half-breed. “I don’t hate you. We need to talk about tonight.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Luykas groaned. “You stopped us here because we moved faster than you expected. We’re hiding until the sun goes down. Then I take over and get us through the trading point here at the fork.” He sighed and looked at her again. A small smile came over his face again, a mischievous one. “He hates me. You would think he wouldn’t hate his only brother so much, but here we are.”

“I don’t hate you, damnit.” Alchan growled, looking between them. He stopped on her and pointed to Luykas. “Don’t believe a damn thing he says. Really.”

“I figured you were related,” she said, looking between them. “Your bone structure is the same, like only the coloring is wrong between you.”

“Smart female,” Luykas praised, nodding appreciatively. “Most see Alchan and me and don’t figure it out quickly. They see all my white and think there’s no way he’s my brother. You could say they get blinded by it. It doesn’t help we were born within a year of each other.”

“They aren’t observant enough then,” she said, shrugging. She had learned to people-watch after years of loneliness. To her, the differences and similarities between them were more obvious than just the color of their features. “I’m going to go lie back down.” The room had gotten too crowded for her and her neck was beginning to burn and itch, probably from moving her head and neck too much. She touched it gently, something Luykas must have noticed.

He grabbed her wrist and looked over the bandages. “They haven’t closed up yet. You must not have fallen into a good healing sleep. We have something to help with that.” He snapped his fingers with his other hand. “Nevyn, the potion in the blue bottle please.”

“I’ll be fine.” She tried to pull away but he held her. She didn’t want to be drugged, but she didn’t have the energy to get away from him. She didn’t like that he’d grabbed her either. She wanted it to stop.

“Let her go, Luykas,” Matesh warned.

“It’s a tiny sleeping potion. It’ll make it harder to wake you up. You shouldn’t even be walking around.” Luykas grabbed the potion from Nevyn as soon as it was close. He held it up in front of her. “If you’re having a hard time, just a drop of this on the tongue and you’ll be out for a few more hours. It’ll help speed the healing since it’ll put you in a deeper sleep. Only a drop though. Can’t have you putting yourself into a coma.”

“Stop coddling the female,” his brother growled. “She said she’s fine.”

“Females tend to be lying when they say that,” Nevyn mumbled.

Are they really talking about me while I stand right here? I’m not deaf.

“I’m more worried about Luykas touching her. Let her go.” Mat was still growling, that rumble from his chest that meant he was serious.

Mave stared at the potion, then the gold eyes of the half-breed. He seemed like he just wanted to help. He seemed concerned. She took the bottle with no intention of using it, but she knew it would stop the discussion faster than her trying to convince him it was okay and that she didn’t need it.

“Get a good rest,” he murmured kindly, his fingers making circles over her skin. She only nodded, pulling away her wrist. She wondered why she hadn’t just attacked him like she had Bryn. Maybe it was how tired she was feeling suddenly.

“You ass,” Matesh snarled. “You fucking spelled her.”

“Of course not!” Luykas declared innocently.

She swayed.

“You obviously did,” Alchan commented mildly.

“She wasn’t going to use the potion. I think she needed some aided sleep.” Luykas shrugged in front of her, blurry. “She’ll thank me later.”

An arm grabbed her before she fell into the wall. It lifted her with ease.

She was going to have words with him when she woke up. They weren’t going to be ones of gratitude.

That was the last thought she had.

25

Mave

Mave woke up alone in the room, confused. She thought back to what happened. Luykas. Luykas had spelled her, the damned mutt, with sorcery. She pushed herself up, looking around. She was very alone. Rainev was no longer sleeping in the other bed and Mat wasn’t around either. She could hear soft laughter coming from another room, or maybe the dining area.

She struggled to get up, drowsy and disoriented. The door opened quickly and an arm grabbed her as she swayed.

“Whoa. It’s not an easy spell to get up from,” he whispered. She growled at the voice. It was his fault she was having a hard time.

“Fuck you, Luykas,” she mumbled, her words slurring. “I should gut you where you stand.”

“It was to help,” he insisted. “You’ll notice your neck should be nearly closed up now that you’ve gotten a good sleep.”

“What time is it?” she demanded, pushing him away. Matesh was in the door behind him. She recognized him even though her vision was still blurry. His green eyes stood out.

“Night is about to fall,” Luykas told her. “You should have been sleeping straight through the night. Odd that you’re awake, really.”

“She doesn’t stay down for long,” Matesh commented, shouldering Luykas out of the way, making the mutt chuckle. “Are you okay?”

“I’m pissed off,” she snapped. “You ever do that to me again, mutt, and I’ll kill you. I hate being drugged. I can’t wake up if anything happens when I’m drugged.” She’d had some awful things happen to her when she couldn’t wake up. “I can’t protect myself.”

“Ah…I’m sorry. I…” Luykas seemed paler than usual. He looked at the ground, confused and upset. “I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

“Guess not,” she growled.

“I warned you she would be furious with you,” Matesh snarled as well. “You can’t just do that to people, Luykas. Not strangers.”

“I’m not sure how I didn’t think about your life when I decided to try and help. My apologies, Mave. It won’t happen again. I’m normally much more thoughtful.” He sounded so formal and bowed his head to her. Then he spun and left them in the room.

“He really is,” Matesh sighed out as the door closed. “I’m not sure what got into him when he pulled that stunt.”

Is he really trying to convince me to not be upset? “I don’t care,” she hissed. “It better not happen again.”

“Luykas is very good at not repeating his mistakes,” Mat promised. “I’ve spent all afternoon and evening berating him for it.” He gently ran a hand over her shoulder. “Why do you keep waking up?”

“I’m on a boat full of Andinna males, in a situation I’m unfamiliar with. I guess my body just wants me up as fast as it can so I know I’m safe.” She shrugged, knowing she was right. None of them were threatening her, or whispering about what they could do to her. Aside from Luykas trying to be helpful, none of them were outwardly dangerous. But that didn’t ease the small nagging anxiety in the back of her mind, the anxiety she had been ignoring all afternoon.

She also had never slept very long. There was that too.

“I’m not sure how to get you comfortable. Me, you, and Rain…we were in a vastly different situation.”

“I had control,” she reminded him. “In the pits, I knew what to do, how to do it, the rules of engagement, and the politics between me and the rest of the gladiators. I don’t know any of that here.”

And it’s terrifying.

“That’s a solid point. Speaking of Rainev, he’s out there right now if you want to go see him.”

“I do,” she admitted softly. She wanted to stay close to the ones she knew. They left the bedroom together and walked into the dining area. Rainev was laughing at something with his father, who looked happier around his son than he had before. Rain looked up at her and grinned. “Hey, big sister. Come sit down and listen to my father regale you with tales of my stupid youth.”

“I thought males didn’t want embarrassing stories told about them,” she replied, sitting down next to him. Their shoulders touched as they nearly leaned into each other.

“Well, Matesh maybe wouldn’t, since he’s trying to impress someone, but I don’t care.” Rain was still grinning as Mat glared down at him.

“I’ve got stories about him too if you want to hear them,” Zayden said, chuckling.

“Please don’t,” Mat mumbled, sitting down next to the young father.

“They’re all probably stories of him being aggravating, which I would believe without question,” she teased, a smile coming over her own face. This felt better. Just the four of them. With Rainev, Zayden didn’t seem as abrasive, and he was the one who kept trying to tell her new things, even when she didn’t ask, which she appreciated.

“I like you more and more,” Zayden choked out, laughing. “I like her. Keep her.” He said that last bit to Matesh, who rocked when Zayden elbowed him. He was glaring at her and she smiled back.

“I’m considering it,” he answered.

She stopped chuckling to herself and went silent, looking into those emerald eyes. She wasn’t sure what startled her more. That he would even consider keeping her or that he would consider not keeping her.

Her cheeks heated and she looked away. It was one thing to joke and know there was a sexual attraction between them that would eventually come to a head. It was another to think there was something worth keeping. It was something that hadn’t even happened yet.

“Wait, wouldn’t it be ‘keep him’ since Mave is the female?” Rain asked it, but it was Mave who desperately wanted the answer. How did relationships even really work for them? She’d never…

She didn’t finish that train of thought. She already knew the long list of things she had never done.

“I mean, yeah, but don’t finish explaining that to her or Matesh is going to find himself bedless. I mean, who wants to keep him once they’re done with him?” Zayden joked, grinning at his son. Rain was howling with laughter at that answer but she just looked at Mat, tilting her head at him. He sighed heavily, glaring at Zayden for what he’d said. As the laughter of the father and son died, Zayden gave a happy sigh, grinning at her. “Yes. Really, you would be keeping him. He could want it until he’s blue in the face but it’s your choice. And, here’s something good: if you get tired of him but don’t want to lose him, you can always just get a second lover. Or a third. Or however many you want.”

“What?” she frowned at that.

“Husbands. Lovers,” Zayden pressed. “Remember my explanation for a mayara? We Andinna are matriarchal, and females can have as many husbands as they choose, as long as everyone is agreeable.”

She must have just missed what he’d said. Then she thought back to another member that was apparently not on this mission. Kian. She had listened into that conversation. He had a wife with other husbands. She hadn’t been observant enough, or just hadn’t gone back to that fact. She’d been preoccupied in the woods, her mind full of other things, like the idea of escaping.

“How does that work?” she blurted out. In the Empire, it was one to one. One lover or spouse of any gender, but that was it. Only one, unless they were doing something they shouldn’t be, like fucking a slave or cheating. None of them appreciated learning their chosen partner was with someone else. Mave had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn’t be okay with it either. A male she was with being with another female? Even the prospect made her upset.

“It’s how we are. We’ve always had a gender disparity, more males than females. We adapted.” Matesh shrugged. She could hear how okay with it he was. He said it like it just was and that was it. “There is a bit of a built-in double standard. You can have as many males as you want. We can only be with one female at a time, even if it’s casual or unofficial.”

“Well, that makes me feel better,” she said, smiling at him, trying to hide her discomfort. The entire idea made her uncomfortable. Having multiple males? She could barely handle two as friends and her life was marked with males that had wanted to use her or kill her.

“It should. His cock belongs to you and only you when you want it,” Zayden agreed, laughing again. “Rumor has it, he’s good with it, but I’ve seen it. I wasn’t impressed.”

“Let’s not start talking about cocks,” Rainev mumbled, looking away from them. “Well, not this group’s. I don’t want you two to start comparing. That’s gross.”

“Yeah, Zayden, don’t scare your son with that pathetic excuse of a pine needle you have. He’ll wonder how his mother ever-”

Zayden tackled Matesh to the floor, knocking down both their chairs. Mave was chuckling to herself as they wrestled on the floor.

“What the hell is going on in here?” Alchan’s voice cracked out like a whip, so harshly that Mave winced, feeling like a lenasti was there.

Mat and Zayden broke up, still laughing. “He called my dick small,” Mat laughed out, holding his chest. “We’re just having a bit of fun, Alchan.”

“Oh, so we’re measuring cocks for the female now. Good to know. Cut it out.” Alchan’s eyes fell on her after that. She met the angry stare. “Did you encourage this?”

“No, she didn’t,” Rain cut in. “We were explaining more about Andinna relationships, how we’re matriarchal, then my dad cracked a joke. It went off from there.”

“Of course.” Alchan’s glare went back down to the adults on the floor. “You two are too old for this.”

“You need to remember to be as young as you are,” another voice interrupted. Leshaun walked in and levelled a glare of his own on Alchan. “They aren’t causing any harm. If anything, this is good. Shows that they haven’t been too affected by their time in slavery.”

“Of course. The old man comes to chastise me,” Alchan muttered, sounding perturbed. She was beginning to intensely dislike this male. He seemed like Seventy-Two. Everyone around him needed to get in line and follow orders. No one could question him or point out his flaws.

“You know you like it, boy,” Leshaun retorted. He held out a hand and Mat grabbed it. Leshaun helped him up and then Zayden. “You’re all too young to forget to have a bit of fun.”

“We’re on a serious and dangerous mission. Roughhousing, and the noise with it, will bring scouts and soldiers to our location.” Alchan wasn’t backing down.

Leshaun didn’t seem to care. “Yes, but we’re talking about males who are close and have been separated by the Empire and nearly lost each other. Zayden didn’t just nearly lose his son, but also his closest friend.”

She liked Leshaun much more than Alchan.

“Keep it down, then,” Alchan snapped, turning to leave them again, going into one of the few rooms of the boat.

“That young male needs to cool down. You two know I just saved you from a harsher ass-chewing, right?” Leshaun crossed his arms. Zayden shrugged, while Matesh ignored it completely, righting his chair then sitting down.

“You can help us teach Mave some things,” he declared, tapping the table. Zayden righted his own chair and fell into it. “Come on, uncle. She has a lot to learn, as I’ve told you.”

“Yes, I’ve been compiling a list for it and thinking about who can take on what duty in that respect.” Leshaun slid on the bench next to her. She stiffened, pinned between the old male and Rain now. “No need for that. I’ll let you out if you ask; no harm will come to you.”

“I just…” She swallowed her anxiety. “I’m fine.”

“Of course you are, female,” Leshaun chuckled. “My wife used to say the same thing.”

“Aye, they all do,” Zayden said.

Her mouth set in a hard line as she listened to the teasing. She was getting teased. She didn’t enjoy it. “I’m fine,” she repeated. She refused to budge now.

“There’s the stubbornness I know,” Mat muttered, smiling as well. “What do you want to know now? We can talk about this mission or just free Andinna. What else is in the world, that sort of thing.”

“Where are the free Andinna?” she asked immediately.

“There are pockets of our people through Zira and Olost, though mostly in Olost. Zira has a lot of internal drama between the shifter clans, and only a few Andinna live there. Olost let us set up full villages in the mountains, where we feel most at home.” Leshaun answered that. He did so in the same patient, quiet voice he did most things, she realized. He didn’t seem very much like a warrior. “Only about twenty percent of our population is free, though. Most are slaves to the Empire.”

A full twenty percent. Now including me. I’m one of them now.

“Only twenty percent? You must not realize, but to those of us who have always been slaves, or slaves since the War…there’s very little belief in free Andinna. Twenty percent seems huge.” She marveled at it. That was so many of their people.

“Every time we go on a mission, we end up freeing a couple more. It’s never our objective, but we help where we can. Mostly, we just try to support those who are already free. Maybe we can rebuild our population and keep new homes in Olost.”

“You don’t think we can ever go home?”

“Anden is lost,” Zayden interrupted. “There’s no getting it back. Much of the country is littered with Elvasi settlers and their guards, which is nearly a third of the Empire’s army. We go piss them off pretty often but there’s no getting rid of them. They don’t even use Andinna slaves up there, so none of our people are left.”

“The Empress keeps getting messages about how the settlements fail or are too costly,” she murmured, thinking about it. “She joked recently about needing to reinvade Anden.”

“It’s a wild land. It’s the last place in the known world that wyverns fly free. Gryphons and other larger beasts are prevalent there as well. The region is very mountainous. The farmland needs to be carefully tended. The Elvasi have probably ruined much of it by now, slowly making it unlivable over the last thousand years.” Matesh groaned, rubbing his face. “I hate thinking about home and what they’ve probably done to it by now.”

“Same.” Zayden mumbled it as he stood up. “The only bright side is they have never been able to access our temples. You can’t reach them in the mountains without being able to fly.”

“But no one is tending the temples, and when we go to Anden, we never go near them,” Mat retorted.

Temples, beasts, farmlands. Home. She marveled at how much they knew of home. It might well be lost, but she could feel in her chest that it was still home. It was where she’d been taken from, watched her mother be slain. Where she’d been dragged out from underneath her bed, screaming out for her arra.

“Let’s stop talking about Anden,” Zayden grumbled.

“I’ve never been,” Rainev whispered to her. “We haven’t done a mission up there since I joined the Company.”

“I’ve…I barely remember it. Only the small area around my home,” she admitted to him.

She realized Leshaun had gone quiet, watching them all. She wondered what he was thinking about. He would have spent most of his life in Anden, fought through the entire war while in the back half of his prime.

The conversation disappeared as Zayden dropped a bag of jerky in front of them to chew on. She took a piece and was able to appreciate the taste better than the last time she’d tried it. The flavor was still explosive, hot enough to make her mouth too warm, but she was at least ready for it. It reminded her of Mat, his hot and spicy smell and taste. Her eyes fell on him as she chewed on it, thinking about that.

She enjoyed the jerky much more after that. It wasn’t food she was accustomed to, but it reminded her of something she enjoyed.

He noticed her watching and smirked. That arrogant, aggravating smirk, as if he knew what she was thinking. She bared her teeth at him, which gained a chuckle in return.

From Leshaun, of all people.

“Nephew, is there something I need to know? Something you didn’t tell me? I know what a female must be thinking to bare her teeth at a male.”

“No, bodrya-”

She raised her eyebrows at that.

“They’re fucking,” Zayden cut in. “Or will.”

“We haven’t,” she corrected casually. There was no reason for misinformation to spread. She ignored the heat on her cheeks. Something about her sex life just being out there in front of these free males was somewhat awkward for her. She didn’t know where it came from, since over a thousand years, she’d developed a thick skin against the opinions of the males in the pits.

Then again, she had no respect for the males in the pits. Something about this group made her want their approval even more than others. Free Andinna who knew their people, knew things she wanted. She didn’t want to be an outcast here.

I’ll always be different, but I won’t be alone if they approve of me.

“They were about to when you broke us out, baba,” Rain added, grinning mischievously. She elbowed him for that, causing chuckles from the other males at the table.

His father’s eyes were also mischievous, narrowed at her with a small smile. He opened his mouth, but was cut off.

“Be nice to her,” Leshaun murmured.

“You don’t need to defend me, sir,” she quietly told him, looking to the older male. “I know this is teasing. If they insult me, they’ll know it.”

“Someone needs to look out for you, little female.”

“No, not really, old man,” she fired back, insulted by that idea. She’d never needed to be looked out for before. She had her own back when push came to shove. And there was nothing little about her. She was taller than females of other races, even if she was shorter than Andinna males. She wasn’t as strong as any of them, but she was faster than most.

She and Leshaun stared each other down for a long moment, silence descending over the group. She would admit to liking having someone watch her back, but she had never needed anyone to.

“Just like her mother, see?” another voice murmured from the way into the back hall. Her eyes snapped up to see Alchan and Luykas standing there. It was Luykas considering her, while Alchan just went up the stairs to the deck. “Your mother was a stubborn warrior female as well. She fought in the war alongside your father until she went through her fertile time and got pregnant with you.”

Something about that made her feel proud. Just like her mother. But again, she was frustrated by this knowledge that Luykas kept trotting out about her family. It pushed the button of her temper, added with the spell he’d done on her. “I’m glad to see you have the balls to show yourself,” she snapped at him.

“I deserve every bit of ire I get from you; don’t expect me to argue with it.” He bowed his head respectfully.

She felt bad for her aggressiveness. He seemed to just take it, and it made her feel vicious and cruel. Exactly what the Empress always said her people were. Beasts, barbarians, unsuitable for civilized cultures.

“Night’s fallen. We’re going to get moving again. If you want to come up, you’re allowed to,” he said, then followed his brother.

“You do have a bite to you,” Zayden mumbled, considering her. “You really didn’t appreciate him putting you to sleep, huh?”

“You wouldn’t have either, if…” She didn’t finish. She didn’t need to say that she felt uncomfortable with being spelled or drugged because that normally led to her being whored in her sleep. Or nearly killed. Or any other possibility. She stood up and followed the others outside, needing to leave the cramped confines of the small boat. She was only thankful that it was built to fit wings, but it didn’t allow more space than that. Like the pits. Now she had options, so she was going to choose not to be held in the dark.

She went for a rail and looked up to the stars, still somewhat mystified by how big the sky was. The city and the Colosseum had always blocked most of her view of it. Something about just staring at the sky calmed her nerves, made her feel more at ease.

Others of the Company also made their way onto the deck. She heard Nevyn making light of something as the sails were released. Brynec was making some comment about selling the boat if it wasn’t destroyed, but Luykas quickly shot the idea down with something about how the boat was going to be abandoned in Myrsten. Alchan barked a couple orders to get people moving faster, and in only a short moment, they were off, going down the river again.

“The waters will be calmer as we reach the fork. It’s used as a smaller trading hub by some and can be busy,” Matesh explained when he walked over to her. “We’ll be at Myrsten right before dawn and need to do a transfer to the ship that will take us to Olost.”

“Sounds dangerous,” she murmured, looking at the forest they were passing by. Trees. There weren’t many of those in Elliar, and none so wonderful or lush. These were huge things that rose high above, but still left so much sky for her to see. They’re beautiful. I can’t believe I forgot about how big trees could be. I was in the mountains with my arra. There were tons of big trees there.

“It will be, considering how we escaped less than a day ago,” he agreed softly. She ignored how he ran a hand over one of her wings, how it quivered when he touched it. “Do you want to stretch them? You hold them like Bryn, so tight. It can’t be comfortable.”

“It’s what I’m used to.” She sighed, shrugging. She didn’t find it uncomfortable. “Holding them relaxed like you all do, slightly open, is something I’ve never been allowed. I would probably find that uncomfortable.”

“If you want to learn to fly, then you need to stretch them.”

She considered that, then nodded. He was right, and being able to fly was one of her deepest wishes. She opened them slowly and gasped as her shoulders cramped and tensed, along with the muscles of her wings. Before they could even fully spread, she was falling to her knees, her entire back paralyzed.

“Whoa, Mave. Explain what’s going on.” Matesh fell to his knees next to her, holding her before her face hit the deck.

“It hurts,” she bit out. “Why does it hurt so much?”

“Have you ever done a full extension?” he asked quickly.

“No,” she moaned in pain, trying to stretch and move so the pain ended. Instead, her muscles locked up and held her wings back down, unwilling to release them and let them move. Matesh began to curse.

“Matesh, help her stand,” Leshaun’s voice cracked out, suddenly more authoritative than it had ever been. “You shouldn’t have tried this, Matesh. This isn’t your fault, female. A thousand years - your muscles are undeveloped and weak. They have never moved and don’t want to. It’ll be months before you can consider flying. You’ll need someone else to stretch the wings with you into their full extension.”

Matesh helped her stand as rough, practiced hands rubbed into the muscles of her wings. They loosened slowly as Leshaun continued to berate Mat for not realizing her long period of never using them was something he should have taken into account.

“Aye, Mave!” Bryn called out. “Don’t feel bad. We all got problems when we have the bindings removed.” She looked over to the rogue, who was smiling sadly at her. He walked over and ignored Mat, who backed away at the intrusion. “No worries, yeah? Leshaun will get ya right. Happened to me too. Six hundred years and I was barely a man when the war ended. Couldn’t even join the military to help fight, I was so young.”

“She shouldn’t even be up here,” Alchan barked out from his place next to Luykas. “People will see her and know.”

“There’s no one around,” Luykas chastised softly. “Let her have some fresh air.”

“When we go through the fork, I want her back below deck, Luykas.”

She wanted so badly to argue with him. To snap and snarl at the rude male that reminded her of ones she hated in the pits. She kept her mouth shut, though, letting Leshaun continue to work the cramps and knots out of her wings and back. The pain eased and loosened but in the end, she kept them tight to her back, unwilling to stretch them again and feel that pain all over again.

“When we’re out of the Empire, I’ll help you rehabilitate them,” the old male promised.

“Are you a healer?” she asked, still not sure the old male in front of her was a warrior like the others in the Company. The rest looked and seemed like they fit in with this idea of mercenaries. Leshaun didn’t.

“I’m a soldier who has seen enough battle to know all the tricks. That’s put me in somewhat of a healer position,” he explained. “I was a strong help for the healers during the War, and learned much. I’m also one of the last fully trained Blackbloods left free, which is handy.”

“So you can fight.”

“Don’t be fooled by his age, little miss.” Bryn grinned. “He’s a wily old man with a sword. He can take any of us down when his knees don’t hurt. Luckily, his knees always hurt.” With that, the rogue winked.

“Well, boy, your knees will hurt when you’re my age too. You take that youthful arrogance somewhere else.”

Everyone laughed as Leshaun tried to swat Bryn, who darted away to help Nevyn and Varon with some ropes.

Mave just stood mystified by the friendly exchange. In the pits, bad knees meant the gladiator would find himself alone. No one wanted to befriend an old male who was going to die on the sands, no matter what other knowledge he might hold. Here, they still knew Leshaun was useful, and they cared for him. That was obvious.

Except maybe Alchan, who made her wonder if free Andinna were really so much different from the gladiators she’d known.

As the boat moved, she continued standing with Matesh, and they were joined by Rain, just watching the forest move past them. She felt like she could taste freedom, so close that it hung in the air around her. She was already enamoured with the idea of never seeing the dark, cold, wet tunnels that had been her home for nine hundred years.

She felt like she was free already.

26

Brynec

“Brynec, keep your eyes out for scouts or soldiers on this side as we move through the fork,” Alchan ordered as he walked by. “Rainev is watching the other side.”

“Aye,” he replied, his eyes glued to the forests on his side of the boat. His mind wandered, though, where his eyes didn’t. Another slave on the boat. He had heard the stories of her for centuries. He’d always known she was real, his fellow slaves hoping to one day meet the ‘Elvasi-loyal bitch’ on the sands of the Colosseum.

He was sad to admit he’d once thought the same thing. He’d even held onto that hate for years after his freedom. Looking back, it was an angry mindset, and a wrong one. He’d let go of that hate centuries ago, when he had a different perspective on the slaves he’d known and the slave he’d been. But, having been like that - the type of male who’d hate a female like that - he was ashamed. I’ll carry that shame for the rest of mah life, I think.

And now he’d met her.

She was a curious thing, for sure. He could feel the dominant and stubborn streak underneath her insecurity. And insecure she was. That was obvious as well. She was so out of her league. He could sympathize. Suddenly being free, not knowing where one stood, it was a scary thing, even for the strongest Andinna.

Varon stepped into his vision and began to sign. He watched those hands spell out several things. “You look lost in thought. Thinking about the Champion? You probably understand what she’s going through better than most.”

“Ya know too much. That’s exactly what I was thinkin’ about.” He signed back to the mute, not wanting to voice his thoughts.

“You should talk to her. It might help her come out of her shell. We can all tell she’s out of place and somewhat confused by what’s going on.”

“I don’t think it’s confusion. I think it’s uncertainty.” He was certain her mind was going quickly, processing every new thing they threw at her. He didn’t think she was confused about the situation, and when new information was presented to her, she had the balls to ask for an explanation. “I know the feelin’ of being a slave for so long that freedom isn’t even a wish. It’s not even a thought. It’s not a possibility to be acknowledged. Now she doesn’t know what she’s going to do with herself. Her mind is probably full of the fear of endless possibilities.”

Varon nodded at that and looked out over the forest with him. Nevyn walked up later, his arms wrapping around Varon’s waist in a slow, possessive way. Bryn chuckled. The two couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They had been that way for as long as he’d known them.

“How are you?” Nevyn asked Varon softly, who signed a quick ‘good’ to him. “I brought your bow and quiver over. I figured if Bryn sees anything, you can take it out without any problem.”

“Good idea,” Bryn agreed softly, his eyes still searching the darkness of the shoreline. As they entered the fork of the river, where a large secondary branch entered the Myriar River, the shoreline was further and further away. “I’m goin’ to ask a stupid question. Can ya make a shot from here, Varon?”

“That is a stupid question,” Nevyn teased lightly. Varon nodded confidently. Bryn figured, but he didn’t want to assume anything. Even after four hundred years with the Company, he always asked to make sure someone could do as they said they could. It was part of his distrustful nature. He’d met many Andinna who claimed they could do this or that, and most were dead for it, failing to be as good as they claimed.

He saw other ships as they entered the large area of the river and cursed angrily. He knew those flags. There were soldiers in the river, stopping boats for searches. That wasn’t good. Their entire deck was covered in Andinna, including one with white wings that could be seen for miles.

“Alchan,” he called softly.

“I see them,” their militaristic leader called back.

“We have two options,” Luykas pondered. “Keep the sails hoisted and use the wind to fly through them, or try to sneak through with the cover of darkness.”

“I say we blow through them. Sneaking means we can still get caught and not be prepared to move quickly.” Alchan crossed his arms, considering the crowd at the river fork.

“I like that too. We should get everyone non-essential below. That means you, Mave.” Luykas pointed at the female. Bryn’s eyes fell on her. She nodded professionally and he saw her hand twitch, as if searching for a blade at her waist that wasn’t there.

He knew what she wanted. To fight if needed. He knew the need to kill their captors at every possibility. He couldn’t resist the urge himself. It was his favorite thing to do. He was going to stay on the deck, just in case he got the chance.

It made his own hands twitch with excitement. Just the thought of slaughtering some skeevy, pointed-ear Elvasi soldiers brought him joy.

He watched as the ones rescued went below. He was glad Matesh and Rain were going to sit this out if they could. They needed to not get recaptured, and to rest. He knew the way of the gladiators in the Empire.

He wished he could have told them more before they had been taken. It was a time he didn’t really like talking about, but he wished he’d said more. Maybe it would have helped them. He hoped to catch them later and talk to them, once they were out of the Empire. He was smaller like Rainev, and knew the troubles that came from being smaller than the average male. He really should have spoken to the young male already, checked on him.

Skies, I hope that boy didn’t go through what I went through at his age.

“Bryn, get out of your head,” Nevyn whispered. “We’re on guard. They sent Leshaun below too.”

Bryn nodded. He looked at who stayed above. Their leaders, Alchan and Luykas. Varon and Nevyn. And him.

“We’re runnin’ on low numbers,” he mumbled, looking back out at the ships that hadn’t noticed them yet. They were in a small boat, using the cloak of night to cover them, but once they were moving through, they would be noticed.

“We can manage. We’ve had worse odds.”

“Have we? We’ve never been smugglin’ the Empress’ property before. This is a group of soldiers trying to please their Empress, not just protect their law.” Bryn knew there was a difference. Elvasi were possessive over what they believed was theirs, and they were also completely loyal to their royal family, to the point of extremism.

“Let’s move,” Alchan ordered.

Luykas murmured an incantation and a strong wind hit the boat. It was powerful magic. Bryn could smell the blood Luykas spilled to make it that strong. The sails caught the wind and they were off.

“Everyone get bows and be ready to pick off soldiers as we go. Anyone who lays eyes on us needs to go down, hopefully before they call for aid.”

Bryn ran for a chest near the door and pulled out a bow. He tossed a second to Nevyn. Luykas was right behind him, panting softly.

“Foolish to mix sorcery with blood magic,” Bryn commented lightly. It was actually against Andinna law, not that he gave a damn about that. He just knew mixing the two was dangerous stuff.

“It makes me one of the strongest magic users in the known world. I have to use the advantages I have. You trying to berate me for it?” Luykas’ tone turned harsh at the end and Bryn shook his head.

“No, but Leshaun will if he learns. He’s all about that taboo shit and followin’ the ways of our people.”

“Why do you think I sent him below with the rest?”

“Smart thinkin’.” Bryn chuckled, grabbing a quiver of arrows. They were speeding closer to the soldiers and their boats with every second he wasted, but he couldn’t bring himself to be serious. He loved combat and he had a feeling the night was going to get just as rowdy as he liked it.

“Everyone, at the ready,” Alchan called.

Bryn pulled an arrow and nocked it, ready. He was using a short bow, hoping to take closer targets, while Nevyn and Varon were near him, each with longbows. Luykas was also using a short bow.

His eyes landed on the closest ship, and heard the thwack of an arrow let loose. Varon nocked a second as Bryn watched a soldier fall over the edge of his boat, into the dark and deep waters of the river.

Yeah, he’d asked a very stupid question earlier.

He heard a soldier cry out and spun to look at another boat. He released the arrow and watched the soldier tumble into the river.

They entered into the fleet and they all began loosing arrows, watching soldiers drop and alarms get raised. There would have been no way for them to sneak through this, so Bryn just used it as a chance to kill a few soldiers who would only try to kill him later in a boarding attempt.

“Luykas, how long is the wind going to last?” Alchan called out, steering the boat through their potential blockers.

“Until we get away from the fork, at least,” his brother answered.

Bryn continued to take out whoever he could from his position. The boat rocked as another got too close.

“Board them!” a soldier roared in Elvasi. Bryn bared his teeth and shot the soldier who said it. They couldn’t stop the plank from hitting their deck, though, as the other boat was now in the winds that Luykas had drawn up for them, racing side by side.

“Kick it off!” Alchan screamed out from behind the wheel. Nevyn beat Bryn to it, pushing the plank into the river and letting a couple of soldiers fall down with it. Bryn took the opportunity to shoot the man behind the other boat’s wheel. It veered off and crashed into another boat without anyone steering it.

“Good fucking hit!” Nevyn yelled, laughing with an indescribable pleasure. Bryn grinned in return. “Also, good fucking idea. Maybe we can screw with them that way.”

“Find sorcerers and hit them too!” Luykas ordered. “We don’t need any more magic in the mix, and they have probably already been sending word down the river about our location.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” Bryn groaned. “We’re basically fighting their entire damn Navy as it is!”

“Well, we fucking asked for it,” Luykas retorted.

They had. Bryn couldn’t argue with that. He went back to his duty until he ran out of arrows. Thankfully, none of the other boats had gotten close enough to attempt to board as they broke through the other side of the small fleet and began to leave the fork behind. A groan was the only thing he heard that spelled trouble.

“Who got hit?” he demanded, turning around to see his friends.

“I did,” Nevyn sighed. He pointed to an arrow through his wing. “Not the worst injury, but an annoying one.”

“Get it out, ya damn idiot,” he snapped. Damn, he’d hoped they had gotten lucky and sped through too fast for the archers to get a shot.

“I’m fucking working on it!” Nevyn waited for Varon to bring a small dagger and cut the arrow in half, then slid it out of his wing. It left a small hole that would scar, but Bryn knew it wouldn’t ruin his ability to fly once it healed.

“We’re being followed, so stay ready. Luckily, we’re not going to be flying much here in the Empire. It’s too much of a risk.” Luykas looked over the wound with Nevyn. “Anyone else out of arrows?”

“I am,” Bryn spoke up, holding up his empty quiver. “So is Varon.”

“Fuck,” Alchan snapped. “They won’t catch up soon; everyone just stay on alert.”

“How much further to Myrsten?” Nevyn asked softly. “This is going to get messy since they know we’re on our way there.”

“We could abandon the boat and walk,” Luykas offered, looking up to his brother as he said it. “It’s an option.”

“The woods will just mean battles on foot. We knew this was fucking stupid and we’d get into some fights. It was only a matter of time.” Alchan was worried, Bryn could hear it.

“We’ve been in worse places,” he reassured them. “Remember that time in-”

“We don’t talk about that,” Alchan cut him off, growling. “They’re following. We need to keep speed and hope to board our way out before they cause more drama.”

“Could be worse,” Luykas reminded them. “I’m going to let them up here and have them prepped to be boarded and to move fast when we hit the bay at Myrsten. Better safe than sorry.”

“Good idea,” Alchan agreed softly. “Can you give us more wind after that?”

Luykas stilled. Bryn worried now. That level of magic was taxing, and repeating it so quickly would really exhaust Luykas, who was their most experienced with offensive magic, thanks to his sorcery.

“I can try, brother.”

“That’s all I ask.”

Bryn looked back to the boats following them. The night had become rowdy, all right. He secretly couldn’t wait to see if the Champion Maevana Lorren was as good as they said. He hoped she got in on the action.

Some part of him would always just be a gladiator.

27

Mave

“Everyone down here arm up and get ready. We had a lot of action upstairs and we’re expecting it’s only going to get uglier,” Luykas commanded.

Mave had sat tense in the dining area the entire time. They had heard Alchan’s roared orders, even grabbing blades when they’d heard there was a boarding attempt. Matesh held them all downstairs, though, as a last resort.

She hadn’t liked it, but she’d listened. He’d been right earlier in this wild journey toward freedom. He’d trusted her in the pits, and she needed to trust him here. So she did. She’d waited down below deck with them, sword in hand.

Community trusts each other, so I must trust them if I want a place. Or at least, trust Matesh and Rain. This is just an extension of that.

“Are you letting us come up?” Leshaun asked. “I’m not going to sit down here all night.”

“Yeah. Get armor on, and weapons. We’ll need the blades if we get boarded in the bay.” Luykas’ eyes fell on her. “Rainev’s or Brynec’s stuff should fit you. There’s a few extra sets of armor in one of the rooms.” He closed the door on them at that point and they all began scrambling into the small rooms in the hall.

Rainev opened a chest and pulled out two sets of simple leather armor, throwing her one. She got it nearly on until she couldn’t reach the straps that needed to wrap her waist. She got frustrated with it, not understanding how Rainev got it on so quickly. It wasn’t like the armor she wore as a gladiator.

“I got you,” her little brother murmured, wrapping it. “Real Andinna armor needs you to be able to move your wings so you can buckle it here in the front, but you shouldn’t be moving yours right now. If you need anything, just ask. No reason to get mad about it.” He grinned when it was buckled. “The armor they gave gladiators, or didn’t, in Matesh’s case, isn’t suitable for us. It’s not well made or very protective. It’s a lazy Elvasi design to work their armor around our wings. Skies, though, most Andinna males prefer to fight without chest armor anyway. Pants…those are always required.”

“So we don’t fight in the loincloths I would see them in. Of course.” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and Rain laughed. “Are you excited about this?”

“This is what being an Ivory Shadow is. Harebrained schemes that lead to trouble. I mean, sure, Alchan and Luykas are great military minds and would be leading armies if Anden hadn’t fallen but…they have a wild side to them, even if they don’t seem like it right now. They take on things bigger than we really should.” Rainev was still grinning as he handed her two short swords, sheaths attached to a belt. She put it on as he continued to arm himself and talk. “This is the stuff I’ve heard stories about growing up. If you ever get the chance, ask about-”

“We do not talk about that mission,” Matesh growled as he walked in. She glanced at him and her eyebrows felt like they were going to run off her forehead. He was in perfectly-fitted leather pants, slightly padded for protection, and the same shirt he’d been wearing. A long, curved sword rested at his waist. The breeches looked very good on him, she decided. “Ever.”

“Fine!” Rainev laughed. “Let’s get up there.” He pushed out of the room, getting around Matesh the hard way. Mave stood there with him for a moment, though.

“You look good. Andinna armor works on you.”

“Rain said you males normally fight without body armor?” She nodded at him. “You are still in just a cloth shirt.”

“Easier, since we’re so big. Some females do too.” He shrugged. “We already have unprotected wings. If we’re taken out of the air, nothing is going to stop a blade from entering our heart. The armor is just a nuisance at that point - more weight. You’ll notice, they’re all wearing thin leather as well, nothing substantial.”

“Understandable,” she mumbled. “Let’s go.”

“Promise me something?” he asked, not letting her pass.

“Depends,” she replied, looking up into the green eyes.

“Try not to get hurt?” he said the words softly.

“You should be careful; you sound like you genuinely care about me.” She was teasing but also meant the words. Before, caring for her got people killed. Caring for them had lost her everything.

“You know I care,” he whispered. “And I know you care, or you would have let us die in the pits. You wouldn’t have come to find us when we were jumped.”

“I can’t swim. You should know that. Before we go there…I can’t swim. If I go overboard, I’ll need someone to come in after me.” She felt it was a good time to reveal that. She had never been in a large body of water. It also changed the topic. This male found the worst times to talk about these sorts of things.

“Thank you for the information. Let’s get up there.”

He let her pass and leave first, following close behind her. When they made it above deck, she looked around and could see the boats behind them. They weren’t close enough to fire at them, not with archers, and they were being left behind as well.

“At this rate, we’ll leave them in the dust by the time we hit Myrsten, which we’ll make it to much earlier. But Myrsten will be a nightmare. I bet half the damned Navy is there waiting on us now.” Mat sounded so casual, but she saw the worry on his face and tense way he held himself.

“I’ll repeat, we signed up for this,” Bryn called out. “We knew it would be hell comin’ so deep into the Empire to get our boys.”

“It wouldn’t be so much trouble if we didn’t bring her along,” Alchan fired back. Mave turned to him, finally annoyed with his bad attitude.

Don’t do it, Mave.

She didn’t listen to her better half. “Then give me back,” she dared, meeting his amber eyes. “See if that solves all your problems. The other gladiators used to think if I died, their lives would somehow get better, too.”

Silence fell over them as she and the male glared at each other. He was rude. He might not have said anything mean to her specifically, but his attitude reeked of condescension and arrogance. He was angry with her for something she had little control over.

What was she supposed to do the night before? Stay in that room while Matesh and Rainev ran? Tell them to go without her when Zayden was obviously there for her as well, along with the Elvasi guard who gave his life and Dave, her most recent human.

I will not let him treat me this way. I will not be what I was in the pits.

The silent war for dominance continued as others started trying to talk them down. It was pushing on too long. She refused to lower her eyes because of his behavior, and she knew he was trying to stay the dominant Andinna on the boat.

“I’m not handing you back over to them,” he finally relented. He didn’t break the gaze, but it was an olive branch. “I’m stating the simple fact that we didn’t just take some of the Empress’ ‘property’, we took all of it. She’s going to do everything in her power to get you back before you get out of the Empire and further from her reach. And we’re all here for her to capture now. She knows it’s us.”

“No one is considering giving you back,” Luykas interfered, stepping between her and his brother. It ended the battle of wills. “He’s an ass when we’re on missions. It’s just what it is. He’s not here trying to insult you.”

“Doesn’t seem that way,” she snapped back. She’d been patient and listened to them the entire time on this boat, since they gave her a way out of the only life she’d ever known. But she was out of patience for Alchan’s comments. “I think he’s insulted me at nearly every turn, or blamed your troubles on me.”

“He’s just an ass,” Luykas admitted.

“Well, he should know he’s in good company with all the other Andinna I’ve ever met.” She looked around Luykas, up at Alchan behind the wheel of the boat. “Don’t worry. I’ll be leaving your company as soon as possible when we’re out of the Empire.”

Alchan didn’t have a response, his eyes wide at her sly insult. Luykas sputtered as another male, sounding like Matesh, cursed under his breath.

“Come on, Mave,” Rain whispered, grabbing her arm. He pulled her, but she refused to budge. “Big sister, now isn’t the time. You aren’t going back. Alchan isn’t like that, I promise. He’d die before seeing an Andinna in his care go back into slavery.”

“He just has no problem with leaving them there if it suits his purpose,” she growled out, pulling her arm away. The silence from others was still heavy, until Luykas waved a hand.

“Everyone, get on guard,” he ordered, his tone sharper than she’d heard from him yet. He looked at her, his face harder - only a slight change, but it bent his face in the other direction of his heritage. The expression made him look more like a stoney Elvasi than an Andinna. “You’re right. The Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company isn’t a band of heroes out to free slaves. We do, when we can, but we gave up on liberating everyone ages ago. We had to. If it had been possible to take our men out without needing to make a deal to take you out too, we would have gone with it.” His face softened slightly before he continued, “I wanted you free when I realized who you were, for my own reasons. I won’t lie, though, and say that it wasn’t also convenient, thanks to the help from Trevan and Dave, and that was how I convinced everyone else to agree to it.” He turned to walk to his brother, and she missed what he whispered harshly at him.

She felt slapped. There was the truth. Hadn’t Mat warned her, though? Or Rain? One of them had told her that very thing. The Ivory Shadows weren’t heroes who went out just to save people. They focused more on annoying the Empire and supporting the already free Andinna, not starting a war with the Elvasi Empire and its cunning Empress.

Even though she recognized the intelligence of their decision, it still didn’t ease the hurt. They would have left her if they could. I shouldn’t have said anything. I shouldn’t have tried to use it against him like that.

They did leave countless others all the time, like the other gladiators in the pits. Like I left the gladiators in the pits. I didn’t even consider them when we were escaping.

They weren’t heroes.

“We wouldn’t have left without you,” Rainev whispered to her. “Mat and I would have made sure you came too, no matter what.”

That was a comfort she needed that moment. “Thank you, little brother,” she mumbled back.

The conversation dropped, and Mave felt like she’d lost some sort of argument, a battle. No one spoke to her as she leaned on a rail and looked out over the river. Sure enough, as the night wore on, they left behind the boats trying to catch them and Myrsten came closer and closer.

“Are you okay?” Mat asked softly.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Weird to hear someone say that sure, they would definitely leave you for slavery if it made their lives easier.”

“Yeah…Mave, we tried before.” Matesh seemed uncomfortable, and she frowned at him.

“What do you mean?”

“For about two hundred years after the War ended, we tried to be those men. We saved countless people…and got more killed. You know, only about five percent of our people escaped the end of the War. Now roughly twenty percent are free. That’s not only because our population grew…it’s because the Empire, for every one we saved, killed two in retribution. Now we save sparingly, so those left behind aren’t going to get culled because of us.”

Her heart sank into her stomach. The Empire had paid them back for freeing their people, all right. No wonder they refused to play hero. “I didn’t know,” she mumbled. “I had…no idea.”

“Taking just the three of us could get a lot of those gladiators in the pits killed. Not like I’ll be sorry to see them gone, but we should expect some retribution. She owned us personally. This is a slap to her face.” Mat sighed and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Alchan’s attitude isn’t because he hates you. We just know the outcome to this better than most. Probably better than anyone.”

She didn’t say the obvious. They had still done it. They had still slapped the Empress in the face and stole away her ‘property’ right under her nose.

But they weren’t heroes.

It felt like an eternity later as she mulled it over when someone broke the silence of the Company. “We’re drawing closer to Myrsten,” Alchan called out. “They’ll know we’re coming. Everyone be ready. There’s a chance our way out of the bay is being held by guards at this point.”

“Why?” she asked, braving the idea of him calling her stupid.

“They’ll have boarded every foreign ship, knowing one of them is our way out. No Elvasi ship would take us. They won’t kill any of the merchants or sailors, since it would be a political nightmare, but they’ll hold them until we’re captured.” He explained it with less harshness, as if it didn’t bother him to give her an explanation. She frowned at the change in him. Maybe her insult had hit home. Maybe whatever Luykas had said to him had made some sort of difference.

“Thank you,” she replied, hoping he knew she meant it. She genuinely liked the knowledge. She only had a mind for combat in a dictated area. This was military maneuvering, and that was beyond her.

He just shrugged in response to her thanks, effectively ending the conversation.

It was Luykas who continued. “Pull the sails down, and everyone keep their wings in tight. We’re going to pull up to one of the first docks and get off and disappear into the city. They might find this ship, but they won’t find us until it’s too late.”

“So, we’ll walk onto our ship without them any the wiser, kill any soldiers on it, then get the fuck out,” Nevyn clarified, smiling her way. “Not a bad idea, if we don’t hit any soldiers in the city.”

“It’s better than floating right into the middle of them and trying to do a transfer in the water. Plus, we’ll lose their trail for a moment.”

“We’re comin’ up on the dock now,” Bryn called. Mave watched Varon and Rain pull down their sails. She looked forward and saw what they meant by a problem. The bay was coming into sight for her, and she saw it was filled with ships and smaller boats that seemed so close together that they must have been touching. “Do we need anythin’ else from this raft? I’m runnin’ down to get my bag.”

Mave shrugged. She had everything she’d always had. Two blades and clothes on her back. Nevyn ran down with him and they came up with several packs though. One was handed to her and she slowly took it, confused.

“It’s just some gear we need to bring,” Nevyn explained. “If you feel the need to get rid of it to survive, feel free. We’re just trying to save what we invested in for this mission.”

“Okay.” She pulled the pack close to her. Nevyn was trusting her with something. She was going to guard the damned pack with her life. In her mind, it was now hers. Something she could have and keep and protect. Another piece of property. She knew she was just protecting it for them, but until she gave it back, she was going to treasure it like she did her own blades.

Because he was trusting her with it.

No one noticed how possessively she held the pack as Alchan and Varon tied the boat. It was a tiny dock and they weren’t even in the bay yet, on the edge of the city.

“Stupid Elvasi think we’re going to sail right out there.” Mat snorted. “Fucking pointed-ear idiots.”

“Aye. Everyone follow me. I know these docks. Bet not much has changed since the last time I roamed them as a slave. You know the pier number of our escape?” Bryn took charge, looking to the group’s leaders.

“Fifteen,” Alchan answered.

“Good, means towards the end. Longer walk through the city proper, but once we’re on, less shit to deal with to get out of the bay.”

“Think we can make it?” Luykas asked that as they began leaving the boat. She just stayed at Matesh’s side, the pack in one hand and a gladius in the other.

“Aye, I do. Just keep yer heads down and follow me.”

He led them into an alley, and she felt like it was a flashback to what they had just done in Elliar the night before. Again, they were creeping through a city. At least this one didn’t have walls they needed to get through.

They were hushed as they entered a dingy, broken-down area of the city. None of them dared to speak as they pushed through hanging laundry and avoided kicking any of the crates and boxes lying around.

“We’re in the slums,” Bryn finally whispered. “Smugglers come through here pretty often, and there’s a lot of dissension amongst the free humans and dwarves about the Empire’s treatment of them. There’s a high chance they won’t say nothin’ if they see us because they hate the Elvasi. But there’s also a chance they will for the bounties on our heads. An escaped slave is worth hundreds of gold suns, and they all need the money.” She just listened carefully to what Bryn had said. It was fascinating.

So that’s how much I would be worth? More money than I could ever hope to see?

“Let’s just keep moving,” Luykas whispered back.

They slid into an even dirtier alley, where Bryn jumped a quiet, unsuspecting human, and put a hand over the woman’s mouth to stop her from screaming.

“We’re not goin’ to hurt you,” he whispered to her. Mave could practically hear the woman’s heart race. “Now, I’m going to need you to go to sleep.” She watched as Bryn held the woman around her neck, covering her mouth, until she stopped struggling and her eyes closed. He gently laid her down on top of some boxes, not putting her on the wet and filthy ground. “She’ll be fine. I didn’t want to take a chance on her screamin’.”

No one responded as he led them further into the dark through the slums of Myrsten.

Their next problem? A patrol.

Bryn raised a hand and they all stopped. “Jump them,” he ordered. Mave noticed that not even the leaders, Luykas or Alchan, disagreed. In that moment, someone could have said that Bryn was the leader of the Company and she wouldn’t have questioned it. “They’ll make a pass back, I promise. I don’t want ‘em behind us, though. Our party is too big. Wait on my call. Keep it as quiet as possible.”

Mat drew his sword next to her and she heard other steel slowly coming free from their sheaths. She already had her gladius in hand and waited on the word. She couldn’t see the target, but she knew Bryn could, at the front of their pack and looking out of the alley.

“Their backs are turned on us. Go.”

She took off with Mat at her side. As a unit, they moved quietly out of the alley, and before any of the soldiers knew what hit them, they were dying. It wasn’t the way she liked to do combat, preferring the fierceness and fairness of open combat, but she knew the practicality of staying quiet during their journey through Myrsten.

She killed two, feeling like she was cutting down civilians since it was almost too easy. The second had seen her but was too shocked by his men dying to have a response. She buried her sword in his chest faster than he could consider fumbling for his own.

“Leave the bodies,” Bryn commanded. “We don’t have time for ‘em. Once the sun comes up, these streets will get too crowded and leavin’ will be impossible.”

They all quietly followed back into the alleys and off the street where they took out the guards like pigs to slaughter.

As they went back to weaving through alleys, she just stayed focused on what would come at the end. This was it. They would get on their ship, clear it and then get out of the Empire.

She could taste freedom. It was so close. Something she had never even dared to wish for.

I can’t lose it now.

28

Mave

The streets and alleys slowly changed from crowded, covered in filth, and cramped to cleaner and more open passages between buildings. She guessed they were leaving the slums as the city changed. The laundry was clean, more organized, and the clothing that hung wasn’t rags, tattered. They were maintained. The buildings weren’t dingy, decrepit brown shacks stacked on top of each other, but clean wood and stone homes and businesses. Every so often Bryn held up a hand and they would stop. They would only keep moving if the hand came back down.

Then it changed.

Bryn held that hand up then waved it frantically. The males began to move in different directions, as if they had been told to scatter, but she didn’t know who to follow or where to go. Someone grabbed her and yanked. She once again found herself against a wall, like in Elliar, but this time there was a hand over her mouth. It also wasn’t Matesh there. Zayden held her there. She was so nervous that her chest was visibly rising and falling, pressed up against his. He just stared into her eyes, not moving. It looked like he wasn’t even breathing. His other arm was on the wall next to her. It was like he was shielding her.

She could hear guards moving, the clang of their metal armor. They were so close, and in the same alley as them. She tried to turn to see, but Zayden held her tightly, his hand still over her mouth. He gave a tiny shake of his head.

If we stay here, we’ll get caught. We can’t stay here. She tried to look to her sides, only rolling her eyes to see anyone else. Why wasn’t he letting her move? They needed to go.

The soldiers drew closer. “Slaves. What are you doing here?” one called out.

Zayden grunted and growled. “Trying to steal a moment to breed a pretty female, sir. Ain’t no harm,” he answered gruffly, like he was putting on Bryn’s accent.

Damn the Skies, what are you doing, you ass? You’re going to get us recaptured. I can’t go back. I just can’t. I’ll gut them if it comes to it - just let me go.

“Fucking animals, you Andinna. In a dirty alleyway and everything. Go back to your owner. Don’t have time-”

“A female is there with you? We need to see her. Now.” A different guard. A smarter one.

“No, you don’t,” he answered, a smile coming over his face. He moved her head to the side, so she couldn’t even try and glance at the soldiers. She heard the armor of them growing even closer.

“Now!” Alchan snapped from somewhere nearby.

“What?” the first guard said, confused.

Zayden was off her in a second, spinning as he pulled a dagger. He stabbed the guard in the gut twice then slit his throat.

Mave didn’t move as she watched the bodies of the guards drop. She didn’t even have a chance to pull a weapon. They were all dead before she had the chance to understand what was happening. “You used me for a trap.”

“Forgot you didn’t know our hand signs yet. When Bryn waved, it meant to scramble and hide. You didn’t move fast enough. I had to think of something.” Zayden spread his arms. “Sorry. There wasn’t time to explain.”

She just nodded in response. It was a smart move.

“We have to keep moving,” Luykas said quietly. “Let’s go. Bryn, lead the way.”

“Aye,” he agreed, and suddenly they were off again, and she was back in the pack, trying to get out of the city.

They continued moving. In the dark, she was happy she could see. The alleys they went through grew narrower at some points, forcing them to go in a single line. At others, they could bunch up, sometimes three people wide.

“ANDINNA!” a feminine voice screamed. Mave’s head snapped up, along with the others. An Elvasi was standing in her window, pointing down at them. “Guards, they’re here!”

Damned Elvasi whore.

“Go!” Bryn snapped. “Go!”

He pushed Alchan and Luykas ahead of him. Mave didn’t question it when Bryn motioned for her to go too. Already they could hear the running guards, coming closer with every step.

They ran out of the alley, and Mave nearly ran into Alchan, who had his sword drawn. In less than a second, she registered that there were guards there as well. She pulled her own sword, moving around Alchan and Nevyn to assault one of the guards in their way. Behind her, she could hear fighting as well. People began to get loud around them. The area was no longer asleep because of the fighting.

“Fuck! Bryn!”

She spun around. What happened?

Bryn was staggering back, snarling. Matesh pulled the rogue back further and shoved his blade into the soldier’s chest, through the metal armor.

“All dead, let’s move!” Alchan ordered. “Bryn?”

“I’ll be fine!” Bryn called. She didn’t like the red line over his side. It could be serious, very serious.

“Are you sure?” she asked as they began to jog back into the dark, trying to get away from the area. If they could disappear back into the night, then they’d be fine. “How deep is it?”

“It’s fine, little miss,” he answered. “Just keep your eyes forward. I’ll tend it when we’re on the ship out of here.”

“You’re a bit pale,” she pressed. “Blood loss-”

“Mave,” Mat called to her gently. “Leave it.”

“I don’t want more people dying for this,” she replied.

“Stop talking, all of you,” Alchan snapped. “Bryn, come back up to the lead. If someone needs to go down, let us know.”

“Aye.”

He left her side, leaving her with Mat and Varon.

* * *

“How much further?” Alchan asked as they were deep in the nicer area of the city. Mave felt like it had been ages since they left the boat. They had been sneaking for what seemed like an eternity, far away from the scene of the previous fight.

They all slowed down and stopped as Bryn sighed, seeming weak from his injury. He held a hand to his side and leaned on a wall. “Pier fifteen is on the other side of the city from where we came in. The piers are crawlin’ with soldiers, of course, which means I’ve needed to bring us around the long way.”

“We don’t have time for the long way,” Alchan grumbled, leaning against a wall. “We’ll need to make a faster route.”

“We don’t have time to fight the amount of soldiers crawlin’ around either. If you haven’t noticed, they’re on high alert. We’ll end up fightin’ the entire damn Navy. I’m already injured. They know we’re here. It’s a fuckin’ risk, Alchan.”

“We’ll take the risk. You said it earlier: if we don’t get out by the time the sun comes up, we aren’t getting out.” Luykas was rubbing his face as he said it. “Quick vote. Fast or slow.”

As the males all quickly whispered their vote, she said nothing. It wasn’t her Company. They probably didn’t want her opinion in it.

“Mave?” Mat looked over to her. She looked around and noticed they were all staring at her.

“Fast?” She questioned her own decision, but the idea of running through and getting to their way out faster appealed to her. What if I’m wrong? Bryn needs help but what if this is just worse on him?

“Awesome, we all agree except Leshaun, Brynec and Varon.”

Bryn and Varon rolled their eyes, while Leshaun just threw his hands up in defeat. Varon signed quickly, an angry expression on his face, to Nevyn, who grabbed the other male’s hands to stop it. “Don’t yell at me - you know the rules. We voted, we go.”

Varon snatched his hands away and began signing again. It must have been insulting or funny since Bryn began to chuckle while Nevyn glared at those hands.

“Fine, we’ll try not to get ourselves killed doing this.” Bryn shrugged, pulling his hand away from the wound. Red covered it. None of the other males said anything, but she had a feeling they all worried like she did over it. “Let’s move.”

He led them down a road between patrols. As they moved, he ducked into another alley and she began to see what he meant. As she could smell the bay waters, that salty sea water she’d only heard about, the soldiers became more congested, filling the streets more effectively. They had to begin breaking the group up. She was up to run after Alchan across a street in one such case when he said something to her again.

“When we get through with this, we’ll talk,” he muttered to her. She nodded in response. That would be good. Matesh and Rain worked for him, and she wanted to keep them in her new life of freedom. Alchan then became someone she was going to need to deal with. It rubbed her the wrong way but she would deal.

Mave, he’s offering a chance to deal with it now. He’s already proving to be slightly better than Seventy-Two.

He made his run across the street. She waited for Bryn to signal her and went fast. She didn’t like sneaking but she had some experience in it from her early days in the pits. When she was across, they waited for Matesh, who was last.

“This blows,” Rain muttered as they continued on.

“I agree,” she whispered back to him as they continued towards the pier.

“Fuck,” Bryn snapped. She heard a small shout and steel crash together. She looked around Rain and saw Bryn lowering a dead guard to the ground. “Damn the fuckin’ Skies.” She watched him touch his wound again. And saw a new one on his arm.

“Roger?” another guard called out.

“We need to move.” Alchan waved them to continue while Bryn went for the second guard, dispatching him efficiently - but not soon enough.

“HALT!” another Elvasi screamed out.

“Move!” Luykas yelled, taking off down another alley.

Bryn was still leading them, now at a breakneck pace. Now it was very reminiscent of her previous night in Elliar.

“We’re close!” Bryn yelled back to them.

She turned around for only a moment, to see guards following behind them. Mat also glanced back, noticing she had. She made a quick decision. She stopped running as they continued on and attacked the first guard who got to her, dropping the pack to draw her second sword as she moved.

She cut him down, opening his gut with a fatal slash he didn’t have time to stop. She spun and shoved her sword into the chest of the second.

“Mave! What-” Zayden stopped talking as she kicked the guard into the wall, yanking her gladius free. A third guard ran up to her, and she side-stepped his swing, letting it slide off her left blade, cutting open his throat with her right. Blood sprayed in a way that reminded her of times she’d killed on the sands, getting on her face and chest.

“Skies,” Luykas mumbled.

She picked up the pack without a word and walked closer to the group, who had stopped when they realized she had. She didn’t say anything as they all stared at her, until Bryn snapped his fingers. “Ya, guys, we need to keep moving. Good work taking those out.” He pointed to the dead guards.

“Yeah…good work,” Alchan whispered, his eyes locked on the bodies, not her.

Only Matesh and Rainev seemed unsurprised. Rain even elbowed Nevyn and grinned. “I found a good big sister, right?” he asked, his voice light and cheery. Nevyn just nodded. That made her feel more pride than she felt was possible. Not just a big sister, but a good one. He was proud of her.

They didn’t waste any more time after that. In the dark alleys, they kept moving. She felt more focused now, honed and ready. A little bit of combat and bloodshed made her less annoyed and anxious with the running, and more in her element. Rainev’s comment stuck with her as well, bringing up her confidence about the entire situation. She’d done well enough to silence the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company, and Rain claimed her in front of all of them as a good big sister.

Bryn held up a blood-covered hand to stop them at the end of an alley. She could smell the sea water clearly now, the fish as well. “We’re nearly at the pier. We’ll have to make a flat-out run from here. Get on the ship, kill any guards in the way.”

“Which ship?” Mat asked him, leaning next to her, his hand on her wing. A comfort, a casual touch that when she’d met him, she would have taken his hand for. Now, she liked it.

“Sail is a white gryphon on blue. First time working with them specifically, but you’ll know the captain. He changed companies to keep the Empire guessing on his smuggling operations,” Luykas answered. “Bryn, you let us know when we’re going.”

“Aye.”

They settled down, ready to run. White gryphon on blue, she mentally repeated to herself. It took ten heartbeats - she counted - for Bryn to say the word.

“Go.”

29

Matesh

They all took off. Matesh could see the ship immediately. Nearly four times the size of the boat they had taken down the river, it was a seafaring merchant craft with no arms. He didn’t like that, but he hadn’t had any hand in planning this mission.

“Don’t stop!” Alchan roared, his sword drawn. Matesh was behind and could see his blade cut into the first guard stupid enough to try and draw his own sword. He watched Bryn, his daggers out, jump on another Elvasi, snarling as he took the guard down.

Then he looked back to Mave, who was running as fast as she could - at the back of the pack, though, which he didn’t like. He saw that behind her, they had followers. Archers were nocking arrows to try and rain them down on the entire group.

“Mave, to me!” he called, slowing. She ran past him and he took up the rear, hoping to watch her back. An arrow sliced through his wing, making him hiss in pain. Another cut his thigh, but he refused to let that slow him. He was getting the fuck out of the Empire, even if it meant he’d be a damn cripple from injuries.

“Are they getting ready to leave?” Nevyn screamed, hitting the pier with Varon before anyone else. Varon had an arrow in his wing as well, yanking it out with a snarl.

“Clear the guards off the ship,” Luykas ordered, reminding them all of their last objective.

“Don’t worry, mates! We’re already on it!” a roguish human-Elvasi mutt called back. Matesh wanted to laugh as the pirate waved at them, his crew causing all sorts of drama around him, shoving guards overboard. In their metal armor, those guards were goners. They would sink to the bottom of the bay. “Let’s get out of this shithole!”

Captain Sen was a great man. Matesh hadn’t been so happy to see pointed ears before in his life. He didn’t have time to celebrate, as a unit of guards - maybe thirty of them - came running down the pier.

He kicked the closest one back then lopped his head off, a war cry erupting from him. It brought out the war cries of the other Andinna, a chorus that promised blood and violence. A warrior people, they were born and bred for death.

Even Mave roared, diving into the guards, spinning and cutting them down, by their legs. Any that she didn’t kill, he and Alchan worked on, as Luykas ran onto the ship. The sails came down in a flash, catching the wind immediately. Matesh had no idea where Zayden and Rain were, or where Nevyn and Varon had gone. Leshaun was completely missing. He hoped they were all secure aboard. None of them could get hurt while on this fucking insane rescue mission.

“Keep them down there!” Luykas called out as magic began to hang in the air around them. It was suffocating. Matesh’s blood felt like it was vibrating from the energy of the battle and magic Luykas was conjuring.

A fierce wind began to blow. Mat ignored it and the dust being kicked up as he cut the sword arm off a guard, then swung his longsword into the neck of another. Blood was beginning to cover him.

He screamed in pain, though, when something sliced open his wing. A roar followed that. He barely turned in time to see Mave jump on the guard that had hit him, sending her blade not into his chest, but into his head. It split the guard’s skull wide open, a gory mess of brain and blood everywhere.

“Get up here!” Luykas yelled.

Mat grabbed her and pulled, getting her out of the battle. As they ran up the ramp, they had to turn and kick back guards who were trying to follow. Alchan was coming up last, doing his best to push the guards in the metal armor into the water were they would drown. Matesh took another hit, something cutting through the leather he wore and sliding across his ribs. He shoved his sword into the guard closest to him, lost in a madness of pain and blood.

He'd hated killing on the sands at the orders of Elvasi who wanted bloodbaths for entertainment, but this, this was what he was trained for. This was what his people were meant to do. Defeat their enemies by any means necessary. No mercy, through the pain and injuries.

He gutted the next, spinning. He noticed Mave at his side, killing another guard, a vicious pleasure on her face.

Together, it was like they were back in the pits that day. Their backs against the wall, protecting Rain. This time, they protected their ship from these guards. This was their way home, and they would not lose it.

Something grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked. His back and injured wing slammed into the deck of the boat and he snarled at the pain. I need to kill them!

He tried to get back up, but was shoved down by a boot. He roared up at the male, only to see white.

“We’re moving! Kick the damn ramp down, Alchan!” Luykas was harsh and rough, standing above him. He must have been the one to pull him back and force him down. He heard the wooden ramp fall into the waters below. The ship creaked and groaned. “Everyone find some cover! They’ll be shooting at us!” He moved the boot finally, looking down at Matesh. “Stay on this ship.”

Matesh cursed and pushed himself up, looking around. His eyes quickly fell on Mave, her hair damp and her face covered in blood. Her armor, even though it was a dark brown, looked nearly black in the night thanks to the gore of battle.

She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

“Get inside, you idiot.” Leshaun broke him out of his reverie for the gorgeous female. “Your wing is all fucked up now. Looks like a clean cut, but I need to suture it. Let’s not talk about your ribs, or legs. How could you take so many injuries?”

“We don’t have time,” Matesh growled back. “Treat Bryn. He’s been bleeding out.”

“If you ever want to fly again, you’ll-”

The ship rocked hard and Mat grabbed his uncle before he slipped and fell to the deck. He would let Leshaun tell him what to do if he went inside too, he decided. He hauled his uncle to the door below deck and opened it.

“We’ll stay near the door, in case we need to fight,” he told his uncle. “Understand? I’ll risk the wing to keep everyone alive. You can do whatever you want to do here. Inside. Behind me.”

“I don’t need you to protect me, Matesh. We’re in this position because we’re rescuing you,” Leshaun growled back.

“It’s called a compromise, bodrya,” Mat snapped.

“I compromise with females. I kick the shit out of males.”

“No, you take orders from females, you compromise with other males,” Mat fired back.

“Damn. I should have never told you that,” Leshaun grumbled. “Let me get a kit and start sewing that up.”

Mat looked over the deck. He was under an overhang from an upper deck, safe from arrows. Mave was holding up a crate lid above her, which had two arrows in it already. Rain and Zayden were hiding under the same overhang of the upper deck, panting. Zayden had blood dripping down an arm, but otherwise, they both looked okay.

“We’re going to get boarded while we’re trying to leave!” Luykas called out.

“Everyone stay ready,” Alchan joined.

Mave jogged to him and he kissed her forehead, ignoring the blood. He was glad she was okay. To think he hadn’t wanted to get involved with her at the beginning. Now he was nearing obsessiveness. He knew it was just how his people were. Males tended to find a female to get attached to, then did everything they could to prove they were worthy of her. He was there. He’d admitted he wanted to be her lover, and then she’d offered to die for him and Rain. He wasn’t sure he loved her, but he wanted to be hers either way. Her lover, a member of her mayara, a male she could lean on when she needed it. He wanted to be chained and owned by her. At her beck and call.

He was in deep. He could barely focus on the madhouse around him as he focused on her scent next to him, inhaling it deeply. She smelled of cool earth, like the damp, cold earth of Anden. The dark tunnels of the pits had made her smell like home. He hoped that never changed. It made his battle-hard cock, fueled by adrenaline, try to jump for attention. He hoped she didn’t mind feeling it at that moment, shoved into her side. There was really nothing he could do about it. Andinna males got hard during a good battle. It was on him that he wanted to use it right then, but she didn’t need to know that.

Something slapped his healthy wing and he growled at Bryn when he saw him.

“Do me a favor and cut this,” the rogue said nonchalantly. Mat narrowed his eyes on the arrow in his shoulder. “It’s fuckin’ barbed so it’ll require some care takin’ out. I’ll hold it and ya can cut the shaft down, though, so it’s not in my way.”

“Sure,” he muttered, grabbing one of the rogue’s daggers. He did it quickly, so it didn’t jostle the arrow around. He handed the dagger back as he looked over the location of the wound. “Think it hit anything vital? You can’t take any more injuries.”

“Nah. I can breathe just fine. I think it hit muscle and got stuck. Shit happens, right?” Bryn grinned and Mat couldn’t resist a chuckle.

“Get inside and let a sailor patch you up,” he ordered, moving slightly. Bryn nodded and ducked in, his face too pale. Blood loss. The guy was about to drop.

The boat rocked and he spun to see why. Mave even growled at his side. An Empire ship had bounced along their side and they watched the ramp get dropped. The ship rocked again and the same thing was happening on the other side.

“Time to fight again.” Nevyn laughed out, raising his sword. “Let’s kill some pointy-eared bastards!”

Matesh raised his own blade and roared in return, running for the ramp as the first guards came off. He ran for them and killed the first, while Mave jumped next to him and cut down the next. Rain came up on his other side and they blocked the guards trying to board from their port side.

“Rain, think you can shift and cause some mayhem?” he asked, kicking back another guard and sending the Elvasi male overboard.

“I think I can!” Rain laughed. “Have some clothes ready for me!”

“Wait! They will shoot him out of the sky!” Zayden roared, grabbing his son before he could move. “Are you both mad?”

“There’s not many options left!” Luykas called back to them. “Rain, stay close in case you go down. We need to be able to collect you, just in case!”

“Roger that!” Rain yelled to him. He pulled away from his father. Mat shoved his sword into a guard trying to get at the father and son glaring at each other. “I’m doing this. I’m the only one who can.”

“If you get killed-”

“What? You’re going to murder me?” Rain backed away then started running from the stern. Mat wanted to witness this. Rain didn’t shift often enough in his opinion. Mainly because people tended to run screaming from him.

“Mave, watch,” he snapped, taking a chance to finally kick the ramp off their boat. Three guards on it tumbled into the water below.

“Watch what- OH!” He watched her eyes go wide and grinned.

A roar deafened everything after that. Mat turned back to Rain and didn’t see the mutt Andinna with dark blue wings. He saw the wyvern, twice the size of a large warhorse, flying high, gaining altitude. When it dove back down, fire erupted from its mouth and roasted the boat next to them. It finished one pass, then moved to the other side. He was cheering with everyone else, pirates and Andinna, as Rain literally rained hell down on their enemies.

They broke away from the Empire’s ships and kept moving at top speed for the opening of the bay.

He was so preoccupied by the sight of Rain winning them their freedom that he didn’t notice when Mave stopped cheering as well.

30

Mave

Mave couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She had known that Rainev could shift into a wyvern, being a mutt with a Clan mother. But the massive blue reptile with its enormous wingspan, bringing fire down, was a sight she’d never thought she’d see. She’d even seen a wyvern before, but it had been chained in the Colosseum, unable to fly, only killing whatever gladiators they threw at it. It had been starved and unhealthy in comparison to him.

Around her, the males and pirates were cheering. The run for the boat had been chaos. Now that they were moving and Rain was destroying their enemy’s ships, victory was in sight.

She couldn’t stop herself. She raised her right blade and roared in victory with him, her blood pumping with the excitement of the battle. Victory was theirs - she could feel it. As ships went up in flames, guards screaming as they tried to survive, she cheered for her little brother. He might have been the smallest of all of them, fast but lithe, but as a wyvern, he was a beast and she knew she’d chosen well too, trusting him and Matesh in the pits.

That is my brother. My family. He’s amazing.

As they cheered, her head began to ache. She didn’t question it until a sharp, stabbing pain began, causing her to gasp and drop her swords. She touched her head, leaning onto a rail, wondering why it hurt so badly.

“I never wanted to do this, but you should come back, Maevana. Your people will never love you. You will always be an outcast. You should know that. They are only using you to strike at me. They will reject you the moment you are out of the Empire and they don’t need you anymore.”

Mave felt pure terror at the voice in her head, as it felt like it was splitting open. She thought she was dying for a moment, but knew she had no injuries.

“I don’t particularly like using this magic, but you must know, I’ve only ever done what I thought would make you stronger. I’ll change. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just come back to me. I raised you, Maevana. I did that. I could have tossed you aside when the War ended, but I didn’t. I could have executed you for killing that guard, but instead I gave you a chance to survive in the Colosseum. I’ve given you more rights and privileges than any other slave. You’re like a child to me, even if I must be harsh on you. I just don’t want you to be a monster like them. Please.”

Mave gasped, tears falling from her eyes. Around her, people were still cheering their victory. They were going to make it out of the bay. They were going to leave the Empire.

She couldn’t even think about that, as it felt like Bryn’s daggers were cutting out her brain. Her hands shook. She felt blood begin to pour out of her nose.

“Maevana, you’ve always followed orders well. You might have been stubborn in your own beautifully unique way, but you were also obedient. I’ll give you rooms in the palace. I’ll let you have a say in things. Just come back.”

She knew the Empress was lying. She knew it.

“Maevana, all I ever wanted was for you to love me. The only reason I treated you poorly was so that you would learn, grow, become something more than a blood-drunk Andinna barbarian, and you were so close. So very close to letting go of the temper and gaining control over your urges. Please come back. I’ve been making you better than them. You belong here.”

“No,” she groaned. Lies. All lies. “No, no, no.”

“Fine. Then I’ll make you come back. You obviously don’t know what’s good for you.”

Mave couldn’t stop herself as her wings forced themselves open to try and fly. She wasn’t going back. She couldn’t. Her legs moved, but Mave had her own ideas. She threw herself off the ship, glad the hands of an unknown Andinna couldn’t grab her, and into the dark waters below, knowing her weak wings wouldn’t be able to stop the fall.

She was going to die before she let the Empress take her back with whatever sorcery she was using. She refused to go back to the Colosseum and the pits. Back to whoring and being beaten. Back to killing her own people. Back to being despised and hated for breathing.

She sank, knowing she was going to drown and die free.

31

Zayden

Zayden refused to cheer as his boy put himself in harm’s way to make their escape easier. Sure, he was doing great, his Rainev. Fantastically, of course. It was his son. He did nothing wrong. None of the ships had the large spear mounts necessary to take out a wyvern, and arrows were probably just tickling his boy, if they hit at all.

But he refused to cheer. He’d never wanted Rain to join the Company, and this was exactly why. He was in danger constantly. Hell, his son’s first mission, he’d been captured with Matesh and that led to this nightmare of a mission.

I’m not going to cheer for this, damn it. He kind of wanted to, but kept his mouth firmly shut.

He would quietly tell Rain he was proud of him later, but he wasn’t going to cheer with his friends while his son was in danger. He turned his back on the sight, deciding he could begin preparing everything inside, below deck, for them to be comfortable for the month they would be on the damn ship.

His eyes fell on Matesh and Mave. Those two. He wouldn’t be mad at Mave. She had nothing to do with this, but Mat…

Zayden knew he had a bone to pick with his old friend. It was all his fault. He’s the one who told Rainev that one day he’d be able to join the Company. He’s also the one who told Rain he should shift and finish this off, get them out of the bay the easy way. I’m going to kill him for this.

He frowned when he saw the female gasp and drop her swords. He watched her clutch her head in both hands. It looked like she was in terrible pain, and that concerned him. They had done so much to get her, his son, and fucking Mat out of the Empire. Had she been injured? She was covered in blood, but he had no idea if any of it was hers.

He walked quickly, speeding up as she hit the rail. She said something, but he missed it.

“Mat, grab her!” he roared. Mat stopped cheering and clapping for his reckless boy and turned, his face paling as Mave tossed herself over the railing. Zayden was there in an instant, but they both missed her, reaching down for her.

“She can’t swim!” Mat cried. “I can’t either right now.”

Well. Fuck.

Zayden jumped over the rail after her. He’d be damned if she died on them now.

He dove expertly into the water, his wings tucked against his body to streamline him. His tail helped him propel through the water when he splashed into the dark ocean. It was so fucking dark, he could barely see her. The bubbles coming from her mouth were the clearest sign.

He kicked deeper until he grabbed her wrist, listlessly floating in the water, and then he stretched out his wings. Using them, he flapped as if he was trying to take off, and it shot them both up towards the surface.

He took a deep breath of air when his head was above the water and he hoisted her head above as well. She wasn’t breathing. He figured she hadn’t even tried to hold her breath when she went under.

“I’m not letting you fucking die now, you Skies-damned female,” he snarled. Rainev loved her too much. After the boy lost his mother, Zayden wasn’t letting the only other female Rainev ever loved die on them so soon. His son wanted a big sister, and he was going to fucking have one until the day he died. Zayden wasn’t having any of this ‘drowning’ shit.

He looked for the ship, realizing there was already a lot of distance between them. The waves shoved him around and he kept fighting to hold onto her. All their armor was weighing them down. Add in that she was completely dead weight, and he was having a harder time than he’d figured.

“Damn it. Female, I don’t really like you right now,” he growled, struggling to keep them both above the waves. He couldn’t even see the ship anymore, and a wave crashed over them.

“Zayden!” Matesh roared. “We’re throwing down a ring!”

“Fucking hurry, you fucking pigeon!” Zayden roared back, trying to reposition her to keep her up and swallowing sea water in his attempt to yell at Mat. He glanced up to see one of them flying over him.

The ring hit the surface right next to him. He pushed Mave on it and grabbed the second rope they threw down, tying that on her waist then to the ring.

“Pull her up!” he screamed. “I can swim for a moment!”

He got no answer, only seeing that the female began to lift up. He struggled in the water and cursed as his own fucking son dove down and grabbed him like a toy in the bath. He cursed.

He saved his son’s new fucking big sister and his son saved him. He was never going to live this down.

He was dropped on the deck and Rain shifted back to his regular form right after, reaching for him. “Are you fucking mad?” his son asked.

“Apparently,” he grumbled. He let go, sooner than he wanted, but he also felt the need to check on her. He watched Nevyn put her on the deck, and they quickly untied the ropes from her, while others got to work removing her armor.

Be okay, damn it. Rain needs more family, and he wants you.

As he saw Leshaun pushing down on her chest, hoping to force the water out, Luykas stepped into his vision. “What happened?” their mutt leader demanded.

“She dropped her weapons and grabbed her head like it was in pain. She was mumbling to herself. She threw herself off the ship, Luykas!” Zayden pointed down at her. “She’s not bleeding. I don’t know what the fuck happened, but it wasn’t fucking natural.”

“Damn the Skies,” Luykas snapped, turning back to her. “Bryn, a dagger, now.”

The rogue gave it over without question. Rain pushed him aside as he ran to her and Zayden glared at his son. Some thanks for saving his new friend.

Zayden thought for a moment that maybe he was getting too cranky. He should be worrying about whether the female would survive. Females were rare enough, and the Empire hadn’t helped that situation. They were born in a one to four ratio compared to males and the Empire probably took that ratio to one to eight.

He felt a wave of guilt. He was worried about her. He was worried about his son, Matesh, and the Company. He just needed to know his boy was going to be okay, and now he was. He needed to get over himself.

“What are you doing?” Leshaun snarled. “That is-”

“Taboo.” Luykas finished, seeming unperturbed. Zayden looked around Nevyn and saw what Luykas had done. He’d cut his arm open from wrist to elbow, and hers. Then he grabbed her elbow and pressed the two wounds together.

His eyes went black, not a trace of gold left.

The veins on his arms went black, too, and hers as well. Those black veins were why Blackblood were called what they were. Zayden’s heart felt stilled by what he was watching. The black veins continued up their arms and shoulders, all the way to their hearts and heads.

“You’re going to kill her!” Leshaun roared, but Zayden knew nothing was stopping Luykas now.

“Leave him be,” Alchan snapped. “There’s magic at work.”

“Don’t I know it!” Leshaun was furious. They were going to be hearing about this for years. This was some dark magic, a use of blood magic that shouldn’t be done. “He’s tapping into her blood since they’re now mixed! They’ll be bound together, and she has no choice in the matter!”

“He would never do it without a reason,” Mat whispered. “Keep going on her chest or I will. The water needs to leave her lungs, uncle.”

Leshaun went back to his task. Zayden’s hands were shaking. He felt ill. A blood bond - an unaccepted one at that. It was considered a violation of their people, a violation of the blood magic.

Her eyes opened as she began to cough, but the silver-blues he’d grown to like just a little were gone. Her eyes were all black like their leader’s.

When Luykas released her, the wounds on their arms healed before Zayden’s eyes. Only thin white scars were left behind. Everyone was silent as her eyes returned to normal then closed, as she passed into a deep healing sleep.

“Mat, take her inside,” Luykas whispered hoarsely. “I’m sorry. It had to be done.”

“I’ll expect you to tell us why any minute now,” Leshaun growled out. “Why you would force a bond on a dying female is a question that demands an answer.”

“There was a sorceress in her head. She would have never been free if I didn’t use the blood bond to burn out the other presence.” Luykas stood up, staggering into his brother, who held onto him, keeping him on his feet. Zayden grabbed Rainev to stop him from following as Matesh carried her into the bowels of the ship. The pirates around them were silent, going about their business. They were all humans, dwarves, and mutts, but none of them were Andinna. They had no idea what just transpired. “She…I was there for a moment. She threw herself overboard because the sorceress was trying to force her to go back, since she wouldn’t do it willingly.”

“Why didn’t this happen earlier?” Alchan asked, holding his brother up.

“A last resort on the sorcerer’s part,” he answered. “A desperate last resort. Also, it requires so much power to do that the sorcerer might need weeks, if not months, to recover. It’s dark magic. Not something done lightly.”

“Do you know how to do it?” Leshaun asked, grabbing Luykas by the front of his shirt.

“No, of course not. I’ve never touched the darker arts. Everything I know is basics and what I can blend with blood magic.”

“Damn the Skies. Sometimes I wonder what General Lorren saw in you.”

“Considering I just saved his daughter’s life and free will, I don’t think he’d care about the method,” Luykas snapped back, finally getting angry. Zayden was glad. He had a point. If that was the only way to keep her out of the hands of a sorcerer, then it had to be done.

They dispersed after that, small conversations popping up. Rain grabbed his arm before he could get inside. “Baba, I’m sorry about all of this,” his son whispered. Fuck, his son was going to hit him where it hurt. Calling him baba and everything. Cruel boy.

“None of this was your fault,” he said, meaning it. “You did well today.” It galled him to admit it, but it was the truth. “You were a fantastic warrior tonight.”

“Thanks. None of it was Matesh’s fault either.”

“I’m not sure I can agree with that. You would have never been on that mission if it weren’t for him.” There was the game. Protect Matesh.

“I had always wanted to be in the Company. Always. The first mission went sour, and it happens. You all had lost members before. But you came for me, we’re all getting out. It’s going to be fine. I’m fine.”

Zayden said nothing, just grabbed his son to him and held him. As they sailed away from the Empire, he just held on to his boy. You damned boy. I’m going to strangle you one day, damn it. I swear.

“I’m too young to lose you,” he quietly reminded his son. He wasn’t even two thousand. He wasn’t even close to half done with his life and here he was, constantly worried about his overly passionate son who could turn into a damn wyvern. He saw heart attacks in his future, like he always did. “You’re too young to die on me. You’re all I have left of her; don’t forget that.”

“I know.” Rainev pulled back. “Thank you for saving Mave. She’s great when you get to know her, when she’s not bottling up and hiding. She can get snarky, with a dry wit. I told her to mind the business end of a chimera and she asked me which one. It was hilarious. She has no patience for stupid, but when she cares…it’s amazing. It just takes time.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” He hadn’t had much of a chance to see this female that Rain and Mat knew. He genuinely hoped he would. She seemed interesting compared to the ones he’d known so far. Considering he’d just jumped into the ocean after her, he’d be damned if he didn’t get to know her now.

Considering she was a member of the fucking family.

“She’s just been really unsure of this and everyone.”

“I know,” he agreed. He could tell now. He’d also now seen her with a sword, though, and that was terrifying. Exceptional, really. She really shined when she was in combat, that much was certain. “Rain, you can stop trying to sell her to me. I don’t dislike her. You picked a fine female for a big sister. That’s why I wasn’t going to let her die on you. You don’t die on me, and I’ll do my best to make sure that you can keep her like a damned lost puppy. All right?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Rain grinned. The grin didn’t make it to his eyes. His eyes held secrets and pain.

“Go check on her,” he ordered.

Rain was an adult, certainly. He could decide on his own, but he was also young enough to still be the boy, the son, the nephew. He was happy and loving, his heart too big. They all looked out for him, not ready for the real world to shatter him yet. Rain walked inside, and he stood out on the deck a moment longer.

Zayden didn’t want to say anything about the darkness he was beginning to see in Rain’s eyes. He knew some of his son’s recent gleefulness had been an act. It worried him, but he knew that if his son didn’t come to him to talk, he would go to any of the others and it would be okay. He hoped.

He hoped even more that Mave would continue to be there for Rainev as well. Zayden didn’t only save her because she was important to his son. He saved her because he knew she saved Rain. He only hoped she continued to do so, because he felt only she could really understand the darkness he was beginning to see in his boy’s eyes.

32

Alchan

“You made a blood bond with her,” he said, groaning as he fell into the chair. Alchan couldn’t believe it. He really couldn’t. “We won’t be getting rid of her now.”

“It wasn’t about that. I was telling the truth when I said it was the only way to save her, since I didn’t know the art of what had been done to her. I know of it, but not a way to deal with it through sorcery. The blood bond was the first thing I could think of.” Luykas sounded exhausted. He didn’t blame him; he was exhausted too. This mission had them living on scraps in the woods, waiting, hiding, as they gathered information, and the last day had been a nonstop nightmare, a run for escape.

“I know. I’m not saying you were trying to keep her by doing it, but…we can’t just leave her in a village now. She’ll have the urge to be close to you and you close to her. There’s no way to deal with that. You’ll be distracted unless you know where she is, and she won’t be able to concentrate on anything having to do with making a new life or fitting in.” He was just trying to get his brother to understand what he was saying. He didn’t want to outright say it. Dawn had come up before he’d been willing to sit down and have this conversation. His men had needed tending first. He’d needed tending, thanks to the long cut on his thigh.

“I know all of those things. Stop trying to make me understand what I did. I know what I did. I’m a fully trained Blackblood, Alchan, not an idiot.”

“No…” He leaned back in his chair. “She’s an exceptional warrior who will now need to stay close to you, within a few clicks, at least. Matesh and Rain would have never been okay with just dumping her off somewhere, that much is obvious. Zayden saved her life…”

Don’t make me say it, you prick. You know where I’m going with this.

“She should join the Company. Are you admitting she should join the Company?”

“Yes,” he mumbled angrily.

“Say that again. Louder this time.”

Damn the Skies and my fucking brother. “She should join the Company. She’s a warrior. We have all the resources available to teach her about the Andinna. She’s close to some of our members already, and she’s now blood bonded with you. She should join the Company. She wouldn’t fit in with a village even if we tried to leave her in one.”

“I thought so.” Luykas laughed weakly. “She won’t be awake for a few hours yet. Her mind is weak from the invasion, and the blood bond didn’t help that.”

“Do you know who did it? Who got in her?”

“No.”

Luykas was a bad liar, but Alchan didn’t press. His brother had his reasons for secrets, too many of them, but none that he felt worthy of distrust. Life had never been easy for him, being half-Elvasi, born from the betrayal of a male against his wife, breeding outside the mayara. Alchan’s mother had been the one their father had betrayed. Then his brother spent nearly his first hundred years being raised by the Elvasi, until their father and General Lorren found out about him.

It was the General who cared enough to take him out of Elliar and to Anden. Their father had been a heartless bastard about it. He and Luykas had never gotten along. Alchan had stepped away from his father for it, choosing Luykas instead.

“We should ask how everyone feels about it,” he said decisively, not wanting to let his mind wander too far into the past.

“They’re all asleep. We should be, too.”

“You know I can’t sleep after a battle like that. Did you see Rainev? He really proved himself last night. He’s magnificent.” Alchan had been blown away. It only felt like yesterday when the young male had been a boy, turning into a wyvern the size of a hound. Now he was fully grown, and it was something to see - all that deep blue coloring, massive wings, and large sapphire eyes. Then the fire. Hell-hot. It had melted the enemy soldiers.

It gave him chills to consider what Rain could do in a real battle, on fields over armies.

“Don’t think of pulling that out too often in our plans. His father would kill us in our sleep if we become dependent on Rain’s shifted form, and I don’t blame him. The Empire does have spear mounts that will kill him and we don’t want them to start hauling those around commonly.”

“It’s a good pocket play, though. Something to bring out in desperate situations. Last night, it gave us the clear advantage on the water. No one had been prepared.”

They both had a good point about it. It was why they worked together and did so even when they argued. The General had taught them to stick together, saying as a team they had a near perfect military mind. They each approached situations differently, thanks to their different upbringings and personalities.

“Moving on. What do you think of her? Really, brother. She had every reason to call you out and challenge you on the river. You’re lucky I saved you from being overthrown by her. She would have won.”

He pursed his lips, thinking about his answer. He hadn’t put much thought into what he thought of her. She was uneducated, but not stupid. She could learn; she just had catching up to do. Lots of slaves did, in different ways. She was strong with a sword, and that’s where she was most confident. Obvious. In other situations, she was quiet, and seemed very thoughtful. She watched, listened, and learned. She also had a streak of insecurity that couldn’t be denied. It made her seem shy, but he figured that would change.

It was her dominance that bothered him. He was dominant by nature as well, much more dominant than many expected from him, or even was acceptable sometimes. As she grew more secure in herself, he knew the challenges would only continue to come if things didn’t get settled.

He also knew they wouldn’t need settling and fixing if he hadn’t been a royal ass to her. He’d taken his frustration with the entire situation out on her, an easy target. He was going to have to grovel, which pissed him off, but she was the female and she’d called him out in front of everyone.

“She’s fine. It’ll take some adjustment for me to handle having a dominant female around. Well, a dominant warrior female. One that I’ll have to be around constantly, unlike the females we deal with in the villages, where I don’t need to see them for months on end. Andinna women always run fairly dominant, I know, but she’s going to get under my skin sometimes, being around and under my feet.”

“She seems to follow orders well. She knew she was out of her depth and listened when we directed her.” His brother was diplomatic. “The only time she challenged you was when you poked at her personally. It wasn’t over your military capabilities or your leadership, but your behavior.”

“I’m certain she and I can work together professionally.” Once he threw himself down at her feet and begged forgiveness for his attitude. That was going to take some time. He hadn’t appreciated her insult, comparing him to the males she’d known in the pits. That had pissed him off, really, but it had also put his behavior in perspective. He’d felt rightfully shamed by it.

“Good. I’m getting some sleep now.” Luykas lay on his stomach, letting his wings fall out to the sides.

“The room isn’t big enough for that. Tuck those things in like a good soldier.”

“Go away and let me sleep,” his brother mumbled. “I did way too much magic in the last day thanks to you.”

Alchan growled and walked out of the room. His own wings needed a stretch anyway. They had spent weeks not flying since they had been in the Empire. He went above deck and found Brynec, rubbing his shoulder.

“How did the removal go?” he asked, knowing Bryn had gotten a barbed arrow to his shoulder. With the stab wound and the stitches in his arm, their rogue had taken a beating in his old home as a slave.

“Good. Pirates know what they’re about. It’s sore, still open, but I haven’t been able to sleep yet. You know.”

“You never sleep,” Alchan said, chuckling. He sat on the crate with Bryn and watched the sun continue to climb over the ocean around them. “Luykas and I want to extend an invitation for her to join the Company.”

“Aye, good idea.” Bryn shrugged. “She’s a strong arm with a sword and listened. She’s already got centuries of experience in combat. No reason to say no, really.”

“Of course.” Alchan had actually been hoping some of them would say no, so that he could still find some way out of this. The only thing he’d been able to think of to get her off their team was that the Empress would always be hunting her. That changed nothing, though, since the Empress was always hunting all of them. “Bringing her on will cut into your pay.”

“You know what else will cut into my pay? Havin’ to go to where she’s staying so Luykas doesn’t lose his mind from a blood bond over a vast distance, or so she doesn’t.”

“Fuck.” His tail twitched with agitation. He couldn’t control it. He knew it was inevitable, but he hoped one of them would have a good reason to say no that made sense. Bryn was the easiest, he’d figured. Apparently not.

He also knew that if he hadn’t thought of it yet, or Luykas, then there was probably no stopping it either. He kept watching the water, and after the sun began to rise high, he looked at Bryn and noticed the male had fallen asleep sitting up. He elbowed him and Bryn groaned. “You can’t stay out here to sleep; you’ll get a sunburn.”

“Fine,” the rogue moaned, standing up. “I’m going to pass out.”

“Good.” Alchan had a feeling he wouldn’t. Bryn hated sleeping inside something. It reminded him too much of captivity, unable to see the sky. He wondered if Mave would have the same issue. It would have to be something to look out for.

At that, he realized he was doomed to have this female on his team. He was already thinking of her issues like he did his men.

General, you better be happy. We have your daughter.

He tried to push down the guilt that he hadn’t sooner. He thought other things had been more important. He’d had priorities, important ones. His men and people needed him. The General would understand.

He had a title hanging over him that meant he had to care for as many as he could, not just one - not even his favorite man’s daughter.

33

Mave

Mave woke up slowly, confused and dazed by where she was. The rocking of the ship begged her to go back to sleep, but she resisted as she pushed herself up. She’d been sleeping on her stomach. She never did that. It was the most comfortable way to sleep as an Andinna, but she’d never felt safe sleeping that way.

She was alone in the cabin, which had two beds, much like the room on the boat had. There was no sign anyone else had even been in the cabin with her.

The first thing she thought about was the fact that she was alive. Someone had jumped in after her, that much was certain. If she’d been captured, she would be in a cage on her way to Elliar, not in a ship, unrestrained.

They saved me. They stopped me from…killing myself.

The second thing she thought about was the strange tugging sensation in her chest. She didn’t understand it, but it felt better than the stabbing pain the Empress had put her through. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all, just a tiny tug that wanted her to follow. She hadn’t noticed it immediately upon waking up, it was so small.

The third thing she thought about was her nudity. Someone had undressed her. For some reason, that didn’t freak her out. She had none of the telltale soreness of being used in any way. They must have wanted her out of the wet clothing.

She stood up slowly, stretching to test herself. Arms, legs, back, tail, one by one. The only thing she didn’t stretch was her wings, remembering what happened every time she tried. She saw clothing on the other bed and was thankful it was loose-fitting breeches and a shirt. She wasn’t ready for more armor. She wasn’t ready for more swords, more fighting.

The door opened as she finished getting dressed. She’d expected Matesh, but instead, it was Luykas. “Mave,” he greeted her softly, closing the door behind him.

That strange tug in her chest wanted her to step closer to him. She didn’t. She had a moment of worry that he’d spelled her again. “Luykas. How long have I been asleep and what do you need?” She cut straight to the chase.

“Dinner is going on. I felt you wake up and decided we needed to talk.”

“You…felt me.” She said that carefully, testing it.

“Your mind was invaded, and you threw yourself overboard to stop it.”

“How…” He knew. She tilted her head, wondering how.

“Zayden told me how he saw you. I know the signs of a forced mental connection caused by sorcery. Good thinking, by the way, trying to kill yourself to stop it, since it was the only way you could have fought against it. Unluckily, none of us were really okay with you dying, so Zayden went in after you and we got you back on the ship.”

“It’s gone now. If killing myself was the only way and I’m obviously alive, how did it stop?”

“You ask all the right questions,” he said quietly, sitting down on the free bed. She looked at his pure white wings, folding at a joint to accommodate the way he sat on the bed. His wings were so flexible, to be able to do that. Hers felt rigid in comparison, tucked against her back and refusing to move. “I don’t know the sorcery. It’s a dark art, and I’ve never touched those. I did something stupid and you can hate me for it.”

“What did you do?” The words were whispered and already, she felt something angry curling in her chest.

“I formed a blood bond between us. I’m strong enough to feel an invasion like what she tried and block it. You’re not. Now I’m protecting you and forced her out of your head for you. We’ve gotten enough distance that she won’t be able to do it again, but if you ever step foot in the Empire again, she’ll probably try again.”

“You know…”

“Yes, I know it was the Empress. She was…incredibly unhappy with what I did.”

“What does a blood bond entail?” She didn’t really want to talk about the Empress, and she had a feeling she was going to be unhappy with him too.

“Do you feel the pull? The further we are away from each other, the stronger it’ll grow, until it becomes painful. Too far away and the pain will be enough to stop us from basic tasks, and if it’s that bad for long enough, drive us mad.” He took a deep breath. “It was the only thing I could think of. The only thing.”

“What else?” she demanded, crossing her arms. There was more, there had to be, and what had already been said made her upset. They couldn’t be apart now. She was tied to him through their blood.

He reached out and touched her arm, skin to skin. For every second he touched her, she could feel too much. His feelings and hers were flying through her, and she didn’t understand where she ended and he began. She yanked away first and shoved his hand away.

“Oh Skies,” she gasped, moving further away.

“It will eventually fade, that I promise, but it’ll take…time.”

“How long?”

“Some writings say it can last nearly a thousand years,” he answered, looking away from her. “Some say they fade much quicker through blood-letting, though blood-letting makes the bond one-sided unless both do it.”

“You…bound me to you.” She took deep, long breaths, trying to control her temper. “You fucking own me now.” She would never be able to be away from him now. She felt choices she didn’t know she had evaporating into obscurity. The ability to choose her own path, gone.

She finally had choices and now they were gone before she even saw what they could be.

I had a future. For just a day, I had endless possibilities. For the first time, I had a choice.

And he stole it from me. Just like they did.

“No. no, Mave I don’t own you. I’m just as beholden to this as you are, but I wasn’t going to see-”

“Get out. Gods damn you. I thought I hated your brother.” She cursed him, pointing to the door. “Get out.”

“Matesh will tell you more about the blood bond, since you don’t want to hear it from me,” he whispered, standing back up. “I’m sorry. I thought saving you was important and made a split-second decision. Dinner is being served. You should eat. You’ve burned a lot of energy over the last couple days without proper nourishment.”

She didn’t say anything as he left. Damn him. Damn him to hell, to the worm-infested soils for an eternity. She snarled, baring her canines at the door then fell back on the bed, landing on her wings. Most Andinna couldn’t handle lying on their backs, but she was long used to it. Her wings propped her up enough to stay off her tail in an uncomfortable way.

“Mave?” Matesh called in. “Rain and I wanted to check in on you.”

“Come in,” she called out. As they walked in, she got back up.

Rain walked to her first and she embraced him. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, holding her.

“You were amazing,” she murmured back. “Seeing you in the sky was the most beautiful thing, little brother.”

“Thanks.” He chuckled, a little uncomfortable, shy even. “How are you?”

“Angry,” she admitted. “I can’t believe he did that to me.”

“He saved your life,” Mat interjected.

“I thought you would be mad with me. Now I’ll always need to be near him. Won’t that come between us?” She wanted someone else angry with her.

“Considering I’m always with him anyway, since we work together and live together, no, it shouldn’t come between us.” He reached for her. She went willingly into his arms. This was comfort to her now. Someone she trusted. Someone she cared for. He’d become surprisingly gentle over the last days, but she found it pleasant, not insulting, for the most part. She still craved to know his strength but in her new, unknown world, his gentleness was a kindness.

A gift. These two kept on giving her those.

Matesh continued after holding her for a time, “No, it’s fine, Mave. After all we just went through, I actually want to thank him for keeping you alive.”

“Come eat dinner,” Rain pleaded. “Don’t hide in here because you’re mad at Luykas. Come sit with us and talk, and we’ll tell you all about Olost and what comes next.”

“Okay. Okay, I can do that.” She pulled away from Mat to smile at Rain. She was nervous, excited, and worried about what would come when the ship made it to Olost and its free cities. She’d heard about them, but now she was going to see them.

She was free.

And alive.

She begrudgingly had Luykas now to thank for that. And Zayden, of all males, who fished her out of the ocean. And all of the Ivory Shadows, who had gone deep into the Empire to get their family and took her as well. I need to repay them for this. Somehow. I don’t have anything to give them, but I’ll find a way.

They walked out of her cabin and up some stairs, but not to the deck above. This ship was much bigger than the boat they had taken on the river. It had levels inside of it. It was like a floating building. When she could see the dining area, she saw all of the Andinna, perched on stools or leaning against the wooden walls, eating and talking.

She let Mat and Rain go first from there, following behind them slowly. She had fought and bled with these males now. It was more than she had ever done with the other gladiators. They had fought by her side for a common goal. She might have her issues with some, but that put them ahead of the other slaves immediately.

“She’s alive!” Nevyn cheered, clapping. “Amazing. Varon, look at that.”

Varon gave an exaggerated eye roll. She couldn’t resist a small laugh at the expression of the mute male.

“Welcome back to the world of the living,” Alchan told her quietly, raising his glass to her. It was a surprising gesture. She nodded back to him, mumbling a thank you.

“Aye, yer a fierce fighter, just like I always heard ya were. I’m glad to see yer not down for the count.” Bryn also lifted his drink. “Sit with me. Matty and Rain can have you back later.”

“Matty?” She tested the nickname and saw Mat’s cheeks turn red. He was embarrassed. Interesting. He’d never gotten that red blush before.

“An old lover called me that, even when I asked her not to. Bryn and Nevyn never let it go,” he explained. “Please…please don’t.”

“I’m not going to use it. It sounds…childish.” She didn’t like it. Matty. It made him sound like a boy, and she knew he wasn’t one of those. She did move to sit next to Bryn, though. He grinned at her, and she finally noticed that one of his canines was broken or filed down but not the other. It made his smile even more roguish and charming.

“Childish, eh?” Bryn laughed. “Eat. Relax. Be childish for a moment. It’ll feel good.” He pushed a plate to her. Her mouth watered at the sight of the food on it: half a roll of bread, some sort of greens, and a piece of meat.

Real food.

In front of the males, she closed her eyes and refused to let the tears of joy escape. When she felt in control, she took a fork off the table where Bryn slid it to her and stabbed into a green thing first. She loved it, almost forgetting to chew when it was in her mouth. She needed control, though. She didn’t want to seem like a starving slave or a fool.

“Ya should enjoy the food,” Bryn whispered. “No one here is going to judge ya. The slop ain’t got nothin’ on this.”

She glanced at him and remembered that he’d been a slave too. She glanced at the other males, who had gone back to their own meals and conversations. None of them stared at her, no one teased or judged.

Then she dove into the food in front of her. At one point, she held the entire piece of meat with her fork and the loaf of bread in her free hand and her mouth was full. Rain chuckled at her, pushing a glass to her.

“You might want something to drink,” he said softly. She put the roll down slowly and took a sip of the sweet and burning beverage. She wasn’t sure if she loved it or hated it. “It’s mead. Doesn’t go bad on the ship. Drink it slowly. I also have some water here for you, but fresh water is a little more precious.”

“Thank you,” she said gratefully when she swallowed the food in her mouth.

“Everyone does this,” Bryn explained. “We know what it's like. We all just got done doing the same thing, since we’ve been living off shit rations for a month. Not as bad as what ya been through, but we get it.”

She nodded, picking the roll back up and taking a huge bite of it. She appreciated that none of them thought she was a fool or gross. The food was delicious and real. It was meat and bread and whatever the green was, some sort of plant, obviously.

“We’ll be going back to smaller meals after this, but good old Captain Sen thought we deserved something special for our first group meal back on the ship, all reunited and alive,” Nevyn told her. “Nice, right? Sailors can cook good. We’ll be eating a lot of fish, too. Have you ever had any?”

“No,” she got out, trying to swallow the food. She took a large swallow of the mead then tried again. “No, I’ve never had fish. Sometimes I would earn a good meal in the pits, for good behavior or something, but it was only ever an unseasoned piece of meat like a steak, and a roll of bread. Water was the only drink we had down there, ever.”

“You’ll like what these guys can do,” he promised.

She wondered when she’d become part of the group. That was how it felt. They were offering her information, telling her things, saying they earned this meal for all being reunited and alive.

She felt included. What a strange feeling.

The only person who seemed down was Luykas, who sat quietly talking to his brother. Even Alchan was smiling a little, but not Luykas. She laid eyes on him, feeling a little bad. She was furious with him, but he’d also saved her life and stopped the Empress from causing her to lose this new freedom and this chance at a new life.

He looked up at her and casually tapped his chest. She wondered what he meant by it. She touched her own and felt a wave of shock.

Her chest seemed to have two heartbeats. Hers and…his, right underneath her own. She looked down at her palm on her chest and back up to Luykas.

He mouthed two words.

“Blood bond.”

She nodded, removing her hand and going back to her food. She wondered why he’d told her that right then. Maybe he noticed her own heartbeat had changed? Were they synced up now? Were their life forces bonded together as well? Now that she felt his heartbeat, she couldn’t ignore it.

I know better than to act that rashly. I really shouldn’t have thrown him out in anger. I don’t know anything about what he did, except what he got the chance to explain. I’m in a strange situation and I threw out the person trying to explain.

“Matesh, have you told her?” Leshaun sounded like an annoyed adult talking to a child.

“No, not yet. I was going to wait until after dinner to-”

“Mave, I’m going to have Matesh begin your tatua, starting with the coming of age ones. They are the ones that begin on our faces. How does that sound?”

She dropped her fork and stared at him wide eyed. This time, there was no stopping the tears that fell from her eyes, silent ones that just rolled down her plain cheeks.

“What?” She sounded like a child.

“You heard me. Tatua. Many just consider them Andinna warrior ink, and for the most part, that is what they are, most often added to warriors after a glorious battle. But some are done to mark coming of age and other rituals and rites through an Andinna’s life. You’re over a thousand years old. There’s no reason you should get back to Olost without them. No reason to make you an outsider like that. Not if you’ll be joining the Company.”

“We hadn’t told her that yet either,” Alchan said, growling at the older male. “And only if she accepts.”

“I do,” she blurted out. “I accept. Tatua. The Company. Yes.”

“Will you be able to take orders from me and Luykas?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yes.” She wouldn’t always like it, but she could. To join the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company seemed like her best option, honestly. Warriors like her, but also regular Andinna, respected by their people. They were offering her a place.

That was why they were all being so inclusive and friendly. They had all known she was going to be offered a position. A community.

“Told ya she would jump at it,” Bryn commented, chuckling.

“Right? I’m not even sure why it ever needed a serious discussion,” Nevyn replied, grinning. Varon signed something. “He says welcome to the Company.”

“Thank you,” she said gratefully. “Yes. To everything. I’ll follow orders. I’ll always treat this like a gift. It honors me-”

“Please stop. I get it,” Alchan grumbled, waving his hand. “You’ll see a cut of the pay after every mission. For the most part, we pool our resources. Bryn is our money guy. Varon is our priest, so if you need any spirituality help, talk to him. Nevyn is good at most arms, so he’ll oversee some of your training and make sure you’re up to speed. He’s been a soldier for most of his twenty-five hundred years.” He took a deep breath and turned to Luykas. “Your turn.”

“Leshaun and I will be handling your education. You can bunk up with Rainev or…really whoever you want. We won’t bat an eye at it. Leshaun is going to get you up to speed in Andena, with everyone’s help. I’ll be teaching you to read and write Elvasi and Common. Since you speak both, you might as well know how to read and write them.”

“Of course.” She didn’t disagree with him. The more languages, the better. Fewer things holding her back.

“We’ll both be overseeing your education as a Blackblood. You don’t need to learn how to do tatua rites or anything, but there’s precautionary training every Blackblood must go through.” Leshaun reached out and patted her hand. “You will do well, I think. You have sharp eyes.”

She touched his hand and held it for a moment, squeezing. He gave her an old, weary smile. It was the first time she’d seen it.

She turned to Matesh after that, and he gave her an arrogant smirk. “You can bunk with whoever you want,” he murmured.

“You have a one-track mind,” she noted. He was never going to let it drop, and she was slightly embarrassed that he trotted it up in front of the other males. She didn’t want anyone thinking she was a whore.

“I really do, and look, no one is trying to kill us anymore.”

“I’m going to finish eating.”

“These two fucking lovebirds,” Zayden grumbled.

Even she was laughing as Nevyn began to call Zayden a jealous shit and didn’t quit while the single father protested. She noticed that Varon leaned into Nevyn, and Nevyn had an arm around him. She immediately knew what that meant. She had seen it before in gladiators in the pits. Lovers. She wasn’t the only one on the ship who shared a bunk with someone, or planned to, maybe. That made the situation feel more comfortable.

As dinner wound down, she felt stuffed. I’m going to get fat eating like that. I’ve never had so much food.

A sailor came and collected dishes, telling all of the Company to either go out and enjoy the night air or get some sleep. The crew didn’t need their help with anything.

She didn’t want to be cooped up in her cabin, so she went up to the deck. The night air was cool and she enjoyed the salty smell of the air. It was new and refreshing, now that she had a moment to really enjoy it. Around her, other Andinna were flapping their wings, and Nevyn even jumped off the side of the ship. She held her breath and then released it when she saw him fly back into view. Alchan and Varon both jumped off as well, followed by Mat and Luykas. All of them were mostly healed already. Matesh must have slept all day to heal his wing enough to fly.

Bryn met her at the rail and leaned on it. “Ya will do that one day, too.”

“I know,” she replied, watching them fly high and dive low, letting their wings skim the waves. “How long did it take you to learn?”

“Relearn. Three months for ‘em to consider my wings strong enough to glide. Four months before my first free flight. It made me stiff for about a year, but I bet ya can do it faster, if ya put yer mind to it.”

“Really?”

“I took it slow. I was scared.”

“I’m not,” she whispered. “I can’t wait to be up there.”

“Good. During this trip, Leshaun and I will work together, teaching ya the stretches and teaching yer wings to be okay with em.” He leaned on the rail. “I’ll stay here with ya while they all play around.”

“You don’t have to.” She was used to being alone. She didn’t enjoy it as much anymore - Rain and Mat had changed that for her - but she was used to it.

“I don’t have to, but I want to. I know what ya feel. You deserve the Company.” He smiled at her and bumped her with his shoulder. “We gladiators got to stick together, aye?”

“Aye.” She copied him, smiling brightly at him. Small gifts. This one liked giving away small gifts, too. She craved them.

“I’m glad ya agree, considering how the others treated ya. Can I admit something?”

“Certainly.”

“I once thought of ya the same way. A long time ago, when I was also a slave. I had never even seen ya, never fought in Elliar or the Colosseum, like I told ya. But we all knew of ya. I hope ya won’t hate me for it. I wanted to get it out there now.”

“I don’t hate you for it.” She didn’t know if she could. She didn’t know the Brynec from that time of his life. He’d never tried to hurt her, never made her fear for her life. He only knew the stories of her, only knew what others whispered about. “I…I understood where the other gladiators were coming from. I get it.”

“I let go of that hate when I became free. I had a different view of things. Ya know, most don’t think yer even real, so that makes ya easier to hate or ignore. I’m glad yer real, though and better than the stories. I hope we can be friends.”

“I hope so too,” she whispered. She wanted more friends, and this rogue was proving to be much kinder and more understanding than she had ever expected. He had given her her first coin. “Oh damn the Skies!”

“What?”

“I think I lost the coin you gave me.” She sighed, knowing it was lost forever. It broke her heart a bit, to lose something so important.

He grabbed her wrist and flipped her hand palm up, pressing something down into it.

“I gave ya the wrong coin, I think, so it’s fine that ya lost it. Don’t lose this one, though.”

She looked down and saw a gold sun. When she looked up from it, he was still just giving her that roguish, friendly smile.

“We all need something to get started with, aye?”

“Aye,” she repeated again, mystified by his generosity. She wrapped her hand around it again.

“Also, I noticed ya never lost that pack. Ya got it onto the ship. I put it away. Thank ya for that.”

“Nevyn trusted me with it.” She was still looking down at her fist in front of her, and thinking about what she held.

“Aye. That’s what we do in the Company.”

She nodded and held the coin to her chest, returning her gaze to the flying Andinna. They trusted each other, and he was saying that extended to her. They trusted her.

And she could trust them.

34

Mave

It was much later when she returned to her cabin, laughing about how Zayden had crashed into a wave when he didn’t judge the height right.

“It was great. Just whacked right into it!” She threw her head back, the laughter so unrestrained, she thought she was mad for a moment.

I’ve never laughed so much in my life. Why is it so funny? He could have been seriously hurt. She just kept chuckling, remembering how out of nowhere it was. Everything was fine and he’d been gliding, looking away from where he was going. They all watched him go straight into the swell.

Rainev agreed, falling onto the other bed in her cabin. “I’m never letting him live it down. That was too good. He knows better than that. I had to shift and save him! Again!”

Their laughter filled the room to the point that a thump hit the wall and Zayden could be heard cursing them from the next room.

“Hey, Rain…” Matesh walked in last and pointed. “Go bunk with your dad tonight.”

“Oh?” Mave raised her eyebrows at him. Why was he throwing Rain out on her? He didn’t get to decide if she was letting him stay the night. She did.

“The rite to do the tatua requires privacy between the Blackblood and the Andinna. And nudity,” he explained. “That’s why I’m doing it, actually. Since we’ve…seen each other nude, and you know me better than the other Blackbloods in the Company. Rain doesn’t know the rite.”

“Damn. You’re doing that right now?” Rain growled, leaning back on the wall.

“You think she should wait to get what is owed to her?” Matesh crossed his arms.

“No,” Rain mumbled, but didn’t move.

Part of her felt bad for sending Rain out. A bigger part of her wanted him to hurry up and get out.

“Go, Rain. I can’t wait any longer for this.” She went with honesty. She needed this. This piece of her that felt missing, this something that made her one of her people, accepted among them.

“I’m going.” He sighed and got back off the bed. “I can’t wait to see them in the morning, illo amyr. I bet they’ll be lovely.”

“Thank you, illi bodyr.”

He closed the door behind him when he left, and she looked at Matesh nervously. “Nude?” She didn’t know why she needed to clarify.

“Yeah.”

She turned her back on him and began to strip. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous now, or why she was stripping away from him like this. This felt ritualistic and odd. Not passionate, or the hurried rush to get to fucking. Just strip. It felt a little like when she whored as a gladiator, but she knew it wasn’t like that.

She turned back around once she kicked off the pants. Matesh was nude as well, and he pulled two stools out from the corner and placed them in the center of the cabin, with two bowls in the middle. One was already full of water. A dagger was placed in the middle of the bowls, along with a small roll of bandages.

“This…gets messy,” he whispered. “We’re doing it the proper way and not the temporary way. These will be emblazoned on your skin with magic and they will never leave or change, only be added to. These aren’t the ones the gladiators did to themselves to compensate for the lack of magic.”

“Okay.”

“Sit down,” he ordered quietly, gesturing to one of the stools. He sat on the other as she went to where he wanted. “I, Oldura Matesh Corva, will perform the rite of your coming of age on this night. Do you accept this, Maevana Lorren?”

She didn’t like the use of her full name, but she noticed he used his own as well. Corva. A good last name, she thought.

“I accept,” she replied, trying to make her voice strong.

He lifted the dagger from the floor and cut open his left palm and squeezed a fist. His blood fell into the empty bowl.

“I can only do so much at a time, so we’ll be repeating this next month when we arrive in Olost as well, and probably after that. I think your body has a lot of story to tell.” He smiled at her. “My uncle will be angry, but I’m going to do more than I should tonight. This will be enough to get to your chest as well.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“You deserve it,” he murmured back.

He cut another slice on his left wrist and let that bleed too.

“Won’t those scar?” she asked softly.

“Yeah, but that’s fine. To do these, we’re taught to cut in the same place every time, so we’re not covered in scars. You’ll find similar cuts on my uncle’s hand and wrist. His right. He’s left-handed.”

She nodded, watching the blood slowly fill the bowl. It didn’t seem like much, but he said it was enough and she believed him. She didn’t know how any of this worked, which only made her more nervous.

Finally, he pressed the dagger to the wound and slowed the bleeding. It still dripped, but it no longer freely flowed. He put the dagger down and grabbed the small bandage roll, wrapping his wrist and hand lightly. He picked up the bowl of blood afterwards and stood up, moving closer to her.

“Raise your face to me and close your eyes when you’re ready.”

She looked up at him, rising above her like a statue of a god. He was a gorgeous male. She took in the sight, not wanting to close her eyes to it.

“Mave.” He gave her an arrogant smirk and she closed her eyes immediately. Arrogant male.

A second later, a small trickle hit her forehead - and it was hot. The blood, his blood. He whispered in Andena, something she hoped she would understand one day. Blood magic didn’t require words, he’d said, but maybe this was because it was a rite, blood magic for a specific purpose. The words were beautiful, and she let them flow around her as the blood, in strange patterns, ran across her face and down her neck onto her chest.

He continued to speak and the blood heated up even more, nearly painful, almost like a brand. She clenched her teeth, but refused to move so she didn’t mess anything up. A hiss escaped from her, the only indication it hurt.

“Growing up is painful,” he whispered. “Dunk your face forward.”

She did and was relieved by the cool water. She pulled back and he grabbed the remaining bandages to wipe her chest gently.

“You look beautiful,” he said. “Stunning. Would you like to see?”

She found no words, just nodded. He walked to a small chest in the cabin and pulled out a handheld mirror. He held it before her and she couldn’t stop the gasp that left her lips.

Black lines decorated her face around her eyes, harsh and bold in some areas, yet delicate in others, much like how she felt. She was a brutal warrior, yet insecure. It swirled and pointed in sharp ways, like something dangerous. They weren’t perfectly symmetrical, as her scar on the right cheek was now the same stark black. From it fell three pointed, bold lines. The black made her eyes stand out even more than they had before.

For once, she believed those words. She was beautiful. She was an Andinna. She was a warrior.

She was free.

He tilted the mirror so she could see her neck and chest better. Her chest was bolder, delicate swirls and points and dots that met at a sharp point between her breasts, then flared again underneath them. It wrapped around them, bringing out the size of her chest.

“Stunning,” he whispered again, putting the mirror down as she wiped her eyes. He sat back on the stool across from her and she looked at him, unable to find words to show how much it meant to her that he had done this.

So she gave up on words.

She reached for him, leaving her stool to grab his face. She moved to straddle him as their lips met. A growl from deep in his chest told her that her affections would be returned. He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to sit fully on his lap. She moaned at the feeling of his cock rubbing against her, ready and willing to take her and be taken.

“Mave,” he growled out, running one of his hands from her hip, up her back, to the back of her neck. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she purred, kissing him again. “What else could I possibly want after you and Rain destroyed my life? My awful, broken life. All with a few kind words and a chance.” She kissed him again, then sank her canines in his bottom lip. He snarled, moving her hips to grind against his erection.

There was nothing else she could say. Everything she had ever known was gone. Everything she had ever earned and fought to keep was gone. Small gifts from them, ones they might not have realized they gave her, had turned into something she couldn’t turn back from.

She might have fallen as the Champion of the Colosseum because of them, but she didn’t regret a moment of it.

He moved a hand between her legs and she gasped as he sank a finger deep inside her, like they had done together before. She rode his hand like she wanted to ride his cock. His other hand stayed on the back of her neck, keeping her from moving away from him. He kissed her neck, his horns rubbing against her skin as he roamed, exploring her collarbones. His thumb pressed against that sensitive bud and she clutched his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin. His tail wrapped around hers to hold it in place.

“Do you want it?” he asked softly. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” This time, she said it like a desperate plea.

He removed his finger and grabbed her hips with both hands again. She moved as he dictated and felt the head of his cock pressing against her core. He didn’t force her to sink on it - she did that on her own, a long moan escaping her lips as she lowered down on him.

Once she was fully seated, he wrapped an arm under her ass and stood up, pushing her back and wings against the wall between the beds.

“I’m going to take you all night,” he whispered huskily, a dirty promise.

“Good,” she murmured, looking into his emerald green eyes.

His hands moved again, to squeeze her ass and he pulled out, nearly all the way. Then he shoved back in and she saw stars.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as he pushed into her, thrusting at a relentless pace. It felt like an eternity since they had last touched each other and this was them finally, hurriedly taking the chance before something else could rip them apart or stop them from doing the deed.

Her wings were crushed to the wall behind her, but she didn’t mind as her world was entirely focused on the male pushing her to an edge she hadn’t been able to find in years.

“Don’t stop,” she demanded. “Harder, please!”

She wanted it strong like she knew he was, with no holding back. He snarled back, seeming happy to please. He pulled her off the wall and dropped her on a bed. Her ass hung off and he grabbed her hips, staying between her legs. He was back in her with a solid thrust, and that drove her over, screaming his name, her hands trailing down his abs, gloriously toned and maintained not for vanity, but because he was a warrior in his prime, everything she found attractive and wanted.

He just kept thrusting as she came, leaning over her as he continued. He was tireless as he drove her viciously to another peak.

She pulled him down further, ignoring how their horns clashed, and she bit into his shoulder, breaking the skin as she screamed on him, that second orgasm even more shattering than the first.

He roared, that male Andinna sound of victory, and thrust several more times, so hard she found it nearly painful - and yet still loved it - then he came as well, sending hot streams deep in her.

She kept hold of him as the world returned to them. He panted and groaned as she removed her teeth. She shamelessly licked the blood off him as well, making him growl.

“That…is the most sensual thing I’ve ever seen.” He lifted up and pulled out of her slowly. For the first time in her life, she missed a male’s presence there when it was over. Normally, she couldn’t wait for them to get out. Now she just wanted him to come back.

“Did you mean all night?” she asked softly, moving up on the small bed. It wouldn’t fit both of them without some effort. She figured they could make it work, though, if she stayed pressed up against that hard body she enjoyed so much.

“I don’t lie to females,” he crooned, that arrogant smirk coming back.

She’d hoped that would be his answer.

35

Luykas

Luykas leaned back and hit his head on the wall. Again.

He should have known this was going to happen. Well, he had known it was going to happen, but he didn’t expect the bond to be so strong. He glanced down to see his rock-hard cock begging for a release.

Again. Not like it hadn’t already had two.

Then again, it was just reacting to Mave’s pleasure pouring through him. She was getting hot and busy with Matesh.

All. Fucking. Night.

Luykas had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting any sleep for the entire trip to Olost. Or ever again.

He wasn’t even in his bed. He was hiding in the cargo hold, below everyone, where his brother couldn’t realize something was wrong. He’d done a bit of sorcery as he’d made the blood bond so that Mave wasn’t constantly bombarded by his feelings. It had been the only thing he could think of to make it easier on her, since she didn’t agree to it.

He should have done it to both of them, but he didn’t have the time and there was no going back now. He also wondered if doing it for her made it worse for him. Their heartbeats were synchronized, and he was flooded with everything she felt. Not her emotions themselves, thankfully, but her physical signs. He would know when she was in pain, stiff, or sore. He would know when she was getting the best pleasure of her life. He was going to live through a reflection of all of those things.

It made things incredibly weird, since he barely knew the female and was feeling just a portion of what she was. Even with just a portion, he was rock hard.

“Fuck me.” He hit his head on the wall again. Thankfully, his horns didn’t hit the wall as well or he would have punctured a hole in the ship already.

I did this to myself. If Alchan knew, he would be laughing at my misfortune.

He grabbed his cock and began to work it, trying not to consider exactly what he was doing. He just needed to get it out of the way and hope he could pass out before the next round. He was fucking impressed with Matesh in that moment. That male didn’t know how to keep it down, it seemed.

He finished quickly, something he thanked the Skies for. He was exhausted and just wanted a moment’s rest. He should have gotten some sleep earlier. He should have figured those two would start up, having done the rite for her tatua nude, as was dictated by Andinna customs.

He put himself away and groaned at the mess. He had brought down a cloth, knowing this was what he’d be doing. He cleaned up and left the cargo hold to go back up to his shared cabin with Alchan.

“Luykas, we need to talk.”

Luykas turned to Leshaun before he was able to get inside his cabin. The old male was in the dining area, sitting on a stool at the table. Luykas bit back annoyance and went to the older Andinna and sat across from him.

“I’m going to ask you nicely to make this fast. I’m tired, run ragged, and just want to find peace and sleep in my bed.”

“What you did would have gotten you seen by a Council if we were still in Anden.”

“Which part of what I did? Using blood magic to strengthen sorcery so that we could race through our enemies without serious casualties? Or forcing a blood bond on a female so that I could push the sorceress out of her mind that would have haunted her and tried to control her for the rest of her life?” Luykas ran a hand through his hair. “Leshaun, I do things you hate so that everyone here lives through the day. I’m willing to take the anger of our gods for that. I’m willing to take the anger of the Elvasi gods for it too. We’ve been fighting against the Empire for a thousand years. Once, this company was forty males strong. Now look at us. If anyone dies, someone is losing something important, and Kian didn’t even join us on this one. Alchan and I forced him to stay home with his wife and the rest of her mayara.”

“I wanted to say I’m sorry for being so angry with you,” Leshaun whispered, sounding weak and tired himself. Luykas sat up a little straighter. “I don’t like what you do, but I promised you when I joined the Company that I wouldn’t question you. I wasn’t so angry about the sorcery and blood magic. You’ve done that countless times, and while taboo, I also think it’s ingenious. You blood bonding to her…you changed something about it, didn’t you?”

“I can feel her, like any blood bond should, but she can’t feel me,” he answered. “I only had time to bind that spell in the bond once. I chose to protect her and deal with shit on my own. It’s been a rough night.”

“I’ve…heard,” Leshaun replied diplomatically. “I think everyone has.”

“I’m happy for them, certainly. To find each other in a place like the pits is astounding. I’m just…overloaded by it. I need to find a way to separate her from me a little. Luckily, the emotional connection is only brought through touch - but the physical…I figured it would be good to know when she’s in pain. I didn’t realize it applied to pleasure.”

“Why do you think that Varon and Nevyn blood bonded?” Leshaun raised an eyebrow. “I believe they redo it every five hundred years to keep it strong.”

“Fuck,” he groaned. “I don’t look at her like that. I just wanted to repay the debt.”

“The debt you speak of is a big one. You may never repay it, Luykas.”

“I still need to try.” He was going to repay her for it. He was going to repay her father and brothers. Even her mother had given him so much, long before Maevana was even born.

And he would live with the blood bond. He had to. He couldn’t leave that cunt in her head like that. It was a death sentence.

He would know.

36

Rainev

Rain couldn’t sleep, and it wasn’t because of Mave and Matesh. He listened to his father snore and just stared blankly out into the dark. He knew he wouldn’t be getting any sleep until he was too exhausted to think or move. Every time he tried to close his eyes, that day in the pits came back.

During the escape, he’d been focused on leaving, surviving, getting out of the Empire with his family. Now, he was stuck on a ship, in the middle of the Aegan Sea, and all he could think about was those dirty males. Those betrayers of what their people were about. Those violators of his belief in good men.

He had been tired after that fight with the gryphon, and they had grabbed him and pinned him before he even had a chance to realize what was happening. They hadn’t even given him a chance to fight. They beat him, and they promised everything they were going to do to him.

They figured if he was strong enough to kill a friend of theirs on the sands, they were going to have to teach him his place. And if he survived it, they were going to keep him after Mave and Matesh were dead.

I was going to be their bitch for eternity.

He was down when Mave and Mat came roaring into the small room. He had lost, and he’d known it. He’d been outnumbered, outmatched, and he had been trying to convince himself it would all be okay. That he could survive it. That he was strong enough to look at himself after it would be over.

It hadn’t been. Nothing was okay. He wondered, even as he was across the room from his father, if anything would ever be okay again.

His father. Gods, if he knew, Rain would never be allowed to leave Olost again. He’d be left in a village and hidden, safe like his father wanted.

He couldn’t handle it anymore. He shoved himself up and nearly ran out of the room, needing the cool night air, needing to be away from the tight confines of the cabin. It was dark and enclosed like that small room in the pits that night.

Rain crossed his arms over his chest as he made it under the stars. He’d missed them. He’d missed flying and shifting while being in the pits. He hadn’t realized how much he’d been affected by it.

His beast was clawing to leave him now, knowing it could escape into the skies. It had been silent on him for the entire time he wore that collar. He’d been more preoccupied with surviving the pits than wondering what was going on with his wyvern. His wyvern had been practically missing from that place in his heart where it lived within him.

Now it begged for his attention. Demanded he burn things down in a violent way Rain had never experienced before. He felt almost like he had a monster inside of him. It had been deliciously pleased when he’d let it out and unleashed hell on the Elvasi ships.

It was angry it had been a victim too. It wanted revenge. Bloody, vicious, and hateful revenge.

He couldn’t handle the rage he felt. He looked down from the sky, barely restraining the snarl. His jaw cracked as the wyvern tried to burst free. His tail flicked around, wanting to grow long enough to cause destruction.

Stop, he begged his beast. There was no one to hurt except their family. He couldn’t let the rage out on the boat and he couldn’t fly high above without someone keeping an eye out for him in case he went down.

It listened, but only barely. It didn’t relent in how it felt, but it relented trying to force the shift.

The wyvern and Rain were one being and also two. Rain’s mother had explained to him ages ago, when he shifted for the first time, when they realized he’d gotten the wyvern form mutts did when they were part Andinna.

The gods of the Clans of Zira fought against each other constantly, and the humans who prayed to them split apart, fighting as well. In an effort to be the dominant god of the area, the gods combined human and animal souls in an effort to create the most powerful warriors. Some saw it as a gift, but Rain sometimes saw it as a curse.

They were forever tied, merged. There would always be a mirror in his heart, his human soul versus its animal half. One soul, two halves. Two halves that sometimes wouldn’t agree. Hence the curse of it.

“Young man, why are you up here?”

Rain turned to Leshaun and sighed. “Why are you up here?” He didn’t want his near-grandfather coming after him right now.

“I heard you. I spoke to Luykas earlier tonight and haven’t found any sleep. I heard you come up and decided to see how you were doing.” Leshaun’s tone was gentle and calm. Rain closed his eyes as the older male walked closer. “How are you?”

“Angry,” he admitted softly. “So angry.”

“Would you like to tell me why?”

“No,” he whispered. He didn’t want to say it out loud, not again.

“Let it out and fly. I’ll watch. Just don’t hurt the ship.”

He didn’t need another word. He undid his pants, the only thing he was wearing, and kicked them off. He ran for the rail and threw himself off the ship. The shift came instantly and he was a wyvern over the sea a moment later. He pulled up and shot straight towards the night sky. He went so high that the ship was a tiny dot below him.

When he figured they might not hear him, he roared, and a ball of fire triggered in his throat and lit up the night sky.

Rain let the wyvern get its anger out. His anger.

If he’d had his wyvern, none of it would have happened. They would have feared him. They wouldn’t have taken advantage of him being smaller than the rest. They wouldn’t have wanted to hurt him. They would have respected him like they did Matesh, who they had only beaten with the intent to kill. They would have feared him like they did Mave.

Instead, he’d been without the one thing that made him strong. And he had proven himself to be incredibly weak. Helpless. Needing to be saved.

He turned and dove back down to the water, letting himself fly next to the ship with his back claws grazing the water. He was as long as the ship from snout to the end of his tail. Even as a wyvern he was lithe, but he was still powerful in this form.

He considered staying in it. He wouldn’t be the first Clan to do it. Just let the animal take over. No one would hurt him if he could breathe fire all the time.

Then he thought about Mave. She was just finding her freedom. He wanted to be there with her as she learned about their world, their people. He didn’t want to miss that. He thought about all the males that had raised them. He’d be abandoning the only family he had to hide from his own fear.

He would need to get stronger, but he couldn’t do it as a wyvern. He rose up over the ship and shifted to human just before he landed on the deck.

Leshaun walked to him, holding out his pants. “I could see the fireball from down here. I won’t pry, but you’ve never been a violent man, Rain. Even at your angriest, you’ve always been one to smile first.” Leshaun sounded concerned. “If this is about your father…I know he coddles you. It will take him time. I am the same way with Matesh, and he’s even older and more experienced. We don’t want to lose the only thing we have left of those we loved.”

“It’s not him.” Rain couldn’t be angry with his father for caring about him. That wasn’t the problem. His only worry at that moment concerning his father was how he was going to react when Rain put his plan in motion.

“Okay, Rainev,” Leshaun relented. “I’m going back in. You stay on the boat, okay?”

“Sure,” he answered. When Leshaun was gone, he thought about his intentions. He was no longer going to put on a fake smile and pretend everything was okay. He was going to fight back. He was going to get stronger. He wasn’t going to fear. He was going to become feared.

Rain hadn’t been violent before. He was about to be. He felt a single-minded drive to become just as strong a warrior as Mave. He was going to dedicate himself to getting strong, better.

No one was going to hurt him again.

Next time, he was going to hurt them first.

37

Mave

Waking up next to a male was a new experience for Mave. A warm body next to hers was something she never thought she would enjoy feeling in the morning. She crawled out quickly, though, hoping not to get too comfortable. She needed to go and consider her new world, this new freedom and what led her to it.

She snuck out without waking him, thankful for that. She needed a moment alone, to find her thoughts. She didn’t stop in the dining area, going straight up to the deck, where sailors were shouting at each other and the sea air was unfamiliar, but refreshing.

She didn’t speak to anyone as she leaned on a rail and looked out over the water, just taking in the sights.

Freedom. An open expanse. She had never seen so much of the sky, or so much water. She’d never heard sailors like the ones on the ship, laughing as they worked. A few seabirds she didn’t recognize, had never seen, flew over the ship as well. As she watched, the tug in her chest decreased. It was still very faint, but it somehow got weaker.

“Mave, how are you this morning?” a male voice asked. She turned to see Luykas and resisted the urge to bare her canines at him. The tug had told her he was close.

“I was fine,” she answered.

“Really. How are you?”

She narrowed her eyes on him. “Angry with you still. Happy about this.” She waved a hand over her face. “Conflicted.”

“I can understand that. For the tatua, they look wonderful. No one will ever question whether the Company accepts you. We do. We’re not ones to judge you based on what happened to survive. Look at Bryn.” He sighed, looking away from her after that, his gold eyes going to the sea. “As for the blood bond…I’m sorry.”

She had to make a choice. One that she would need to stick to.

“Thank you. I’m mad at you, but…thank you.” She looked down now as well. “Without it, without you, I would have lost…”

“No. You wouldn’t have lost anything,” he cut in, turning to give her a hard stare. “You would be dead, and who knows what’s in the afterlife? You know who would have lost something, Mave? Matesh and Rain.”

She felt like her heart just got ripped out of her chest.

Skies. I didn’t even think of them.

“And you did the best you could to protect yourself from something you couldn’t stop, but forgive me, this isn’t all about you. I said it yesterday. We didn’t want you to die. Zayden saved you for Rain. I saved you because I loved and respected your father as my own.” His gold eyes softened. “You are already a part of this family because of those things. And we weren’t ready for you to die.”

“I’m sorry.” She had never felt such a deep shame. She hadn’t even thought about how she would have left Rain and Mat. She had been selfishly angry. She’d been so mad at him for her reasons that she didn’t stop to think about why Rain and Mat weren’t mad at him for their own. She’d never had people who would miss her before. And they would. She knew they would, and she’d been so wrapped up in herself that she wasn’t seeing the gift Luykas had given them by helping her live. “Would you tell me about it? The blood bond?”

“Yes. First, our heartbeats. They feel layered, don’t they?”

“They do. Are they in sync?”

“Yes, unless something happens. If yours speeds up or slows down, mine will try to catch up. I’ll know that physical change in you and it’ll probably start the same one in me. Like an adrenaline rush. Or pain.”

Heat rushed over her face. “Or pleasure.” She remembered how her heart had beat, how her body had felt with Matesh the night before. She glanced up at Luykas’ face. Dark circles were under his eyes.

“I can ignore things fairly well. I’ll be fine.”

“Will I feel it from you?” she asked.

“Always the right questions,” he groaned. “No, you shouldn’t. I…blocked it with sorcery. I’m not sure it’s permanent, but it seems to be working for now. I didn’t want you to be punished with it. I knew when I made the bond what sort of things came from it, and I had to think fast to stop it from affecting you too much. I’m hoping to find a way to mute what I get from you as well, so that your feelings are private.”

He’d done that for her.

“So you want us to have normal lives with…this.” She gestured between them, meaning the strange tug that was in her chest. She tried to ignore it. “Find ways to ignore it. Block it.”

“Why wouldn’t I? Blood bonds are normally done between the closest people, to give them even more of each other. An ultimate acceptance of the other. We barely know each other.”

“Are our lives tied now? Will I die if you do, or-”

“No!” Luykas even chuckled as he answered that. “Thank the Skies, no.” He sobered quickly. “But there are consequences of loving someone you have a blood bond with. The person’s blood is in you now, and it’s part of you. And when the other person dies, it dies, taking something of you with it, in a way. Some have described it as losing a piece of themselves. Many don’t survive through the depression after it.”

Mave let that sink in. This was all good to know. Terrifying, but good information.

“It’ll make teaching you our magic easier, since I can now use your blood and you can use my blood.” Luykas leaned in closer but didn’t enter her personal space. “You have strong blood, like your mother, so it’s good that I’ll be able to take control from you if something goes wrong.”

“But I can take control of yours. Wouldn’t it just balance out?”

“I’m better at magic than you. If you ever steal from me, I’ll know you don’t need my training at all.” He smiled now, enigmatic.

She took it as a challenge. One day, she would be better than him at blood magic. A promise to herself.

“Can I ask a stupid question?” he murmured, still watching her.

“What?”

“Why Matesh and Rain?”

She was silent for a long time, considering that. Their names. Their smiles. Their ear tags. Her want. Her need to have someone, anyone who would just give her a chance.

But it boiled down to two words. “Small gifts,” she whispered.

“Excuse me?” He frowned at her.

“Small gifts. I’ll explain it later,” she said, louder so he wouldn’t press for more, shaking her head. Her stomach made an uncomfortable noise. “When’s breakfast? No one was up when I came out here.”

“Right now. You’ve been out here staring into the ocean for a long time. I came out to get you, actually, and figured I could sneak in an important conversation.” He smiled, that enigmatic thing she didn’t know how to feel about. “Matesh still isn’t up. Impressive.” His eyebrows even went up suggestively as he made the comment.

He’s teasing me. Of course he is. Of all the males!

“Funny,” she hissed. She walked past him and went back below deck, finding most of the Company in the dining area now.

Rainev looked up to her and grinned. “They look good, Mave.”

“What do?” she asked, confused.

“Your tatua,” he reminded her, tapping his forehead. “They suit you. They look beautiful.”

She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten already. She touched her cheekbone, remembering the night before. Not her romp with Mat, but the biggest gift anyone had ever given her.

“Sit down, girl, and eat. No reason to stand there. We can all gawk seated.” Leshaun walked around her and she realized she was in his way. She hurriedly found an open seat next to Rainev and smiled at him.

“They do look good, don’t they?”

“A true Andinna,” he agreed.

Nevyn piped in, agreeing, while Varon made wild, fast hand gestures. Leshaun mumbled about how Matesh had done too much. Alchan just watched her and when she met his eyes, he lifted his glass in a small toast.

“Welcome to the Company,” he told her.

“Thank you.” She swallowed her emotions.

“So, what are we going to do to pass the time on this fucking boat?” Nevyn asked, falling into a chair on her other side. Varon was with him, and she began to realize those two were probably never separated.

“I figure we start immediately on her training. That should help us get her up to speed before we get to Olost.” Luykas sat next to his brother as he spoke. “We can get her to passing Andena, test her weapon skills, and begin getting her flight-worthy.”

They went on to keep talking about her, the training, and the future. She was just glad she felt included, no matter how hard the work was going to be. Years of being the best gladiator had never gotten her this, everything she had ever wanted and never dared hope for. Years of hard work for nothing except survival. All she’d had to do was take a chance to get close to two unknown males.

“How are you feeling, big sister?”

“Excited. I never thought falling from grace would feel so good.”

38

Trevan

Trevan sat in the dark cell, chained and waiting. He knew he would be executed. He was amazed he was still alive. He just hoped it was worth it. He hoped those Andinna were free. Hundreds of years gathering what information he could about how they lived, the schedules of the gladiators, the guards, who was in charge - all for one night and three free Andinna.

Only three.

It was worth it. If they were free, it was more than worth it. Especially the Champion. Mave. She had been so brutalized by the world she lived in. He hoped she saw the sky and would one day fly in it. A lifetime of slavery, a lifetime of battle for the entertainment of those who just wanted to see her bleed, see her dead. She deserved the sky, in his opinion.

He hoped she got it.

“He’s here, Empress.”

He looked up from his manacled wrists and saw the guard come in front of the bars. The Empress followed. For all her beauty, she looked tired. Dark circles under her eyes were apparent, along with a sunken nature to her normally healthy cheeks. He’d only ever seen her from afar, his Empress, but he knew she didn’t normally look like this.

“You,” she hissed out venomously. “Your treason has led to the loss of my most valuable property, and I’m going to make sure you pay for that. You and that damned insignificant human. He’s gone into hiding, but we’ll find him soon. He doesn’t have the intelligence or resources to get out of the Empire.”

He should have been scared, but all he heard was the word loss. She had lost them. They were gone. They had made it out of the Empire.

He’d never felt such joy. Six hundred years of waiting and watching the horrors done in the pits to an innocent people, and he finally got to see at least one of them, the most beaten-down of them, into freedom.

“I know exactly what I’m going to do, as well.” The Empress motioned with her hand and a guard unlocked the cell door. “You love your precious Andinna so much? You want to help them? Then maybe you should try living as one, with them, the barbaric warriors they really are. You’re going to be the first Elvasi criminal doomed to the pits. You’ll probably be the only one ever. I hope you enjoy being one of the gladiators you worked so hard to save.”

Trevan’s heart sank at that.

The cruel bitch must have noticed the overwhelming despair that washed over him. “Did you think I would let you off so easily by just executing you?”

Yes. Why hadn’t I figured your cruelty knew no bounds?

Two guards walked in and forced him to stand. He was weak from days without food and staggered, but they didn’t let him drop. His vision was hazy, his thoughts lost as they marched him to the pits he knew so well. During the afternoon training, they tossed him in the middle of the gladiators, undid his chains and left him there.

“Everyone, welcome the new gladiator, One.” The lenasti didn’t sound very welcoming or excited.

The last person who wore that number was Mave, the Champion everyone had hated. They all knew he was the guard who helped her and the two males of the Ivory Shadow Mercenary Company escape.

As he stood weakly, he remembered one thing.

He’d done it.

He could die in this hellhole, but he’d fucking done it.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading!

I’m an epic fantasy reader and let me just say, I had blast finally diving into my own. This is going to be a long story, as Mave succeeds, fails, and falls in love. We’re talking seven novels of story, so it’s going to be quite a ride. I hope you stay on the journey with me as the Andinna try to reclaim the skies they once ruled.

Reviews are always welcome, whether you loved or hated the book. Please consider taking a few moments to leave one and know I appreciate every second of your time and I’m thankful.

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Andena Glossary

Feminine- ‘am’

Amin- Female

Ami- Baby

Amra- Mother

Arra- Mommy/Mom (Informal mother)

Amara- Daughter

Amir- Sister

Amrya- Aunt

Amyra- Neice

Amran- Grandmother

Amanra- Lover/Wife

Masculine- ‘bod’

Bodin- Male

Bodi- Baby

Bodra- Father

Baba- Daddy/Dad (Informal father)

Bodara- Son

Bodyr- Brother

Bodrya- Uncle

Bodyra- Nephew

Bodran- Grandfather

Bodanra- Lover/Husband

General Terms

Oldura- Official Andena word for a ‘Blackblood’. No real translation.

Tatua- The Andinna ‘ink’ normally done by a Blackblood with blood magic.

Mayara- Andinna family unit. The band of males who center on a female to protect serve, and in most cases, love. Generally husbands/lovers, but can also include brothers, fathers, sons, or just close male friends.

Illo- Big, large (Illon- bigger, larger)

Illi- Little, small (Illin- smaller, littler)

Oto- Old (Oton- older)

Oti- Young (Otin- younger)

Ildan- Friend

Ensam- An Andinna without social place. Forced out by the community or by choice.

Sema- Skies or just the sky.

Curses

Linti- Pigeon.

Voek al Sema- Damn the Skies

Na al Sema- By the Skies

Skies/Sema- a way Andinna reference their gods without blaspheming. “Damn the Skies.” “By the Skies.”

About the Author

KristenBanetAuthor.com

Kristen Banet has a Diet Coke problem, smokes too much, and cusses like a sailor. She loves to read, and before finally sitting to try her hand at writing, she had your normal kind of work history. From tattoo parlors, to the U.S. Navy, and freelance illustration, she’s stumbled through her adult years and somehow, is still kicking.

She loves to read books that make people cry and tries to write them. She’s a firm believer that nothing and no one in this world is perfect, and she enjoys exploring those imperfections—trying to make the characters seem real on the page and not just in her head.

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