Page 23 of Eryx

The festival of whips had officially begun.

I grabbed Axios’ arm and tugged him to his feet. He wobbled and seemed disoriented as he leaned against me. He’d taken a harsh beating from Felix the day before, hadn’t slept much the previous night, and ate very little at morning meal. Combined with the heat of the day and the two harsh lashings, he was nowhere near his full strength.

Quill and the other boys had retreated to the temple, keeping out of reach from the whips. Once Axios and I joined them, I released my friend and turned my attention to the boys with whips circling the bloody altar, their gazes pinned to us. They reminded me of beasts stalking prey.

A soft whimper tore my attention from the whips. Axios swayed on his feet and clutched his bloody side.

“Axios,” I said, hooking a finger beneath his chin and turning his face toward mine. “Block out the pain. You must.”

He nodded and sucked in a deep breath. I paid close attention to his eyes, making sure he had no trouble focusing on me. If he was too disoriented, he’d be easy prey for the lions that hunted us.

“Pericles hit him harder than the rest of us,” Theon spoke. “Look at the torn flesh of his back and side.”

“It matters not,” Axios said through clenched teeth. Blood streamed down his spine and dripped onto his legs. “Let us continue.”

His determination filled me with pride. His body might’ve been weakened, but his spirit remained strong.

“The game doesn’t end until all the cheese is stolen off the altar,” I spoke. “The only exception to this rule is if we’re all either unconscious or dead.”

“That’s reassuring,” Theon mumbled.

“Spartans do not fear pain,” Haden scoffed, looking toward the altar. He was the biggest boy in our group; tall and muscled. “I will prove I am the strongest of us.”

Then, like a fool, he advanced toward the whip bearers.

Haden wanted to show off his skills. Wanted the glory for himself. But I’d already calculated our odds, and we couldn’t win this game alone. Competing against each other, trying to steal the most cheese, would only end with us shredded by whips and bleeding out in the dirt.

However, I stood by and let Haden learn this lesson for himself.

When Haden reached the altar, one of the boys cracked the whip against his back. He dove forward and snatched a cube of cheese before rolling to the side as another boy swung at him. Haden was quick, but not quick enough to dodge all four boys. It was precisely why I said we needed unity in this game. Going in alone would only make us a bigger target.

Another snap of the whip caught Haden’s leg and drew a line of blood down his calf. He lunged to the side, diving beneath another swing, and ran back to the temple with a slight limp. The spectators cheered when he held up the cheese and turned in circles, letting them see the slash on his leg, but most importantly, see that he was still standing tall.

“There is no unity in this game, Eryx,” Haden said, tossing the cheese into the crowd and earning more cheers. “It is each Spartan for himself.”

“You’re wrong,” I spoke.

“I believe you just want the glory for yourself.” Haden straightened his posture to his full height and stepped toward me. He intended to intimidate me with his height, but the dark mush I’d had for breakfast was far more threatening than the arrogant boy in front of me. “You have a way with words that makes these fools follow you blindly, but you will never be my leader.”

“How peculiar,” I said, meeting his gaze. “If memory serves me well, you were sniveling like a babe before we entered the arena, and it was I who calmed you. However, go ahead and show the masses how fearless you are.”

Haden averted his eyes, a blush darkening his cheeks. I didn’t say such things to humiliate him, only to pierce through that thick skull of his and get him to see reason. He placed his physical strength above his intellect, when both needed to be weighed equally to reach victory.

“Fight!” a man screamed from the stands.

“More blood!”

“What do you suppose we do?” Axios asked me. “Staying here and doing nothing is not an option.”

Theon and the others looked at me, awaiting my response. Even Haden. Good. He had tossed aside his arrogance and was no longer blinded by his massive ego.

“The people demand a show,” I said, surveying the restless crowd. “Let’s give them one.”

***

Seven of us against four whip bearers. In a hand-to-hand setting, we would’ve had the advantage. The leather whips leveled the playing field. Our only hope at not leaving the arena in bloody tatters was to work together.

Strategized movements and playing to each other’s strengths would ensure our victory this day. We’d be whipped, yes, but instead of each boy fending for himself and taking the lashings individually, we’d share the strikes and therefore lessen the severity.