fills the entire night sky. At that time,we will have our victory. These things were spoken of in texts more ancient than time. Our victory is assured. We will burn the infidelsintheir homes and pour from the desert into theWest, as countless as the grains of sand.’
‘I am not sure I can allow that,’ he told her plainly, but she remained cool despite his efforts to test her.
‘You are in no position to make such bold statements, Magician. Perhaps I will play with you some more to test your resilience and then we shall see if I cannot dampen some of that fiery spirit. I was personally quite disappointed with your effort in the arena today. I hope next time you will display some of your fabled magic, rather than running around like a witless fool. Your friends have put on a much better show than you.’
‘What do you mean?’ he asked with concern.
She smiled as if she had just eaten a gloriously delicious sweet. ‘Your other friends from theWest, Samuel of Cintar. You didn’t think I would let them sit idle in my city did you? They have been entertaining my people much more splendidly than you, although they have started to look a little worse for wear.’
‘Where are they?’
‘Would you like to see them? Very well. I will arrange it. Go now and leave me be.’
She looked at her attendants and a trio of bare-chested guards stepped from the shadows with their curved swords at the ready and escorted Samuel back to his new room.
He slept uneasily and woke when the unusual presence of sunlight came streaming in through his window. After spending so long in his prison, the diurnal cycle of light and dark felt entirely foreign to him, but it was a welcome sight nonetheless.
Dressing himself in his Paatin robes as best he could, he readied himself for what the day would bring.
Utik’cah brought him a set of magicians’ robes shortly after breakfast and explained that he would be expected to perform in the arena once more. The clothes were expertly made and seemed more than just a copy. He suspected they had been stolen from the Order and brought all the way from Turia, appearing to be authentic in make and brand new.
‘How many will I be expected to kill today?’ he asked the man. After having some decent meals and a good night’s rest,he felt a different man to yesterday.
‘I do not know and cannot say,’ was Utik’cah’s reply.
‘I will kill as many more of your people as you set against me.’
Utik’cah gave a hint of a smile, not out of cruelty, but of one who has received an unusual surprise. ‘They were not desert people that you killed, Lord Samuel. They were captives, like yourself,from the land of Avalia. We would not make our own kind fight for amusement. We are not animals. In fact, we had assumed you would ally yourself with the Avalians for your first battle, weakened as you were, but you seemed intent on killing them. I was surprised by your ferocity.’
Samuel had no reply, for he was taken aback by the revelation. At that point, he wished he had some tiny mote of his power, for it seemed that Utik’cah was one of the Paatin Queen’s most trusted servants. If he could reach inside the man’s mind he could learn everything he wished to know about her and her war, or perhaps even force the man to be more open to suggestion.
Frustrated, he had only a question for the Paatin. ‘What was that creature I fought? Will there be more of them?’
‘That was a
‘I can’t imagine such beasts are natural. They could not grow to such dimensions without magical intervention.’
‘As you presume, Lord Samuel, our wizards have gained great insight into many aspects of nature.’
‘And in the desert I saw another large creature. I could not see it clearly, but it had a great hardened shell upon its back.’
‘
‘Are these what you have in mind for Cintar?’ Samuel asked, but Utik’cah replied with a look that meant there would be no response to a question such as that.
‘Let us go,’ he stated instead and waved his hand towards the door.
Samuel followed the Queen’s loyal servant towards the arena, and this time he had regained his senses enough to memorise much of the route and what he saw around him.
Reaching the same double doors, Utik’cah merely stepped aside and waited as the guards open the portals wide and shunted Samuel through.
The blazing sun and the noise of the crowd fell upon him at once and he took a few shuffling steps into the open. Standing in the middle of the arena was another black-robed magician and Samuel immediately recognised the energies of Eric.
‘Eric!’ he called, and scampered over as quicklyas he could, feeling the hot sand getting into his sandals and between his toes. As he arrived beside his friend, he was shockedatthe sight of him. Eric was gaunt and haggard, and his aura was thin and wan, but he smiled as well as he could when he saw it was Samuel approaching him.
‘Samuel. Where have you been? I thought you were dead.’
‘No. Not quite yet. What happened? Why are you here?’
‘The Queen caught us as soon as you left. She took us to her dungeons and they have been making me fight here ever since.’
‘Where are the others?’
‘I haven’t seen anyone since they caught us. They beat me and starved me and then brought me out to duel in this barbaric spectacle. Only Lomar escaped, for he was out in the city when they came for us.’
‘And the Koians?’
Eric shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I haven’t seen anyone. They could all be dead for all I know.’
The crowd hushed and the two of them readied themselves.One of the many doors that marked the arenawallsopened and figurescould be seen moving about within.
‘No matter who or what comes out, Samuel, we must kill them,’ Eric said determinedly. ‘If we don’t, they will kill us all. They don’t allow surrender.’
Samuel peered up into the crowd, hoping to find the seat of the Queen. There were many lavish viewing boxes around the arena, most adorned with feathers and curtains and such, and he could not see into most of them at all.
Movement caught his eye and their opponents entered the arena.
‘I have no magic,’ Samuel stated.
‘What!’ Eric said with disbelief. ‘Where is your ring?’
‘Balten has it.’
‘Why does Balten have it? Where is he?’
‘He is hiding it for me or the Paatin would have it.I don’t know where he is. I need to find him before I can do anything.’
Two magicians came out opposite them, wearing thick furs and armoured helms.
‘Gartens!’ Eric said.
‘Why are they dressed in furs here in the desert? Not even the Gartens are so foolish.’
‘It’s part of the entertainment,’ Eric said. ‘They want us to look the part.’ And he gestured to the black Order robes he, too, had been given.
‘We can’t kill them.’
‘We must! I’ve seen what happens to those who try to parley.’
‘They are fresh, Eric. I cannot call my magic and you look about ready to fall over. It’s foolish to fight.’
‘It is them or us.’
Samuel nodded finally. ‘If they have just arrived, they will not know the rules of the arena. Then let me take care of them. Stay here.’
He started off towards the other pair, who stood ready as he approached, gathering their magic. They were
