As evening approached, Agitha and Merc found Zell sitting against the mossy trunk of an ancient cypress tree not far from the charcoal remains of Roshi’s pyre. Goggles was in his lap, and the distracted young man was absently petting the bright blue fur of the huge spider’s bulbous body.

“I don’t want to stay here any longer. Can we please go home?” Zell’s plea was ragged like he had been crying.

“We can. But you have something to do first.” Agitha said, sitting cross legged on a patch of thick clover in front of him.

Zell lifted his bloodshot eyes, exhausted and worried. The question was clear on his face but he remained silent.

“Gold and bones.” Agitha explained. “The legal and traditional prize of one that has been challenged in the arena and won is half of the gold and servants in the challenger’s possession. Your fight isn’t finished until you collect your gold and bones.”

The revelation took a very long moment to penetrate the fog in Zell’s consciousness. When it finally did it was as though he had been struck. His mind recoiled and spun, trying to come to terms with what he had just been told. He didn’t want any of it in that moment. He didn’t want a single thing in this world other than the comforting lap and soothing voice of Rin as she read to him from some boring old magic text book.

He pushed away the selfish thoughts and once again found the steel at his core that had driven him down this path in the first place.

“It would be acceptable for you to allow me or someone else you know represent you.” Agitha said to offer some potential relief.

“Cowardly princes hide behind representatives. I am no prince, and no coward. Let’s go gather my gold and bones.” Zell shifted his lap so Goggles would scurry down. The spider stretched its long legs much like a mammal might and Agitha shook her head. The spider was developing more domestic characteristics and quirks daily.

Zell stood before the gaudy and grandiose mansion of Alis just as the sun dipped behind the distant western mountains. Behind Zell stood Agitha, Fargis, Merc, the remaining crew of The Saber Chaser, and nearly a hundred curious onlookers.

The wide, gold embellished double doors swung out and a procession walked slowly out into the torchlight. Alis and a healed Gilias were flanked by a score of armed lizardmen. Behind them trailed fifteen of Alis’ thirty servants.

Unlike the children, these people didn’t seem thrilled with what was happening. Each wore a worried look. They had found a relatively peaceful niche in serving the wealthiest house in Axis and couldn’t possibly imagine any change being for the better.

Alis stepped forward, there was surprisingly no apparent resentment on his reptilian face.

“According to our most ancient of customs, I offer this tribute of gold and bones to the champion that bested me in my own challenge. In victory your transgressions against me are absolved. Please accept them and go in peace.” With that, one of the large armored lizardmen hoisted a bulging embroidered bag and dropped it with a solid, clinking thud at Zell’s feet.

With no further word from either Zell’s party or the prince’s, the noble entourage disappeared back into the huge mansion leaving the worried servants behind.

“Okay.” Zell cleared his throat before he continued. “Follow me, and stay close until we get to the registry place please.” He hoisted the very heavy bag over his shoulder effortlessly, and the servants grew even more fearful. They had all heard the vivid rumors of the boy’s incredible violence and power at the arena.

They followed with down cast eyes and sidelong fearful glances to one another. There were six human males ranging from sixteen to forty years of age, and six human females all of which were between thirty and fifty. Finally there were three elven women that appeared to be at least older than Agitha judging by the tiny wrinkles beginning to show around their eyes. Zell guessed that Alis had retired his oldest and least valuable servants. That was fine to Zell, these people had suffered the longest anyways.

They found the lizardman clerk locking the door to the registry office.

“Ten gold if you’ll stay open long enough to help me.” Zell greeted the man with a warm smile.

The brown robed lizardman turned and his small eyes grew wide indeed as he saw the boy and his small army.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You’re the gladiator!” The lizardman gasped in surprise. “Of course of course! Please come inside.”

Zell sighed in relief, and bade his large group to wait outside of the small office for him. He called in the servants one at a time. Each went in and came out with a bewildered expression after a few minutes.

An hour later they all stood together on the street, watching Zell expectantly.

“Right.” Zell said once again clearing his throat uncomfortably. “You’re all officially free now, and you all have the bags I gave you. There’s enough money in each to set you up comfortably for quite some time though if it runs out you’ll be responsible for finding your own work.”

“Um. Sir... Bait?” One of the elf women raised her hand sheepishly and her sisters each held onto one of her elbows.

“Ms. Sira.” Zell acknowledged with a smile. “What is it?”

“Can we go with you?” She asked, and her sisters were nodding urgently. “We don’t know any other life and we are sure to be taken by someone who isn’t so kind if left alone in Axis.”

“It’s true.” One of the human males spoke up in agreement. “Even a wealthy former slave who is off the books could never find a peaceful life in this city.”

“I see.” Zell said, rubbing his forehead. “Then I shall be responsible for getting you to Vinia City. I can’t promise much but I will do everything I can to set you up safely.”

That seemed to relieve the fears of the group. Agitha pulled him aside as he finished speaking.

“We’re leaving tonight. I booked rooms around the city as decoys, and had Fargis’ boys secure three carriages and horses which are staged half a mile outside the walls.” Agitha saw Zell’s concerned look and explained further. “Alis himself won’t seek retribution but it is no secret that you are carrying an absurd amount of gold. It is enough to drive any desperate person or group to action.”

“Understood.” Zell confirmed. He relayed the information to Sira, the maid and most senior of Alis’ former slaves who passed the word quietly around to the others. They gathered themselves and departed the city through the far less visible east gate and gave the city a wide berth as they traveled to join the sailors at the meeting place.

“If it were just us two I’d say bring it on.” Agitha lamented to Zell from the back of her newly purchased grey stallion later as they rode through the starlit cypress forest later that night.

Zell nodded in agreement from atop his black and white paint mare. He turned his gaze behind him to the caravan he had never expected to lead. The sturdy carriages trundled along carrying his second group of liberated slaves and the tightly knit group of sailors that had survived the summer in the The Tear.

It had been a trying battle, and the one loss he had suffered due to his inexperience would haunt him for the rest of his life. Looking over at his mentor Agitha, and his dear friend Merc trotting along next to them, nearly as tall as the horses Zell couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Pity any bandits or foolish monsters that find this particular caravan.” Zell’s eyes glittered in the dark. His voice carried the confidence of a warrior that has known both victory and defeat, and is prepared to unleash hell in the face of either.

“Indeed.” Agitha agreed with a grin. “Pity the schoolmasters.” She corrected under her breath so Zell couldn’t hear. It was so easy to forget that he was just a fourteen year old boy about to start his first year of school.

They rode hard, only stopping when necessary to rest the horses. On the morning of the fifth day after leaving the city, they crossed the inland mountain pass at the edge of the humid rainforest that marked the border of Axis territory.

From the top of their long and exhausting climb they finally looked upon the northern kingdoms. The land ahead and below transitioned from rocky hills to high desert, and somewhere beyond that the green highlands and grassy rugged hills of Vinia itself awaited their return.

The former slaves were enchanted by the wide open space, and the clean sage brush scented breeze. They had only known the damp and fetid rainforests and marshes for so long that few of them save for the elves could guess such a beautiful and open space even existed.

“Keep your eyes up in these parts.” Agitha advised as they descended into the rocky sagebrush covered plains. “Wyvern and gryphons are pretty common here and horses are their absolute favorite food.”

“Aye Teacher.” Zell affirmed, scanning the skies intently as he rode.

Miles passed slowly over the surprisingly treacherous terrain. The high desert ground was riddled with ground squirrel holes and sharp rocks. Goggles however had found a giant spider’s paradise. He captured and devoured dozens of small mammals. He was a predator this ecosystem was simply not equipped to handle. His abilities to mimic sagebrush and coat his long front legs with his own webbing before fishing deep into burrows was both fascinating and disturbing to watch.

Dusk arrived and Agitha called a sudden halt.

“Just a feeling.” She explained, dismounting from her horse. “Secure the horses and build a fire.”

The sailors and Zell complied quickly, tethering their own mounts to one of the carriages. Agitha sat cross legged on the roof of that carriage with Onigoro resting across her lap. Agitha’s warrior instinct continued to nag at her and she intently scanned the vibrant sunset sky.

Her intuition proved correct, and she caught a hint of movement just above the crest of the mountains to the south. That was a mistake, the wyvern had ridged itself. Both predator and prey instinctively knew to avoid the tops of ridges and mountains and showing a silhouette. Agitha smiled and trained her eye on the gliding beast. It dipped a leathery wing and turned its long draconic body in their direction, unaware that its ambush was already spoiled.

Zell, the sailors, and the former servants were enjoying the peaceful evening watching the entertaining spider work its magic as Zell guided him through several entertaining camouflage forms. He had just barely sent Goggles the image of a sleeping direwolf, which was his most impressive camouflage form yet when Agitha’s voice rang out.

“Heads up!” She yelled, the instant before a slicing sound reached them.

A headless, twenty foot long wyvern corpse carried by the momentum of its swooping assault soared over them spraying dark blood wildly. Fargis barely reacted other than to put his hand over his cup to protect his precious wine. Zell cheered and ran over to where the corpse twitched amid several flattened and broken sage brush bushes. The seasoned sailors were equally unshaken. The servants however, were mostly hysterical all clamoring to get into the cariages. The horses were wide eyed and a couple of them tugged against their reins but Zell quickly broke away from staring at the Wyvern to soothe them.

Peace returned to the camp and Agitha ordered the sailors and Zell to display the wyvern’s body atop the carriage. She explained that the sight of a dead wyvern was a proven deterrent against the other sharp eyed airborn predators.

“To Agitha, the finest professional and most beautiful woman these lands will ever know!” Fargis’ sudden toast caused Agitha’s cheeks to instantly flush.

“She’s gonna hit you.” Zell leaned in to warn the slightly drunk captain.

Agitha was indeed stalking toward the man with her fists balled at her sides. Fargis put his palms up and grinned in apology. What she did then stunned Fargis far worse than any punch ever could. She grabbed his fine shirt (pulling a few chest hairs as she did) and yanked him to her, planting a rough kiss on his mustached lips. She released him and he fell flat on his butt in the soft dirt with wide mystified eyes.

The entire camp exploded in laughter and cheers, and the poor servants wondered not for the first or last time what insanity they had signed themselves up for.