A Most Dangerous Weapon

Chapter 7: Reality Check

Unrealistic expectations of love are instilled in us at a very young age.

My mother loved me to the best of her ability. We may not have had a fairy tale family, but that doesn't mean our love was damaged or absent. I'll never know if she changed her mind at the last moment, but what I do know is that she did the best she could with what life had thrown her way. I couldn't fault her for breaking down in the end.

I didn't have a lot of time to process her death before I was shoved through the open gate that led to the gladiator tunnels to continue our escape. Arlo slammed the iron door shut and rewrapped the chain around the bars before locking them back in place with the previously discarded deadbolt. We raced down the hallway out of sight before any Galacians saw which way we went.

Thankfully Arlo was right; the Galacians were sticking to the palace for their attack. The coliseum was completely empty.

Kilgorian huffed in frustration as he ran into various gladiator cages, shaking the iron bars that separated us from the viewing area for the Romallian people. "So how are we supposed to get out of here? This coliseum was designed to keep gladiators prisoner..."

I tested a few of the iron bars myself, but as a former gladiator I knew that our efforts were in vain.

Kilgorian smacked his sword against the bars in frustration.

"ENOUGH!" Arlo pulled him away from the bars before he could strike again. "Do you want to give away our position?!"

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"We climb."

Kilgorian gave him a curious look. "Climb what?!"

"The coliseum."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"It's actually a clever idea." I interjected.

"We need to get to the arena sands, climb the lower wall and the audience stands, and then propel down the side of the coliseum to freedom."

Kilgorian let out an aggravated sigh, "I guess it's our only option."

"Let's move." I order before exiting the gladiator cell.

We race through the tunnels towards the main gladiator entrance, but I stop short at the Doctore's door. Kilgorian and Arlo urge me onward.

"Go on ahead and get the gate open. I'll be there in a minute."

They don't argue, knowing that I would be safe for the time being.

Once they are gone, I turn to the Doctore's door and begin to force the lock open with one of my daggers. The lock hit the ground with a thud. I toss open the door and swiftly move towards Hadrien who is huddled in the corner. He cowers back at the sight of my dagger. My blood boils at the sight of him.

"The Empress is dead." I state plainly, "But I'm sure that's not much of a surprise to you."

He doesn't react, so I press on.

"You were the one that told the fake Princess Emrys how to get the Galacians into the palace, weren't you?"

After a long pause where he looked from my dagger to my gaze, he reluctantly nodded.

"Those that couldn't climb-... the larger forces got in through the palace sewer tunnels, didn't they?" The same way I escaped eight years ago, and then used once again so my friends could escape. It never occurred to me before this moment that anyone would ever use the sewer tunnels to break in, and apparently it never occurred to Maximus or the Romallian people either.