The Colosseum

Finishing With a Bang

Kova

There's an old question that's been debated for years, and will be for years to come: if you had to kill one person to save a million, is that right? My answer: absolutely. While I really don't want to kill or even hurt Ten, it's what has to be done if I have to help save the nation. When did I care about a population who threw me to the dust? When did I start to put lives on a scale and weigh which ones had more value? Good question.

"I know my reputation," Ten acknowledges before either of us make the first move. "I know how I've treated you. I've lied to you, used you, and worked against you. You'd be a lunatic to believe anything I say. But..." He forces out a breath, then slowly gathers the next one. His voice shakes a bit, and I can't tell if it's because he's emotional or because he's been hurt somewhere. "Please, please, Kova. Believe me when I say this..." Are those tears in his eyes? "I really don't want to do this...but I have to."

"You never have to do anything," I tell him. Growing hopeful, I loosen my posture a bit and take a step towards Ten. Softly, I coo, "I can tell this is killing you. You don't have to follow through with this, nobody will punish you." Unsurely, Ten furrows his brows, scanning me up and down as if he's judging whether to listen to me or not. Heavily, his chest rises and falls. I take another cautious step. I put both daggers in one hand and reach my other one out towards Ten. "It's never too late to do the right thing. You're free now, Ten. Make this new life one where you can sleep at night."

"Free?" his hoarse voice chokes out. To the right of us, Annette and Ezra launch into two opposite tactics of fighting. Everything in me wants to glance at them to make sure Ezra is holding up alright, but if I can convince Ten to help us instead of hurt us, then there's a lot less we have to worry about. "As long as Ezra's alive, I'll never be free. I'll be free when I'm in control and the world is under my thumb – when I'm a king. But I can't do that when my brother breathes. I have to kill him, Kova."

"Ten, no-," I try to plead.

"But you won't let me do that, will you? To get to Ezra, I'll have to get through you?"

Frowning, I withdraw into myself a bit. I feel guilty, as if I've failed Ten as some sort of mentor or friend. If I had been more lenient with him underground, or heard him out better, or had been less eager to join forces with Ezra, perhaps he wouldn't be so lost. But what's done is done, and I have to do what's necessary. "I'm afraid so," I mumble in response. "I don't want this, either. You know that, right?"

Somberly, he nods. "I've always known that."

And before I can even get the second dagger in my hand, Ten swings his sword at me. My body moves like I've gained weight, the heaviness of Ten's dilemma and my duty slowing me down and occupying my mind. My heart aches for him, but that doesn't change that we're both following through to do what we each think is right.

Using the edge of my dagger, I glide it against Ten's weighty sword, swinging my second blade towards his wrist to debilitate his ability to hold his sword. Maybe if I injure him enough, I don't have to kill him. Dryly, I chuckle to myself. This is exactly what the blood quota was instilled for.

Ten snatches my wrist and twists it. The tip of my dagger soars in the air dangerously close to his face as I writhe out of his grasp and back away. "You're old tricks won't work this one, Coca-Kova." And he's right. I always used my environment to fight off my enemy as much as my weapons. But without walls to jump off, whips to climb with, or super loose sand to kick, I'm left to use nothing but my daggers and wit.

Ten sprints at me, sword at his side in such a way that it could go in any direction. Bracing myself, I get ready to drop to the ground or spring into the air. Rashly, he raises his blade at the last moment and swipe down, searching to injure my legs: my best asset in a fight. Rather than leaping into the air like a kangaroo, I do a tiny hop and slam my feet down on Ten's sword.