Shadow's Rising {Wing 6} Chapter 7 (Part 2)

Part 2

The announcer raised his hand for silence then spoke.

“This intruder has stated that he will defend the dragon Delphinium. Very well. Let him entertain us a while longer then. If he manages to defeat our gladiators we shall spare the beast, but his blood shall be shed in its place. You may begin!”

The crowd roared its approval and two gladiators advanced on C.B while the rest circled slowly around him.

Now this is the kind of fight I’ve been waiting for! Marcus thought as he charged in but his thought was cut short as the golden staff flashed out and he crumpled to the ground.

The second gladiator swung his trident down but at the last moment pulled it in and thrust it at his opponent. C.B swung the top of his staff to deflect the first strike but was already moving the opposite end to deal with the second, smacking the trident upwards and almost out of the gladiator’s hands. Then, continuing the spin, C.B thrust the top into the gladiator’s stomach causing him to double over. C.B finished by kicking the center of his staff to bring the top slamming upwards into the man’s jaw causing him to fly back unconscious.

The fight that followed left Shadow stunned. The glittering wheel of C.B’s staff never stopped as he moved from one opponent to the next, taking on three or four of them at any one time. The gladiators slowly pushed C.B back until he was standing in front of Aurora who was desperately trying to untangle herself. He was able to take down another four but his fight was looking desperate.

A few of the gladiators tried to go around C.B to attack Aurora but he quickly batted them away. A spear cut grazed his side as he knocked out another gladiator. He kicked away a spear while using his staff to redirect a net into several others. He knocked out three more before they could untangle themselves and now there were nine left.

C.B jumped up onto his staff and flipped to bring it crashing down on one man before bouncing off him to slam into another on the opposite side. Both crumpled under the force of the attack. The moment he landed three more were on top of him while a fourth went for Aurora. Thankfully she spotted him and used her tail to knock him into one of the gladiators fighting C.B, causing both of them to fall. C.B was able to take advantage of this and knock out the two remaining standing before dealing with the two who had fallen on the ground.

Now there were three remaining. They all had tridents and looked at each other before nodding. Together they raised their weapons and brought them crashing down on C.B’s head. He caught all three with his staff and struggled to hold up his staff as they tried to force him down.

Shadow could see he was tired and slowly losing strength. Then he had an idea. He couldn’t suppress their consciousness like Bellum, but he could distract them. So he did. Focusing on the three gladiators he brought up his memory of the stinky swamp near dragon valley and pushed it into their minds.

The three faltered for just a moment as a horrid smell flashed through their minds but it was enough. C.B shoved their tridents into the air before spinning around to sweep their legs. He then knocked them all out before they could regain their footing.

The crowd roared in excitement over the newcomer’s victory while the announcer spared no time signaling the soldiers around the arena to advance.

“As promised, the dragon will be spared. But we cannot allow an intruder to go unpunished. For the crime of interfering with an official game, you shall be executed!”

C.B quickly removed the nets entangling Aurora and lifted one of her talons like a knight helping his lady stand. Then he pulled her with him towards the center of the arena.

Aurora was confused but allowed him to pull her along. Meanwhile, Shadow had no idea what C.B was thinking. Could they possibly escape? He wondered if C.B had a plan but couldn’t find his thoughts anywhere in the cacophony of voices shouting in the arena.

C.B reached the center of the arena and got down on one knee, still holding her talon, looking like he was about to propose to her. But then he held her talon and placed one of her claws at his throat. It was obvious what he wanted her to do.

Aurora pulled her talon away in horror. “What?! No! I won’t kill you. You saved me. I can’t…”

The man smiled kindly as if he understood. He made a shooing motion and got on both knees facing Jarid. He gathered all the pieces of his golden armor and his staff in front of him. His mouth moved but Shadow couldn’t hear any words and suddenly all of his belongings burst into flames, the gold melted into the sand and the wood turned to ash.

The soldiers quickly corralled Aurora to one side with their spears and surrounded C.B. Just as they drew back their spears to strike, C.B looked up and his eyes met Shadow’s. He smiled like he somehow knew Shadow and the spears were thrust forward.

C.B’s eyes were a dark brown, almost black but just as the spears pierced him they flashed a bright reptilian gold. In the same instant Shadow felt the world warp around him, making him dizzy and everything felt slightly off. He blinked and gasped in horror.

Where C.B had sat, he now saw Aurora; pierced with over ten gladiatorial weapons. She was lying on her side covered in her own blood. Her beautiful violet eyes blank and empty, and her last cry of fear and pain frozen on her face.

Shadow couldn’t comprehend what was happening as his heart pounded in his ears and tears began building in his eyes. He blinked to clear them and suddenly everything snapped back to normal. C.B hung lifeless from the innumerable spears pierced through his body, his blood soaking the sand beneath him.

What was that? A dream? A vision? Shadow wondered, his heart still pounding in his chest. The horrifying sight of death before him made him sick. The humans drove Aurora back to the gate where she had entered even as she wept for the human who had saved her.

Shadow collapsed to the floor beneath the window and covered his mouth as his stomach rebelled against what he had witnessed.

What did you see? Bellum asked, curiosity mixed with concern was evident in his voice. I felt your mind become distant for a moment. Was there something strange about that man?

Shadow felt Bellum gently prying into his memory for the answer and quickly shut him out. It was nothing. I just felt sick and my mind wandered for a moment.

Bellum chuckled. I suppose witnessing death for the first time can have that effect. I won’t pry, but you seem to be improving your mental defenses and awareness. I was right to choose you as my student. Speaking of which, I plan to use that poor Flame Wing to teach you the structure of a dragon’s mind. You still want to help her, don’t you?

Shadow glanced over at Ash, who rocked slowly holding her blackened stump, staring blankly ahead, and nodded. Of course I do.

Good. However, if we are to proceed, that dark memory will have to go. Since I will be removing the consequence for breaking my trust, I will have to decide on a more suitable punishment later. For now I need you to open your mind to me so I can remove that pesky memory. I promise you will be able to rest easy after that. Through me you will gain the power to silence the voices and protect your friends. All you need to do is... let... me... in.

Shadow was starting to feel a nauseous headache and the excited crowd above only made it worse. Now that he wasn’t focused solely on saving Aurora, their voices were painfully crowding his mind, and Bellum bringing it up only made him all the more aware of it. It was all too much for him to stop and think about what Bellum's conditions would mean. Ok, just please help me. I can’t take their voices anymore. I can't bear to let them take my friends away from me again.

Bellum’s voice took on a soothing, caring tone. Of course, little dragonet. Just open your mind to me and relax. I will take care of the rest.

Shadow couldn't take it anymore and released his mental barriers. The voices all around him rushed in, but they were quickly smothered by Bellum’s darkness. The peaceful bliss of silence was so wonderful Shadow couldn’t help but sigh in relief. His stomachache and headache faded like a dream as the memory of C.B’s death was hidden in the shadowy fog enveloping his mind. All the tension of the last few hours had left him exhausted, and now that it was gone Shadow could finally relax. His eyes drooped as drowsiness seeped into every inch of his body.

That’s it, Bellum’s calming voice seemed to wrap around him like a blanket as he laid back against the wall. Just relax. You can even fall asleep if you want. I’ll take care of the rest.

Shadow felt himself nodding even as his body slumped into unconsciousness. His drifting mind didn’t even register Bellum’s last soft hiss.

Perfect. Sleep deep, naive little dragonet. When you wake, you will finally trust me, and I’ll trust you too. After all, you would never disobey your masssssster.