Page 43 of Souls of Steel
A bead of sweat flowed down August’s cheek, and I surmised whoever was controlling the machine had tried to force his way past August. It didn’t work, and in the end, the person gave up. All the other platforms slowed down and settled in a pace similar to our own. At last, they all stopped in a half circle, facing the north side of the stadium.
A massive holographic stage appeared in front of us. A man dressed in a stern, dark uniform floated above it, his figure larger than the Typhon. It was only an illusion, but even so, the crowd went silent. He might not be as tall in person, but his power didn’t lie in physical strength.
It was, of course, my father, and he was accompanied by his regular entourage. Penelope’s father was there, but also Knox’s father and younger brother. Pollux’s parents had both come, although I could only catch a very brief glimpse of his mother. It was, naturally, the men who were visible on the holographic stage. The women always stayed behind the scenes, even when they were important.
My father lifted his hands, a simple gesture, but one that made my hackles rise. “Welcome to this year’s edition of The Grand Tartarus Tournament,” he said. “I will begin by thanking all the brave warriors present here for their constant dedication in safeguarding our planet. Terra owes you a debt it can never repay.”
It was only a speech, very similar to what he always said at every other gathering. This time, it rubbed me the wrong way, because it felt like another dig at Selene’s Terran background.
“To all of you out there, please let’s have a round of applause for the members of The Hyperion Star Fleet, The Theia Star Fleet, The Oceanus Attack Corps, The Crius Guard Corps and The Tethys Transport Corps.”
Following his cue, the spectators rushed to applaud their heroes, the different fleets of soldiers that kept Terra safe. I maintained my perfect parade rest position, waiting for the unavoidable moment when we’d be mentioned too.
It didn’t take long. “Last, but definitely not least, let us welcome the students of our very own Chimera Academy, without which Terra would not have a future to look forward to. May you all shine as bright as Tartarus’s Gift!”
Ugh. Could the old man even hear himself speak? He made us sound like children, even if we’d long ago left those innocent days behind. We’d gone into battle too. While the apsids no longer actively attacked Terra, scattered skirmishes still happened in deep space. The Grand Chimeras were occasionally needed. Without us, some of those battles would’ve turned into disasters.
But my father was nothing if not petty and I suspected his resentment would manifest in ways far more dangerous than a tedious speech. The platform incident had already given us a taste of how this was going to go. I didn’t look forward to his future plans.
“Today, you will bear witness to the qualifiers of The Grand Tartarus Tournament. Since we have so many talented soldiers, we’ve decided to do something a little different this year. The tournament will bring forth the very first free-for-all battle royale.”
Fuck. We’d been wrong in hoping we’d have robots and drones to blow up. That would’ve been much too easy. Selene could have used tachyon manipulation against a drone, but with people, it would be a hundred times tougher, if not impossible.
“The rules are simple. Every competitor is worth a number of points. Whoever hunts down and takes down that competitor wins those points. At the end of the match, the first fifty competitors on the ranking board will qualify to the next stage.”
Just fifty? That wasn’t a lot, considering how many people there were here. I had a feeling I knew exactly what he’d say next. “As we speak, you’re being assigned random numbers. They will appear on your chests, and you will use these numbers as guidelines. As you fight, your uniform cybernetic links will register all your successes and sum up the points. The number of points each competitor is worth ranges from one to one thousand.”
Tasting dread in my mouth, I turned to look at Selene. Within seconds, my worst fears were confirmed. The number ‘1000’ now glowed on her uniform, burning crimson, like a brand.
The Scarlet Letter
Selene
When the king announced the structure of the tournament, I wasn’t surprised at his words. Truly, I’d have been more surprised if Brendan’s original guess about the qualifiers had been correct. Drones were much too simple. By now, the teachers knew I could destroy them without too much trouble. If the purpose of this tournament was to eliminate me, the king would naturally try something different.
Still, a strange numbness invaded me when I realized it wouldn’t be a tournament at all. It would be a shameless hunt—a way to give me a lesson.
I didn’t know why the king had chosen this method instead of expelling me outright, but it was clear I was in trouble.
“What the fuck?” Knox growled. “Is he serious?”
“You know he is,” Brendan replied. “He doesn’t joke around with stuff like that.”
“Random numbers, my foot,” August snapped. “If this is random, I’ll eat my chimera.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s physically impossible, August,” I offered with a weak smile. I felt dazed and lost, as if the weight of the number I carried was physically dragging me down.
“Don’t worry, Selene,” Pollux tried to reassure me. “We won’t let them—”
“If they are within twenty feet of one another, competitors have to fight,” the king cut him off. “Should they not do so, they’ll be disqualified.”
My lovers’ expressions twisted into a mix of shock, anger, and horror. “What the fuck?” August repeated, echoing Knox’s earlier words. “This is a joke.”
It didn’t take a genius to realize the reason behind this rule. Of course the king would know Brendan and the others would want to protect me and he’d take steps to prevent that.
Brendan took a deep breath, seemingly struggling to calm down. He wasn’t very successful. “One of these days, old man, you’ll go too far,” he mumbled, “and The Grand Judiciary will be—”
I knew without being told how that sentence ended and I grabbed his elbow before he could finish it. I understood his anger, but talking about patricide and treason in public was a recipe for disaster. We were on the same platform as the people from The Harpy Squad and they weren’t our biggest fans.
