Chapter 250: v3 - 11: the deathly course IV

Chapter 250: v3 Chapter 11: the deathly course IV

"Three hundred and twenty."

The next fighter stepped onto the starting platform.

Cassian watched from the far end of the course.

This time, the man had something the first seven had not.

He had seen someone survive.

He knew the logs could be crossed.

He knew the rhythm of the platforms.

He knew how the axes moved.

And he knew the course beyond them could be beaten.

The hourglass was turned.

The man moved.

He crossed the logs.

Reached the platforms.

Climbed.

Then stopped before the axes.

Cassian watched him study the blades.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

The man waited for the opening.

Then moved.

He made it through.

The crowd erupted.

Cassian remained silent.

One survivor became two.

-

The next few fighters followed.

Some had learned well.

Others had not.

One man rushed the logs and fell.

Another reached the platforms but lost his grip.

A third made it through the axes only to misjudge one of the unstable boards.

The course continued to claim them.

But now the deaths were no longer as frequent.

The fighters had watched Cassian.

They had watched the second survivor.

They had learned.

One crossed the entire course with only seconds remaining.

Another fell at the final beam.

Another made it through but was shot by the archer when the last grain of sand fell.

The crowd cheered every time someone succeeded.

They screamed whenever someone fell.

The Arena did not distinguish between fear and excitement.

Both sounded the same from the stands.

Eventually, the announcer called another number.

"Three hundred and twenty-seven."

Cassian looked toward the starting platform.

Robert stepped forward.

Even from the distance between them, Cassian recognized him.

Robert looked toward the course.

Then toward the hourglass.

He rolled his shoulders once.

The attendant turned the glass.

The sand began to fall.

Robert stepped onto the first log.

He moved carefully.

One.

Two.

Three.

The next.

Then the next.

He reached the end.

Cassian watched him climb.

Robert had been paying attention.

He knew where the others had fallen.

He knew which platforms shifted.

He knew the rhythm of the axes.

And now he knew where the course went beyond them.

Robert reached the final section.

The suspended beam swung.

He waited.

Then stepped onto it.

The beam shifted beneath him.

Robert crouched.

He continued.

One step.

Two.

Three.

The final gap remained.

The sand was almost gone.

Robert looked toward it.

Then ran.

He jumped.

For one moment, Cassian couldn’t tell whether he had made it.

Then Robert’s hands caught the edge of the final platform.

He pulled himself over.

The bell rang.

The crowd exploded.

Robert rolled onto his back.

He had survived.

Cassian allowed himself one slow breath.

Then he looked away.

The game wasn’t over.

--

The remaining fighters continued.

One after another.

Some survived.

More died.

By the time the final number was called, the course had become a graveyard.

The bodies remained where they had fallen.

The sand was stained dark.

Broken boards hung over the pits.

The axes still swung.

The Arena had never stopped.

Twenty fighters had entered.

Only six remained.

Cassian stood among them.

Robert stood several places away.

Four other men stood between them.

All six were exhausted.

One was bleeding from the forehead.

Another was holding his shoulder.

One had a limp.

Robert’s shirt was torn at the sleeve, and blood covered one side of his trousers.

Cassian suspected some of it wasn’t his.

The announcer’s voice thundered across the Arena.

Cassian didn’t understand the words.

But he understood the reaction.

The crowd rose to its feet.

Thousands of people cheered.

The six survivors were being shown to them.

A guard approached Cassian and raised his arm.

Cassian stiffened.

The guard turned him toward the crowd.

The roar became louder.

Cassian stared at the sea of faces.

Only hours ago, he had been one of twenty men.

Now he was one of six.

And to these people, that made him worth watching.

The guard released him.

The same happened to the others.

For a brief moment, the six men stood together.

Men who had survived the same thing.

The crowd continued cheering.

Then the announcer said something else.

The six men were led away from the course.

--

They were taken to a small stone chamber beside the Arena.

Water was waiting.

Food too.

Not the thin portions they had received during transport.

Actual food.

Bread.

Meat.

Fruit.

Cassian stared at the table.

He hadn’t realized how hungry he was.

The guards stepped back.

Cassian reached for the water.

He drank deeply.

Across the room, Robert dropped into a chair.

He exhaled.

"I’m alive."

Cassian glanced at him.

Robert looked at his own torn clothes.

"I was beginning to have doubts."

Cassian almost smiled.

Almost.

The other survivors ate in silence.

Some stared at the food as though they didn’t trust it.

Others ate quickly.

No one spoke much.

They were too exhausted.

Eventually, healers entered.

They examined each survivor.

Fresh bandages were applied.

Cuts were cleaned.

Bruises were treated.

Cassian endured the examination without complaint.

His ribs were inspected.

His leg was wrapped again.

The healer pressed carefully along his side.

Cassian’s jaw tightened.

The man said something.

Cassian understood nothing.

Robert, from the other side of the room, translated.

"He says your ribs need more time."

Cassian looked toward him.

Robert continued.

"He says you were lucky."

Cassian gave him a flat look.

Robert shrugged.

"His words, not mine."

Cassian looked down at the fresh bandages.

Lucky.

Perhaps.

He wasn’t sure luck had anything to do with it.

Eventually, the healers left.

The guards returned.

"Up."

Robert translated.

The six survivors stood.

They were led back through the corridors.

No one told them what came next.

No one explained whether another game had already been scheduled.

No one told them how long they would be allowed to rest.

They were simply returned to their quarters.

The door opened.

The six men entered.

Then the guards left.

The lock clicked shut.

Cassian looked around.

The same beds.

The same stone walls.

The same barred door.

But something was different.

There were fewer of them now.

Much fewer.

Cassian walked toward his bed.

He sat carefully.

His entire body ached.

Robert dropped onto the bed several places away.

For a while, neither spoke.

Then Robert looked across the room.

"Well."

Cassian glanced at him.

Robert smiled tiredly.

"We survived."

Cassian looked at the other four men.

Then toward the barred door.

"Yes."

Six men.

Twenty had entered.

Fourteen were dead.

Cassian leaned back.

He closed his eyes.

He had survived another game.

But he knew better now.

Survival was not the end.

It was the beginning.

And somewhere beyond those walls, another game was already waiting for them.

--

Tbc