T A Y A H

I looked down at the cheap skinned leather that was scored in blade marks on my body. How many before me had died in this?

Then I looked at the young boy that refused to stray away more than an inch from my shadow. The armour didn't fit him. Nor should it.

The dark skinned man with a skull painted on his face raised his arms before our rag tag group of stolen souls and shouted something that I think was meant as encouragement. I looked down the line of us–these were not fighters. They looked closer to farmers and bread makers...

One man cried something out and tried to run.

A spear was thrown from a guard and when through his back. He dropped to the ground in a gurgled cry and another guard ended him with a sword through his neck. I sighed and turned the boy's head away. He was shaking.

"Odin. If you can hear me I could use a hand." I growled ahead of the line.

It only caught the attention of skull face. He leered at me and angled a blade at me before pointing at the hallway that ascended upwards. I glanced at it and then down at the kid.

"He comes with me." I stated.

A hand pushed me forward and I grabbed the kid's thin arm pulling him beside me. A guard moved and tried to rip him away so I acted faster. I ducked under his guard and disarmed the sword away from his grip and slashed his arm. I pulled the kid behind me and angled the sword at the many guards that rushed us.

But skull face merely clapped slowly with a grin.

He raised a hand and dropped it. The guards lowered their weapons and he gestured for us to ascend the stone steps. I kept my eyes on them looking for any retaliation. The pain in my leg became secondary and I was more than ready to defend us from any threat.

I backed us towards the growing cheers up the stairs. The boy clung to me tightly as I tried avoiding too much weight on my leg.

When we were finally clear of the dark tunnels of slavers and killers I turned to the noise.

The sun cut through the rafters and flags above us and voices roared. I had not seen anything like it. Scores of people in seats rising above us and around us. They were everywhere and they cheered. A horn sounded and the voices grew so loud I thought they would deafen us.

I turned to the boy and dropped to my good knee.

"I'll keep you safe. I know you don't understand me–but I've got you." I told him seriously, offering him my hand. It was a Uccelon custom but he seemed to understand enough to take my hand as I secured our forearms.

I stood and looked across the dusty fighting field as a lone fighter in much higher crafted armour than our own strode out into the centre of the arena. His arms were thick like Kaden's and he seemed to absorb and adore the crowds. His spiked helmet gleamed with horns and his shoulders of metal were pointed.

I growled and watched as he did a slow turn and raised his arms slowly. They cheered him. They loved him.

I would end him.

A horse pulled wagon came into the arena then, puffing out dust as it emptied weapons and blades and other killing tools as it circled us. I glanced at the settling dust and made out a sword nearest us. The fighter before us was already running.

I broke into my own sprint as best I could with my damaged leg and palmed a curved sword with a worn handle into my fist before grabbing a short dagger with my other hand. But the fighter already had a spear and mace in his thick grip and he aimed it right at the kid.

My anger took over deep inside and I pushed my legs faster past the pain and exhaustion.

The moment the spear spun through the air at him I jumped between us and took him off his feet as it grazed the skin of my shoulder. We rolled into the dusty ground and he coughed out.

I was instantly on my feet because I knew fighters like this. They moved with aggression. They made mistakes.

The mace already came for my face as I ducked and slashed a dagger across the over zealous fighter's thigh faster than he thought possible. He staggered in shock–I imagine he normally fought people that couldn't raise a blade.

I was not such a defenceless creature.

I dodged right off my good foot when his predictable mace swung and quickly ran the sword past his guard and up through the bottom of his jaw. His body became slack instantly and I ripped the sword out. Blood sprayed my face and the crowd went silent.

I raised my head slowly and spat on the body of the fighter. There was no valour in any of it.

Then the arena exploded with noise. Cheering. Applause that I did not seek out in this disgusting pit that put helpless fighters against professionals.

The gates opened at opposite ends and three more armoured fighters emerged to more cheers. I glared them down as they walked out with more impressive armour and helmets that shone in the light. The kid rushed to my side and I set a hand on his head as the new fighters twirled their weapons of varying lethality.

"It's alright." I murmured, glancing down at my leg.

The wound was angry and too much blood was pouring down my leg. I took a long breath and levelled my gaze at the fighters that were drinking in the cheers of the crowd.

End them quickly. We might just make it out.

A horn sounded and the fighters levelled their weapons in our direction and rushed us to close the space. I shrugged out from the boy's hold and spun the sword in my hand with the dagger in my fist.

I dodged a spear that sailed high for my head then dropped quickly to a slide and cut across the heel of the first eager fighter. He screamed in pain and dropped to useless legs now–a lethal and precise hit that disables any opponent despite their size.

I parried a heavy swing from another fighter and kicked the chest of the third gaining me space.

The crowd grew hungry around us and roared when another fighter took a hasty and untrained swing. Honestly I had fought better composed city guards–

I caught the masked fighter's sword with the dagger and used my momentum to sink the sword under his cuirass guard through his torso. The blood bubbled on his lips even before I spun and threw the dagger cleanly into the last fighter's eye.

It took me less time to end them than it would to finish an ale.

But I breathed heavily. The toll of my injuries were starting to blur my vision. The roars of the crowd felt so distant. I knew I didn't have it in me for scores more fighters–the only reason I made an effort at all was for the sake of the kid–

A horse suddenly blurred into my vision and I struggled to stand.

The boy suddenly held my hand that was soaked in their blood. He took the dagger in his little hand and I tried to say something. But when the horse approached close enough I realised it wasn't yet another fighter. This man wore robes and announced something to the people.

The crowd cheered again and guards rushed towards us.

The boy said something to me and tugged my hand but I didn't have it in me to say the words back. I dropped to my knees and sweet nothingness claimed me.

* * * * *

I woke to a sharp pain in my leg.

I sucked in a sharp breath and my eyes flashed open. I was in a dark cell. A few flame torches were lit beyond the bars. A boy with wide eyes looked up from my leg as he rewrapped his other shirt sleeve over it.

I sighed and shut my eyes again.

"So, I'm still mortal apparently."

He dropped his hands and watched me. I glanced behind him and made out the others that were in a line with us before... there were much less now. He seemed to remember something and scrambled over the stone floor to grab a leather pouch. He offered it to me.

Water.

"You're a life saver kid." I told him before taking a deep drink and suddenly pausing. I offered it to him and he shook his head. I frowned and set it down. There only seemed to be a few of these going around as it was.

I leant back against the wall and dropped my wrists over my knees.

"This was supposed to be a nice exile." I sighed to no one in particular.

The boy tilted his mop of brown hair and scooted closer like I were some strange creature from the jungle.

"Man if I had immortal power right now... I'd be blasting right through that door and sending every one of those morons to the Underworld." I chuckled.

He watched my laugh intently before smiling a shy look. I raised an eyebrow at him before cracking a half smile. "You're alright kid."

He suddenly pointed to himself.

"Yanu."

"Yanu." I repeated, watching a grin briefly take over his face.

"Teaya." He pointed at me.

I nodded and gave him another smile. Though it was short lived. I felt the hungry drain of the wound on my leg. It needed proper treatment–immortal treatment didn't seem like a thing anymore. If I could just get my damn shield back I'd be in business.

I glanced around the dark cell containing half a dozen others that slumped against walls or huddled in corners. These were not the types to incite rebellion. No wonder they hunted them. It only made me think of the same familiar tale of my village–

I grit my teeth and pressed the back of my head against the wall.

I crossed my legs and slowly placed my palms on my knees. I took a long measured breath and filtered out the low murmuring and the slow breathing of others. Every slowed and became clear. Then I called out to the one I sought in my mind. It had never gone unanswered.

"Tayah Ashrive." The voices murmured before me.

I opened my eyes and the world around us became frozen in time. The kid's wide eyes stared at me in concern and the flame torches halted their burn.

"What have you done to me?" I asked the god slowly.

"I thought our terms were clear. You were to be sent away–"

"Not that." I grit out. "My immortal energy–my power is gone."

The hood of shadow and smoke tilted. "I have no part in your absence of immortal energy. If you are disconnected from it this is an inner turmoil, not my doing."

I stilled and stared in disbelief. "So, I'm my problem?"

The voices chuckled. "Indeed it is often the occupation of human kind to be their own demons."

I sighed and glared down at the wrapped wound. "As you can see I'm in no mood or shape for jest, Odin. I need it back."

"As I say, daughter. I have not taken your power–I cannot restore what I had no hand in removing."

"Could you suggest something before I bleed out on the floor perhaps?" I said in a barely measured voice.

"Restoring faith in yourself may help balance your inner energy." The god murmured. "–after all you seem to believe yourself undeserving without Stormbringer at your side."

I balked. "I never said–"

"It's written all over you, Tayah Ashrive. If I had thought the same I would have stripped your power as I did with Anselle." The voices told me louder in the dark cell. I shook my head and dragged a hand over my tangled hair.

"You are worthy." They told me in an echo.

I opened my eyes quickly and he was gone. Time flowed once more.

The kid was staring at me with the same anxious look. So I set a hand on his shoulder and dropped him a nod briefly. 

"I've got this, Yanu." I told him sternly, trying to convince myself in that moment much more than him. I just had to work around some inner tranquility issues and convince myself that I could still save myself without a certain immortal breaking down doors for me.