The piece that had fallen away rises up empty and settles back into place.
The fighter is cautious, leery of moving forward.
He takes a step back, almost falling through the hole that has suddenly appeared behind him, the cold black eyes of a battle droid staring up at him. The man whirls around, stumbling backward as the droid emerges from its crypt. The mechanical beast is the same size as the ones Devlan had me train with.
A blur rises from the wall surrounding the arena, a slight sheen between the audience and the battle. The droid shoots a ball of energy from a weapon connected to his hand, but the fighter is quick and dodges it. The energy ball hits the shield that has risen and is immediately absorbed.
The floor breaks apart, jigsaw puzzle pieces floating in every direction.
The fighter is forced to jump from one tile to another. He is able to force some to move downward and away from the massive arms of his opponent as it tries to crush him.
The crowd lets out oohs and aahs at the sight, but no other sound is made.
I’m still gripping onto Artemis as I watch, trying to force myself to let go, but it’s like I’m glued to him.
The fighter dodges more blows and shots. He appears to push a button on the blade, which brings the item to life; blue energy streams swim around the blade, dancing from the hilt to the tip. I watch as the fighter slashes at the droid, slicing through the metal as if it was paper. Within ten minutes of the battle beginning, it has ended with the droid being defeated and the fighter winning. Cheers and applause escalate as the droid is removed and the man is led back to the holding area.
The same types of battle play out for the next four hours before we are given our first break. Fighters two and three also win, as well as Wes. Fighter five is not so lucky. The droid crushes her within two minutes of entering the arena. The lights are dimmed as they clean her from the floor. With fighter number eleven we get to witness what happens when human flesh comes in contact with the shields around the arena. The droid tears through the protective material, exposing the man’s arms, then the fighter is thrown at the shield, losing his right arm as the shield burns it cleanly off. His screams reverberate off the walls as he falls to the ground, and is eventually carted away.
Not all the losers are killed or seriously injured. Some admit defeat by laying their weapons down on the ground and kneeling. The droid is immediately stopped and the fighter escorted below to be branded.
Aidan finally wins his first match in a long time. I cheer loudly for him, but Artemis ignores his accomplishment. After a quick lunch of sautéed shrimp, garlic noodles, and wine, the battles resume. Both Matt and Raven are victorious. Matt sets a new record for the quickest win in history. It’s close to ten o’clock in the evening when Corinna finally enters the arena. She has some stumbles, getting a bad scratch along her right thigh. Even though she’s bleeding, she still manages to defeat the droid.
Since she is the last of Artemis’ fighters, as soon as she is back down below we get up from our seats and exit the stadium. We’re the only ones in the elevator going down to the garage. I stand outside the holding area, as only the Possessors are allowed inside. Looking up at the screen, I count how many are left for the second half of the battles tomorrow.
Of the forty fighters, eighteen are victorious, four are dead, nine seriously injured, six admitting defeat, and three who have not competed yet.
Artemis comes out and is immediately called over to a group of gentlemen who are congregating at the far end of the platform, out of earshot from me and the Regulators patrolling the area. He returns a few minutes later, grinning ear to ear, requesting his shuttle from one of the attendants. When it arrives, the five fighters join us, all with new victory tattoos they are showing off to each other. We climb into the vehicle and are quickly whisked away back to the Letchworth.
Corinna and Raven both decided to get identical markings, a thin red band around the upper part of the bicep with small diamond shapes dripping down along the length of the stripe. Wes is groggy and dangerously close to falling asleep on Matt’s shoulder. Aidan sits quietly, a smile fastened to his tired face.
I can hear the screams from the crowd as the shuttle pulls out.
We enter under the Letchworth, exit the shuttle, and ride the elevator up to the top floor, everyone in good spirits. Bottles of champagne are lined up on the dining room table, each labeled to one of the fighters, and even one for me. Matt, Corinna, and Raven pop the cork on theirs and begin downing the contents, splashing each other occasionally. Aidan goes into the kitchen looking for food, while Wes takes his bottle into the game room. I follow Aidan into the kitchen and find completed meals in the fridge just needing to be heated up. He turns on the oven and pops the trays in.
“I was really cheering for you today,” I say to him, as I look around for utensils.
“I could hear you. I think you were the only one shouting my number,” he says with a grin.
“I heard some others chanting it,” I lie.
He winks at me and I smile back.
The timer goes off on the oven. He finds mitts for his hands and removes the trays. I follow him back out into the dining room with the utensils I finally locate next to the sink. Matt and Raven are laughing loudly, legs draped over the arms of the dining chairs. Aidan sets down the trays and we all sit
