Kings Game

Chapter 19 - The reaper (4)

At first, Roran was confused. What hounds could they release? The only hounds he knew of were Chase's hounds, but those were too valuable to be wasted in the arena. Chase had said himself that he had already talked King Tasos out of using the hounds in the arena. That he and the aides had urged him against it. That it had taken all of them to stop it.

Roran's stomach dropped.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Halfway up the arena wall, a doorway opened and a platform extended. It was just high enough that those inside the gauntlet would be able to see the hounds coming and would know what fate awaited them.

Chase stepped out onto the platform, his warden's uniform crisp and the bits of steel armor polished to a mirror shine. His face, however, was a mess. He was pale and gaunt, anxiety etched into his face. Slowly, he drew his sword, nearly dropping it in the process. Behind him, several pairs of eyes glowed in the dark, watching and waiting.

Scanning the arena, Chase found Roran and they locked eyes. Chase's lip was trembling. Dumbfounded, Roran shook his head. He couldn't believe this was happening. He had convinced himself that it couldn't happen.

Chase raised his sword, it shook in his hand. He opened his mouth and moved his lips but no sound came out. Swallowing hard, Chase tried again.

"Hounds..." He shuddered again.

Roran felt a spark of hope rekindle inside of him. King's hounds were trained to follow their master's orders. Every command was absolute. If Chase ordered them to stand down, nobody could overrule him, not as far as the hounds were concerned.

Overhead the King looked down at Chase, his gaze settling on him like a weight. Chase looked up and saw his god, and knew that the command could not be ignored. His shoulders falling, Chase held his sword high. Though his voice was hollow, his words were clear and strong.

"Hounds, ravage and kill!"

An army of hounds rushed out from behind Chase, leaping off the platform and into the arena below. They yipped and barked, their mouths open and fangs bared. They darted between the barriers, dodging the spikes with ease. Herda led the charge, her bulky mass moving with terrifying speed. She headed directly into the gauntlet, making her way towards the center. The others fanned out, spreading through the gauntlet to find prey.

A loud snarl was followed by a scream that was quickly cut short. There were more barks and snarls, coming from all around now. The hounds had circled the entire arena and were moving inward. From up above came only excitement, the audience finally had their blood.

"For fuck's sake!" Morena sprinted into the center of the arena, his face pale and both swords drawn. "Why did it have to be hounds?"

He made no move to attack Roran, staying well clear of him and constantly looking around, waiting for the hounds to descend on them.

There was snarling nearby, followed by another scream. Roran was reminded of why he helped Chase train the hounds, of when he'd been their chew toy. He remembered how terrifying it had been when they came running at him, how they had latched onto his arm to drag him to the ground, how they had gone for his neck seconds later. He remembered the sheer weight of their bodies slamming into him.

"What a sight to behold! Yes ladies and gentlemen, we are getting to see something truly amazing. King's hounds are almost never used in the arena but we're getting an upclose demonstration of one of our military's finest assets. Watch how the alpha leads the attack, picking the strongest targets and leaving the weaker ones for the smaller members of the pack. Even the younger pups have a role to play, putting the wounded out of their misery. Truly magnificent creatures."

"Not the damn alpha," Morena muttered, turning in circles over and over again, his swords raised and his eyes wide. "Not the gods damned alpha."

Roran spun a few circles himself, his sword and shield raised. Sparing a glance upwards, Roran saw the King staring back down at him, a sly smile on his face. Was this some sort of test? Or was the King just another sick bastard that liked to watch people suffer?

"Damn!"

Roran turned, his sword ready. Morena had his back to Roran, both of his blades up. Coming through the barricades was Herda with two more hounds hot on her heels.

Herda's eyes darted between Roran and Morena. After a split second, she veered away from Morena and charged straight at Roran. Some part of Roran still didn't believe it was happening. This was Herda, the hound that had spent an entire day following him around and sleeping on him, the hound that was kind and friendly to him. This was Chase's oldest friend.

Herda closed in fast, her fangs bared and blood saturating her muzzle. Any kindness she may have once had for Roran was gone, the order to kill overriding everything else. She crouched low and lunged. Herda was slower than many of the other hounds but what she lacked in speed she made up for in raw strength.

Roran put his shield out, like he had his arm during training, and Herda chomped down on it, her teeth tearing the wood and steel apart. Pivoting, Roran avoided Herda's charge and she flew past him, bits of his shield clenched in her teeth.

Roran immediately held the remnants of his shield out again as Herda recovered and lunged again, once more going for his arm. This time she got a solid grip on his shield and he couldn't dodge out of the way. Her claws hit his chest, scratching his armor and gouging into his flesh where it ended. The rest of her body followed, slamming into Roran and forcing him to the ground.

She thrashed her head, shattering the remnants of his shield and trying to get at his neck. She pushed forward, her teeth breaking skin and drawing blood. Her claws had already torn through his shirt and left deep scratches on his abdomen that burned like fire. Her teeth snapped again, attempting to rip Roran's throat out.

Both blood and tears flowed freely from Roran.