Through Tears and Bloodshed

Six||Heart of a Leader

How we managed to do it, I could not say.

Behind me walked over two dozen prisoners, beaten, bloody, and malnourished, but with a hunger to fight for their freedom. The Kellso King's entertainment had backfired on him as he taught us to fight for our meals and lives. We would use this same animalistic behaviour on him—a fight to the death.

Going from cell to cell and finding those who needed saving became a routine. Someone would flag the group down if they located someone behind bars, and the keys that the Kellso used to lock us up were used to set them free. Our group grew in numbers until we had a miniature army hungry for the taste of freedom.

The only haunting part I dared not speak aloud was the lack of Kellso guards. The stands were typically filled with hundreds of Kellso onlookers when two fighters were in the arena. I only had to face a dozen of them so far, and I hadn't seen any others since then. It left an ominous feeling in my gut.

So, I left it at that. I did not share my concerns with the rest of the group about how we managed to secure our small army without interruptions. They were far too hopeful, and I didn't want to quash their optimism in such a treacherous place. If hope was what they wished to hold on to, then I would not be the one to ruin it. I would keep my bleak and brooding thoughts to myself.

My body began to notice the inclination of the floor beneath me. The fatigue embedded into me like a burr in dogs' hair, demanding me to feel its pull. Before, I had been filled with adrenaline, encouraging me to keep going, that I was almost there. But now that my thoughts weighed heavy on my mind, the energy I had flowing in my blood dissipated, and I was beginning to feel like a broken prisoner all over again. I needed strength to win this fight, but I had no time to regain it. I had to use what little I had left. Hopefully, that was enough.

"We're close to the surface," The vampire said. His red eyes swam with determination as his feet slid heavily on the damp rock beneath him. "I can smell fresher air."

A murmur of excitement bounced around behind me. Most of the prisoners were human—prisoners of war due to our constant battle to keep Pontheugh's lands safe from the Kellso. The rest were creatures from other lands.

The vampire spoke the truth. I could feel a shift in the air as our ascent grew steeper. It was becoming less damp and heavy and more airy and light. The warmer air sent prickles along my skin. I breathed in deeply, hoping to warm some of my overbearing thoughts.

"We'll turn here and go directly into the Kellso's compound," I said as I manoeuvred our route to a long line of uneven stairs. "At the end of these stairs is a wooden door with guards on the other side." As I climbed the stairs, my heart pounded fiercely against my chest. It was all I could hear as I thought of what could be waiting for us once we made it to the top.

How many Kellso guards would be waiting behind the door? It could be a handful or the entire Kellso army. Would we even make it to the door, or would they be stationed in front of it? It would be wise to have the guards at the ready on this staircase as the Kellso could use the narrow pathway to their advantage. We would be pushed back down to the cells and slaughtered. How would we navigate this fortress if we somehow made it past the guards? Was there even a way out of here? From my time out of the cells, I hadn't seen a doorway leading to the outside world. Then again, I didn't have the opportunity to find one.

The only other option than taking these stairs would be to go into the arena where we have fought countless times, contending for our survival. The walls surrounding the pit were far too high to pull ourselves over, and I would imagine the drop on the other side to be painful if anyone survived. Therefore, climbing into the beast of the belly seemed like our only option, even though there was a slight chance of survival.