The Line of the Sol Empress

Chapter 28.3

[Gabriel]

"I am sorry, Gabriel." Sura kneeled beside Gabriel, gentle amber eyes offering condolence. "There is too much death here."

Gabriel sat on the hard cell floor next to his cot, leaning back against a rock wall with his knees drawn up. His jaw firmed. "We have to stop this somehow."

"I wish there was a way." She shook her head as they both rose. "Others have tried and now they are dead. Like your friend."

An idea came to Gabriel. He touched his monitoring neckband and said, "Are these things AI controlled?"

"I think so. But how would that help us? Only a few can access it."

Gabriel grinned. "I think I could deactivate the security system. Could you get me to a control portal with a biometric scanner?"

Sura drew her lips tight. "You would not get close to an access port before the band shocked you." She thought for a moment. "But I may be able to steal a portable gateway."

"That would be awesome."

"If I get one, I want you to promise me something." Sura gazed into Gabriel's eyes as he raised an eyebrow. "Take me with you and help me get my son back."

He nodded with a smile. "Of course. Together."

"There is something else. I came to warn you." Sura turned her head down. "I heard the Gamemaster talking. You've made enemies of the Khan and they want you dead."

He shrugged. "Well, I've had some issues making friends here--"

"I'm serious, Gabriel!" She snapped her eyes up. "They are bringing back a past champion to fight you in the ring. They call him the Smasher, and the name fits."

"When?"

"Tonight. And I won't be able to get the portable gateway until tomorrow."

Gabriel firmed his jaw and pushed away the doubts that rose within him. "Then I will defeat this Smasher. I am undefeated." His mind drifted back to when he sparred with Eshe. "Mostly."

"Very well." Sura glanced around to see if anyone else watched, then leaned in to kiss Gabriel on the cheek. "This will work, won't it? If we get caught..." Her voice trailed off as her soft eyes begged reassurance.

"Sure, it will work, no problems." I hope.

*****

Later the same day, the two guards who brought Gabriel to his first match came to retrieve him again. The guard with a tablet viewer grinned. "I made good coin from your last match, Angel. It be a shame that you die tonight."

"What are my odds this time?" Gabriel said, peering over the guard's shoulder at the viewer.

"Sixteen to one. The crowd likes you, but no one thinks you have a chance."

Gabriel grinned. "I may surprise everyone. Surely at those odds, I am worth a wager?"

The guard nodded as he escorted Gabriel out of the cell toward the Ring. "Maybe."

It puzzled Gabriel that the Khan didn't just have him executed in secret. It would have been easy enough. But then he realized the popularity he won with the crowd made that option problematic. So instead, they brought in the Smasher to do it for them in the Ring, and everyone wins. Except me. There was power in public support, he realized, something he might exploit.

Coming to the arena holding area, Gabriel asked, "Why do they call him the Smasher?"

The guard laughed. "Soon you will understand."