Page 15
FIFTEEN
“ Lanhas . Are you ready for today?” Nargol appeared behind Magoza.
She caught up to Magoza as they entered the hallway that led to the waiting cages underneath the arena.
Today was the next round in the trials.
Each day, more fights would commence until two fighters were in the final event.
Warriors gathered in the cages, a term given due to the bars on the small windows that lined the ceiling.
They could view the matches if they liked while waiting their turn.
“My axes are as sharp as my focus,” Magoza replied.
She eyed her sister.
She paused and faced her.
Something was wrong.
Even during battle, Nargol was known for her crazed smiles.
“What is it?”
“I don’t like the rumblings that I am hearing in the village.” Nargol’s scowl deepened.
She looked both ways as if sensing someone was eavesdropping.
There were few warriors making their way to the cages and a couple of guards at the entrance of the tunnel.
“What are you hearing?”
It was no surprise that Nargol kept her ear to the ground.
Magoza would trust what she would tell her any day without a second thought.
If whatever it was bothered Nargol, then she must have verified the information.
“Word has spread around the village and further of your relationship with Amuleta,” Nargol whispered.
Magoza stiffened at the news.
She shouldn’t be surprised at this revelation.
Gossipers always had her name in their mouths.
She blew out a deep breath.
“And?” Magoza arched an eyebrow.
So there was chatter going around about her and her mate.
She couldn’t stop the villagers from talking.
She had thick skin and was used to them always spreading tall tales about her.
“They are not happy that the future chiefess is openly claiming a half-breed to be her mate.” Nargol’s voice dropped.
“Who said this?” A growl came from Magoza.
Her hands itched to pull her axes from their sheaths and send them directly into the chest of the ones who were against fate.
“Show them to me. I will gut them?—”
“I cannot break the trust of my most-trusted spies.” Nargol rested a hand on Magoza’s shoulder and pushed her back against the wall.
Her eyes flared with anger.
She leaned in closer to Magoza for her next words to only be heard by her.
“Take this rage out in the arena. Defeat your opponents and prove yourself worthy of being the next chiefess. Then we will deal with those who stand against you.”
Magoza nodded.
She was thankful Nargol was the one currently with the level head.
She was ready to storm off and find who would be bold enough to discuss her mate.
“What would I do without you?” Magoza muttered.
“You will never know. What are little sisters for?” Nargol cracked a smile and pulled her off the wall.
She shoved Magoza toward the entrance of the cage.
“Have my back. That’s all you’re good for,” Magoza said.
She felt more like herself than the raging orc who wanted to go slay those who spoke out against her mate.
Nargol slapped her on the back with a hearty laugh.
“Thank the fates I’m so damn good at it, too.” She chuckled.
They entered the cage, and their smiles vanished.
It was time for them to prepare themselves for the battle at hand.
Nargol had won her first challenge and had advanced along with Magoza.
The sisters were expected to go far in the trials.
The room fell silent as they strode in.
Magoza eyed the warriors who stood around waiting.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose.
She narrowed her eyes on a few warriors and stalked past them.
At the moment she didn’t know who she would be up against next.
She hadn’t checked the brackets this morning to show the pairing of opponents.
The fighters were randomly selected for each battle, and the names were announced.
She didn’t care who she went up against—she’d win.
A slight murmur went up in the air, conversations beginning again.
Some warriors were doing warm-up moves, while others checked their weapons.
The air was tense as the wait continued.
The first match of the day had yet to commence.
The sounds of the crowds out in the arena were growing louder.
Entertainment usually kept their attention before each match.
She moved over and found a spot along the wall to wait.
Nargol separated and went over to speak with a warrior they knew from a western clan.
Magoza couldn’t sit at a time like this.
Her muscles were tight with anticipation of her next fight.
She needed to focus on what was to come.
Some of the warriors appeared relaxed around the room, but she knew it was a farce.
Winning the trials was an honor, and villages who had warriors go far in the trials earned the right to boast about them.
A couple of warriors stood not too far from her.
One eyed her as they spoke low.
Immediate alarms went off in her head.
She clenched her fist and folded her arms in front of her chest. He turned away and said something that led the other one to laugh.
She didn’t recognize either of them.
They weren’t from her clan, and it was obvious they didn’t have any respect.
“What’s so fecking funny?” Magoza asked.
The other conversations that had started back up in the cage ceased, and all eyes turned in her direction.
The first warrior glanced over at her and smirked.
“None of your business. I was speaking with Dengul, not you,” he said.
He was a little over seven feet tall, with dark hair that was pulled away from his face in a low bun, and fierce tusks that were slightly discolored.
He went without a shirt; deep scars were evident on his muscular back that were hidden slightly by his scabbard.
“But you were looking at me, so now it is my business.” She pushed off the wall and closed the distance between them.
“Well, if you must know, I told Dengul that once you were done with your little half-breed, I wouldn’t mind having your leftovers. Show her what it’s like to be with an orc with a large cock.”
His sadistic smile spread across his face.
Arms grabbed her as she lunged forward.
Her hand immediately dropped to her axe.
“He’s just fecking with you,” Nargol’s voice sounded in her hear.
Her sister’s arms were tight around her as she held Magoza.
The orc threw his head back and laughed.
“I’ll gut you, you fecking bastard,” Magoza shouted.
She struggled to get free.
Another set of hands grabbed her from the other side and helped Nargol hold her.
A red haze had dropped down over her eyes.
Other orcs came over, closer, carefully eyeing her and the other two orcs.
“How about I rearrange that half-breed’s guts with my cock!” He laughed and elbowed the other orc.
Magoza went still. It didn’t matter that she was about to go out and fight a warrior for the trials.
This orc in front of her had signed his death warrant.
“Touch my mate, and the last thing your cock will see is my axe chopping it off your dead body,” Magoza said through clenched teeth.
His smile disappeared.
He made a move toward her, but his friend grabbed hold of his arm.
The feel of her axe’s handle calmed her racing heart.
In battle, Magoza was always calculating and deadly.
He may have taken her for granted with her being a female warrior, but she had taken down much larger orcs than him.
“You’re making big threats, Commander. Maybe you’ll see me in the ring,” he snapped.
“What is going on in here?” a deep voice shouted.
Guards pushed their way through the crowd and burst forth.
One of the lead guards stood between Magoza and the warrior.
“There will be no fighting here in the cages. Save that for the arena. Break this up. Now!”
Magoza stared at the orc.
She didn’t know his name but didn’t need to.
She wasn’t going to be satisfied until her axe was buried in his chest. Be it in the ring or out in the streets, she would face him.
Speaking such things about her mate would need to be answered.
“Commander, please.”
Magoza blinked and found the other guards pushing the orc and his friend, Dengul, away.
She focused on the guard and gave him a nod.
The other warriors in the cage eyed her warily.
“Anyone else have something to say about my mate?” she shouted.
The fighters turned away from her.
A satisfied growl went through her.
She shook off the other warrior and Nargol’s grip.
Her sister moved closer.
Magoza glanced at her.
“I’m good.”
“Are you?” She gripped Magoza’s arm again and narrowed her eyes on her.
“Remember what I said. Not now.”
Magoza jerked her head in a nod and looked over her shoulder.
There were no signs of the orc.
She would find him, and they would continue their little conversation at a later date.
That was, if he wasn’t the one she would be facing.
“I want to know his name. Where he hails from. Everything you can find out.” Magoza wasn’t going to let this go.
The need for that orc’s blood to be spilled filled her.
“Consider it done.”
Magoza stood inside the gates that would open for her to go out into the arena.
The challenges had begun, and she was up next.
Nargol had fought a few battles ago and had won.
Magoza had watched her from the caged windows.
Nargol’s battle had been brutal, but it was no surprise that she had come through as the victor.
The announcer, Vakgu, was very animated in announcing Magoza’s opponent.
She ignored the name, and as she always did before she went into any battle, she sent up a prayer to Nogora.
She prayed for the strength of the goddess, to not falter and to help her prove herself.
Magoza was dedicated to her people and knew deep down in her soul that she was meant to be the next leader.
So in the quiet, dark tunnel she stood silent and felt the warmth of the goddess’s response float over her.
She inhaled sharply at the crowd roaring.
The other warrior must have entered the arena.
Her eyes fluttered open as calmness settled inside her.
She had to focus on this fight.
She rolled her shoulders to help loosen the muscles.
Her trusted axes hung from her waist along with a few other blades hidden on her body.
“Udenia, this is the warrior we have all come to see,” Vakgu’s voice echoed through the air.
Magoza’s muscles grew tense.
She flexed her fingers and waited for the gate to rise so she could enter.
She looked out into the arena but couldn’t see her opponent from her position.
“The firstborn daughter of Chieftain Tulak and his mate, Dura Cydassi. A fierce fighter, a born leader, commander of the Nidani army. Udenia and all of Aghon, stand on your feet for Magoza Cydassi!”
The heavy grating of the chains pulling the gate up was drowned out by the roar of the audience.
Magoza blew out a deep breath, feeling the welcome calmness settle in her.
The gates rose enough for her to walk underneath them.
She strode up the angled stone path that led to the arena.
The bright suns greeted her, and she made her way out of the tunnel.
She squinted for a moment, then her eyes adjusted.
She jogged out near the center of the ring and spun around.
She raised both her fists in the air to acknowledge those who were cheering for her.
She spun toward her opponent and froze in place.
A smirk appeared on her lips.
It was the orc from the cage whose cock needed to be chopped off.
She lifted her hand and pointed at him.
It was a silent threat to him that she was going to make good on her threat.
She spun around and strode toward the box where her parents sat.
It was custom for each warrior to show their respect to the chieftain and his mate.
Her father and mother stood from their chairs, but it wasn’t them who she had eyes for.
It was Amuleta.
She was in the seat next to Dura.
Magoza’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of her mate in the chieftain’s box.
Only family and close friends or acquaintances were allowed to sit there.
It wasn’t missed that Dura had Amuleta sitting directly next to her.
It spoke volumes that her parents were accepting of Amuleta.
Amuleta stood from her seat and came to stand next to her mother by the railing.
“ Ranhos. Banhas .” Magoza bowed deeply then stood to her full height.
She slammed her fist over her chest in respect of her clan’s leader.
Her parents returned the same action.
She threw back her head and shouted, “For Nidani!”
The Nidani Clan chanted their clan’s name.
The sound was deafening.
Magoza was proud of her clan and its history.
One day it would be her sitting where her parents were.
She could barely hear herself think.
Amuleta leaned over the railing with something flowing in the wind from her hand.
The crowd fell to a hush, and all eyes turned toward her.
“May you be brave and victorious,” Amuleta said.
She released what was in her hand.
It floated in the air toward Magoza.
She caught the ribbon and grinned.
There was no doubt that her mate’s favor would bring her good luck.
“A favor from my fated mate? The gods have smiled down on this day. My victory is already claimed,” Magoza shouted.
Gasps went around as the crowd took in what she’d said.
Yes, she was going to claim her mate in front of all to see.
There was no longer any need for whispers behind her back.
She’d would scream it from the rooftops that her fated mate was Amuleta.
Magoza reached up and brought one of her braids forward and tied the ribbon around her hair.
She ensured it was tight so as to not lose it when she fought.
She gave Amuleta a nod, turning toward her opponent.
She immediately dropped her hand down and snagged one of her axes from their sheath.
It was time to make this orc pay for his words.
He was going to regret the day he’d boldly spoken about her mate.
The announcer was gone, and the word “fight” echoed through the air.
The orc grinned and pulled his broadsword from his back scabbard.
His ugly grin spread across his face, and they advanced toward each other.
It made no difference that he was half a foot taller than her.
She had fought and brought down orcs bigger than him.
“I’m going to take great pleasure in filling that half-breed with my cock. Maybe I’ll even fill her belly with a babe,” he said.
Magoza ignored the taunts and rants that were shouted from the crowd about the half-breed.
The audience was growing bolder and yelling their displeasure.
She was sure her parents would keep her mate safe if things went south in the crowd.
A snarl ripped from Magoza.
She reached for her other axe.
The red haze from her rage fell down in place over her eyes.
He was never going to touch her mate.
After she took him down, no one would dare say anything else about Amuleta.
If they did, then she’d send them to Nogora where they could beg for forgiveness.