The Arena (Ultimate Soldier Book 1) (10 page)

Lila felt her heart sink and her appetite disappeared. "Why bring me here then?"

Josef turned to face her. "You've got to understand something. In nearly two decades of life I have seen dozens of men, women and children contract and succumb to the wolf fever. I watched my own father wither in its grip and pass away, just a few hours before my little brother. My mother never recovered from the loss, and two months later her heart failed her, followed soon after by my newborn baby sister."

"Josef, I--"
I'm so sorry,
she wanted to say, though she knew no words could ease the ache which that kind of loss seared into the heart.

Josef held up a hand. "You have to understand that if I had known you would survive, I would never have brought you here. My hope was that one of the healers could bring you back to consciousness long enough that we could find the location of your home and that Aran and Elan could return to put their sister to peace."

"But you said Jarda wouldn't allow that."

Josef shrugged. "Probably not. But I'm the fool that will cling to the merest shadow of hope when all others have given up and moved on. Perhaps I saw something in you that intrigued me. Perhaps I am a greater fool than I thought. But here you are, against all hope and reason you are alive and you have done what no one else could do. You have conquered the wolves twice over. You have defied death more than the rest of this city combined. So as foolish as it may have been for me to bring you here, I will never regret it. You have a curious destiny, little Lilac, and I belive I will not be the only one watching your journey with great interest."

Lila shook her head in wonder at the thought that anyone would think her life worthy of interest. "All I did was survive, as anyone would do."

"No, not as anyone would do. As many have tried to do--and failed."

Lila squirmed inwardly, feeling her cheeks grow warm. "I didn't ask to be special."

"No one does."

Peter and John came barreling around the corner of the fence with Seeker at their heels. Peter tripped and the three went down in a heap of arms, legs and fur. Lila started toward them to make sure they were okay, but before she could stand up the boys popped up, laughing. Seeker saw Lila and came dancing over, her tongue hanging out.

Lila let Seeker eat the rest of her food. Peter and John had already run off again after waving at her and Josef. Josef shook his head tolerantly then picked up both of the plates and forks. "I'm going to go give these to Martha--would you rather stay here or come with me?"

Thinking of the hostility of the crowd, Lila had no trouble deciding, and almost instantly said she would rather stay and wait. Josef nodded and left with the dishes.

After he disappeared around around the fence, Lila pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her chin on one knee. She closed her eyes, listening to the muted hum of chatter and the creaking of the gate as people went in and out. A man patrolled the top of the wall at the other end of the field, a bow and arrows slung on his back. Peter and John chased each other on the thick green grass, their laughter creating a pleasant harmony to the mockingbird calling on the top of the building. She was sitting on the east side of the building so that the warmth of the morning sun was in her eyes, making the man on top of the wall a sillouhette in the glare. A breeze tugged at her hair, bringing the scent of flowers from somewhere nearby, with the mellow tones of dirt and cut grass. The sound of a town was not the same as that of the forest. There was less birdsong and no sounds of squirrels and rabbits scratching in the undergrowth. The leaves rustling as the breeze stirred them was replaced with a constant buzz of conversation--of human life. It was something Lila had longed to experience for so many years, something that she had nearly lost all hope of ever finding. Despite the attitude of the villagers toward her as an outsider, she felt that the sound of life and industry all around her was as warm and comforting as a thick blanket in the coolness of a winter night. It wrapped around her, surrounded her, made her feel part of something much larger than herself, filling the hole that had ached in her heart since the destruction of her own village and family. It was a welcome change from the lonliness and solitude that her life had been for so long. Seeker had rejoined the two boys, and her playful barks sounded like canine laughter alongide that of the children.

"You ready?"

Lila jumped and opened her eyes when she heard Josef's voice above her. "Ready for what?"

"To meet Jarda. Might as well get it over with."

Lila swallowed hard, willing her stomach to unclench. She rose to her feet and tugged at her shirt, as if the garment would appear any cleaner by being straight. "Show the way." She followed Josef around the fence, through the gate into the now more sparsely popuated courtyard, keeping her eyes on his back so as not to see the glares she could feel directed toward her from all sides. As soon as they entered the shadow of the building, Josef opened a metal door to his right which revealed a set of stairs. Josef's boots echoed hollowly in the stairwell. Three floors up, he opened the door onto another hallway that ended just to their left and ran to the right down the length of the buiding. This hallway had once been carpeted with a rich red fabric, but it was faded and the center of the hall was so worn that Lila's feet touched bare concrete. On either side were doors that seemed to be made of wood, with golden handles. Josef led her to a double door that opened outward. He flashed her an encouraging smile before placing both hands on a handle and pulling them down and out.

The first thing Lila noticed was the smell. The odor of unwashed bodies, rusty metal and spoiled food washed over her as soon as the door was opened. The next thing she noticed was that the whole room seemed to follow this impression of unkempt and unwashed. Men clad in black leather with chainmail peeking around the edges of their shirts stood lined along each wall of the long, narrow room. The only light was indirect sunlight from the window on the far end, and candles in sconces every few feet along the wall. Lila's breath caught in her throat as every face, most scarred in some way and all the visages of fighting men, turned toward her. They reminded her of nothing more than wolves, knowing nothing other than bloodlust and the desire to cause pain. For some reason this comparison made Lila feel as if she walked a familiar path, even though the dimly lit room was nothing like the open of the forest. She straightened, and held her head high, letting a hand fall casually to the knife on her belt. She followed Josef through the center of the room, realizing that the three figures at the end of the room were people.

Behind a long plastic table sat what had to be Jarda. She was by far the fattest person Lila had ever seen, but instead of implying weakness it gave her an aura of solidity and power. Small eyes glowed in the dingy light from a single candle set on the table. To Jarda's left and right sat a young man and woman, who were also heavyset and appeared to be the woman's children. They had the slack-jawed look of someone either with little intelligence or little reason to use it.

When they reached the table Josef stepped aside, leaving Lila standing alone in front of the woman that was called the leader of the Fox village. Jarda's flat, glassy eyes reminded Lila of those of a snake hiding under a bush. Her unexpected feeling of strength persisted, allowing Lila to look Jarda straight in the eyes.

"So," Jarda's voice drawled, her tongue coming out to lick her thick lips. Her daughter's eyes focused briefly on Lila's face before turning once more to gaze off into the distance. "I am told my boys found you in the forest."

Lila nodded slightly. She bristled inwardly at the possesive way Jarda mentioned the men who had found her.

Jarda's face darkened almost imperceptibly. "What are you called?"

"Lila."

If Jarda really had been a snake, her rattle would have been humming in warning. "Hmm. Such a pretty name for such a...
pretty
little thing." The way she drew out the word and her eyes sized Lila up made her feel dirty, almost violated.

She's nothing but a snake coiled under a bush, afraid of the sun,
Lila thought, the image adding to her courage. She stood straight and unwavering in front of Jarda's gaze. "Thank you."

Jarda sat back in her chair, which groaned beneath her bulk, folding her arms over where her chest blended into her massive belly. "Tell me more about yourself. Why were you at the house at the same time as my boys? Were you following them?"

"No, I came upon them by chance. I was looking for medicine."

"Oh? You don't look hurt or sick to me."

"It was for a friend."

Interest sparked in Jarda's eyes. "I see. Does this friend have a name?"

Lila could feel Josef shift nervously beside her, and knew that mentioning Katie's name would not be a good idea. Instead she shrugged in attempt to appear careless. "My friend is dead by now, the person she was no longer exists."
Oh Katie, how I wish that weren't true...

"I see," Jarda said again, her eyes narrowing. "You and this friend, how long have you lived in the forest?"

"I have lived there since I was five."

There was a low murmur that swept the room behind her. Lila had a sudden image of a snake coiling to strike as blood rushed to Jarda's face. "That's not possible."

"I have no reason to lie to you. I was raised by a woman who found me and taught me to survive. For the last two years I have survived on my own, in a cave in the side of the Cliffs."

A man burst into the room behind them, causing Lila to spin around. He strode quickly forward until he stood next to Lila and Josef, limping slightly. Jarda acknowledged him with a brusque nod and he moved to stand along the wall next to a short man with wild blond hair. Jarda turned back to Lila, her demeanor suddenly changed. "Well, we can always use an extra set of hands around here, especially one so experienced with survival. You will be expected to earn your living as does everyone here. Josef, take her to see the Master of Arms. He will test you to see where we can best use you." This last sentence was directed at Lila, and an obvious dismissal. Lila turned and followed Josef as he walked rapidly out of the room, feeling the burning sensation of many eyes on the back of her neck, keeping her hand on the hilt of her knife. Once they reached the hallway and the doors were shut behind them, Josef took a deep breath and seemed to shrink, rubbing at his face with his hands. Then he straightened and looked at Lila, who was shocked to see a brilliant grin on his face.

"What?"

"Not here. Let's go see Nolan, like she said. Come on." He didn't speak again until they were on the stairs with the door to the third floor shut behind them. When he did, his tone was gleeful. "You've got Jarda as mad as a kicked nest of hornets, girl. I've never seen her go purple in the face like that."

Now that her surge of courage was fading, Lila just felt confused. "Why? What did I do?"

"You looked that old toad in the face and defied her, that's what you did! How is it that you whimper like a kicked puppy around those who could do you no harm, but you faced Jarda down like she was nothing but a brat of a child?"

Lila rubbed at her forehead with one hand, the other holding onto the stair rail for balance. Politics made her head hurt. "She reminded me of a snake curled under a blackberry bush. It knows it has poison and could kill me but at the same time it's afraid of me."

Josef shook his head in wonder. "That's an apt description." Then he abruptly sobered. They reached the ground floor and kept going down, into a stairwell lit only by the sunlight from the windows above. "You made a deadly enemy in there today, you know. You've made a liar out of Jarda to everyone in that room, and she can't stand that. Your very existence is a threat to her tyranny."

"Why?"

The stairs abruptly ended one floor down. Josef shoved the door open and waved Lila through. "From our childhood we are raised on the belief that even the sight of a wolf will strike someone with the fever. So far, the story had held true. My father was sent on a mission into the woods and contracted the illness soon after, then passed it on to my brother. It helped that the stories tell us of monsters as big as a man that could tear the strongest rider from the back of his horse--monsters that no one could face, then live to tell the tale." They were in yet another hall, this one dimly lit with panels on the ceiling that cast a greenish hued light over everything.

"That part's true at least," Lila said, thinking of the frequent sight of wolves that were twice her size or more. This hallway was much shorter, with only one door on either side and a double metal door on the end. "I saw many of them that were larger than any man here."

"The more I know of your story, the more I am amazed at your survival. I can't see how someone like you could possibly survive such an ordeal. You have been pretty lucky to make it alone for so long."

A vague memory of her mother's lifeless body flashed through Lila's mind. She had never thought of herself as lucky, but when she really considered it, perhaps she was. Only survivor of her village, she had lived while Protector had wasted away. She had found her tunnel--a once in a lifetime chance. She had Seeker, who had been an invaluable companion. Yes, in a way she had always had just what she needed to survive. "I suppose I am," she replied. Then she realized what he'd just said "What do you mean, someone 'like you'?"

Josef laughed and pushed the double door open to reveal the room beyond. "Well, it's just that you're so...small."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lila demanded. She was aware that she was shorter than most in the village, but she didn't understand what size had to do with survival talent.

"Ah, nevermind." Josef held the door open for Lila to pass through. The room through the doors probably took up half of the area of the building. The floor was packed dirt, the white-tiled ceiling upheld by rusty metal columns. The room's ceiling was the same height as any other room she had seen, but the sheer size of the room made it seem low, as if it were about to cave in on their heads. In the corner to her right was a heavy wooden table that held an assortment of large knives and swords piled haphazardly on its surface. Antonio's large form stood at the table polishing a wickedly curved sword. The walls on either side of the table held metal weapon racks that contained more knives, metal poles and other weapons Lila didn't recognize. In the far left corner were piled boxes and crates of various sizes. The very center of the room held a large square defined by ropes strung between four pillars. Against one of these pillars stood a black-cloaked figure. It was toward this silent form that Josef led Lila.

"Lila, this is Nolan." Josef's wave indicated the man whose face now turned toward them. Nolan pushed his hood down with one hand to reveal an impossibly gaunt face surrounded by stringy black hair, as if he had not eaten or bathed in weeks. Nolan's cloak gaped open at his neck when he turned, revealing a thick gold chain that triggered something in Lila's memory, but she didn't have the chance to search it out before the feeling was gone.

"Who is this, Josef? You know I do not train children."

Lila felt stung by the comment and opened her mouth to reply, but Josef beat her to it. "I think you will find that no one could be farther from it, Arms Master. This is the girl we found in the forest."

"The forest? No, all in the forest are long dead. Jarda made quite sure of that."

What does he mean, Jarda made sure of that? Surely he can't mean...
Lila's thought was interuppted when Josef replied. "I think you'll find Lila is full of surprises. Jarda wants you to test her."

Nolan sniffed, his brilliant blue eyes fixing on Lila's. He gestured toward the wall of weapons. "Pick one. Then join me in the square."

Lila placed a hand on the knife at her belt. "I have never needed any other weapon."

Nolan held out a hand and at Josef's nod, Lila reluctantly handed over the blade. The gaunt man carefully inspected the knife, balancing it on one finger before flipping it up in the air, catching it and handing it back to Lila hilt-first. "Join me," Nolan said, and with a billow of black fabric, ducked between two ropes to enter the square.

Lila glanced at Josef, who grinned and gave her a thumbs-up gesture. "You'll be fine," he whispered. Lila shook her head doubtfully and bent over to slide between the ropes.

As soon as Lila straightened, Nolan lunged at her without warning. All she saw was a glimpse of black, the faint hiss of a knife coming toward her head. Crying out, she ducked and rolled away, jumping to her feet with her knife held outstretched. "What are you doing?" She shouted, ducking and turning again as Nolan lunged once more. His booted food lashed out and she leaped high, running to the other corner of the square. "Josef! What's going on?" But Josef just stood by, watching intently.

A fierce grin split Nolan's features, and Lila had a sudden flash of memory. Black, hair, blue eyes, a thick gold chain clasped in chubby little fingers. Then he was upon her again, and Lila dropped to the floor, scooting through Nolan's feet. She cried out as his foot came backward and caught her ankle, making her fall to the floor. She rolled over, trying to bring her knife hand up as Nolan grabbed her hair and brought his blade to her neck.

"No!" Lila screamed, by sheer force of will pulling away, rolling to her feet and jumping onto Nolan's back, pulling his head back by his hair and setting the edge of her knife to where the pulse jumped against his pale skin. "Why are you trying to kill me?" She demanded.

To her surprise, Nolan smiled. Hearing the sound of clapping, she looked over to see Antonio, Josef, Aran and Elan standing outside the square applauding loudly.

"You may release me now." Nolan's voice was muffled by a fold of his cloak that had fallen over his face.

Thoroughly confused and a little angry, Lila let him go and stepped back, letting her knife clatter to the floor. "What are you playing at?" She shouted at him. "I could have killed you!"

Nolan straightened and knelt to retrieve Lila's knife, handing it to her. Lila grabbed the knife and shoved it into the scabbard. "But you didn't."

"I'm not a murderer!"

Nolan shook his head gravely. "No, you aren't."

"Then why do this?"

Nolan's mouth quirked up in a slight smile, but he didn't reply.

Josef stepped forward and ducked under the rope. "Well?"

"Josef, I want to leave." Lila said.

Josef smiled, and took Lila's hand in both of his. "Nolan, what do you think?"

"Fire and ice, this one. She'll do well." Nolan spun away, his cloak swirling around him, and walked away without another word.