Since the Calling I had been having an increasingly difficult time yielding to the Elusians. Elusians certainly didn’t help Mageia out of the goodness of their hearts. It was probably a trap.
Allard didn’t respond at first, staring into the distance and avoiding my gaze. After a few moments he turned, and his gaze locked mine.
“Do you know the story about Pythagoras and the dog?” he asked.
I shook my head and glanced at V. V nodded. Of course my brother would know.
“Pythagoras was on his way to the market one day when he saw a man beating a dog. The dog was thin and covered with scars. It was obvious the man beat him constantly. Pythagoras rebuked the man and forced him to stop hitting the dog. When the man asked why he cared, Pythagoras replied, “That’s a friend of mine-I knew him by his voice,” V responded.
“Some people think Pythagoras was making fun of the idea that souls could reincarnate. Others think he was empathizing with the beaten animal. You may not believe this, soldier, but not everyone agrees with how Mageians are treated in Alexandria,” he said.
Allard reached out his hand and gripped my shoulder, his eyes boring into mine as he whispered. “I know your voice.”
Without another word he turned away and headed back to the courtyard.
Vlakas and I looked at each other.
“What the hell did that mean?” Vlakas asked.
I shook my head, having no clue.
Chapter 11
Kat
That final week of preparation seemed to fly by. There didn’t seem enough time to do everything that needed doing, but somehow, we managed it. Gear bags were packed, weapons prepared, armor secured.
The day dawned crisp and sharp. A hint of autumn was in the air, the sky a startling blue. The days were still warm, but at night the temperature dropped. It hadn’t gotten below freezing yet, but it wouldn’t be long until we saw generally lower temperatures consistently.
The group stood at attention in the courtyard, the Tagmatarches making his final inspection before releasing us.
We all eyed the air vehicle parked in the meadow outside the Legion quarters. Air travel was uncommon, usually reserved for high-ranking military, nobles, or the King himself. Leonardo DaVinci was the father of modern air flight, but it still took a quartet of highly trained Air Mageia to maneuver one of the beasts.
“Soldiers,” the Tagmatarches said. “You have the honor of being the newest group of Hoplites to attempt the rank of Mageia. You will be airlifted to the center of the selected labyrinth and will be expected to work your way to a specified point on the enclosed maps.
“You will be competing against Hoplites from other Legions, but there are also a series of challenges you will be required to defeat to pass. Some of the rarest, most terrifying beasts in the known world have been collected and housed in this arena to test your skills. It is your objective to arrive at the designated safe zone with proof of no less than three kills each.
“Your kills can be a combination of beasts or other Hoplites. There are no teams in the Machi Thanatos. Make sure to collect your trophies.”
He held his hand up. In it was a steel collar with a round medallion embossed with the Legion emblem dangling from it.
A row of Elusians, each with a Fire Mageia beside each them began moving down the aisles of Hoplites and sealed the collars around each of the waiting contestants’ necks. The collars were not so tight that they would choke but were far too tight to remove. Unless your head had been separated from your body.
When they got to me, I felt the cold metal tighten around my neck and felt a wave of pain wash through me. I stifled a gasp and glared at the Elusian as the Suppression hovered over me.
Maalik grinned evilly. I had been so focused on the Tagmatarches I hadn’t realized he was the one who was essentially collaring all of us. I felt the biting pain as he Suppressed my abilities.
“Perhaps I will ask the King to assign you to me as your Mentor, Kat,” he whispered. “I believe you, Vlakas and I have some… unfinished business.”
I felt bile hit the back of my throat as his fingers lingered on my neck. Fuck, I’d hoped he had died, but I should have known better. Hades would have spit him back out.
Damn it all, he could probably convince the King to assign us to his son. The King might even think that he was being merciful by assigning us to someone “familiar”. Too familiar. Iremembered his hands, slick with my blood. Slick with Vlakas’ blood. And those fingers… they had… had…
I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to breathe through my nose and resist the urge to vomit. Through the pain of the Suppression I felt the slight tremble of the earth beneath my feet. My eyes flew open to lock with Vlakas’, who was watching me from the side. I could sense his magic trembling in the ground beneath me. I don’t know how I knew it was his magic. I just knew. I gave him a minute shake of my head. Not here. Not now. There were too many Elusians here.
The pain fell away as Maalik continued down the line, Allard close behind him. I watched in fury as they approached Vlakas. I knew he would try the same shit, or worse, with the younger man. He was trying to antagonize us, get us to snap so he had grounds to punish us before the Machi Thanatos. A beating or whipping would weaken us and decrease our likelihood of survival.
I didn’t think Vlakas had heard what Maalik had said to me, but his lips were pressed into a thin line, and I could see his hands trembling as Maalik grew closer. I would not let him touch Vlakas again.
