“That’s Voret,” Delia whispered, leaning toward Mia for a second. “He’s one of the oldest Council members.”
Mia nodded, her eyes glued to what was happening below.
“Residents of Earth and those watching us on Krina right now,” Voret said, his deep voice filling the entire amphitheater, “welcome to the ancient rite of the Arena Challenge. As all of you know, the fight today is between two of our esteemed Council members: Loris and Korum. The cause of this Challenge, like all others, is a disagreement that can only be settled in blood.”
Voret raised his arm and blue light seemed to flow from his fingertips, becoming a giant three-dimensional image floating in mid-air. It showed a strange forest, with green, yellow, red, and orange plants. “For generations, we have gathered in the Arena to witness the resolution of such a disagreement. It all began after the Great War, when we nearly tore each other apart after the demise of the
lonar
– our source of life-giving blood. Violence was a way of life then – and it would still be today if not for the Arena Challenge.”
The floating image began to change, as though a camera was zooming in on a particular portion of that alien forest. Mia stared in fascination as the image showed a Krinar male, dressed in some brown-colored scraps of material, leaping through the trees with a speed that would make Tarzan jealous. Below him, small humanoid creatures were scurrying on the ground, their bodies covered with light blond hair and nothing else. These had to be the lonar, Mia realized, seeing the predatory look on the Krinar male’s face as he stalked them from above. He wasn’t as beautiful as the modern Ks; his features were rougher, less symmetric, though he still had the typical K coloring of dark hair and golden skin.
“We have evolved as hunters. Predators.” Voret’s voice echoed throughout the Arena. “We need violence. We crave it. For a peaceful society to function, we need an outlet – a way to resolve disagreements that would otherwise lead to conflict and war. The Arena is that outlet.”
The Krinar in the image leapt from the trees above, jumping down on the ground in front of the hapless lonar. They screamed in fear, their cries oddly monkey-like, and turned to run, but it was too late. One of them – a female – was already caught in the K’s steely embrace, and he was slicing his sharp teeth over her neck. Bright red blood trickled down her neck and chest, its color startling against the primate’s light-colored fur.
“The extinction of the lonar nearly destroyed us. The fact that we survived is a testament to the heroic efforts of those scientists who came up with a blood substitute in the middle of war and chaos.”
The image changed now, no longer showing the forest or the Krinar feeding on the helpless female. Instead, three strong-featured male Ks were displayed, their harsh faces more similar to the ancient hunter’s than to the gorgeous Krinar surrounding Mia.
“In the Arena, we honor all those who came before us – and all those who will come after. With this rite of violence, we honor peace – and the laws that make it possible.”
Now the floating image was showing the same colorful forest as before – only this time it was populated by the pale oblong structures that served as modern Krinar dwellings. A couple was strolling through the woods, a K male and female, wearing the light-colored clothing Mia was used to seeing. They looked beautiful and happy, walking together while holding hands. The image lingered for a few seconds, then winked out of existence, leaving only Voret standing in the middle of the Arena.
He remained quiet for a second, and then his voice boomed again. “Now it is time for the fighters to join me. Loris and Korum, please enter the Arena.”
Mia held her breath as the two Ks emerged, Korum from a structure to the right of Mia and Loris from a structure to the left. Instead of the usual Krinar attire – or the formal white clothing of the spectators – they each wore a pair of calf-length pants that were the color of fresh blood. Their feet and chests were bare, except for swirls of red paint that decorated their arms and torsos.
Swallowing to moisten her dry throat, Mia stared at her lover in fascination. He looked gorgeous – and utterly savage. Sitting in the front row, she could see the yellow-gold color of his eyes, light and striking against the bronze hue of his skin. His semi-nakedness only accentuated the power of his body; his muscles flexed and rippled as he walked, his posture graceful and threatening at the same time.
The other Krinar was an inch or two taller, with a slightly bulkier build. The expression on his hawk-like features was dark and full of hatred.
The two fighters approached the blue-clad figure in the middle of the Arena, pausing respectfully a couple of feet away. Voret turned toward Loris and addressed him, “Loris, you have chosen to challenge Korum today. Is that true?”
“Yes,” the Krinar said, his eyes glittering with the same dark anticipation Mia could see on Korum’s face.
Voret nodded, apparently satisfied. Turning to Korum, he asked, “Do you accept Loris’s challenge?”
“I do,” Korum replied.
“Then let the fight begin.”
Chapter 15
Korum watched as Voret lifted his arms – a signal to begin. At the same time, the float that was underneath Voret’s feet activated, lifting the Councilor into the air high above the Arena. It was the only way the Mediator – a role filled by Voret today – could stay safe during the fight.
His eyes glued to his opponent, Korum slowly began circling Loris, looking for the best opportunity to strike. He could feel his heart beating harder, the blood circulating faster through his veins. His mind was clear and razor-sharp, focused entirely on his enemy. It was always that way for him in the Arena; the adrenaline boosted Korum’s concentration, enhanced his reflexes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware that Mia was watching him right now. He could feel her gaze on his skin, and it gave him even more of a rush than the upcoming fight itself.
Loris responded by moving in a slow circle as well, his dark eyes burning with hatred. Korum gave him a taunting smile, wanting to enrage him further. It was one of the most basic principles of defrebs: the fighter who keeps a cool head wins. When Loris had attacked him in the Council meeting chamber, it had been laughably easy for Korum to subdue him – partially because the Protector had been completely out of control.
A smile: such a simple thing, but it worked. Loris’s jaw tightened, the muscle near his ear twitching. And then he struck, his right arm lashing out, his fingers hooked into a deadly weapon.
Korum avoided Loris’s strike with ease, his body twisting at the last moment. At the same time, his foot kicked out, hitting Loris’s knee with so much force that Korum could hear the other man’s joint snapping in half.
Loris screamed in pain, stumbling back, and Korum leapt on top of him, using the momentum from his jump to bring the Protector to the ground. Up-close combat was dangerous, but less so now that his opponent was partially – albeit temporarily – crippled. His fist smashed into Loris face, once, then again and again, each movement lightning-fast. At the same time, Korum’s knee slammed into Loris’s side, bruising his internal organs.
This was not going to be a long fight.
In fact, subduing the Protector was so easy that Korum should be able to avoid killing him altogether.
* * *
Two rows away from Mia, Saret waited for the perfect moment to strike, all of his attention focused on the combatants. It was risky to be so close to the stage, but it maximized his odds of success – and put him within grabbing distance of Mia, if the opportunity presented itself.
Of course, when he’d chosen this location, he didn’t know Korum’s charl would be so heavily guarded. Not only was she sitting next to Arus, but there were also at least two guardians watching her. Saret had spotted them earlier. They tried to blend with the crowd, but their sharp gazes betrayed their true purpose: they were there to protect Mia.
Saret wondered if Korum suspected anything, or if he was just being paranoid about his charl’s safety. Either way, it looked like Mia was out of Saret’s reach for now – at least while Korum was alive. Once his enemy was out of the way, however, it would be a different matter. Unless another influential Krinar took Mia as his charl, she would be brought to Krina, where Saret would be able to claim her under his other identity.
Saret’s interest in different identities had started several centuries ago, long before he had begun developing his plans for humans. He had been put in charge of rehabilitating a criminal who was a master of disguises, pretending to be three people at once, complete with different physical appearances, legal documents, and established lives. Saret had been so fascinated that he’d spent countless hours learning all about the man’s craft. The criminal had been more than happy to tell him everything he knew in exchange for a milder version of rehabilitation than the one he’d been sentenced to.
Saret’s second identity had started off as a joke, as a way to see if he could get away with something like that in their technologically advanced society. And, to his surprise, he’d discovered that he could; all it took was the right tools, knowledge of several government databases, and a couple of centuries to create a convincing new persona.
Saret – the mind expert – was now considered a criminal. Juron, however, was a law-abiding citizen of Krina who was currently doing some individual space exploration in the Krinar solar system. It would be Juron who claimed Mia as his charl next.
All Saret needed was to kill Korum right now, and at least that part of his plan would be successful. Then he could try to bring peace to Earth again.
His current disguise was yet another identity he had started to develop here on Earth. It was not as airtight as that of Juron, but it was good enough to get him past all the security and into Lenkarda for the fight. No one suspected right now that the man sitting so close to the stage was the most wanted Krinar in the universe.
Saret glanced at Mia again, then looked away. It wouldn’t do to stare at her openly, even though many others were doing the same thing. She was oblivious to everything, all of her attention focused on the fight. Saret cursed under his breath. It seemed like his little experiment had backfired in a major way, and she was growing attached to that bastard again.
That was really unfortunate. Now she would be more than a little upset when he died.
Slowly raising his hand, Saret aimed at the stage and waited for the perfect moment. When Korum jumped at Loris, Saret knew the time had come.
Taking a deep breath, he activated the weapon.
* * *
Korum raised his fist to deliver another blow, and in that moment his arm froze.
A wave of pain traveled down his body, starting at the back of his neck. His limbs felt uncontrollably heavy, his muscles shaking with the effort of holding himself up.
A basic stun weapon.
Korum knew it with sudden certainty. The guardians’ scanners were designed to catch anything dangerous, but this kind of stunner used an older, simpler technology – one that was much more difficult to detect from a distance.
Reflexively clutching the back of his neck, Korum felt himself sliding off Loris’s body. His back hit the ground, leaving him lying there helpless, unable to move for a few precious seconds. To the spectators, it would look like Loris had delivered him a hidden blow of some kind; the stunner possibility would not occur to anyone right away.
Despite the danger – or maybe because of it – Korum’s mind operated with crystal clarity, analyzing the situation in an instant. There was only one person motivated enough to risk doing something like that.
Saret.
He was here at the fight.
The hit had been to the back of Korum’s neck. He knew what a basic stunner felt like, had experienced its sting before. Just like a human gun, it was a weapon that had to be aimed from a specific location.
A location that could be triangulated.
Ignoring the pain and weakness racking his body, Korum sent a mental query to his internal computer . . . and then he knew.
His enemy was only steps away from Mia.
Fear, sharp and gut-wrenching, slithered through Korum’s veins, followed by a rage so intense his entire body shook with it.
He couldn’t save himself right now, but he’d be damned if he failed to protect Mia again.
Closing his eyes, Korum focused on connecting to the guardians’ private communication network.
* * *
Mia stifled a scream as she saw Korum jerk convulsively and then slide off Loris’s body. Up until now, he had seemed invincible, utterly in control of the situation. She had even begun to relax, some of her fear ebbing as she’d witnessed her lover’s effortless display of skill in the Arena.
Until everything changed in an instant.
What happened?
She could see Korum clutching the back of his neck as if something bit him there. He seemed dazed, weakened by something.
What the fuck happened?
She could see Loris rising to his feet. He was already moving better, his Krinar body recovering from the injuries Korum had inflicted on him.