The Colosseum

Ultimatum

Ten

Listen to your heart: that's what Kova told me. For a little while, I was considering deviating from my true desires. The crown, Ezra, avenging my parents...those things had been around me so much like a dark fog that maybe I was losing motivation. Perhaps that desert rat was right: perhaps my heart needed a break and I needed to pursue more achievable, peaceful wants.

And just when I started to stray from the path I've been on for all the years of my life, there was a sign. The Ice Queen struck the palace, ravaging it of its beauty and safety, slaughtering the guards and managing to turn them against themselves. Instantly, I recognized how it was possible. Those drugs Annette pumped into me at the Colosseum made me think Kova was Ezra – undoubtedly, this was the work of that mysterious elixir. I'm unsure of exactly how the northerners got it, but I'm not surprised they did. It seems they have their hands everywhere, nowadays.

Anyways, as everyone was running for their lives, escaping the Colosseum and fighting their enemies, I watched from afar. The guards at the palace were so rough and jerky with their motions, fighting for their lives instead of fighting to kill. The soldiers in white and black knew how to get their job done, though. Their motions were fluid and calculated, putting all their force into minimal movements that swiftly tore down their enemy. A respectable battle tactic is the child of a respectable leader, which makes me all the more curious to get to know the Ice Queen.

All along, I've been thinking that I'm the only one who truly wants Ezra dead. With an infuriated enemy to the north, perhaps I've been going about this all wrong. Maybe what I need to be doing isn't taking down my brother on my own, but enlisting the help of an entire nation. Rather than fighting through the hoards of his armies, groupies, and Kova, I could get the leader of another nation to do it for me. And when Ezra has fallen, the true heir will take the reigns and guide this kingdom back to its rightful place.

Yes, and once that bastard is taken care of, I can eliminate our biggest enemies, next. At this rate, I could take over the world, but I need to think one step at a time. With the first step being to befriend those icy freaks, I need to confront the Ice Queen. What better way to do that than through the soldiers that were at the palace?

To show I wasn't an enemy, I took out some of the guards who were ganging up on one of the elite warriors. It wasn't because they really needed the help, but it was a sign of goodwill. Still, I was from this sunny land, and though I surrendered myself to them, they hooded my face and tied my wrists behind my back. I was just glad they didn't kill me. Perhaps they had been watching the games and knew I had a grudge to act on, and classified me as useful. Whatever the reason, I finally feel like things are going my way.

I was transported in a car, feeling the pebbles in the road hop beneath the heavy tires of the vehicle. Other than the hum of the engine, it's dead silent; no quiet chatter, no instructions being given, no radio; not even the sound of breathing can be heard. It makes me wonder if I'm in here alone with the wheel being driven remotely.

We drive for a time that seems too good to be true – a mere 30 minutes. The wind coursing past the car's windows suddenly stops, though the speed doesn't feel like it has decreased. Have we driven into a tunnel? At last when we start to slow down, the back of the vehicle comes alive with the other travelling soldiers, shuffling about before the vehicle comes to a smooth stop. A burst of cold wind floods the back when a pair of doors are ripped open, letting me know this is a cargo van.

A husky voice – one that sounds forced and strained – orders, "Bring him to the court."

There isn't any response from the others, as if they all communicate telepathically. Gruffly, I'm wrestled out of the van, nearly tumbling out without warning of where the floor ended and the step to get to the ground began.