Evolution

“Still awake, then?”

I jumped at the sound of Julian’s voice.

“Julian, you scared the bejeezus out of me.”

“Sorry about that. I can’t sleep in these kinds of places.”

“It’s alright. You find yourself in these kinds of places often?”

“Not really. At least, not anymore.”

We said nothing for a moment. Finally, I had a question for him.

“You said it’s been ten years since you were enslaved?”

“My father and I were hunting south of New America. Slavers found us there. My dad died protecting me, and I ran back for home. Still, I was caught because they had horses. My mother and sister probably think me dead. Naturally, they would have found my father’s body. But me…they will know the rest of the story.”

“Were slavers common in your area?”

“They were always a threat. Even at sixteen, when I was captured, I wasn’t strong enough to fend them off.”

“I don’t see how anyone could have. Hell, even we couldn’t fight them off, and we’ve done things you wouldn’t even believe.”

“Samuel told me what you guys have done, and what you are doing.” Julian paused. “I think it’s great. I haven’t heard anything of this xenovirus, but if anything Samuel says is true, then I wish you all the luck in the world.”

“Well…” I said. “We definitely need it, now.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Only, I hope to go back to New America, someday. I guess there’s little chance of that happening, now.”

It seemed so stupid that one mistake– choosing the wrong place to set up camp — had led us all to here, this dark moment, which none of us would survive. The entire fate of the world depended on our success. Only, that same world was going to kill us before we even had a chance to save it.

“What about you, Alex?” Julian asked. “What’s your story?”

I gave a bitter laugh. “It’s long, and sad. I lost my home two months ago, to the xenovirus.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“My entire life, gone in a single night.”

For the next hour, I told Julian my own story. Once finished, he was interested in everyone else’s. I gave him the basics — Makara’s life as a Lost Angel and ex-raider, Samuel’s life as a scientist, and Anna’s life of surviving with her mother after losing her home to raiders, and how she became Char’s bodyguard following her mom’s death. He listened in the darkness, not saying much.

When I was finally finished, he was quiet for a long while.

“That is a spectacular story,” Julian said. “Although, I think your message to the Emperor will fall upon deaf ears.”

“Why?”

“He thinks he is God. He thinks he was born to rule all men, and he will not stop until he accomplishes that goal. Everything fits into that. Even if he agrees with your message — and he likely will, if what you told me is true — then he will somehow use that to give himself more power. You wait and see.”

“We have to deliver the message, all the same.”

Julian sighed. “I hope that can come to pass. Tomorrow morning, we shall see.”

I frowned, and laid back onto the cold stone. I closed my eyes, and tried to get what sleep I could. Perhaps the last sleep I would ever get.

Chapter 16

The next morning, the guards arrived to escort us out of our cells. Ruben wasn’t among them, to my surprise, but if we were being led to our match, then I supposed that he was already waiting in the stands.

The guards pushed us along the dark, narrow passageway and into the anteroom we had first entered. Then, we were led up the wide stone steps. As we walked up, I could feel the heat of the day flowing downward from outside. When we reached the top, at the end of a broad, stone passageway stood a large gate, through which bright sunlight filtered. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see the gigantic circle that was the arena floor, the dirt raked cleanly for our ensuing match. The crowd’s drone sounded through the gate. Our execution match would be starting any moment.

Though this was happening now, I felt like I was in a daze. We were each hastily handed a weapon by a grim guard. Anna received a long, two-handed sword, not her katana. I could tell from her frown that she wasn’t pleased. Makara received a spear and buckler, while I received a gladius and shield. Julian also got a gladius and shield, while Samuel took a two-handed mace laced with cruel spikes.

I wondered if they were really going to let us hold these weapons with all of them standing so close to us. It was at that moment that a gate fell from the ceiling, crashing onto the floor and separating us from the guards. A cloud of dust rose from the ground, sending Makara and I into fits of coughs.

A gate behind us, blocking our escape. A gate ahead, that led into the Coleseo. We were trapped, and the only way out was forward, into the arena.

“Well played,” I said.

“Focus,” Samuel said.

It was then that the gate to the arena floor began to rise. The Coleseo erupted into thunderous screams as we strode forward into the sunlight. We walked toward the center of the field, I spun around, trying not be stunned by the enormity of it all. Thousands of people stood, booing and hissing at us. We were the only ones out there, and it seemed the Novans did not like us. I dodged a rock thrown by someone from the stands.

At long last, the crowd dimmed, and soon, a loud voice shouted from our right. The voice sounded from an exclusive section of the stands. Here, the seats were bigger, and the people more colorfully dressed. This was the rich people’s area. Over these stands fluttered colorful sheets of linen that served to block the sun. It provided shade for the seats below. One man in these stands was regaled in full purple, sitting upon a seat that was more akin to a throne, looking bored as he munched on some food.

“That’s him,” Samuel said.

Emperor Augustus was not an imposing man. Even from my distance, I could tell he was a bit small. He had coppery skin, shortly trimmed black hair, and sat next to a beautiful woman, who I assumed to be his wife. Two children sat in front of him, one a teenage girl, and another a boy maybe eight years of age. They were among the thousands that watched us now, that wanted to see us die simply for trying to save our friend. I wondered if their bloodlust would be satisfied if only they knew our story and what we were trying to do.

To the right of the Imperial family, a fat man was standing on a stage. He was the source of the yelling. Every face turned to him, and in order to hear, the crowd dimmed to an astonishingly low volume.

The man began to orate in Spanish. Julian translated.

“Friends, citizens, noblemen of Nova Roma!” the man’s voice boomed.

Cheers. Quickly, they died down once more as the man continued his introduction.

“We have for you today a rare spectacle — an execution of the spies sent by our mortal enemy, the barbarians of the ignoble Wasteland!”

The sound of boos and jeers thundered all around us. After a while, the crowd’s noised lowered, and the fat man proceeded with his speech.

“This week, the armies of Empire march north, to deal a mortal blow to our enemies! In expectation of the Empire’s victory in the north, Emperor Augustus himself is pleased to present…”

The fat man paused. I could see everyone in the crowd lean forward, hanging onto his every word.

“The Battle…for the Wasteland!”

The man bowed away from the dais, and as he did so, the gate on the opposite side of the Coleseo began to rise.