Page 7 of Xeda

"Stay by the door," came a muffled voice. There was a sharp click, then metal sliding on metal as the door rose, blinding him with light.

A wide silhouette hugged the door. Like an animal backed into a corner, Xeda growled low, trying to meld into the wall behind him. The burly human came toward him, a rod in his hand humming low, flickering with white light.

In his other hand, he had a small black box. His fingers pressed on the box, and Xeda felt the chains at his arms and legs tightening. He flailed, but it was no use. They pulled his arms up above his head and backed him against the wall until he couldn't move.

The man stopped a few feet away, his scent nauseating. His gaze went down Xeda's body, then back up until their eyes met.

"Ugly bastard, aren't you? You vrisha could make a corpse cry." He laughed and then whistled, gesturing to someone by the door. "Get your ass in here, Ivan. He's secure."

A gangly human, thinner and smaller in stature, inched their way past the door. Xeda smelled the fear in him in an instant. His eyes were wide and his hand, also holding a rod, shook slightly.

The burly human made a clicking sound and dragged the other closer. "If you don't stop being a little coward, then you can forget apprenticing with me. I don't care who the fuck your dad is."

The young male whimpered. "You're sure it can't do anything?"

"Does it look like he can move, idiot? Just keep the stunner aimed at him. Use it when I say."

The simpering human raised his rod at Xeda, watching him with all the caution of prey before a predator. Xeda hated to be confined by them. It was wrong. Unnatural. They should be caught in his talons, ripped apart by his teeth. He could crush them all if he was free.

"Over here, sweetheart." The man gestured to him. "Eyes on me." Xeda looked over at him. "That's it, you understand, don't you?"

He did. Those men who had studied him on the ship had also fixed a translator to him. His old one had been broken and discarded. It allowed him to understand their archaic language.

The man showed his teeth. A grin, Xeda had learned, after being around other humans. “Yeah, you understand me. Good, those doctors did it right. So.” He jammed his rod into Xeda’s side, zapping him. The shock burned, an awful itch he couldn’t scratch. His muscles spasmed, cramping. He hardly moved or made a sound, but the man looked satisfied. “This is how it is. This can go easy, or it can go hard. I expect you'll make this hard. In fact, I'm counting on it. Either way, you'll do as I say in the end. Then when you're done being a wild beast, you'll be the deadliest fighter in Kingsway."

Xeda stilled. That name. So, it was this place. And this man meant to make him fight. That at least he could do. But it wouldn't be on this putrid human's terms.

The man shocked him again. "I'll give you some time to come to terms with that." He moved aside, forcing the younger male to fall back. Another entered. He smelled like how the others had on the ship. He wasn't human this time but some species that reminded Xeda of the aquatic creatures of his home. He remembered learning about them and encountering them on his missions. A gyda they were called.

The gyda's gills moved as he stepped closer, his watery eyes examining Xeda. His touch was cool and damp as he pressed a hand against Xeda's skin. "Seems to be in good condition." He spoke softly. "The crew healed some of the more distressing wounds."

"What about those markings?" The man pointed to Xeda's arms where he was still marked as a Blood Guard—warrior to Queen Theda.

"They've faded quite a bit." The gyda examined them closely. "His skin must not stay permanently inked like ours. Must be a pain to keep them fresh. The healing they did on the ship probably faded them quicker than usual too. They'll probably fade even more over time."

His fingers grazed over Xeda's ribs. "He was stabbed here. Could have been fatal but seems he was lucky. It's only scarred now. He has other abrasions around his upper arms and throat, as if something tried to strangle him. Interesting." His hand gripped the mouth covering, making Xeda bend his head, then he took out a small tool with a light and shined it in Xeda's face. "Curious eyes. One deep red, one orange. A rare trait."

"Doesn't matter. Can he fight?"

The gyda released him. "I'd say he can, yes. Though he is looking rather malnourished and could gain some weight. I'd do some serious strength training as well if you want him to be anywhere close to competing with the other champions. Especially Tazyn."

"Fine, Doc, whatever you say."

The gyda looked him over one last time, then left.

"You and your brother will do the feeding tonight," the burly man said to the one called Ivan. "I got someplace I gotta be." He walked out of the cell with the runt of a human following behind. Only when he slid the door shut and locked it did the chains loosen, allowing Xeda to move.

The day waned away. He watched insects buzz around his cell and listened to the sounds of men outside. He heard the crack of something going off in the distance. A sporadic noise. He heard the holler of some other creature not too far away.

When the light began to fade, footsteps drew closer, the scent of fear with them.

"He wants you to do it," said one annoying voice.

"Screw you, Dane. He wants us both," said another, quivering.

"I'm not going near that thing. Not after what it did to that guard."

"You’re a fucking baby."

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