Page 16
Story: The Ballad of a Bard
She stole leftover rolls and chunks of meat from abandoned plates, gorging herself on whatever she could find and even going so far as to consume the remainder of ale left in some of the cups. It was far from good, but it was enough to satisfy her craving hunger. She knew she couldn’t remain for too long, because she didn’t want to leave Cobalt alone.
Crimson slunk closer, finding her way to the counter and hiding behind the hunking male that whispered, “Steel cutlass.”
The woman nodded and led him away, as Crimson took up his place and eagerly awaited her turn. When the barkeep returned, without the man, she squinted down at the small female before the counter.
Crimson wasn’t short by any means, taller than most girls in fact. But the counter rose off the floor at least a foot, and the woman was nearing six feet herself. She stood on her toes, leaned in and uttered the same phrase that the previous customer had.
For a second, she wondered if she’d misheard him or gotten the password wrong.
But then the woman pushed off the bar and came around it. She opened her mouth and asked, “Are you one of Roland’s new girls?”
Crimson had no clue who Roland was or what hisgirlswere. But if it got her inside the secret door, to find out whatever was happening below the tavern, then she would do whatever it took. Especially if it meant finding a way to provide a better future for her and her brother.
“Yes.” She answered hastily.
“I swear he hires them younger and younger every year.” The barkeep grumbled but ushered for her to follow. “Just be careful with the extra handsy customers.”
Crimson watched as she led her into another room and opened a panel in the wall that wasn’t there before. The woman gestured for her to enter, so she did.
That’s how she found the Pits, and with it- the Blades of Blood.
Seven
She wasn’t entirely sure where to look first.
There was so much to lookat.
Within her first step past the long staircase that was tight enough to give her chills, thanks to her fear of confined spaces, there was a massive crowd gathered before her. She could hardly make out what they were all watching and roaring at as she wedged past a few bodies.
Crimson slipped towards the barrier, where a thick stone wall sat, guarding the edge and preventing anyone from accidently toppling over it. It rose four feet tall and was at least six inches thick. She glanced over, finding that she was on the middle level of the underground chamber, another above her and below her. With the style of the men surrounding her, she could easily guess that they were from the Silver Gate.
But that wasn’t what caught her attention.
The arena embedded into the lowest level was.
Because within the sandy pit, there were two fighters who relentlessly went after each other. One was dressed in scale armourthat made him appear like a dragon in a fairytale whilst the other was clad in head to toe leather. Steel studs kept the plates in place but allowed him to move freely, without any issue.
A wiser choice, she thought.
Crimson caught the shimmering flash of coins and immediately swivelled her head to follow the glint of gold. Four crowns passed from one hand to another, a slip of paper following in return.
Gambling.
They were betting on thefighters.
An illegal thing to do, in any of the three gates, but forbidden things were only sweeter. Money was money; something she desperately needed.
She ducked under the bannister and followed the trading coins, desperate to learn how she could get her hands on some. She followed the second set of stairs down into the ground floor, watching from the side walls as the men attacked and countered. They were both fantastic, from what she could tell. But then again, she had no knowledge of the sport of war and bloodshed, let alone how to even wield a weapon.
Crimson found the man who offered up the scrap of parchment and tapped his shoulder lightly. He rotated and as soon as he saw who touched him, a nasty sneer pulled onto his round face. A curve of hair lined his jaw, above his lip, across his chin.
“What do you want,girl?” He hissed down at her. “You know you aren’t supposed to be in here.”
She instantly pulled the name that allowed her into the pits in the first place out of her mind. “I’m one of Roland’s girls.”
“Ah, a new hire then?” His face fixed into a mask of pleasantness that anyone else might have bought, but she most certainly didn’t. “What do you need, then?”
Crimson cleared her throat and tucked any ounce of nerves away as she inquired after the battle. “How does one enter the arena?”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16 (Reading here)
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141