Page 118 of Tiger's Trek
“Because you saw me drink from it too. You can lock me in here first and drink it outside, if you like.”
He decided to do just that while Stacia rolled her eyes. Still, she would have done the same thing.
After he swallowed a mouthful, he took another, then passed back the cup with the coin at the bottom. “Don’t feel any different,” he said.
“Give it some time. Maybe it takes a while,” she replied.
He grunted and left, but returned a short time later with a full pitcher of water for her and then began snuffing most of the torches for the night. Stacia rolled herself into her warm pelisse and fell asleep.
The next morning, her keeper unlocking her cell was the sound that woke her. “Hurry,” he said. “I can get you in with me to watch the match with your tiger, but that’s all I can manage for now.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, passing him as he closed the cell behind her.
She followed him through dark passages that twisted and turned until they emerged through a door that led out into the cold, bright sunlight of a mountaintop morning. Three fights were already underway. One took place in the water arena. Two large ships were blasting each other with cannons while sailors clashed steel and swung back and forth from ropes. Stacia could also see there were huge, vicious monsters in the water that quickly ripped apart and devoured anyone who fell overboard.
The second looked like a desert with mounds where men climbed and leaped from structure to structure. They fought for dominance atop each narrow space. Below, huge scorpion creatures waited to grab those who fell. The third was a series of boxes with holes and tubes. Warriors had to make their way through them like rats. Weapons and helpful items were littered throughout, but so were deadly dangers, such as snakes and blades that snapped into vulnerable torsos or skulls.
Horns blasted, indicating that a fourth arena was just about to get underway. This was where they were headed. Stacia pulled her cloak tighter around her body and fingered the staff tucked into her pocket. Her jailer had his hand on her arm, escorting her just as he would anyone else, and she noticed him nodding at others from time to time. All the men carried the same look about them. She wondered how many of them there were and how many she and Iriko would have to kill to earn their freedom.
“Your tonic worked,” the man said softly when they turned a corner.
“Good,” Stacia replied. “I’m glad you’re well.”
“I’m more than well,” he said. “It didn’t just cure my leg. The ache in my bones has disappeared, too, and the darkness clouding my vision is gone. You healed me. I-I won’t be able to save your man or tiger or whatever he is, but I will try to save you. I aim to add your name to the list on the ship in the first arena. They won’t be able to recover all the bodies with those toothy fish in the water. I’ll have to wait until the Games are over, but I’ll be able to smuggle you out. I’ll say you’re a woman I won some time with.”
“Thank you, but I...” Stacia looked into his earnest face and realized what he was risking for her. “Thank you,” she finished, patting his arm and not saying what she’d intended. She didn’t need to put him in more danger, and having a way out for at least one of them was a step in the right direction.
“Here we are,” he said, stopping at a grate. Bending, he pulled it open and indicated she could climb down. There was a metal ladder leading into a dark pit. “I’ll need to lock this behind you,” he said. “But I’ll be back for you when the fight is over. I’m sorry about your man.”
“Spasibo,” Stacia said, putting her foot on the ladder. She began climbing, descending into the dark, which became even blacker when the small opening above her head was closed, and she heard the snick of a lock. Her heavy cloak swirled around her body, nearly tripping her as she continued. It felt like she’d gone down several flights of stairs before her eyes finally adjusted to the dimness and she could finally make out a bit of her surroundings.
The stairs came to a stop on a grate that circled a dark arena. This was the place where all the lights were attached. The walkway was only about two to three feet wide and at least two floors up from the arena floor. She stepped all the way to the edge, and then she heard a buzz and nearly fell as the whole thing began to move.
A huge dome shifted, opening to the sky, blinding her with its light. Thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd that came into view by the thousands as the arena circled in their direction. Stacia darted behind a spotlight just as it came on and reflexively turned to the scene laid out below. Her mouth fell open. It was a forest, filled with trees, complete with a river that ran down the middle filled by a picturesque waterfall. It was lovely enough to take her breath away.
A beautiful white stag entered the landscape. He bent to drink from the stream, and when he lifted his head, she noticed that his impressive antlers were made of gold. Drums began, and then an announcer spoke. “Damy i gospoda, ladies and gentlemen. For your viewing pleasure, I give you a very special treat. Here we have the rare white stag of the tundra, but not only this—his horns have been dipped in bronze and sharpened to razor points. A more striking and uncommon creature you will never see, except for those who hunt him. For today I bring you not one, not two, but four unusual tigers, each one as unique as the stripes on their bodies. And it appears to me that they arehungry.”
The crowd erupted at that word.
“That’s right!” He laughed. “And areyou hungryfor them? Let’s show them we are as we watch the hunt! Five will go in, but only one will come out! Place your bets. Which one will it be? For this arena you can bet on color! A special treat. Your choices are gold, red, silver, and oh, let’s call this last one pearl. Or is it fawn? I just can’t decide. Such a beauty though. Am I right?”
Stacia watched in horror as four cages were wheeled up to the arena.
The announcer continued, “And for those of you who enjoy bettering on an underdog, you can select white. Who knows? Maybe this stag has a few magical gifts of his own up his sleeve. Better hurry. The doors are opening now. Stakes will raise soon.”
Stacia?
She heard Iriko’s voice, though he felt far away and... and something was different about him. It was almost like he was throwing his emotions onto her. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck raised, as did gooseflesh on her arms and legs. Her heart raced, and she felt a desperate need to pace.
I’m here, she called out in her mind.Try to calm yourself. We’re going to get you out of here.
It’s too much, he said.Too much pain. They’re cast off. Angry. They need a home. I can’t provide for them. They hunger. They need... they need so much.
Who hungers?What are you talking about?
Too late. I can’t stop them. They’ll kill each other if we don’t do something. I’m not right. I can’t hold them.
Do you mean your captors?The vodnik?
