Changing of the Glads (14 page)

“Simeon said –“

“I don’t give a crap what Simeon says.  What about me?  What about what I want?”

“I care what you want.”

She banged her fists against the bars.  “Then let me out of here.”

“We have to see where the corruption starts.”

“WE!  Ha! You mean ME! I have to see where it starts.  You’re doing nothing but hiding in the shadows.  I’ve been the one fighting.  I’m the one sitting here in a dungeon cell.  I’m the one at the mercy of the Arena Board.  We… my ass.” Tears of frustration now rolled unbidden down her cheeks.

Max reached in and grabbed her fists.  “Please, Zalphia.  You have to understand.”

She shook his hands from hers, jumped to her feet, and backed out of reach.  “No! I don’t!  I’ll never understand how you can sit there and tell me that
we’ll
end all this.  It’s me who will see how far up the chain of command the corruption goes.  Me who will face the Arena General all by my lonesome.  And me that will suffer whatever they decide.”  Every part of her shook in anger.

“But we promised to save this world.  And that requires that you remain here.”

“Oh, it does, does it?” She dismissed him with a wave of her hand.  “So then leave me here.”

Run you coward.  Go ahead.  I don’t need you.  I don’t need anyone.

“I wish I did not have to.  I wish I could take you and run.  But they would stop us, like they did before.”

“Would they?  Are you sure?”

He nodded.

“Then go.  I don’t care.  You can watch them crush me beneath the stones come dawn.  Then you’ll have to save this measly planet all by yourself.”

Max wrapped his hands around the iron bars.  “They will preserve your life.  I am sure of it.”

Zalphia chuckled in spite of the anger.  “Are you?  And what makes you think that?”  She folded her arms across her chest.  “I’ve been treated no different than any other Glad.  Why wouldn’t they kill me come dawn?”

“I don’t know.”  Max reached for her.

She took another step away from him.  “Well then, there you have it.  I don’t care about this world.  They can go straight to hell for all I care.  They deserve it.”

“No.”  Max’s hands fell to his sides.  “You can’t mean that.”

“Oh, but I do.”  Zalphia lifted one eyebrow.

“It was your idea to come here.  You decided that we were the last hope for this planet.  Now you are willing to let them be destroyed?”

“No. 
You’re
willing to.  You’re going to leave me here to be crushed for cheating in the ring.  You’re the one willing to let this planet get what they deserve.  You’ve always been willing to go only so far.  But me?”  She stabbed her finger into her own chest.  “I have to suffer whatever you and this Simeon character decide I must suffer.  So you’re the one, Max.  You’re the one dooming this planet.”

“No.”  Max’s face twisted.  His eyes begged her to understand.

“You,
Maximillion
, have left me to suffer unbearable torture at the hands of Platy.  You’ve let me return to the arena and fight for my life.  You have been the one to sentence me to death.”

“You forget, Zalphia.  We are linked.”  He grabbed the bars, and they squealed their complaint beneath his hands.  “I have felt everything you were subjected to as if it had been done to me.  I know what you suffered at Platy’s hands.  I suffered right along with you, but that does not change anything.  It does not change why we came here.  I wish I could take your mind and show you how you really feel about these humans, but your chips prevent it.  We need to find the leader of the arena games.  Find where and how things went wrong here. 
We
must stay. 
You
must stay.  Go through the procedures of the inquiry.  See where it leads.”

“
Pshh.”  Zalphia shook her head.  “You mean
I have to stay.
You will go on your merry way, and I’ll be left to their mercy.”  She glared at him.  “They’ll kill me.  You know they will.”

The bars groaned again.  “No, I will not let them.”

“Oh you won’t?” She haughtily shook her head side to side.

Just like you didn’t let Platy have me back.  Just like you didn’t let Platy torture me?  You never do what it takes to save me and provide the life you promised.

He pressed his face between the bars.  “You’ve changed, Zalphia.”

“Really?  I didn’t think you’d noticed.”

“No, I mean there is a childlike feeling around you. Platy has discovered the source of that feeling.  And so you must stay until you discover it, too.”

“And what if I never do?  What if in the morning I’m dead?  Then all your promises are worthless.”

Max held his hands through the bars, wiggling his fingers as if doing so would bring her within reach.

Zalphia backed away until the cold stone met her bare skin.  He had broken every promise he had ever made.  How could he profess his undying love and leave her here?  No.  He didn’t love her.  If he did, they would even now be headed for Kilapon.  But no, he wanted her to stay here.

His cheeks pressed against the bars.  “I know how bad it has been.  I do.  But you are strong.  You
can
do this.”

“If you love me, you won’t ask me to do this.  You won’t leave me here.  You can’t expect me to go through more than I already have.”  She moved closer but stayed out of reach.  Her eyes narrowed.  “Or kill me.”

He sucked in a quick breath.

“Kill me now.  Don’t condemn me to this torture any longer.”  She closed her eyes hoping he would see reason.

“No,” he whispered. “You cannot expect me to –”

Zalphia’s eyes popped open.  “Then go,” she growled and turned away.  “I won’t endure this any longer, I won’t.  I’ll fight them.  I’ll fight until they have no choice but to kill me.  If you leave me here, that’s what I’ll do.”

“No.”  The anguish in his voice caused her to glance over her shoulder.

His eyes brimmed with moisture.  “Oh, Zalphia.  You cannot know how much I wish I could take you away.  Leave all this behind,
but I must not.  You must not
.  We have to see this through.  We promised to save this world.  If I could take your place, I would.  You know that I would.”

Zalphia whirled back to face him.  “No!  You wouldn’t.  You’re a coward, Maximillion.  It’s so easy for you to sit out there and decide my fate.  You wouldn’t take my place, and nothing you say will convince me otherwise.” 

She retreated to the corner and collapsed onto crossed legs facing the moist rock. She would be dead come morning.  So he might as well have executed her himself.  To hell with him!  She didn’t need him.  If she were going to survive, it would be on her own shoulders to do so. 

“Just go.”  She dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

“Zalphia, my love, it is not true. I would give anything to take your place.  I will be as close as possible without getting caught. I will never leave you.”

“You already have.  Twice.”

Silence met her ears. 

To hell with Max and his promises.  She hated him.  She hated everyone. 

She was a Glad and knew how to fight.  Come morning, somehow, she would fight her way out of this situation.  A killer!  That’s what she was after all.  And she would show them just how tough she could be. 

“I hate you, Max.  And I never want to see you again,” she whispered in the darkness. 

Tears spilled down her cheeks, and her heart shattered into a million pieces.  She never should have believed in him, never should have trusted him or what he promised they would have.  Anger and betrayal drove the familiar bile into her throat.  The adrenaline subsided, allowing betrayal to mix with emotion and come heaving out her mouth.  Over and over she puked until only her sides heaved and nothing more could be expelled.

When she fell exhausted onto the slimy floor, she listened.  Max had left.  Good riddance.  Right now, she didn’t care if she ever saw him again.  Everything she had been holding onto for the last seven months had just gone up in smoke.

If he was willing to let the Arena Board have her, then so be it.  Love shuddered– a flame in the breeze – then went out. 

***

Max slowly released the bars.  Zalphia’s anger cut him to the core.  How he wished he could say to hell with the mission and take her away.  But what would happen then?  Once Zalphia regained her memories, she would hate him more than she did now.

Why did she have to be in this position?  Always her that suffered.  And he remained the outsider looking in.

He stepped into the shadows and sat on the stairs, his heart pining to free the woman he loved.  The sacred promises he made in the forest were being broken, one by one.  How could
Simeon ask this of him?  Of her?  They should be together, not held apart by the arena and these bars. 

How could he watch over her when she was at the Arena Board’s mercy?  He longed to gather her in his arms.  If only she could feel what was going on inside him, she’d know that he would give his life for her.

He couldn’t reach her.  No way to lay a hand of comfort on her back.  No way for him to creep in and calm her thoughts.  The pain of leaving her here was almost more than he could stand.  He watched for several minutes then pushed what he could from his mind to her, in spite of knowing she couldn’t feel it.

Her voice pierced the quiet.  “I hate you, Max.  And I never want to see you again.” 

She could have physically stabbed him with a dagger and done less damage than she had with those words. 

Anger boiled inside. 

This was all Simeon’s fault.  The truth about their mission seemed to be constantly changing.  Why was nothing as simple as it seemed before they came?  Nothing had worked out as planned.  Now Zalphia would suffer who knew what at the hands of the Arena Board.

Max rose and fled up the steps and out the door.  He crept quietly to the guard’s room.  The keys to the dungeon hung on the wall.  The guards were out making their rounds.

Reaching for the keys, Max’s hand trembled.  If they ran, what would become of this world? Simeon’s words played over in his mind.  How could he find out where the Glad games had been instituted without Zalphia going before the board?  What was it about Zalphia that seemed to change everything?  First, how the games were fought, then how lucrative they became.  Everything changed because of Zalphia.  And now another change was coming, but what?

He would have given his life for her, right here on the spot, if it would fulfill their purpose for coming to this world.  But it was to be her that would face whatever the next days would bring.  Pain rolled in his chest, and he lowered his shaking hand.

How he wished he could whisk Zalphia away.  Save her from the horrors that awaited her. But according to Simeon, they must see where this led. 

Max fled through the gate leading to the outside.  Darkness and silence met him on the street of the city.  A lone guard passed, metal breastplate clanking.  Max leaned against the stone wall and nodded to the man.

When the soldier rounded the corner, Max wandered down the shadowed street.  Stars winked in the inky blackness overhead, but the moon had yet to rise and lend light to his path.  However, the murky darkness matched his somber mood.  He plodded up one road and down the next, letting thoughts tumble over in his mind.  How could he solve this and save his wife from any more pain?

The moon rose, a mere fingernail tip, lending its meager light to the restless man.  Twinkling stars dimmed then faded from view. People began to stir and slowly spilled into the streets.  For hours, Max fought between saving Zalphia and saving this planet.  He knew how much their mission meant, but to him Zalphia meant more.  He couldn’t leave her there to face the Arena Board alone.  Somehow he had to find a way to rescue her.

CHAPTER 15

Max spent the entire day pacing the streets of the city, his Armor duties forgotten.  He formulated a plan to break Zalphia out come nightfall, but then knowing she would eventually hate him for it in the end, dismissed it.  Why couldn’t he go?  It always came back to the planet’s fate or Zalphia’s.  Why couldn’t he disregard Simeon’s words?

The Elder had come to be as much of a father to him as his human one.  Max knew Simeon understood what needed to be done.  But he had told Max to go into the Glad arena and
rescue
Zalphia.  Take her to Kilapon, and then together they would overcome the evil on this world. 

But now the plan had changed.  Now Zalphia had to remain at the mercy of the Arena Board. 

Maybe Simeon hadn’t foreseen Platy’s chips.  But he was supposed to know what needed to be done to save this planet.  So why had he not known what would happen?

Questions plagued Max.  Nothing seemed to make sense.  Maybe Zalphia was right.  Maybe they needed to come up with a plan of their own.  

Day slipped into night.  Still, the questions tumbled over in his mind, and he considered different options to achieve their goal.  But it always came back to how would they find out where the Glad games started?

He slowly padded up and down the deserted streets, no closer to an answer than when he’d abandoned his wife in the dungeon.  As he passed the soldiers on watch, he nodded.  As an arena official, he was allowed to go where he pleased without having to answer to them.  Max looked down at his uniform.  He hated parading as someone who represented a part of the evil ruling this world, but it couldn’t be helped.  At least this way, he could move about freely and maybe even see Zalphia again. 

Thirst finally drove him to the fountain by the arena.  He cupped his hands and took a few long drinks of the cool water.  Simeon hadn’t given him any idea what might happen now that Zalphia was to appear before the Arena Board.  He should try to sneak in and find out what they decided, but he couldn’t make his feet move.  Even hearing the rumors of what might happen to his wife was more than he could bear. 

He would wait and see what happened at the Arena Board meeting.  Then, he would be prepared to fight to the death to save Zalphia if it came down to it. 

***

Zalphia remained still and silent on the slimy floor.  Every emotion seeped into the cracks beneath her, leaving not a single tear to slide down her face.  Dank mustiness filled her nostrils and mingled with the lingering odor of sweat, blood, and urine.  Bile rose in her throat.  She clamped her jaw in stark determination not to let it out and twisted her head to the side, causing several strands of stale vomit-stained hair to fall across her face.  This time the bile won, and she retched until her sides ached, adding to the cramps in her legs and the constant pain across her lower back. 

She was a wreck.  Not only because of the strains of fighting, but something else that dragged her down since being snatched by Platy and forced back into the arena.  She finished puking, wiped her mouth, and curled into a ball in the corner.

The familiar creak of the door at the top of the stairs drew her eyes from the darkened corner at which they stared.  A guard unlocked the cell door and entered.  Zalphia remained silent and prone on the muddy floor.  The gloved hands of the guard slid beneath her arms and lifted her to her feet. 

Zalphia tried to stand, but the anger, fear, and puking had drained her energy, and she fell back to the floor.

The guard’s gravelly voice echoed inside the stone walls.  “Come on, Glad.  We have to take you to the Arena Board.  Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

Zalphia lifted her head, but it was all she could manage.

The guard doubled his fist, just as a second guard, blond hair peeking from beneath his helmet, appeared in the doorway. 

“Don’t,” warned the blond.  “You’ll only get in trouble if you rough her up.”

The first guard nodded and then, together, the two men lifted her between them and dragged her out of the cell and up the stairs.

Zalphia sagged between them.  Even her legs refused to obey her.  Head hanging, she watched as the stones of the stairs turned to dirt, then back to stone as they entered the building.  When they reached the boardroom, Zalphia managed to look up.  The door opened, and she was dragged inside.

The guards paused where a large circle was fashioned in a lighter stone on the floor.
  Around the edge of the room sat a platform, framed by a half wall.  On the other side, twelve men relaxed in overstuffed chairs while waited on by two servants apiece.  Tables loaded with food sat in front of each man, and they chuckled and talked as the guards let go and Zalphia crumpled to the ground. 

She lay there for a moment, trying to gather the strength to at least rise to her knees.  Zalphia glanced around, hoping Platy would be there, but she wasn’t. 

The General stood up from his seat.  He was an Afri.  Not as dark as Max, but nearly as big.  He came forward, walked around Zalphia, then spat on her back.  “Haul her to her feet,” he commanded. 

The guards pulled her up.  The gravelly-voiced guard grabbed her hair and jerked her head back so the man could look her in the face. 

The General glowered, studied her eyes, and then lifted his head.  The guards released her, and she sank to the floor, managing to remain on her knees as the General strode back toward his chair.

“You, Zalphia, have been accused of cheating in the arena.  What say you?” He paused and glanced back.

She considered carefully what she might say. Platy obviously wasn’t going to fight for her so that left Zalphia to plead her own case. 

“Well?”  The General turned as gravelly voice again grabbed her hair, drawing her face to meet the General’s dark-eyed gaze.

Zalphia glared. 

“I see.”  The General sat back in his chair and grabbed a chicken leg.

Her stomach growled loudly, and he laughed.  “Hungry?”

The satisfaction of an answer wasn’t something she was willing to give.

“I hear rumors about you, Zalphia, and I wonder if they’re true. We shall see.  Bring in the trainer.”

The two guards left the room and returned moments later with Platy in tow.  One of her eyes had swollen shut and sported a deep purple bruise.  Multiple bruises covered her arms and legs.  She’d obviously fought when they’d arrested her.  The chains binding her hands and feet rattled as she hit the floor beside her Glad.

Zalphia smirked and stifled a small chuckle.

“You’ll pay for this,” Platy hissed.

Gravelly voice kicked the trainer in the ribs, and she flew against Zalphia, who elbowed the chained woman away.  Platy sprawled across the floor, gasping for air.

Laughing, gravelly voice grabbed Platy’s hair and pulled her face up.

No special treatment.

The General glowered at the trainer, took a sip of his drink, and then said, “Platy, trainer of Zalphia, your Glad has been accused of cheating.  What say you?”

“She wasn’t supposed to have a lightning stick.” Platy shot Zalphia a wicked glare.  “It said so in the arena program.  An Armor gave it to her.  I had nothing to do with it.”

“And the double-charged stick?” The General paused, cup midway to his lips to await an answer.

Platy’s eyes flitted in Zalphia’s direction.  “It belonged to the opponent.  Her trainer and I arranged for it.”

The General motioned to the blond guard.  He opened the door, and the other trainer stepped into the room.

“Romulus, thank you for joining us this morning.  Platy has accused you of using a double-charged lightning stick.  Is this true?”

Romulus bowed before the General.  “No, my lord.”

“Not true,” Platy shouted and received another kick to the ribs for her outburst.

“I know it’s forbidden to use a double-charged weapon,” Romulus said, glaring at Platy.

“And did you agree to pit an armed Glad with an unarmed one?”

Romulus took a couple of steps forward, pointing at Zalphia.  “My Lord, this Glad, known as No Mercy Zalph, has powers no other Glad possesses.”

The General put down his chicken leg and cup then scooted forward on his chair.  “Is that so?  Tell me.”

“Platy has fought her for all these years, and this Glad has powers of the mind.  I’ve heard that she reaches in and muddles each Glad she fights, messes with their thoughts until they can’t fight like they’ve been trained.  That’s why she is undefeated.”

The General rose and, once more, stood before Zalphia.  The guards hauled her to her feet.

“I’ve heard these rumors before, but how are we to know for sure?”

Romulus stepped forward and lifted Zalphia’s hair, showing the scar hidden there.  “The trainer, Platy, has chipped the Glad to try and hide it from you, my lord.  The Emperor’s physician would be able to detect such treachery.  I demand an examination.”  He stepped away.

The General moved closer, examined the scar, and then turned away.  “So the rumors are true.  Are there any others, Romulus?”

“She’s the only one I know of for certain.  But I have heard there is another, a man.”

“Hmm, two.  A male and a female.  Interesting.  The Emperor must be notified.”  The General motioned to a skinny boy standing at the back of the room.  “Messenger.” 

The boy stood forward. 

“Take word to the Emperor.  Let him know what has transpired here this morning and have him send his physician for the examination.” 

The boy bowed and ran from the room. 

“You, Zalphia, what say you about mind powers?”

Should she admit to that?  No, that would validate Platy fighting her unarmed.

The General nodded, and the gravelly voiced guard backhanded Zalphia across the face.

“Speak when the General addresses you,” the guard said.

Zalphia wiped the blood from her split lip then lifted her chin.  Her gaze connected with the General’s, and her words were slow and deliberate, “I did what I was trained to do.  Win at all costs.”   Her gaze flitted to her trainer, and Zalphia smirked as Platy glared at her.

The General’s attention followed.  Platy was hauled to her feet.  “And you, trainer, what say you?”

“I had no idea she had mind powers.”

“Liar!” Zalphia’s energy returned with a vengeance, and she sprang at her trainer.

The gravelly-voiced guard met her leap with an elbow to her chin. The blow spun Zalphia around and sent her crashing to the floor.

The General nodded to the guard.  “Stop, I wish to hear what the Glad has to say.”

Zalphia was again righted so she knelt before the General. 

“Speak up, girl,” he said.

“Platy trained me to use my mind to win matches.  She knew from the time I was brought into the training center that I had those powers.”

Zalphia glanced at Platy.

The trainer glared at her Glad.

The General nodded then turned to Platy.  “I see.  You, trainer, have fought a Glad with an unfair advantage.  Mind powers.  I commend you.  I’d have done the same.  However, now that you’ve been discovered, you must face the consequences.  You will be taken to the palace, and the Emperor will determine your fate after his physician examines your Glad.  Guards, take her away.”

The guards dragged Platy from the room while she screamed about the unfairness of it all.

The General turned back to Zalphia and circled her several times.  “I’ve heard other rumors about you, Glad.”

“Is that so?” Zalphia said, lifting her chin.

He chuckled.  “I see there is still some fight left in you.”  He stared at her for a moment.  “So, do you wish to enlighten me?”

“About what?”  Zalphia narrowed her eyes.  What could he be talking about?  What other rumors. 

“I see.”  He returned to his seat as the guard reentered the room.  “I’ll let the Emperor determine if the word on the street is true.  If it is, he’ll be highly interested.  Guards, take her back to the dungeon, but make sure she is well cared for.  I wouldn’t want the Emperor to have damaged goods to inspect.”  He nodded, and the guards hauled her from the room and returned her to the dungeon. 

A short time later, the blond guard returned carrying a tray of food.  He opened the cell and set it just inside.  Zalphia remained in the corner.

He locked the door then crouched down.  “Come on, the Arena General sent this down for you.”

Zalphia looked at the tray but remained seated where she was.

“I promise, it’s only food.  Come, eat.  You must be hungry.” 

He crouched in front of the cell and removed his helmet.  He wasn’t an Afri.  His light-green eyes met hers as he ran a hand through his hair.  “I’m sorry for what they’ve done to you.  No one deserves to be treated this way.  Please, take this.  Eat.”  He shoved the tray further into the cell.

The smell of roasted chicken curled into her nostrils, causing saliva to flood her mouth.  She wanted very much to grab the tray.  Why would they care whether she had eaten or not if they planned on killing her?