Berkeni pulled back his chair as he slowly stood up. “I’m so sorry I had to show you that,” he said with his hands spread wide and his voice full of sadness. “But you see why I had to do it this way? Words themselves could never describe the level of evil that has fallen upon us. It had to be experienced!” He walked behind the Queen, placing his hands on her shoulders as she softly wept. “The only ones who can stop this madness are in this very room! You three must go to the dead forest and show the crytons,” he paused for a long moment before pointing at Eric, “who this man really is!” He released the Queen and continued to pace around the room. “They are not animals, my friends. Far from it! They are aware of the prophecies. They have also awaited the coming of the Gate Keeper.”
Normally Eric would have protested. This was the sort of attention he had been trying to avoid, always deflecting the subject every time it came up, but this time he said nothing as he stared at Berkeni with eyes full of savage hate.
Berkeni walked over to him and put his hands on Eric’s cheeks before moving in close. “I promise you, my boy. They will see exactly what everyone else sees,” he whispered in his ear. He released him as he went to stand by the door. “Now you have all seen what I needed to show you. If you will all excuse me, I must rest. I will need all my strength to prepare the gateway you will need to make the journey.” He motioned toward the door and said, “You must all prepare to leave by tomorrow.”
The four of them walked from the room in a solemn mood. Ilirra barely made it to the hall before vomiting on the floor. Jade rushed to her side and began rubbing the Queen’s shoulders. She whispered in the Queen’s ear, “We will not fail you, I promise.”
After doing their best to shake off the supernatural experience, there was one order of business left: to attend the games and see this warrior that had haunted Jade’s memory for so long. The three friends had mixed feelings about attending such a thing, but it couldn’t possibly be worse that what they had just seen...could it?
*
They walked the clean-swept streets with their small escort of two soldiers. The day was hot and humid as the sun beat down on them mercilessly. As they drew near the great arena, the crowds began to grow thick. They originally thought the two guards would be nothing more than a distraction, drawing too much attention, but now they were glad they were here, as folk were quick to part a clear path for them. No one wanted to get in the way of armored men wearing the colors of Taron.
The strangest people seemed to come out for this event. Priests of various faiths stood on large wooden blocks outside the arena, preaching loudly to the crowds who gathered around them. They wore long, flowing robes that were always one solid color. Some had helpers who were dressed the same way, swinging smoking lanterns from a cord back and forth like a pendulum as they chanted away like they were possessed. It didn’t take long to understand the colors worn represented the deity of the priest.
Midgets wearing black leather outfits covered with shiny metal spikes ran in circles as they pretended to attack one another with purposely fake-looking wooden swords. They would stop their obnoxious game now and then only to stand behind one of the priests and mock their every word as they waved their hands in the air. When the mob began to laugh, they would run away and return to their ridiculously amateur-looking swordplay.
The soldiers would wait at the bottom of the ramp for the companions’ return and then escort them back to the palace. Eric could not help but appreciate how massive and spectacular Moxis was up close as they ascended the ramp. That is, until they got to the top and took a few steps inside. The first thing Eric thought was that three times the entire population of Bryer had to be in here. They stared in awe at the sheer size of the crowd, having never seen this many people in one place.
Rows and rows of sanded wooden benches circled the whole arena. Huge, elaborate, white stone columns held up the platforms above them. Far down below, the sandy floor of the arena was being smoothed out by a horse-drawn mesh. The benches were almost completely full as nearly naked men and women cheered and whistled at nothing. The mob resembled a chaotic circus. These were not exactly the upper-class people of Taron, just as Ilirra had warned. It was like another world, a world with virtually no law.
Bare-breasted women were waving their hands in the air while all the men in the area groped them. The women acted as if they didn’t even notice. Everywhere their eyes wandered, women were committing acts of fellatio to any man that presented himself. Eric considered covering Jade’s eyes for a moment, wondering how she might handle the wild scene, but she seemed quite entertained by the issuing orgy. She even pointed and laughed several times, making Eric very uncomfortable.
When he looked to Jacob for support, he realized his friend was being even worse. He was grinning and pointing all over the place while elbowing Jade in the ribs constantly, begging her to look this way and that. There was a fat bald man to their left with three women fighting to remove his pants. Three!