The Traitor of Inlustris

XVI

The uproar of the audience was deafening. My eyes traveled to the bleachers, watching people yelling, standing up, and even throwing things down. Every few minutes, the audience would start stomping their feet accompanied by booming claps.

My heart was in my throat as I saw two men in a ring fighting like their lives depended on it. Sweat and blood dripped from their bodies. They staggered toward the other, heaving and faltering in their steps. The audience cheered their favorite on, hoping to see a victory.

"The Seclusion Arena, home of the savages," Gaia commented.

I turned to her as she shook her head in dismay. The others were hooked on the match in front of us. It was full of rigor and violence, and it seemed to bring the people alive in the audience. It certainly wanted to awaken something inside me, but I couldn't decide if it was either good or bad. If it was anything like what happened with Adonis, surely it was the latter.

I wondered if my Initiation was related to the ring in front of us. I grimaced at the thought of having to fight someone like those two men. If I broke down over punching Adonis, how would I fight in a match like that?

Ever since I was a child, I was never exposed to violence. My parents liked to keep the horrors of the land away from my eyes and ears. As I grew older, Philip, and some of my tutors, taught me the truth of life. I learned the history of Caeleste, the sacrifice and the suffering that came with it, and what happened in different kingdoms due to their poverty. I learned about fights, wars, and the cruelty of the Universe, opening my eyes to reality.

I never liked it, but it was necessary.

However, I wasn't sure if it was necessary for me to participate in such a way. Not like these men anyway.

The audience yelled louder when one of the men pinned the other down. I tried to understand their words, but found that I couldn't.

"Are they speaking Jubarian?" I asked, realizing that the harsh expressive accents of the audience was unlike the neutral Flamberin. It mirrored the amount of brutality in the ring. "I've never heard it in person."

"Yeah, underground people like to practice their native languages so they don't die," Marisole said. I nodded, thinking of how people let their languages fade with time.

Ever since my great grandfather reigned over Potentia Flamber, people across the kingdoms learned Flamberin in order to follow in his footsteps. He by no means prohibited the use of everyone's native languages, but it certainly became easier to solely speak in Flamberin.

I was taught that eventually people let their native languages fade with time, almost disappearing from existence. Most people didn't learn the language from their kingdom, only speaking the normal Flamberin. But here, everyone seemed to know the rough language of Jubarian.

"How come they don't practice it normally?"

Everyone shrugged.

"People who speak the native languages are thought of as poor and illiterate. No one takes them seriously," Marisole further explained.

"That's... sad."

"No time for being sad," Herc cut in.

He grabbed me by the shoulders, and led me through a crowd of people. I bit on my lip, grimacing at the scent of sweaty bodies all squished together. They yelled, cheered, and even pounded chests with one another, even the women.

With every step, we were closer to the ring than I liked to admit. My fears were playing out before me, and every ounce of my being wanted to get out of there immediately.

Herc let go of my shoulders and caught the attention of what I assumed was a referee. Usually in entertainment, they wore a solid black uniform in contrast to the fighters, but this one only had scraps on and a red cap on his head.

He stopped paying attention to the match going on, and greeted Herc as if they were best friends. Herc whispered something in his ear, but I couldn't quite catch it.

I shook beside the other Bleeders, looking over at the match just as one of the fighters grabbed the other's face in their hands. He punched his opponent so hard teeth flew across the ring. I gagged as everyone cheered or booed.

"Ella," Herc called. I walked towards him, fearing for my life. He grasped my shoulders once more and put me in front of the referee. "This is our new recruit. If she passes Initiation, we get ourselves a new Bleeder."

The referee inspected me from top to bottom. I looked away, uncomfortable by his unnerving gaze. His stare was like an unwanted touch. I yearned to get away from him.

"The match is about to end," he spoke. "You sure you want to do this, princess?"

The word sent chills down my spine. It had been months since I was last called that by the people.

I gave a curt nod, not trusting my mouth to speak correctly. The referee shrugged and turned to the ongoing match.

As predicted by the referee, one of the fighters was on the brink of passing out. Blood dripped from his mouth onto the ground, staining the ring more than it already was. The other fighter took his chance and threw one last punch, knocking out his opponent for good.

The crowd cheered. Scraps, bottles, and spare coins flew everywhere. People shouted at the winner. I couldn't understand if they were good or bad comments, but regardless the fighter didn't seem to mind, and smiled through blood-stained teeth.

The referee got inside the ring and formally announced the winner. People rioted, cheering, stomping, and yelling. I could feel the noise inside my ribs, echoing everywhere.

"Ella, it's your turn," Herc turned me towards him.

"What?" I asked.

"You're going to fight a match," he commanded. My lip trembled as I looked over at the fighter who lost, being taken away in a gurney. "Listen carefully. This is your Initiation."

"So I have to make someone pass out?" My voice faltered by the end as I started hyperventilating. "I have to hurt someone?"

Herc growled under his breath and took my face in his hands. He pressed his forehead to mine as he stared deeply into my fake amber eyes.

"There is one rule to pass Initiation, Ella."

A single tear ran down my cheek. "Which is?"

"You have to make them bleed."