A Valkyrie's Apprentice: Book Two

The Arena

T A Y A H

I looked down at the cheap skinned leather that was scored in blade marks on my body. How many before me had died in this?

Then I looked at the young boy that refused to stray away more than an inch from my shadow. The armour didn't fit him. Nor should it.

The dark skinned man with a skull painted on his face raised his arms before our rag tag group of stolen souls and shouted something that I think was meant as encouragement. I looked down the line of us–these were not fighters. They looked closer to farmers and bread makers...

One man cried something out and tried to run.

A spear was thrown from a guard and when through his back. He dropped to the ground in a gurgled cry and another guard ended him with a sword through his neck. I sighed and turned the boy's head away. He was shaking.

"Odin. If you can hear me I could use a hand." I growled ahead of the line.

It only caught the attention of skull face. He leered at me and angled a blade at me before pointing at the hallway that ascended upwards. I glanced at it and then down at the kid.

"He comes with me." I stated.

A hand pushed me forward and I grabbed the kid's thin arm pulling him beside me. A guard moved and tried to rip him away so I acted faster. I ducked under his guard and disarmed the sword away from his grip and slashed his arm. I pulled the kid behind me and angled the sword at the many guards that rushed us.

But skull face merely clapped slowly with a grin.

He raised a hand and dropped it. The guards lowered their weapons and he gestured for us to ascend the stone steps. I kept my eyes on them looking for any retaliation. The pain in my leg became secondary and I was more than ready to defend us from any threat.

I backed us towards the growing cheers up the stairs. The boy clung to me tightly as I tried avoiding too much weight on my leg.

When we were finally clear of the dark tunnels of slavers and killers I turned to the noise.

The sun cut through the rafters and flags above us and voices roared. I had not seen anything like it. Scores of people in seats rising above us and around us. They were everywhere and they cheered. A horn sounded and the voices grew so loud I thought they would deafen us.

I turned to the boy and dropped to my good knee.

"I'll keep you safe. I know you don't understand me–but I've got you." I told him seriously, offering him my hand. It was a Uccelon custom but he seemed to understand enough to take my hand as I secured our forearms.

I stood and looked across the dusty fighting field as a lone fighter in much higher crafted armour than our own strode out into the centre of the arena. His arms were thick like Kaden's and he seemed to absorb and adore the crowds. His spiked helmet gleamed with horns and his shoulders of metal were pointed.

I growled and watched as he did a slow turn and raised his arms slowly. They cheered him. They loved him.

I would end him.

A horse pulled wagon came into the arena then, puffing out dust as it emptied weapons and blades and other killing tools as it circled us. I glanced at the settling dust and made out a sword nearest us. The fighter before us was already running.

I broke into my own sprint as best I could with my damaged leg and palmed a curved sword with a worn handle into my fist before grabbing a short dagger with my other hand. But the fighter already had a spear and mace in his thick grip and he aimed it right at the kid.