The Trials Of Ashbarn ( Book 5) (27 page)

Not sure how to react, she
threw an arm around her son, pulling him closer. She gazed around at the crowd, soon spotting another. He was still as death, wearing the same black cloth mask. He got a few strange looks from those around him, but in general wasn’t doing anything that could be perceived as threatening. The woman turned around, looking up at the walkway a few rows back. She wondered if others were noticing the strange men popping up everywhere. Cryton soldiers stood guard at all the entrances, each holding a spear. They hadn’t seemed to notice anything yet.

S
he caught a glimpse of something strange: a large man nearing the back of one of the cryton soldiers. Even from this distance, his bright green eyes were obvious. She looked away, rubbing her own eyes briefly, wondering if all this chaos was just getting the best of her. But when she looked back, the large man was nowhere to be seen, and the cryton soldier was gone as well. His spear laid on the floor, as if he just dropped it in a hurry.
Did that large man just
—

“Attention
, all,” came a call from the arena floor. “Your Queen commands your attention.” The short cryton stood next to Filista, translating loudly as she spoke. She, along with both human and cryton soldiers, stood on a separate stage, close to Ilirra’s platform. The soldiers wore their traditional armor, but were not allowed weapons. Standing among these men were Azek, Addel, and Berkeni. Having been close advisers to the Queen, they were now committed to serving the new administration. Taron’s laws were clear on this matter, but that did not mean that they had to like it. Azek stared straight ahead, his unreadable face carved from stone. The other two hung their heads, trying to fight back their tears.

“Today is a day of celebration
,” the short cryton continued. “Today, we celebrate the strengthening of this great city.” He gestured to Ilirra standing over a trapdoor, a mask covering her face, a noose around her neck. “Gone are the days when the people were ruled by fear and prejudice. Gone are the days when Taron was laughed at by its sister cities, for she is now a power to be reckoned with. A new day has come when—” He stopped in mid-speech; some sort of commotion in the upper deck was causing quite a distraction.

“What is going on up there?” questioned Filista angrily, upset at having her moment of glory interrupted. One
of the cryton soldiers ran up behind her, urgently whispering in her ear. Her angry gaze drifted back to the upper levels. “A rebellion?” she shrieked.

* * *

Men and women went running, chaos erupting all around them. The mother grabbed her son, then began climbing the steps towards one of the exits. Watching her feet, trying not to fall backward, she nearly ran directly into one of the crytons. She screamed when he raised his spear, but the blow never fell. His yellow eyes went wide before rolling back up into his head. The seven-foot giant crumbled down at her feet, an axe sticking out of his back. The green-eyed man ran up and retrieved his weapon, pulling it free with a crackling sound. “Get out of here,” he ordered. The terrified woman looked about as the sounds of battle exploded all around. She kept running as fast as she could.

Morcel flashed his fingers in silent tongue to the nearest man wearing a black mask.
Don’t let them link. Keep them separated
. The man nodded, then passed on the message in the same fashion.

Two nearby crytons ran
towards one another, hands reaching out to link. One ended up being thrown backward, a hard tackle taking out his legs. The masked man hung on tightly, refusing to let go while receiving multiple punches to the back of his head. The much stronger cryton managed to sit up, grabbing the man by the throat. A second hand wrapped his forehead from behind, tilting his head back, exposing his neck. A quick flash of steel opened his throat, spilling blood all over the steps.

A l
arge cryton jumped in front of Morcel, spinning his spear in circles. Not waiting, Morcel slashed forward with his axe, forcing him to bring the spear up to block. Immediately Morcel kicked his leg, cracking the kneecap and bringing the cryton down to one knee. In a rage, Morcel forgot all about his axe and began striking the soldier with closed fists. Two, three, four, the cryton tumbled backward, blood flowing from his mouth and nose. Morcel climbed on top of him, then began raining down elbows, cracking facial bones with each strike. Caught up in his bloodlust, he continued the onslaught long after the soldier was dead.

A second
cryton ran up to Filista. “The rebel humans are causing us some serious problems,” he said urgently.

“Link now!” s
he ordered.

He stared at her a moment, as if not sure he heard her correctly.
“But I thought we were trying to gain the humans’ loyalty? There will be tremendous casualties if we—”

“Do it! Teach these troublesome humans who the superior race really is!”

With a sigh, he nodded, then reached out his hand out behind him. Five others joined him, lowering their heads while he began to utilize their energy.

The cryton on the end cried
in pain, crashing to the floor. His legs had been swept out from under him. Azek stomped his face three times in rapid succession, crushing his head. Another broke free from the link and rushed at Azek. The crafty veteran sidestepped the looping punch, then delivered two of his own to the cryton’s side. Surprised by the suddenness and power of this general, he bent over from the hard blows. Azek struck like lightning. A quick knee shattered the cryton’s jaw, dropping him flat to the ground.

When Azek spun
to face the next threat, an explosion of white rattled through his head. He tried to stay on his feet, but his body simply wouldn’t respond. Knees buckling beneath him, he fell to ground, a smiling cryton gazing down at him.

Ilirra shook her head violently, fina
lly ridding herself of the hood. She took in the horrible scene. There was fighting everywhere. The rebellion had given the common folk enough courage to join in. People in the lower seats were beginning to rush the first stage where Filista and the others were. Shouts of “
Save our Queen”
cascaded through the arena. “No!” screamed Ilirra, struggling to free herself. “You can’t win! Don’t try to help me. Save yourselves. Run!”

She looked up to the sky in horror. Black clouds began to twist and churn
. She looked to the other stage. Azek was down on the ground, five crytons linked beside him! “No!” she screamed again. “They don’t know any better. Don’t hurt them!”

A bolt of yellow energy came streaking
down from the sky. It blasted the upper seats with a thunderous boom. Charred bodies went cartwheeling though the air. Another bolt struck the lower deck, producing the same result. Morcel twisted the neck of a cryton he had in his grasp, snapping it like a twig, then turned and began flashing his fingers urgently.
Abort the mission. It’s too late, they’ve linked. We can’t save her
.

Ilirra watched while wave after wave of civilians came running
towards her, determined to cut her loose. But bolts of yellow energy charred them into ashes long before they got there. “No! No more deaths. Not for me!” She glanced back to the first stage. Filista wore a satisfied grin while the carnage ensued. Azek was down but still conscious, his eyes locked with Ilirra’s. “I’m sorry,” she mouthed to him silently.

I’ve done everything I can to protect them. I’ve given up everything so my people would be safe. But as long as I draw breath, they won’t stop fighting
.
Therefore, they won’t stop dying!
Ilirra slammed her foot down on the trapdoor. It rattled loudly. She slammed it down again, and this time it made a hollow cracking sound. She could hear Azek’s bloodcurdling wail begging her to stop. The cry sounded drawn out and far away, like in a dream. She refused to look at him. Refused to see the pain in his eyes.

Hundreds of lives will
be saved at the cost of one. A small price to pay.
Azek, forgive me. Jade, I love you
. She slammed her foot down again, causing the trapdoor to break open. Her fall was short; the rope tightened around her neck like a vise.

The end of an era...

A small price to pay for the lives of hundreds. Such is the way of being a leader. Such is the way of heroes...

Azek lay still on a wooden table, a white bandage wrapped around his head. Eyes wide open, he stared lifelessly up at the ceiling. “What you did was very foolish,” said the cryton caring for him. This woman seemed to be one of the few who spoke common.

She wrapped another piece of thin cloth across his forehead. “You humans are such strange creatures,” she said. “The Queen had already
given her power to Filista. Even by your own laws, nothing could have revoked that. Yet so many of you risked your lives trying to save the former Queen. So many had to die, and for what? The only thing that stopped the carnage was your former Queen sacrificing herself. Tell me, why did it have to come to that?” She wrapped another piece of cloth around his head. “Humans are strange creatures indeed.”

Finishing, she clapped her hands together. “There you go.
We need you healthy and strong. Filista doesn’t want any harm to come to her newest gladiator. And don’t get it in your head that you’re not going to fight. You will obey your Queen and do exactly as she says. Ilirra Marosia’s passing of the crown was completely within your laws. The Queen had no heir that might challenge for the throne. Your way of life is forever changed.”

The woman left, leaving Azek
alone to keep staring up at nothing. Suddenly, he rolled his head back and forth, laughing for no reason. “You think we humans scare so easily?” he said to no one. “I promise you a day of reckoning is not far away. A day when the humans will rise up, and take back what is rightfully theirs. And in that fateful moment, I will see Filista Umyon’s heart impaled upon the tip of my sword.”

He laughed again,
longer and louder this time, like he had gone mad. His city taken hostage; the woman he loved dead—who could blame him for losing touch with reality? Then he stopped and began staring up at the ceiling once again.

“And you’re wrong,
fool,” he whispered, voice hissing like a snake. “The Queen
does
have an heir.” 

Note from the author:

I hope you’ve all enjoyed book 5 of the Legend of the Gate Keeper Series. If so, I ask that you take the time to leave a review or tell a friend about the series.

Thank you,

Jeff Gunzel

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