CHAPTER 5 - STORMUNGANDR - Part 2

Cullen stood at the barred gate again. It was the end of the week and he was expected to fight again. And each fight was consecutively worse. He had fought massive spiders and scorpions. He had fought groups of men. He had fought Hive soldiers.
The crowd was quiet these days, and seemed to be routing for Cullen more often than not. He had become the crowd favorite and it just made the Hive Queen angrier. She set up more challenges for him to face.
It had been months and they were no closer to figuring out a way out of the situation. Tris’tan couldn’t get close enough to drop off the weapons because the Hive soldiers were very watchful of who came to see the fights.
Abd didn’t want to attack the city unless Cullen was free. And he wanted Tik free as well, to have both magic swords functioning. Cullen had tried to come up with plans but there was no getting to his Weapons.
The gate opened and he stepped out into the Pit. He heard his name called by the cheering crowd and he looked around the arena to glance at the people that came to see him fight.
Right on the edge again he noticed the fat merchant that he had saved, waving to him desperately. He was shouted Cullen’s name and waving him over. Cullen decided to see what the man wanted; even though he thought it was strange.
“Cullen! Yes, come closer! I must speak to you!” Watoombi called from the stands. Cullen glanced towards the Queen but she was busy speaking with the Hive soldiers near her.
“What is it merchant?” Cullen called up to the man.
“I owe you a debt! You saved my life and honor dictates I repay you in some way! What can I do?” the man was sweating and hanging off the side. Cullen thought the fool was going to fall again.
Repay the debt? Get me out of here, Cullen thought. What could this man do to help me? Perhaps – some idea started to come into his mind, and he thought of a plan.
“If you want to repay me, then go to the Mosque and find a man named Anton!” Cullen called up to the man. “Ask him what you can do for me!”
With those words, Cullen walked away. He didn’t want to Queen to notice the exchange and have the man followed. He walked back out to the center of the pit and waited. Trumpets blew and the announcer called out saying that again they had a special event planned.
“One of our good Queen’s Champions will fight today!” the announcer yelled. Cullen’s head snapped up to look at the Queen. She was watching him for a reaction and she smiled a wicked grin.
Cullen looked at Sonia and Tik. Tik was watching him as always, looking hard at his friend, clearly worrying. Sonia was not looking at him and that had become common as well. Something was wrong with her, he thought; she doesn’t think I’ll save her. Cullen anger grew.
Then he saw Idylls watching him again. She had not come to see him again but her interest was clear. Cullen nodded to her, just once to show her that her acknowledged her. She smiled back at him and then looked worried.
The opposite gate opened and a Hive soldier stepped forward. He was taller than Cullen, wide and well muscled, shaped like Grimm more than anything else and Cullen swallowed once. Then he put his head down and growled. He would not die, not here, not in this pit, not in front of Sonia and Tik!
He carried a simple longsword and walked backward for a bit to give the newcomer some room. The Champion walked out slowly and Cullen looked at his weapon. He carried the Bhuj, a long staff weapon with a wide, thick blade at the end with a small curve.
He tried to remember what power that one possessed. He recalled his fights with the Champions from the War but he couldn’t remember what the power was. So he stayed well away waiting to see if sand and stone would rise and if he would have a wind attack.
The Champion just walked at him, coming closer and Cullen thought he must not have a distance attack. He wants to close with me. He brought his sword up and walked forward.
He came on with a small twist, trying to slide the sword in quickly, just to test his opponent, but the Champion swiped it away with the Bhuj and then made his own attack with a wide swing that came on strong.
Cullen moved quickly, putting his sword up to block and remembered the power of the weapon as soon as it connected. Cullen was thrown back ten feet by the force of that blow and he recalled its power gave great strength to the wielder.
He hit the sand hard and rolled three times before jumping back to his feet and taking a new stance in this fight. He couldn’t block any attacks or he would go flying or worse, lose his weapon altogether.
He had to fight an aggressive fight, without any defense. This would prove to be incredibly difficult to do. This would call on all of his training over the last few years. He stepped ahead bravely and came on strong. He came on directly, moving his sword in complicated motions, trying to confuse his opponent.
The Champion just swung, trying to hit Cullen again with the powerful strength the weapon gave him. Cullen moved back to avoid the strike and slipped in quickly to try and cut the Champion. But he pulled his staff back in time to block.
Cullen danced away again, trying to stay one step ahead of the Bhuj and get in small slashes or stabs to wear down the Champion. Cullen barely scratched him a few times but this wasn’t working. Then he heard the Queen laughing and his anger grew.
Knowing that Sonia felt absolutely trapped made him angry. Knowing the Abd wouldn’t do anything without him made him angry. Knowing his friends had to fight for their lives made him angry. He started moving faster, and using his skills he had built for years.
He darted in wildly and managed to really cut the Champion across the midsection. The Champion staggered back and the crowd cheered Cullen on. Cullen blocked out the cheering and the Queen and just focused on killing his opponent.
He started trying to cut the Champion at the hands, where he held the Bhuj. He cut the Dark Fae twice and then got hit again hard. He managed to put his sword up to defend himself against being cut but the power behind the attack threw him away into the sand again.
This time he leaped up and ran back at the Champion. His anger was growing and he felt the transformation coming and this time he didn’t stop it. He knew that it was something he didn’t want to share so publicly, but he needed the extra power to win this battle.
He kept slashing with his sword, and scoring minor cuts, but they had to have some accumulative effect on his opponent. At the very least it was frustrating and made the Fae swing wildly. Cullen dodged t the side and then slashed again, all the while letting his anger grow.
His muscles started to expand and grow larger. The tall Fae was not as tall anymore as Cullen grew with the change. Hair began sprouting along his arms, his legs and his face. As his mouth elongated, the crowd started to notice the difference.
He continued to cut and slash with the sword, keeping the Champion off balance as much as he could while he let the magic of the transformation happen. His tattoos glowed with power and wrapped him in a weird light.
Mist obscured him from his opponent and the Champion took a wild swing at the mist, pulling way back and then letting his weapon cut through the smoke before him.
The crowd gasped when they realized Cullen had caught the weapon without being thrown back. The mist dissipated and Cullen was standing before the Dar Fae totally transformed into a werewolf.
He was tall and heavily muscled, still holding the sword but also gripping the Bhuj with the other hand. His face was wolf-like, his mouth now a muzzle and he let out a low growl as he pulled the Bhuj out of the Champion’s hands.
He threw the weapon away and stepped forward to grapple with the Champion. The Dark Fae tried to jump back but Cullen was too quick. He grabbed the Champion by the his leather armored shirt and lifted him off the ground.
Cullen shoved his sword into the Champion, pushing the weapon through the Dark Fae’s chest and out the other side. As he hung there, Cullen let lose a loud howl that echoed around the arena.
Cullen turned his gaze at the Queen and growled again at her horrified look. She stood transfixed in fear as Cullen tossed his opponent off the sword and into the sand at his feet.
Then Cullen looked over the rest of the spectator’s box. His anger shielded him somewhat from the looks on Tik on Sonia’s face, but he knew in that moment that nothing would be the same between Sonia and him ever again.
As he looked over the stand, he made eye contact with Idylls again. She simply smiled at him, and then laughed at her mother’s fear. Cullen could see that the girl wasn’t afraid at all.
The Queen started shouting for guards to go into the Pit and push Cullen back to his cell. Cullen released the magic and let himself transform back into his human shape. His clothes were torn and he was tired, so he didn’t fight as the Hive soldiers dragged him back to his cage.
The Kingsguard looked nervous as they watched him get placed in the second cell, but the Faeries immediately tended to his wounds ad had him drinking water quickly so he could recover from the magic.
Cullen needed to rest, as the transformation made him very tired, but he trusted his Faery friends to watch out for him while he slept. He kept thinking of the fear on Sonia’s face and how she looked at Tik right away.
As he faded into sleep, he thought about Idylls smiling at him from across the pit. She wasn’t afraid of him at all it seemed.

***

Watoombi walked into the Mosque a bit apprehensively. It wasn’t a time of worship, so the place seemed empty, but he heard voices in the back of the building so he walked further in.
“Hello!” he called, hoping to get someone’s attention before he went any further in. The building was impressive, with decorated walls of blue and white tiles that showed geometric designs that covered every wall. Colored glass filled the windows and let in the faded sunlight that was blocked by the dark clouds the Host kept over the city.
A Xho man stepped out of an office towards the back. He wore the robes of a Curate and walked quickly to cross the space between himself and Watoombi.
“Yes, can I help you in some way?” the man asked.
“I was told to come here and ask for a man named Anton,” Watoombi answered, feeling nervous about the situation.
“Who told you to ask for Anton,” the Curate asked politely. Watoombi noticed his stance changed however and he looked ready to jump forward.
“A man named Cullen,” Watoombi answered. “You see, he saved my life and I want to repay him,” he added quickly. “He told me to ask for Anton.”
“Did you know that the other man who is forced to fight in the Pit, the man named Blade is a Zingarian, like yourself?” the Curate questioned.
Watoombi looked perplexed. “Blade, is Zingarian? I could see he is dark skinned like me, but he doesn’t look like –“
“He is. He was a Zingarian commander who was taken prisoner by the Choss. They sold him to the Host and now he fights for his life. I’m sure he will fight Cullen one day soon, and then one of those two men will die.”
Watoombi stared hard at the Curate. “I didn’t know this, but why are you telling me?”
The Curate took another step towards him and placed his hand on Watoombi’s shoulder. “Because you have to decide now how far you are willing to go to help Cullen and the man called Blade. How far are you willing to go against the Host? Because the only help Cullen needs, is escaping the Pit. You should know this before meeting Anton.”
Watoombi looked down at the floor and stopped to think. It was the honorable thing to repay a man who saves your life, he thought. But to fight the Host is another thing entirely. But add to that, a commander in the armed forces of Zingaria was also prisoner. What should he do?
“I will meet Anton, and see what he says,” Watoombi decided. “I will listen and keep secret what I hear. I will decide after if I want to join you in your – revolution.”
“I can ask no more of you,” the Curate said, smiling and took his hand away. “Please follow me.”
The Curate led Watoombi into the back set of rooms and beyond the office he found a set of apartments. Inside the room there, was a man who looked dark skinned on his face and hands but since he wasn’t wearing his robes, it was clear that he used paste to make himself dark.
Next to the man was something else Watoombi never thought he would see. An elf, also colored to look dark on his hands and face, but otherwise pale like moonlight, sat with the man. The elf rose quickly and started to draw his sword, but the Curate held up his hands and asked them to listen.
“My name is Watoombi,” the merchant started. “I am a wealthy merchant, and part of the Merchant’s Guild in Durza. I almost lost my life to the fighting in the Pit, but Cullen, he saved my life. I owe him a debt. He said I should find Anton to repay that debt. What would you have me do?”
The man and the elf looked at each other and the elf grinned. The man turned back to the merchant and sized him up with another glance.
“My name is Anton. I am a High Priest of God and I have crossed the Great Desert from my faraway lands. We came here and found the Xho people enslaved by our common enemies, the Host. We have been fighting to free the Xho people. But we need Cullen. Would you help us free him?”
Watoombi looked at the man. Anton was well built and looked more like a warrior then a Priest. The elf was watching him with large red eyes and a smirk on his face.
“The Host has natural enemies too. I have come with Cullen, who is my brother to fight our ancient enemies. Would you fight with us?” the elf asked.
Watoombi looked again at the Curate, who nodded. The merchant thought he was probably going to get involved in something he had no business getting mixed up in but his sense of honor was deep and strong. He had to repay Cullen.
“I will help,” he finally said. “What would you have me do?”

***

Idylls was waiting in the small room again when the shadows brought Cullen out of his cell to speak with her. He was still tired but he wanted to talk to her so he moved to his seat without being prodded.
She was as beautiful as ever, dressed in leather pants that hugged her shapely legs and a loose silk shirt with large sleeves that was cut low in the front. Her white hair was loose and flowing around her shoulders and her lips were large as she smiled at Cullen.
He sat down in the chair across the wooden table from her. He looked her over, catching a scent of the perfume she wore, which was unlike the Queen, who mostly smelled like the musk of serpents. This girl was different than her people, of that he was sure.
“What you did, during that last fight, how – what did you do?” she asked, her eyes focused totally on him.
“I transformed. All of the Asrai can do it, and since I am born of the Asrai Queen, I learned how to do it as well,” Cullen answered simply.
“It has changed how your friends look at you,” she said, bringing his fears right to the front of his mind.
“Yes, I saw that too. You cut right to the quick, don’t you?”
She smiled, ever so slightly. “In the Hive, you must notice another’s weaknesses quickly, if you want to stay alive.”
This time, he smiled back at her. “Is that what you think you witnessed, something that made my friendships weaker?”
“The girl is terrified of you I think,” she answered quickly with a little tension in her voice.
“I promise you,” he began, “That nothing could be further from the truth. We will all be together again, soon, and things will be changed but not broken.”
“I think things have already changed more than you think,” she hinted. Her smile was back but he didn’t like it, she looked predatory suddenly.
“I suppose they have, but it changes nothing. I will free my friends and we will be together again. This will not weaken the connections I have.”
“You’re so confident Cullen,” she added. “What makes you this way?”
“I also know things you don’t,” he answered. “But I need to ask you, why do you come to talk to me?” he fixed his green eyes on her and tried to look past her being part of the Host.
“I – I want to learn about you,” she stumbled out. “I know so little of other races, and you are the most interesting person that’s come here, to where I live.”
“And you can’t travel can you? You can’t go places to learn more?” he asked, still watching her carefully.
Her beautiful face showed her struggle. Cullen was right and she knew it, but she didn’t want to disclose her own weaknesses.
“I have responsibilities to the Hive and to my mother,” she said, trying to alter the conversation.
“And how will you become a Queen Idylls?” he asked, pressing her.
“I will kill my mother and take control of the Hive,” she answered with a dead voice, as if she had been programmed to say those words.
“Is this what you want?” he asked, still pushing at her. “Is this the life you want? Why don’t you have the scales that the others do?”
She looked alarmed and her eyes went wide. “I shouldn’t – I shouldn’t tell you these things!”
“Why not Idylls? I’m your prisoner; you’re the one in control here. Why not tell me about yourself?”
“Because when you ask questions like that, I don’t feel like I’m in control anymore. You frighten me!”
“I frighten you?” he shifted on his chair and sat back away from her. “In a world where you have to kill your own mother to become the leader of your people, I frighten you!” He said it incredulously.
“Yes!” she answered, raising her voice. “You frighten me because you fight for change, and I am afraid of change! I’m afraid I’ll learn something from you I can’t unlearn! I’m afraid that you’ll do something and change my life!”
“Would that be so bad Idylls?” he asked, gentler now, soothing. “Would it be so bad to have a different life? Tell me about the scales – why don’t you have them?”
Now she sat back, and tried to compose herself. He watched her catch her breath and start to breathe calmly. She stopped gripping the table and placed her hands on top easily.
“There is a ritual,” she started. “A ritual with the Master. You take some of him into you; you receive some of his power. It’s through him that we have the Hive sense, that all of us can sense what’s happening with the Hive, all of that is through his power.”
Cullen nodded but kept silent, urging her on without speaking.
“I did the ritual, but something happened. Something went wrong and the scales didn’t appear. I just stayed the same, with dark skin. I don’t know why it happened that way and my mother was furious with me.”
“I understand that,” he said quietly.
“I am supposed to do the ritual again. This time it will be worse. This time will involve sacrifice, probably sacrifice involving you or your men. The ritual is dark and more frightening than anything else in my life. I am afraid Cullen.”
Cullen reached across the table and took her hand. “What if you could stay away from the ritual? What if you could be free? What if you could travel and learn, Idylls, what would you say to that?”
“I would say those are impossible dreams. That’s a life I will never have, because I am part of the Hive, part of the Host. I have a duty to me people to lead them in conquest, to lead them across the surface world and rule it.”
“Idylls, we don’t have to do what our parents do, or what our tribe does. We don’t have to follow those paths. Sometimes, if you’re brave enough, you can follow your own path; live your life the way you want to.”
Idylls looked down at her hands, sitting in Cullen’s hands. His hands were surprisingly soft for a warrior’s hands. And she liked the way his pale skin looked entwined with her dark fingers.
She looked up at him and saw a life, a world that was not her own. And she realized that she wanted to know more about that life. Cullen was so different from the males in the Hive, and he was different from the males in the Xho community. What did she want, she asked herself. What could she have?
“It’s a beautiful dream Cullen, but I cannot have a different life. I am a part of the Hive, part of the Host. That is who I am.”
She pulled her hands free and stood up. “You should go back to your cell now,” she said with a distant cold voice. Her eyes hardened against him and he saw there was no changing it now. He sighed and stood up, letting the shadows take hold of him and march him back to his cell.
“I won’t give up on you,” he said as they parted. He didn’t see her reaction as he was dragged down the hall. She stood there by herself and a tear ran down her face. “Promise?” she whispered.

***

The sun had climbed to its peak and the day was cloudless. It was a beautiful summer and everyone seemed as happy as can be. High King Remus the First looked around at the teeming amounts of people and his heart swelled with pride.
He had the entire Realm here in Holdfast, at his tourney and he couldn’t be more pleased. He could see hundreds of people eating and singing or dancing, there were dozens of entertainers and food sellers walking around and he was sure all the local businesses were doing well.
Adrian and Simon were happy and glad to be able to talk to each other without waiting for letters to arrive. King Cosmin seemed less sullen, after watching his Knights do so well at the quintain feat. All except King Nicu, who looked tense. Remus thought he would have to find a way to bring that man into the fold, to make him a part of the Realm.
The nobles from every Kingdom had lined up at the lists to joust. It was an afternoon or watching well bred horses race towards each other, while men in armor tried to knock each other off their horses.
The men from Dustan and Vess were quickly out of the running, knocked off their horses quickly by the more experienced knights from Seawatch and some men from Rath. Remus was surprised that Rathians had made suit of armor, but the bold men seemed to have just created armor to cover the one side of their bodies and they accepted the punishment of falling hard.
Remus remembered battling in Rath during the campaign. Horse Lords were fierce fighters and many of them could out fight a knight. The only thing keeping the Kingdom from being a threat to the other Kingdoms was that they never found a leader and the tribe fought each other all too often.
But here was this new man, King Nicu, who had apparently brought the warring tribes together under one banner. Remus could see that many Rathians had joined their King and come to Holdfast for the event. He could see them in the crowds as well as at the lists.
Grimm had left to check in with the messenger birds to make sure all was well in the Kingdoms that had no Kings at the moment. Grimm walked up the steps of the platform and bent down to the King’s ear.
“Every message says the same thing. Nothing wrong, no problems, everything’s fine,” Grimm grumbled to the High King.
“And that bothers you?” the King asked, hearing a particular tone in Grimm’s report.
“Yes, something should be wrong. Kingdoms always clamor for their Kings when they are away, there’s always some problem that needs their attention when they come here. But no one is asking for help. It’s very strange.”
“I think it’s wonderful!” the High King replied. “We have the tourney, and no problems in the Realm! What more could I ask for?”
“I don’t like it. I’m sending riders out to each post. I want a message sent from our own men.” Grimm moved away when the King nodded and took up his post behind him. He still carried one arm in a sling.
The Dreamweaver had looked at his shoulder repeatedly, but the bruising had not stopped and it was sore to the touch. Grimm couldn’t swing his battle axe like he should and the whole things made him surlier than ever.
The High King ignored him and went back to watching the jousting. There were three Rathians still in the match, against some of Seawatch’s Knights. Cosmin and Nicu both were on the edge of their chairs, watching their men ready for the joust.
Gedda the Lion, was matched against Afastr the Bull. The two men rushed towards each other with jousting lances set in the little holder at their side. They both aimed for the shield held before them and they crashed together with a terrific impact.
The Bull flew off his horse, with his lance shattered in pieces that rained down on him as he hit the ground. He landed hard, but the Seawatch Knights were hardy men, and he stood pretty quickly, with some help.
Gedda rose back to wait for his next turn. Jokull the Nightlands rode against Olvir the Bear. Jokull’s armor was so deeply black that he looked like the absence of light on the field. His horse was a massive charge, as big as Grimm’s and probably from the same herd.
The two men rode at each other and as Cosmin predicted, there was no contest. The Bear was tossed from his saddle and the Nightlands seemed hardly bothered by the lance striking him in the shoulder.
Eyarr the Destroyer rode against Balkr the Seawolf. Both men knocked each other off their respective horses and then rose quickly to battle with swords. The Destroyer, in his red and yellow armor, looking like walking flames attacked with his war hammer.
Balkr fought with a longsword and was quicker than his opponent, but the Destroyer got in one good blow to the helmet and the Seawolf was done. He collapsed to the ground and had to be pulled off the field.
“You have some hard men Cosmin!” the High King commented to the other King sitting beside him.
“We have a hard land. And a contested border,” the Sea King grumbled.
King Nicu glanced over at him. “Our men have learned to fight the armored might of Seawatch. We have learned how to make armor ourselves. You shall see now!”
The next two men were Bjorn the Stag against a Rathian man. The Rathian wore the pauldrons and gauntlets on one side and the rest of him was unarmored.
“That seems dangerous Nicu!” the High King said.
“You think the Knights are tough?” Nicu responded. “Watch my man with half the armor!”
The two men rode at each other and their lances exploded into pieces. The Stag was thrown from his horse and King Cosmin almost jumped out of his chair and as he sat back down, he swore under his breath.
The Rathian walked his horse around the fallen Knight, laughing. He rode towards the Kings platform and saluted his King. Then he rode to the women and children and bowed towards them.
“Too much preening on that man. The next tilt will cost him,” Cosmin said, directly to Nicu.
“He’s winning and pleased with himself. We celebrate success in Rath!” Nicu tossed back.
Dagr Starlight, in his black spotted armor, that looked like the night sky rode up next. He was against Gedda. Gedda’s golden armor shined brightly in the sun and his blonde hair was flowing out of his helmet. He was a handsome man and took great care of his looks.
Starlight and Gedda crashed together and Gedda was blasted off his horse. His golden armor was chaffed and scratched and as soon as he was up he was cursing about it. Starlight laughed and rode back to the starting position.
The Nightlands was up against a Rathian, a different man than the first. “Care to place wager on this one?” Cosmin taunted. Nicu said nothing. The Nightlands was well known in every Kingdom. He was a quiet man, but a man of war, probably the best fighter in the Realm.
The two men rode together and Jokull didn’t shift off his saddle, but his lance not only knocked the man off his horse but it punctured his armor and tore it free. Pieces were hanging loose off his lance and the man on the ground was wounded by the straps breaking.
Rathians ran to help him up and the crowd seemed sorrowful for the man. “Someday Cosmin, someone will beat that man,” Nicu growled.
“But not today!” Cosmin said back.
The Destroyer was up against the first Rathian again. This time Nicu didn’t say a word and Cosmin got to the edge of his seat again. Clearly there were the beginnings of real competition between these two men and Remus didn’t like how intense it was getting.
The two men clashed together and this time the Rathian won again, to the surprise and cheers of the crowd. Nicu laughed and waved to the man as he paraded by again.
“He won’t win the match, you know that right?” Cosmin said with a sharp tone.
“He may not, but he got farther than you would give him credit for!” Nicu laughed again.
The Nightlands and Starlight were next and the two men saluted each other before they rode. They looked like two black mountains rushing towards each other and the explosion between them was immense. Starlight was knocked off his horse but he landed on his feet and challenged Jokull to come down and fight.
Jokull dismounted and the two men went at each other with their swords. The Nightland’s sword was a big black weapon that seemed too big to use, but Jokull used it well. Starlight was quicker and a little smaller and scored many hit against his opponent, but in the end it wasn’t enough.
Jokull hammered at Starlight until finally one blow got through. And once one blow hit, it seemed the man couldn’t get his defenses back up and soon he was smashed to the ground.
There was a short break to let the men rest, but the Nightlands urged them on to the final round. He remounted his giant horse and readied himself to ride against the Rathian.
The Rathian go the crowd cheering for him again and he rushed forward with his new lance held just right. But there was no beating the Nightlands and when they collided, the Rathian shot off his horse and landed hard, breaking his arm with a loud crack you could hear.
Nicu stopped laughing just before they rode and now he had a terrible scowl on his face. Cosmin sat back, totally satisfied with the outcome and Remus saw there was real trouble brewing between them.
He motioned for the young announcer to come over. The young man came towards the platform and leaned up to hear the King. “It’s time to announce the weddings,” he said quietly, thinking the good news would cheer the crowd and get the Kings back to a calmer feeling.
The young man ran into the middle of the field and trumpets blared to get the people’s attention. The man stood on his box and yelled as loud as he could.
“Jokull the Nightlands wins the Joust! Tonight he will eat with the High King at the King’s table! Tomorrow we will have the one on one challenges and the following day we will have the Melee!”
The crowd cheered for the next day’s events and Remus thought they looked excited.
“I also have an announcement! King Adrian’s son, Prince Alin is going to wed King Simon’s daughter Princess Nelu! We ask you to give your blessing to the young couple and you’re all invited to the wedding, which will be announced at a later date! Thank you!”
The young man hopped off his box and headed towards the edge of the ring. Adrian and Simon were like two school kids, all excitement and laughter. Cosmin gave a sullen congratulations and Nicu didn’t speak at all.
As the Kings rose to walk off the platform and head back to the castle, Remus wondered what he could do to make Nicu feel like an insider instead of an outsider. Feeling separate from the others would lead to trouble, he knew. He had to find a way to stop that before it got worse.

***

Anton looked at the room full of Zingarian merchants. The men all belonged to a Guild of Merchants that controlled all imports and exports in and out of their country. Watoombi wasn’t an especially important man, but we was well known and well liked by his fellow Guild members.
Anton had also learned that Zingarians all served in their military when they are young men. Zingaria is a country that places a lot of time and energy into their military and every man must served in his youth, so all of them had been trained at one point in their lives.
Anton was a tall man and well built, standing before the assemble crowd with his traditional white armor with the red lightning bolt down the tabard. He wore his large mace and helmet at his side and he did not apply the paste. He stood tall and pale before a room full of black men that had once been fighters.
Watoombi stood with him and addressed the crowd before Anton could speak. “My friends, my fellow Guild members, thank you for coming and meeting with us, and thank you most for keeping it as quiet as you could.” The Guild often met in secret, so it wasn’t unusual that they had gathered quietly and without letting the other merchants in the city know what went on in their meetings.
“I introduce you to my new friend,” Watoombi continued, “His name is Anton and he comes from another land, across the desert and over the far mountains. He has come a long way to speak to you.”
The crowd reacted with surprise that this white man before them had come from so far and a place considered almost mythical in scope.
“But first, let me tell you why we became friends. I went to the Pit, to watch the fights. And through my own foolishness, I fell into the arena and would have died an ugly death if not for Anton’s friend, Cullen!”
A man stood up near the back and spoke, “So you have become friends with outlaws and rebels!”
Watoombi smiled with his unassuming round face and nodded his head. “Yes, you are right. Cullen was captured by the Host for being a rebel and being a part of the group that took back control of Alumet! But there is more you need to hear.”
“Another man fighting in the Pit, is called Blade. Many of you have heard about his fighting prowess and skill. You would know him better by his birth name, Fawad el Toon, the Zingarian General!”
The merchant let his words hang in the room and he listened as the men assembled began to talk to each other. “How can this be?” one man shouted above the rest.
“He was captured by the Choss army and they sold him to the Host for their games,” Watoombi answered easily.
“We must demand his release!” another man yelled.
“And do you think, after all you have seen, that the Host will release your General, just because you ask?” Anton finally spoke, with a loud, clear, strong voice.
The crowd quieted and men stopped speaking. Every one of them had been witness to the treatment of the Xho, but Zingarian had been competing neighbors with the Xho, so they had become rich over their neighbor’s trouble.
“The Host came to my lands as well,” Anton said, “And they tried to kill our High King, our King of Kings! They created strife in our land and tried to make us slaves! And one man, a boy really, gathered together every race of the Realm, and turned the battle around! That boy is Cullen!”
Anton watched the crowd as they started speaking to each other. Men argued about support and continuing to listen. Some wanted to wash their hands of this. If the Host discovered them talking like this, something bad would happen.
“My friends!” Watoombi spoke up. “Cullen fights for the Xho! But he fights for us as well! Because the Host has designs on Zingaria already! Why do you think they accepted the gift from Choss?”
“We are fighting the Host because their goal is to make slaves of all humans!” Anton said next. “But if you help the Xho, their King, their last surviving King will make trade agreements with Zingaria to cement a new bond of both countries!”
“If we demand our General back, they will have to release him!” a new man shouted.
“They already knew who he was and they kept him anyway!” another man retorted.
“We have a plan!” Anton said above the murmur of the group. “And everything is in place. But we need a distraction, and that’s where you come in. I have heard that all Zingarians are trained to fight. Is this true? Are you all warriors? Or has become a merchant made you all fat and foolish like Watoombi here?”
Watoombi smiled at the insult and bowed to the crowd. “I am going to help them release Fawad and Cullen.”
“Will you fight with him?” Anton asked, his voice clear over the heads of the assembled men.
“I will fight!” one man said. Then another stood and pledged that he would fight. Soon all of them had agreed. Anton smiled and waved behind him. Abd and Tris’tan came out from behind the podium.
“This is King Abd of the Xho. And this is an Asrai Elf warrior from my home. His is brother to Cullen. We have magic and might on our side. We have a plan. We took one city already and we can take this one as well. You will be heroes to your own people, and new friends with your neighbors!”
The crowd agreed to listen to the plans, and the group of leaders began to speak. They discussed getting to Cullen and Blade, how to take the city gates, and what to do about the Hive soldiers in the city.
Tris’tan smiled as he spoke. Cullen wasn’t the only man that could incite a crowd to fight he thought. His brother would be proud of them. It had taken five months, but they were almost ready.