Page 40 of Shackled to the Orc

I enter the armory, grabbing my practice sword, and take it to the training grounds. To my surprise, Garvin is already there, circling a training dummy with his wooden blade, swinging with the quick intensity that made him a feared champion in his prime. His brow is covered in sweat as he moves with lithe grace, ducking and stabbing, pulling back before an enemy could strike him back.

That is how Lorenzo Dusk will move. I am told he was an excellent duelist even before the ring, a man who would face any challenger.

“Khan,” he says, when he sees me enter the arena. He takes a break, driving his sword into the sand and standing with his fingers linked behind his head, his chest heaving with exertion.

“You’re fighting?” I haven’t seen him train this hard in a decade.

He shakes his head. “No. Just another execution.”

“Why do you train?”

He glances up at the walls, where two crossbowmen are walking the ramparts. “I’ve got a feeling I’m going to need my blade soon.”

I shake my head. “No. There will be no escape.”

His brows furrow. “Don’t fuck with me, Khan. I’ve known you a long time. You’re planning something.” He spits on the sand, then glances up at me, eyes narrowed.

“I need your help. With something else.”

“Whatever you need.”

I look up, at the first light of dawn spreading the promise of a new day. “My next fight will be my last.”

“Bullshit. The odds are 12 to 1 on you beating Lorenzo.”

“That low?”

He runs his tongue over his teeth, thinking. “You’re right. They were 40 to 1 a week ago. So someone placed a massive bet against you. What do you know that I don’t? Shug’s never fixed a match before, he earns enough on straight fights.”

“Shug is getting one last score. I think he’s selling us all off to Alf. Buyout. He’s going to secure his retirement betting against me.”

“So why the hell are you going along with this?”

“Because Maya’s pregnant.”

He takes a step back, eyes wide, understanding. “Gods. Khan, you don’t have to do this. You tell me we’re going to break out of this shithole, you’ve got my blade. Every one of the men will follow you. Shug lets me visit the markets, along with some of the other guys. Why don’t I take the men and we draw guards to us in a distraction, while you rally the rest for an escape?”

“It’s a good plan. But Shug is prepared. Too many would die, and if I don’t make it out…he would make her life a living hell. This is the only way her future is certain.”

“Did you tell her?”

I shake my head.

“That’s a good woman there. I can’t tell you how to live your life, but she deserves to know.” Garvin wipes the sweaty hair back from his scalp. When I don’t answer him, he pulls his blade from the sand and hefts it, throwing it from one hand to the other. “Lorenzo fights with a rapier. If you’re going to do this, you need to make it look convincing.”

“Yes. If Shug gets arrested for fixing a fight, he’ll take it out on her. Any ideas?” I’m speaking of my own death in analytical terms. I’ve compartmentalized it. As long as I don’t think of Maya, the pain almost feels unreal.

“Play up the limp. When you walk into the arena, move like you’re a stiff old man. Let your left arm hang, like it’s infected. The crowds have seen you wounded before, and they’ll buy it. But Khan–”

“I’ve made my choice.”

Garvin shrugs. “Alright. Then I’ll be Lorenzo Dusk, and you’ll be the wounded orc on his last legs. Start from the entrance, you need to make your walk believable.”

I turn and walk to the entrance of the gladiator quarters, and hold my blade tight in my right hand, letting my left hang loosely as I limp forward. I let the pain in my leg well up, moving heavily, my eyes fixed on Garvin.

We train for hours before he calls it, wheezing, putting his hand up before stumbling to the mess hall, exhausted from the hours of training. I’d forgotten how quick he was. When I practiced stumbling on my right leg, he darted around me, lancing out with his blade and jumping back before I could counter-attack.

He’s right. The crowd will believe that the champion has been felled.

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