Underland(24)

“Olympus Tower.”

“I bet you I know who lives there.” Kira said. “The gods.”

“The Underlords, yes. They live there, and anyone rich enough to be invited lives there. Freedom tokens can buy you anything here.”

As they traveled, Kira couldn’t help but notice the beauty and cleanliness of the tower complex compared to the decline of the rest of the civilization. It seemed to mirror what was happening above in her own world. The rich staying rich while the poor were fighting for food.

They turned down an alley and disturbed a large animal eating out of the dumpster. The creature stood three feet tall and hissed at them angrily. Clawed hands darted out of a faded gray army jacket and swung at them threateningly. “Mine, mine!” it growled. “I found it first.” The beast moved like lightning and jumped onto the trash can, kneeling over its prize of rotting food.

Warrick stomped his hooves and his tail whipped with tension. “Keep your trash. We are only interested in passing through.”

The alley beast didn’t seem to register Warrick’s words and still jumped up and down angrily. His teeth gnashed in challenge like a starving stray dog. When the centaur tried to pass him, the animal pounced and dug his claws into Warrick’s back. Warrick screamed in anger and tried to buck the creature off.

Kira grabbed a stray plank of wood and swung it at the beast’s head. It saw the threat and jumped off of Warrick, nimbly attaching itself to a sign hanging from a building. She’d only missed by inches. It screeched its hatred at Kira, and she was about to try and attack it again, but Warrick stopped her.

“Come, he isn’t worth your time. Even our poor must eat, and they too must fight for their right to survive. We don’t need to give him a battle over scraps.” Warrick’s voice held a hint of aching sadness.

Kira couldn’t help but begin to respect him—just a little. His wise words resonated in her soul. Seconds before, he’d been attacked for trying to walk through an alley, his back laced with wounds that bled freely and mixed with his equine coat. Yet he still spoke of understanding and tolerance for those less fortunate than himself.

Where were people like Warrick in Portland when she’d been the one eating out of trash cans? If only humans had a scrap of the centaur’s dignity, the whole race would be better off.

They walked for another quarter mile, various beings watching them from behind closed doors. At one point, Kira thought for sure she had seen Grater in the distance with a chain around another slave for the slave market. Was it in that direction? How anyone could tell north or south without the sun was beyond her, but maybe after living here long enough you just knew.

When they came to a dead end, Kira began to worry that maybe she really had made the wrong decision. A figure moved away from the wall and stepped in front of them. A long, dark cloak hid his features.

***

Den watched them approach and felt a moment’s hesitation again. What was he going to do with her? He liked her spirit and wanted to stick it to Remus. The best way to get revenge was to make sure she made it through the next gauntlet. Then he’d figure something out. With Remus’s threat fresh in his mind though, he needed to do something drastic now. Something that would make her take this seriously. Like scare her.

“Thanks, Warrick, for bringing her.” Den kept his voice to a whisper. He reached to grab Kira’s arm, but she backed away into Warrick.

The centaur didn’t budge. “You can’t be trained until you’ve seen a game in action,” he said. “Most of us have grown up either fearing the games or secretly being fascinated with them.”

“I worked my tail off doing what Den wanted me to do. Maybe it’s him. Maybe he’s a lousy trainer.”

“And yet, I’m the only one you’re going to get,” Den spoke without looking at her.

“What? No really?” she said.

Den ignored her sarcasm and walked to a brick wall with an electric voice box sticking out of it about chest-high. He pushed the red button.

A few moments later, a high pitched voice answered. “Hello?”

“Ferb, it’s Den and Warrick.” Static followed, and Den inwardly cussed and wondered briefly if he owed Ferb any money. He owed a lot of money to a lot of people.

“You brought Rick? It’s been ages since I’ve seen that quadruped donkey bait of a face.” The excited reply sounded like a string of gibberish, and Den breathed a sigh of relief, which was cut short. “Den, don’t think I’ve forgotten our wager.”

Den racked his brain. What did—?

“You owe me a pint at Shady’s. What brings you to the archives? Think of putting down another bet?”

Oh good, it was only a pint he owed. He needed to keep it at that. “Not this time, Ferb. I’ve got a newbie that needs your expertise—never seen the games. Thought you would like to show her the ropes. Maybe show her a past gauntlet.”

The call box buzzed and, across the alley, a black gate swung open. Warrick motioned for Kira to enter the passageway first. There was hardly any room—the passageway was barely big enough to squeeze her in front of Warrick’s huge body, but all three of them managed somehow. The gate swung closed, and a motor whirred above them. As the cage trembled and descended into the ground, she pinched herself to keep from calling out in fear. When the elevator stopped, it opened into a huge room filled with fluorescent light.