Lucilla drew a deep breath to steady herself, make her less dizzy, and took the final three steps into the Arena.
It was a wide-open space, a theatre filled to bursting with the stronger, more privileged people of the clan. Luci stepped further determined, writhing her way past sweaty jeerers and mannerless idiots. Fighting her way to the front just in time to see Adigo be dragged in.
She seethed, the crowd went wild.
The men holding him had their faces covered, warriors with their masks on, but Luci knew they were affected by the scent. Adigo had always had a strong scent. Especially when he was in heat.
The crowd was beginning to quieten, Luci glanced around and found why; Caidus had his hand up from his high podium. He waited until the audience was reasonably silenced.
'I don't think this one will be a difficult one,' he gestured dramatically to Adigo. 'We all know what we want him to suffer.'
Colour washed off Luci's face.
The crowd roared obscenities, every one of them having Adigo be raped senseless. To death, if the tradition of the Arena was to be kept.
Luci balled her fists. She was shaking for Adigo, for herself. He was going to die horribly, and she was going to have to watch.
The noise lessened a bit, and Caidus shouted magnanimously.
'Bring in Datis of Pria!'
The men nearest to her roared approvingly, some in the theatre disagreed. Lucilla resolved slowly.
Datis of Pria was a big man, an alpha maybe. He was sun burnt, a brown almost as deep as Lucilla, and seemed, from his gait and scars. Very violent, and very turned on. He threw two thickly muscled hands in the air for the crowd, roaring like a beast.
The warriors let go of Adigo and stuttered away.
Lucilla looked around her. The railing from the seats to the pit was quite high, but she'd been a climber as a child, and was a jumper even now.
Her hand reached wearily for the pouch by her side, she held it and drew another deep breath.
Adigo was shaking and crawling backwards, away from Datis. Datis hulked towards him, an ungodly smirk on his face.
Lucilla decided she hated him. She never hated anybody, others were simply not worth the effort, but in that moment, with all the might she had ever managed to muster, she hated Datis unlike any other before.
The big man allowed Adigo reach the end of the wall, no place to go, and charged.
Lucilla pulled out her dagger and flung herself into the pit. Her goal for a long time had been to live a long life, see the world if she could, but for three days now, her goal had been to die before she allowed anything happen to Adigo.
Datis was prying Adigo's legs apart when Lucilla reached him. She was a poor fighter, thin and weak, untrained in every way, but she was light and fast on her feet; so she had the element of surprise before the crowd could warn him.
Datis howled when she buried the blade in the side of his neck. He hauled her up as he stood and tried to reach for her. The knife twisted before he flung her off.
The dagger was in her hand, the hole in his neck big and bulging and bleeding. Adigo shouted for her and scrambled away. Datis took steps towards her, stumbling to the side a few steps away, and twitching like an insect as he died.
It didn't happen quick, but when it was done, the amphitheater was quiet. Lucilla stood up, bloodied and dusty and trying not to shake too much. She turned and walked to Adigo, pulling a phial from her bag.
'Take, drink it quickly,' she said, handing him the small bottle in shaky hands. He was crying and shaking worse than her. If they were anywhere else, Lucilla might have comforted him. 'Quickly.'
The stones started coming after he'd emptied the bottle.
'I'm sorry,' he wept, as if he were to blame.
If she'd been careful, this would never had happened. It was her fault, through and through. She covered him with her body and patted his back, biting her lips as the pebbles hit her.
When the gate opened and she knew the warriors were coming to kill her, she stayed still and patted his back.
'If I distract them, would you be able to escape?'
'I…I won't abandon you—'
'If they are two, I think I might be able to do something, but you have to run and try to escape. I don't know how it is inside the pit.'
'Luci, I—'
'Adigo, if I die and you live, I think I might be able to have a peaceful afterlife. Happily pay for my sins in any of Bicis' hells, so please try. I would do anything for you to live, so you have to try.'
'B—' they were pulled violently apart.
Lucilla rolled in the dirt. Two guards, both of them armed. One faced her, the other had Adigo by his forearm. She squeezed the hilt of her dagger and readied herself to dodge the first and run for the second.
'Look what we have?' Cladus said, his voice ringing around the space. Lucilla saw the eyes of the nearest guard, they were trained on her, unflinching. She hoped he was slow. 'A small—'
The voice was cut abruptly, the guards looked away and Lucilla sprinted. The second guard looked back just in time to have his forearm be stabbed. Lucilla pushed all her weight into the blow, the guard let go of Adigo and tried to pry her off.
The other guard drew his sword.
Adigo stood up wearily, glancing between her and the guard behind. She could see him waver, he was always like that.
Run!
Go!
She wanted to shout, but the bleeding guard struck a blow that threw her off, her blade embedded in his arm. He was bleeding heavily, but he would not die immediately, not with the knife still stuck inside.
The audience was wild. They had been rowdy since the guards had come in.
A trumpet blew, piercing the noise. The guards stopped in their assault, the first half way to delivering a second blow to a cowering Adigo. The fool had charged instead of escaping. Now, the chance might be lost forever.
The trumpet blew for a short while, and when it was done, the crowd silenced for a moment before all going to their knees. Lucilla turned.
In the pulpit above was a figure she could not make out clearly, but it was wrapped in the velvet toga of the royal family.
She swallowed, went on one knee, and bowed her head, Adigo following suit slowly.
She closed her eyes and tried to breathe. There was no escape now.