Rage by James Alderdice

Author:James Alderdice [Alderdice, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lost Realms Press
Published: 2019-08-04T22:00:00+00:00

Coils of the Serpent

The next day they led Gathelaus to a cell full of prisoners. A dozen men waited inside, a number of them already wounded from fighting for the savage amusement of the crowd before he had even arrived. Also among them were his former teammates from the ball game. It seemed that whatever fate had befallen Tezomoc and himself was also for these men. Through the bars, Gathelaus had a commanding view of the fighting arena. Patches of dark blood stood out in stark contrast to the pale earth.

“You’re the final attraction, eh?” asked a cellmate.

Gathelaus grunted in the affirmative, still taking in all he could. The arena was oval and the stone seats surrounding it were large enough that Gathelaus guessed thousands could watch. The size of the ball courts and sacrificial arena of Chalco paled in comparison. This arena could rival any of the those he had seen throughout the known world, but this one was different from all others in its design. Great slabs of stone were fit together so tight a knife blade could not be squeezed between them, but that was not the unusual part. What was curious was their gargantuan size and shape. They were massive stone blocks. Some as large as the tiny hovels the peasants lived in outside the palace walls, but not one of them was the same. They were of curious shapes and angles made to fit together like a puzzle. Interlocking corners and slabs jutted into one another creating a truly bizarre style all its own. He counted one that had no less than twelve differing angles. The stones themselves remained rough and bulged out slightly from the edges but not nearly enough that Gathelaus could possibly gain purchase and climb into the watching crowd.

A shaded royal box sat at one side of the great oval and within, King Itzcoatl, Queen Tazcara, and Cuauhtémoc sat on varying sized thrones. Maidens with great fans made of feathers wafted a breeze upon them to combat the blazing heat. A slew of guardsmen stood nearby with long spears and shields and Gathelaus guessed that he would be given no weapon here that might actually be used against those watching from that box.

Horns dirged and he wondered at what made the curious bellow. Soon enough the mystery was revealed. Men marched forward through the far gate with instruments made from huge sea shells. Massive curling nautilus shells had been procured and were held on shoulders as musicians blew upon them like mighty trumps. Men bore skin drums held on suspenders and belts and beat a wild throb, wrapping the roaring crowd into their musical ecstasy.

Following the musicians, a motley troupe of performers, dancers, jugglers and acrobats romped and preened before the crowd. Even odd, clown-like dwarves did their level best to liven the spectacle by beating each other with clubs and warring in exaggerated movements. They had red scarves they tossed and pulled from beneath their clothing in a faux display of bloodshed in their miniature war.

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