The Killing Grounds Read online

  The door opened, but A4 still held his shield. Alara stepped into the darkness and stood in the middle of the room. She suddenly felt A4 let his shield drop, and as he spoke his words seemed to come at her from all sides. “So you consider yourself equal to a man do you Fourteen?”

  She detected the slightest amount of anger in his voice. “Not at all, I consider myself far better than that A4,” she needed to keep him talking; it was the only way she would be able to pinpoint his position in the dark. She didn’t think A4 to be a coward, but she knew that he had probably been given orders to make this kill up close and personal with a blade to the throat, and that would mean he would attack from the rear.

  “Ha! You think a lot of yourself don’t you bitch?” his voice echoed off the walls of the room. “You're just a worthless washer girl from the docks and you and your kind have no business here.”

  “Is that why you choose to hide instead of meeting me face to face? Are you scared of me A4?”

  The waiting had obviously done what Alara had intended it to do, and his spell faltered long enough for her to know for certain that he was behind her. She heard the sound of a knife being unsheathed and used the same noise to cover the fact that she had done the same.

  “Scared of you? You are the one that has been hunting high and low for me the whole day while I pissed in your Lord's rooms.”

  She felt the anger rise up in her and found that it helped her to relax instead of adding to her stress.

  “Actually I spent the day in the dorm studying. I knew you’d be here hiding in the dark like a child with no friends to play with,” she growled. “You’ve been tied to this room by your Lord like a dog, unable to think or act for yourself, cocking your leg against the walls trying to mark a territory that will never be yours. You’re a coward that can’t think for yourself and a puppet in the hands of the Affiliation!”

  He dropped his shield and she felt him come at her, she had a second to act before his blade bit into her jugular. Left hand, as the boy’s hands made a grab for her she swung her body to the right and brought her blade down in an arc toward the boy's back as he passed her. Her swing was true and she stabbed the boy in the small of the back. He collapsed onto the floor and cried out in pain.

  She regained her composure, walked to the window and pulled back the curtains illuminating the room. “Before you die A4, and trust me you are going to die, I have a few questions for you.”

  “Go to hell bitch, I’m not telling you anything.”

  “That blade in your back should be painful enough to dampen your mind tricks, so don’t bother trying to shield. I’ll knock it over pretty quickly if I apply pressure to the wound,” she said and twisted the blade around another inch to prove her point. He was trying to send healing waves to his wound, but he didn’t try to move or escape. She blocked the healing waves with her mind and twisted the knife yet another inch.

  “What do you want to know?” he said through clenched teeth.

  “I’ll find out myself,” she said and put both of her hands on the sides of his head and reached into his brain, but was thrown back by a spell. She looked into his eyes, but the light had faded from them even as he was still breathing. Whoever was watching had taken matters into their own hands. She drew another blade from her belt and slit the boy’s throat from ear to ear. He never made a sound as the blood pooled onto the floor, covering his face and matting in his hair. She cleaned the knife on his fatigues and removed the other blade before carefully placing them back into her belt. She knew that she was being watched and she wanted to make a point out of being thorough. The claxon sounded to signify the last retirement as Alara crossed the room to leave. She stopped just before the door and said, “I expect this mess to be cleaned up before my Lord returns!” She closed the door to Lord Osari’s rooms behind her and passed the clean-up team in the hallway, they were in a rush to gather the body.

  All eyes were on her as she walked back into the dorm and collapsed onto her cot. She hadn’t realised how much the ordeal had taken out of her; her head ached, but she kept the shield up around herself. Gideon stood and announced “Lord on deck!”

  Alara sprung to her feet as Lord Sirap marched purposefully into the room and addressed the twelve remaining apprentices. “Congratulations ladies and gentlemen.” Alara looked around the room for the first time since returning and saw that Lucinda was still alive and glaring at her as always. She sent a slight nod at the girl in recognition, which Lucinda didn’t bother to return. “Just so that we are all clear we have two new A’s.”

  Someone had taken out A5.

  “The Council would like to thank our new A4,” Lord Sirap continued, motioning toward Alara, “and our new A5,” he said pointing at Lucinda. “It seems the ladies paved the way tonight.” Gideon started a round of weak applause which soon abated. “Twelve is the required number at this time and I look forward to seeing you all in the gym tomorrow morning. A2 it seems as though the math worked out in your favour and you retain your rank for the time being.” He nodded at Black who stared at the wall opposite his bunk. “A1 a quick word in private please. Class at ease.”

  Sirap left the dorm with Gideon in tow and Alara sat back down on her bunk, relieved that it was all over and she was still alive.

  He came at you from behind and to the left didn’t he? Alara was grateful that Black had dropped his shield and wanted to talk to her.

  Yes, but how did you know?

  He hates women and he knew that you are still weak on your left; I take it that you wound him up tighter than a spring and he dropped his shield just before attacking?

  He did. Why didn’t you share that information with me before I went to retire him?

  It needed to look like you had no help. Whoever was watching the matchup would have known that you had assistance. Did you manage to get anything from him before sending him to the mines?

  No, another Artist mashed his mind before I could question him.

  Any ideas as to who that was?

  No, the scent was new, I couldn’t even sense if it was male or female.

  Damn, so we learned nothing?

  On the contrary Alex, we learned that we can beat them, and the odds on both of us ending up in the top five are getting better and better.

  Careful Alara, things have a way of changing really fast around here.

  You called me Alara, that’s the first time, are you warming to me Alex? She kidded with him.

  She felt like a door had been slammed in her mind as he threw up a shield.

  Sixteen:

  Another week passed with no sign of Lord Osari’s whereabouts. The stone still indicated that he hadn’t been retired but Alara could see that the crystals were diminishing in strength and had turned to a shade of dark inky blue. She had poured all of her magical energy in enhancing her training regime and the efforts were starting to pay dividends, and she could now beat anyone below the A’s in a five climb race. To add to her satisfaction Lucinda challenged her daily since the tournament, but hadn’t yet managed to beat her. She practiced her blade throwing three times a day and her left hand was now as proficient as her right, and her average hit rate had increased to nine blades out of ten. Her studies were up to par with all of the A’s and ahead of the rest of the pack and she finally felt that she belonged in the Killing Grounds. None of that really mattered to her though, since finding Lord Osari was always forefront in her mind.

  Alara jumped from the last rope climb and signalled to Black that she’d had enough for the night and watched as the boy headed off to the dorms. She sighed outwardly feeling that she was getting nowhere fast being cooped up in the barracks. Get a grip girl! The Quartermaster had told them that they would have a free day soon, and she itched at the chance of returning to Sable’s estate and exploring some more.

  Alara halted as she came to the last corner of the corridor before she entered the dorms. She could hear several of her classmates chatting close to the notice board area and s
canned the group for any indication of trouble; she could sense elation in some and pure dread from the others. Throwing up a shield around herself she turned the corner and pushed her way through the throng of apprentices and read the note. The news of the open day was pinned neatly to the corkboard and as Alara read it a strange feeling of disgust came over her. The Killing Grounds was to be open to parents of the apprentices and some of the future candidates, and it was the thought of a hundred feet dragging dirt and grime through the barracks that sickened her. The current apprentices would be the ones that would have to escort the parties of people around the dorms and clear up the mess afterwards. Black joined her at the notice board and then stormed away after reading the news.

  ***

  Alara was still A4 and had closed the gap with A3 to within three hundred credits, but she was still over a thousand away from Gideon’s score and over nine hundred away from Black, and losing ground daily. The two boys were just too strong and knowledgeable for her to keep up with, and only a retirement would give her enough score to catch them, but none had been possible since the tournament. The open day was only twenty-four hours away, and Alara planned to sneak out of the dorm and explore the Killing Grounds during the madness to try to find a clue as to where Lord Osari was being held. Typically the Quartermaster had other ideas.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said after bringing the morning meeting to order, “as you all know tomorrow is our open day. The Council will be relying on you to conduct the tours. All A’s will be accompanying the parents around the building, making sure that they stay inside of the designated area.” He winked at the front row of the class where Alara now sat between A3 and A5. “Unfortunately you will not be allowed to tour with your own parents or guardians. Since neither A2 nor A4 will have visitors, they will take care of the other A’s visitors. The remaining A’s will tour with the other parents, except for A1 who will tour with the candidates for the onboarding programme and report back on each candidate. Six to twelve will be on clean-up duties. There will also be other dignitaries visiting and when the A’s aren’t busy with anything else they will be required to escort those tours. Any questions?”

  Alara raised her hand, “Who are the dignitaries sir?”

  The Quartermaster looked down his nose at Alara, “Politicians mainly, the city has taken an avid interest in our business lately and there is an opportunity for one of our higher Lords to gain a seat on the Senior Council. Normally they would be escorted by a higher member of our order but they have specifically asked for Apprentices to show them around.”

  “I’d like to have the honour sir,” she said before any of the others could speak up.

  “That honour, as you call it, will go the highest A’s available.” He gestured to Black. “Unless…”

  “I have no issue with Du Preeze showing them around, Quartermaster.”

  “Oh? And why not Black?”

  “Du Preeze is good at talking Sir and I….may say something that the Guild would not approve of.”

  “Indeed,” the Quartermaster said as he paraded up and down in front of the class. “So be it. Du Preeze you take the politicians and Black you take the A’s parents, but I warn you both, keep your mind on what you're doing. The bastards will try to bamboozle you with their bullshit questions if you let them. What happens in the Guild stays in the Guild. Am I understood?”

  “Yes sir,” Alara and Black said in unison.

  “A5, your parents sit on the Senior Council, do you have anything to add?”

  “No Sir,” Lucinda said.

  He gave her a look of disdain. “Never forget girl, your allegiance is to this Guild and not to the petty dealings of the city. The Guild Council will not be happy if you keep any pertinent information from your classmates before the vultures start to circle the Guild."

  “Yes Quartermaster,” she replied.

  “So be it. Class dismissed. A4 stay.” The class shuffled out of the room and left Alara alone with the Quartermaster. “Any reason you want to willingly jump into this viper's nest Du Preeze?”

  She didn’t want to tell the Quartermaster that she intended to use the time to question them about Lord Osari, but she didn’t want to blatantly lie either. “City politics are of an interest to me Sir, and I’d like to spend some time talking to them about their business.”

  “And this has nothing to do with Lord Osari’s missing person status?”

  She looked carefully at the Quartermaster, “If the subject is raised by them sir, I’ll answer whatever questions they may pose.”

  “They’re not to be trusted A4. Politicians are only in it for themselves, and they will try to influence you to do their bidding if you let them.”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “We’ll be watching Du Preeze, so be careful. Dismissed.”

  Alara left the room and went back to the dorm to collect her bag of textbooks. She was about to head out when Lucinda blocked her way. The normal glare that Lucinda reserved for Alara was gone, but she was as serious as always. “I would appreciate it if you would refrain from speaking to my parents about me.”

  “If they ask me a question what would you like me to tell them?”

  Alara watched Lucinda’s face as she thought for a moment, looking for any tells. “They didn’t want me to come here, they wanted me to follow in their footsteps and go into politics. When you spend your entire childhood around those people you either love it or hate it. Both my siblings sit on the Junior City Council and are well positioned to take senior roles when they come of age. I’m the black sheep of the family and my parents are not happy that I chose to do this instead of the family business.”

  Alara was grateful that Lucinda was finally opening up to her, but wondered what this had to do with her. She wanted to tell the girl to bug out and leave her alone, but this was too good an opportunity to understand her competition to pass up on. “As much as I appreciate your candour, I fail to see what this has to do with me.”

  “They will use you to get to me,” Lucinda’s tone was grave, “if you let them. I don’t share their views and they will have me marked for retirement if I make it into the Guild proper. My only course of action is to stay alive long enough to make it very difficult for them to get to me. If my guess is right they will ask you to retire me early to save them the trouble of putting a bounty on my head.”

  “You must have really pissed them off.”

  “No, I was born an Artist, the first in the family. As soon as they found out I was pushed aside and sent away from the rest of my family to study the Arts, they would only accept me back if I swore to use my skills for the good of the Council. I rebelled at their plans for me and ended up here.”

  Alara felt a swell of pity for the girl, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I’m not looking for sympathy Du Preeze, I’m merely stating the facts. If this talk helps to keep me safe from a blade in my back you will earn my respect. If not, I’m dead anyway.”

  “You have my word that I won’t come after you because of them.” Alara put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

  “Just be careful is all I’m saying.”

  Alara tried her luck, “Do you know where they’re holding Lord Osari?”

  “No,” the bald girl said and left the dorm.

  This was music to Alara’s ears; she finally had another lead on Lord Osari. She needed more information on the Senior Council if it was them that was holding her Lord somewhere in the city. The stone had indicated not to trust Lucinda, but this turn of events offered her some unique opportunities. Firstly, to find out where Lord Osari was, and secondly to gain the trust of another Artist in the group. She would have to keep the latter between her and Black for the time being, but she now had leverage over Lucinda, and if she could turn the girl into an ally she would control three fifths of the A’s, leaving only Gideon and A3 outside of their circle. She would have to play her cards close to her chest or the Affiliation would retire all three of them, and she had a d
uty to protect Black. If Lucinda came on board that would make them a bigger target. Things were getting more complicated than she wanted, but wheels were in motion that couldn’t be stopped.

  Seventeen:

  The morning of the open day came around way too quickly for Alara and she hadn’t managed to be able to talk openly with Black to fill him in on her conversation with Lucinda. Doubts about the girl had been playing around in her mind, but Lucinda had stopped glaring at her and instead took to ignoring her. When they came into contact with each other Lucinda only greeted her with a grunt of derision, but Alara could feel that Lucinda was only going through the motions and meant no real harm.

  The dorm had been cleaned from top to bottom and it stank of bleach and disinfectant, and the class stood by their cots awaiting the arrival of the visiting parties. Alara was feeling nervous, she’d been told to expect five people and had been given a map of the Killing Grounds indicating the path that she was to take on her tour along with some talking points with which to engage her guests. She’d memorised the map and the points of interest, but her gut told her that trouble was on the way.

  Lord Sirap escorted a crowd of people into the dorm, who then stood patiently as he told them about where the apprentices bunked down and explained their training regime and the different classes they took. Alara sensed a multitude of Artists among the group, and she had difficulty identifying individuals other than the teenagers that made up the mass of incoming apprentices. Lord Sirap introduced the class by surname and then instructed the youngsters to follow Gideon for their tour around the grounds. Several of the parents had already latched onto their children and were dismayed when they were asked to join other apprentices for the tour, instead of their own family. Lord Sirap instructed them to begin their respective tours, leaving only Gideon's and A3’s parents with the five Council members in the dorm with Alara and Black.