Cameron was unconscious, his body lay crumpled beside Ameera. Valor stood watching him for a moment, his chest heaving from the adrenaline. Beside him Diargo radiated strength, like steam in the cold. There was something hypnotic about the picture laid in front him. Diargo's saliva dripping from his uncle's face, pooling on the fold of his double chin.
"Time to go," the ape turned away from the scene, "we go through the wall."
Valor agreed, it would be foolish to try and squeeze their way through the door, a waste of precious time.
Diargo trotted over to the wall beside the door, his padded knuckles scraping across the stone floor. He followed him, and as he took a couple steps forward, his foot struck something on the ground, it was Ameera's whip. He picked it up, running his hands along the thick corded rope. It felt alive and he shuddered, tossing the weapon onto Ameera.
"Did you sign those papers?"
Valor's heart sank, he never got the chance. His uncle went full crazy mode before he could submit the forms.
"No, his psychotic episode ruined that chance."
Diargo flexed his jaw, showing his fangs. "Grab the papers, we'll sign them and submit them at another arena."
He ran to grab them, snatching them off the pile of splinters where they were resting. He clutched them in his fist as he jumped on Diargo's back. Once secured, the ape channeled his galden into the stone wall. For a second it vibrated with a low hum before exploding, showering the room in rubble and dust.
"Do you know how to get out?" Valor shouted as they raced through the stone corridors.
Diargo continued his pace, his knuckles thudding into the ground as he galloped through the tunnels. "It's fine, I can smell the fresh air." He looked at Valor out of the corner of his eye, "I'll be able to find the exit."
"Thank the sun for a Beast's sense of smell." He grinned.
"I can also smell you," Diargo crinkled his nose, "it's foul, you didn't bathe after the race."
Valor scowled but said nothing, he was too busy worrying about the enforcers and civilians diving out of the way to escape the barreling Beast. Finally, without any serious collateral damage they arrived at the cave exit. It was a cavernous maw in the side of one of the mountains, larger than any of the caverns underground, and it was bustling with activity. Thousands of people were walking around the opening, pouring in from the desert and the different tunnels. Merchants could be heard yelling from their stands, trying to sell their goods. The occasional Desert Strider could be seen, though it was obvious from the leather bags hung around their backs, that the great birds were nothing more than pack animals. Domesticated purely to lug heavy goods around the desert.
Valor jumped off Diargo's back and took a moment to take the sight in. The dull roar of thousands of conversations overlapping with each other. Beyond the sea of people, he could see trees. The Silliaph oasis, one of the last remaining water holes in the region. The stadium itself must have been home to hundreds of thousands of people. Small settlements and villages located close to the base of the mountains, Siliaph stadium was really Siliaph city.
"I knew there was an oasis was on the other side of the mountains, but I had no idea there was such a huge marketplace." Valor placed his hands on his hips and looked up at his friend. "I mean this place is huge, it has to be four times the size of the marketplace dad took us too."
"and closer," Diargo snorted, he had always hated the long journey to pick up supplies.
Valor agreed ruefully, it was significantly closer. Making him wonder if his father had been avoiding the place.
"You think their chasing us?" He asked, eyeing a patrol of enforcers warily.
Diargo slammed a fist into the ground, "That would be a poor decision."
"Yeah, I think were fine- NO WAY"
With a sigh, the ape followed Valor who took off running towards one of the stands.
"Diargo look! They have mundee fruit!" He was practically jumping up and down in excitement, pointing at the golden globes stacked on the merchant's table. They were nearly the size of a human head and dripping with condensation.
There was a merchant sitting behind the table, he was a tall and skinny man. His skin brown and wrinkled from the many years out in the sun. He had a grey goatee, trimmed neatly to a point. "I haven't had mundee fruit in four years, the marketplace I used to go to ran out after the Creder oasis dried up."
The old man's eyes lit up, "I was raised at that oasis, my grandad used to own a salt farm just a mile away," He stroked his goatee, "Real shame about that water". His speech was so grating it sounded painful.
"Tell me about it," Valor said, eyeing the mundee fruit lustfully.
Normally he would have been paid handsomely for his third-place finish, but since this race was his eligibility race, he was still as broke as he was yesterday.
"You two had fantastic debut today," The man said, nodding at Diargo. "It was nice to see someone give Dartari a run for his first-place spot."
Valor grimaced at the mention of the Giant, "Maybe for a couple minutes."
The merchant's spit on the ground beside his chair. "The boy's a dirty mount stealer anyways," He licked a drop of spit from lips, "He's been nothing but a nuisance since his qualifiers, and now he's nearly rank five."
The merchant swore and the grabbed a mundee fruit, "A mount stealer at number five… absolutely foul."
The mundee fruit was so close he could almost taste it.
"I remember seein' the machari limpin' through here about an hour ago, that big pup he brought with him was nowhere to be seen." He shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. "That big bastard practically ripped that man's soul out."
For a moment the fruit was forgotten. "You saw the Machari? Here?"
"yessir," The man licked his cracked lips. "black mask an' all, walked right up to my stand. Didn't buy anythin' though, don't think he bought anythin' anywhere. Just wanderin'… lost."
Valor looked up at Diargo, the ape standing over top of him like a statue. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose him.
"Do you remember where he went?"
The merchant stroked his goatee thoughtfully, "Probably just headin' back to Machar. It's about a two day travel that way," he jerked his head towards the oasis.
The duo made eye contact, and formed a mutual agreement.
"Looks like that's where were headed."
The man eyed Diargo's massive legs and his muscle-bound forearms. "You'll catch up to him pretty quick." He tossed Valor the mundee fruit he was holding in his arms, "Give him this when you find him, it's the least I can do… an apology from Siliaph."
Valor swallowed the crushing disappointment he felt as he held the mundee fruit in his arms. He shot Diargo a look of annoyance when he heard the ape's laughter in his head. The fruit was tucked protectively between his legs as he climbed back on the Beast's back. Two more fruits were tossed his way and his heart soared.
"Thank you," Valor said, feeling the rumbling in his stomach, "I'll repay you when I return."
"Yes, thank you." Diargo blinked his eyes and dipped his head in thanks.
The man gave Valor a toothy smile, "A welcome gift, Silliaph needs more like you two." He swept his gaze across the sea of people that continued to mill about the room. "Kypeera has waited a long time for a Rider as special as Keenan. Don't let us down."
He raised the fruits in the air to the man, one last thanks before Diargo raced out of the cavern and into the vast desert they were raised in.