Alliance of Heroes

Chapter 8 - The King of Crime

Chapter 8 - The King of Crime

 The skin on the back of Jake's neck burned. The sand under his booted feet slipped and slid, his balance unsteady, his poise half-prepared, half-distracted, trying to keep his footing, hold his sword correctly, ignore the screams of the crowd and the cries of his friends, and avoid the razor-sharp beak of the odd bird-like creature spearing through the air towards him. In the end, getting most of them right wasn't too bad, was it?

                His foot slipped as he tried to dodge out of the way, sending him flying back, head slamming into the gritty sand, grains covering his hair, his face. A clump of dust flew up from under him as Aquila let out a small shriek of surprise, his beak only just missing the boy. Jake turned his head quickly, and saw with relief the others had managed to avoid the beast also.

"This isn't good!" said Versai. The stadium roared with anger; they wanted blood.

                "This is exactly what Aquila wanted!" realised Jake. "This entire operation was a trap, set to capture us!"

                "We have to get out of here!" said Yuki.

                "No," replied Maia. "This is exactly where we want to be. Yerga and his soldiers have challenged us to a direct confrontation. If we can destroy them now, we will do a blow to Yerga's forces, however minor."

                "SILENCE!" roared the man dressed in white. "I won't stand for this conversing during a battle. Kill them now, Aquila, or it will be on your head!"

                "So says the only one of us doing nothing!" snarled the Garuda, wheeling to face him in the air.

                "What is he talking about?" Jake whispered to Maia. "I thought that they were on the same sides?"

                "They are," answered Maia. "But no one ever said that they were friends."

                "These people are traitors to Yerga," the man said to Aquila. "I want them dead." He faced the crowd, raising his arms. "You will all get to see what happens to the enemies of Revek! This people are examples that shall be used; sacrificial lambs in our great ritual to gain peace!"

                There was a great cheer from the crowd. "Touching speech," said Versai. "But who is this guy?"

                "I think we're about to find out," said Jake.

                "Where is Roland?" asked Felicia suddenly. "Surely they would have found him as well?"

                "He's not here!" exclaimed Versai. "There can be only one reason for that. He's a traitor to the Alliance! He was working against us all along!"

                But I have gotten a feeling that there is a traitor in our midst. There are some people in the Alliance that I do not trust.

                Maybe Roland was a traitor. Maybe...

                "Now!" said the man. "Let us see how they fare in this battle, without trickery or deceit!"

                "Get ready everyone!" said Yuki, as doors on either side of the arena opened. "This won't be easy."

                Aquila raised his swords, prompting more cheering from the soldiers.

                "I'm not worried," muttered Versai. "He should be easy to take down."

                Jake's heart was still thumping furiously. Aquila and the other man, whoever he was, would likely kill them all, that he knew. It would take a miracle to survive this ordeal.