I had no idea what she was talking about. “Yeah. Sure. Just like that.”
I reached across the table and took her hand. I rubbed the skin gently. “I would never put you in harm’s way. Ever.”
She peered into my eyes and nodded. She took strength from it. “Right. I know.”
She tucked into her meal and I found myself praying she wouldn’t get so much as a scratch. If she did, God help the monsters they ferried in here.
We waited in the anteroom with the other fighters. They all came in pairs. I chose carefully from the large armory spread across a dozen tables. Most of the items had been kindly donated by unsuccessful gladiators. Nobody had much need for weapons and armor after they were dead.
The first warriors were called forward—the old man with the long beard I saw outside at the registration table earlier, along with his stouter, muscled partner.
Outside, the crowd roared and I could practically see the battle by their rising and falling cries, their gasps of surprise, and screams of adulation. As the crowd’s cries drew to a climax, I knew the warriors hadn’t made it to the end of the first round. The audience clapped their applause as the warriors walked—or more likely, were dragged—off and the next pair of warriors were summoned.
“What armor should I wear?” Alice said, her voice shivering with fear.
“Let me choose for you,” I said.
I had no intention of letting her join the fighting, so I selected the hardiest armor they had in her size. It was good and strong but was it too heavy?
“Try moving around,” I said.
She did, if a little stiffly. Her visor fell over her eyes and she struggled to open it again. I removed the helmet and gave her a simpler one instead.
I brushed her cheek with my thumb and kissed her on the lips. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
She screwed up her lips into a snarl but it only looked cute on her.
“How about weapons?” she said. “They don’t have a minigun by any chance? Or a rocket launcher?”
I chuckled. I had no idea what those things were, but I got the gist. “Unfortunately not. The battle would be over too quickly for the crowd to enjoy. Only ancient weapons, I’m afraid.”
I handed her a large dented shield, a mace, and a set of throwing knives.
“With all the advanced technology your civilization has, why do they still like seeing people hack at each other with old weapons?” Alice asked.
“It reminds them of their mortality, I suppose,” I said. “Man versus beast. It’s the basest instinct there is. Well… Almost.”
I leaned in close and kissed her full on the lips. Her armor clanked as she touched me. When we parted, her eyes were still closed.
“Mm,” she said. “Yummy.” Then she posed girlishly. “How do I look?”
“Sexy as hell,” I said, pressing myself up close to her. I could feel her breath on my face.
“Why don’t you get a can opener and get me out of this thing?” she said. “Then I can help make you strong. Very strong.”
“You already make me very strong,” I said, my voice husky with desire.
The crowd clapped as the previous gladiators left the pit and another was called. A single warrior this time.
He must be desperate.
“What armor are you going to wear?” Alice said.
I held my arms out to either side. “You’re looking at it.”
“You’re not wearing any?”
“It interferes with my movements,” I said.
“What about weapons? Or does that interfere with your movement too?”
“No,” I said, grinning at her and picking up a large broadsword in one hand and a spear in the other.
I reached up and fingered the gold and silver rings that belonged to my parents. One of the best tattoo artists in the city lived inside the fighting pit’s walls. After eating in the dining hall, I asked him to pierce my ears with the rings and he agreed.
“They look good,” Alice said.
Some of the gladiators made it past the first round, few made it past the second. None passed the third. It was a relief, as otherwise the prize money would have been reset virtually to zero.
As the competition progressed and the number of gladiators grew thinner, Alice grew more nervous. Finally, as we were the last to signup, we were alone. Alice worried at her bottom lip and couldn’t sit still. Even when she could bring herself to sit, her legs jittered up and down on the spot.
“Try to stay relaxed,” I said.
“I can’t!” she said. “How you be so calm? We’re going to go out there and die!”
I took her hand in mine. “No, we’re not.”
“I’m not brave like you. I can’t do this.”
Outside, the audience clapped, and we were called forward. “Your turn.”
“Ohhhhh!” Alice said, terrified. She looked like a kid at the dentists.
I pressed my lips against Alice’s and hugged her close to me. “You are bonded to me now. I would never hurt you or let you be harmed. All you have to do is stand out of the way and give me the weapons when I ask. Okay?”
She took a deep breath and nodded.
“Are you coming?” the stagehand said.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Are we?”
Alice shut her eyes and then opened them again. “We got dressed up, didn’t we? We might as well make the most of it…”
I kissed her again. “Let’s go win our money!”
We followed the long dark hallways that always made me think of what it must feel like after you misjudged an attack and a blade claimed your life. A long series of hallways leading to your final destination.
I didn’t share my thoughts with Alice.
The audience stamped their feet above our heads. Dirt fell from the ceiling and dusted our heads. We approached a set of gates. They were rusty and dented from
