Origins by A D Starrling

Author:A D Starrling [Starrling, A D]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Goodreads: 36341909
Publisher: AD STARRLING
Published: 2017-02-15T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

The roar of the crowd was a solid wall of noise. It bounced against the stone walls and echoed into the distant sliver of pale blue sky high above.

So much for a battle ground with some dozen spectators, Mila thought.

They came for her at dawn, as Aäron had warned they would the previous night. But instead of being taken to the training ground inside the palace complex, where he had told her the contest would most likely be held, she was led outside the fortress and into the city, to a large arena overlooking the valley.

Seating galleries rose in tiers around her, above the twenty-foot-high enclosure that made up the perimeter of the fighting ground. They were packed with so many bodies Mila wondered whether the entire population of Parsah had come to witness the match. Then she heard the chants rising beyond the arena. There were more people outside.

She stood in the middle of the pit, bare-handed but for the battle clothes she had been wearing when she left Issin on that fateful night; they had been returned to her that morning, clean and stench free. Her gaze spanned the sea of faces before settling on the figures under the heavily-guarded canopy on a terrace at the head of the arena. She studied King Gishur and his entourage calmly.

Despite the look of irritation darkening his face, Aäron flashed her an encouraging smile. Next to Megash was a beautiful woman with long, brown hair braided into a plait. From her clothes and bearing, Mila deduced her to be the second prince’s wife. She observed Mila with an inscrutable expression before leaning sideways and speaking to the boy beside her. Gilgamesh listened attentively to his mother, head half-cocked. He blinked when he met Mila’s gaze and gave her a small wave. Surprise darted across his mother’s face. She straightened and stared at Mila thoughtfully.

Aäron’s father rose to his feet and approached the edge of the terrace. The din of the crowd abated as the citizens of Parsah looked to their king.

His voice boomed across the arena. ‘To all of you gathered here today, I say welcome.’

His words were met with raucous applause and a vigorous stamping of feet.

He raised a hand until silence fell once more. ‘You have all heard by now of the guest Prince Aäron brought with him upon his return to the city the past day. I, more than most, was surprised by the identity of the person who traveled with him from the heart of the Empire.’ King Gishur glanced at his son. ‘Many of you here have wondered at the sudden disappearance of the prince over a year ago. Only a handful among us knew where he had gone.’ He paused and drew himself to his full height. ‘For the past eighteen months, your prince and general has lived a double life inside the stronghold of our enemy, on a secret mission to gather the crucial information and supporters we will need for the future war against the Immortal tyrants who rule us.

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