Kaur led her back through the halls of the ship, through dark corridors and bright living spaces. Once again, Kaau li tried to remember all the turns. She wanted to ask if he planned on giving her a map, but she didn’t want to draw attention to his missing handset. So, she let him lead her along, remaining compliant and buying time until she could slip away.
The arena was the largest she had ever seen on a spaceship. The dusty floor was covered in old, dark blood, white, artificial light shone down into the pit, and the air smelled of sweat, dust, excitement. Already, a crowd had gathered, and thousands of pirates jostled one another for seats near the bottom.
Kaur had a box seat overlooking the arena, perfectly situated above and with the best view of the pit below. It was decorated similarly to the tapestry room, with aged wood and comfortable cushions, but they did nothing to alleviate Kaau li’s anxiety. There was also a screen set up with a close up view of the pit, and she assumed that was so he could see everything with the best advantage.
As soon as the Pirate King sat down, the crowd roared, and the noise was so deafening that Kaau li had to resist the urge to put her hands on her ears. Along with the roar, something began rumbling throughout the arena, starting first on one side, and then undulating around it in waves. The air shook. It wasn’t until the wave reached Kaau li and Kaur that she realized the pirates were stomping their feet in a ritualistic pattern that sent shivers down her spine.
Kaur settled more comfortably into his seat and reached out for Kaau li’s hand. She took his, hoping he didn’t notice her clammy skin.
And then, as one, the pirates stopped the noise. After a few more seconds of echoes, everything became still. Kaau li held her breath.
At the opposite end of the pit, a pair of wide doors swung outward, and a man stumbled out.
Silver glinted from his cheek, and the skin peeled back to reveal wires, circuits, and a metal plate.
The cyborg Kaur had spoken of.
“He tried to leave?” she whispered.
“Yes. The Pirate Kaur does not tolerate desertion.”
Kaau li turned back toward the pit. The cyborg spun on his heel, looking at the crowd. Then, he smiled and raised his arms, as if in challenge. When he turned toward Kaur, he screamed at him. Kaau li couldn’t understand what he was saying, but she caught the gist anyway. Spittle flew from his mouth as he uttered obscenities at the Pirate King in three languages.
The crowd shouted him down, hurling scraps of metal, cans, and anything else they had in their hands.
The cyborg turned his red eyes on Kaau li. Was it the same cyborg that had led her to Kaur’s room only an hour ago? She leaned forward to get a better look at him on the screen. Yes, he was.
The noise surged, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from that face. Suddenly, he looked more human than he had before. The metal cyborg parts and circuits were merely structure, not the measure of him. He blinked and turned away. Kaau li’s gaze followed, to the open double doors.
Her heart seemed to stop beating.
An animal stood just inside the door, a creature of such height it had hunched down to fit through. It stood on four feet, each with six lethal claws. Large, strong jaws with double rows of teeth protruded from its reptilian head, and the entire muscular body was covered in dry, peeling scales, except for a ridge of coarse, gray hair that ran from its head to its spiked tail.
Kaau li expected it to lunge for the cyborg. The cyborg watched it warily, crouching, ready for the monster to spring. But it didn’t. Instead, it shuffled forward, dragging a hind leg like it was injured.
The rhythmic stamping began again. More trash was thrown at the cyborg and at the animal. It grunted loudly as metal bounced off its back.
“Maybe the Executioner is not hungry,” Kaur mused. “We just fed it last week.”
Apparently, the cyborg wasn’t going to stand around and wait to be eaten. He circled slowly, edging toward the door. At first, Kaau li thought he was going to be stupid enough to run, but then he sprinted for the animal, attacking.
The cyborg, enhanced with reinforced bones, moved like lightning. He launched himself in the air, bringing his fists down onto the Executioner’s head.
The animal staggered with the blow, and the cyborg grabbed tufts of hair in his hands and swung onto the Executioner’s back. The creature didn’t take long to recover, and rose up on its hind legs to shake off its attacker.
Kaur smirked. “The cyborgs always put on a good show because they try to fight.”
“Do they ever win?”
“Never.”
The creature rose up higher, higher, until it threatened to turn over on its back. But instead of upending itself, it slammed into the side of the arena, pinning the cyborg to the wall.
Kaau li thought the contest was over, until the cyborg did something and the creature scrambled away, shaking its head.
The rowdy crowd shouted and jeered while the cyborg held up something in his fist.
Kaur scowled.
It was the Executioner’s eyeball. The cyborg had ripped it out of the creature’s socket.
But the Executioner was angry now, and this time it charged. The cyborg rolled out of the way, narrowly escaping its angry jaws. They went around and around. Each time the cyborg latched onto the Executioner, he pulled a piece of flesh from its body. Scales littered the pit, and blood covered both of them.
The monster had yet to grab the cyborg, but he was becoming angrier with each attack. As the battle drew out, Kaur stood and stared down at the arena, watching as if he was worried about the animal. The crowd held its breath.
Kaau li, sickened by the display before her, looked away. And then she realized she was missing an opportunity. The entire crew was watching the battle.
And she had a map to get out.
Below, the cyborg finally made a mistake, and the Executioner latched onto his leg. Kaur whooped with his crew as the cyborg screamed in fury and pain.
The Executioner shook its head, attempting to tear its prey’s body apart.
Kaau li stood, pretending to be curious. Instead, she backed out of the box and into the corridor, which thundered with the deafening noise of the crowd. But there was no one in it. With trembling hands, she pulled out the handset and touched the screen. The Inimical would be waiting for her. As far as she knew, Kaur had not yet commanded her crew to leave or ordered them aboard. So if she wanted to leave on her own ship, this was her chance.
Would Kaur let her go or hunt her down to feed to the Executioner?
Most likely the latter, but Kaau li wanted no part of this place. She swiped through a few programs on the handset and found one document that pulled up the Wraith’s network. It pinged her location, showing where she was on the ship.
And her path to get out.
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