It felt good.

  “If we’re going to survive this we’ll need to do something right now.” Drake said, “And you won’t like it.”

  “What do we have to do?” She asked.

  “We have to fight.” Drake said. “There are people standing by to kill anybody I refuse to fight. So get a sword and make it look like we’re fighting until I can figure out something to do.”

  “I don’t know how to fight.” Angela said. “I’m not like you Drake, I grew up on a farm. I know nothing about war.”

  “Make them fight!” The crowd cheered.

  “I’ll teach you.” Drake said. “Get a sword before people start thinking this fight won’t happen.”

  “Ok.” Angela said as she walked over to the rack of weapons.

  She drew out, what looked to Drake, like the lowest quality sword available, and walked back to the center of the arena to face him.

  “Let the battle begin!” The announcer yelled out.

  His announcement elicited fanatical cheering from the crowd.

  “Swing the sword at my stomach.” Drake said. “As hard as you can.”

  Angela swung the sword with as much power as she could muster.

  Drake easily blocked the attack.

  “Wow, no questioning that at all.” He said. “I asked you to swing a sword at me and you didn’t even hesitate.”

  “I’m sorry.” Angela squeaked.

  “No, it’s good. Now step back and hold your sword out toward me like you’re ready to attack.”

  Angela followed his directions although she did it less gracefully than Drake had hoped.

  “Ok.” Drake said, “I’m going to swing at you now. As soon as I move, hold your sword above your head as tightly as you can. Don’t let it move when I hit it.”

  “Ok.” Angela said. “I’m ready.”

  Drake swung his sword as slowly as he could while still making it look like a convincing attack. Angela barely raised her sword in time to block his attack. He needed to make this more convincing.

  “Kick me.” Drake said. “Kick me hard in the stomach.”

  Angela just stared at him as if she didn’t understand what he was saying to her.

  “Now, Angela!” Drake said.

  He felt air get pushed out of him as her foot pounded into his stomach.

  Her kick was much harder than he’d expected.

  He stumbled backwards and tried to catch his breath.

  “I didn’t think you’d kick me that hard.” He gasped.

  “I’m so sorry!” Angela said.

  “Don’t apologize!” Drake said. “Attack me!”

  “How?” Angela asked.

  “Any way you want.” Drake said, “Just keep swinging your sword at me until I tell you to stop.”

  Angela lifted her sword in the air and swung it at Drake’s head.

  Parrying the attack was easy.

  “Keep going.” He said.

  Angela continued swinging her sword as quickly as she could.

  Drake blocked her attacks as he looked around the arena searching for any way to escape. But whoever had designed the place had done a good job. There weren’t many exits, and they were all heavily guarded.

  “Back up.” He said. “I’m going to attack you now.”

  He swung his sword at her side.

  She lifted her sword to block his attack, but her grip wasn’t strong enough. The sword flew out of her hand, landing in the dirt nearly six feet away.

  “Kill her!” The crowd screamed.

  “You wouldn’t...” Angela said.

  “You think I’d kill you?” Drake said. “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

  Drake turned to face the nearest camera.

  “Seriously,” He said, “I don’t know what you’re not getting about this, but I won’t be killing anybody to entertain you, so stop asking for it!”

  “The Traitor Prince has once again refused to kill.” The announcer said in his booming voice. “To do the job he refuses to do, we’ll send out the reigning champion of the ring, the Unknown Draco!”

  The crowd erupted into the loudest cheer Drake had heard from them so far.

  “In the two days since his arrival, the unknown Draco has fought in eighteen battles and had eighteen kills.”

  Why did the previous champion have to be a Draco? Now he would have to protect Angela without his good luck, or his revolver.

  The door finished opening and the enormous, nine-foot tall, fully armored Draco entered the arena.

  Drake blinked in surprise. The Unknown Draco was Captain Titus.

  Drake could use this to his advantage. Titus would happily ignore Angela for a chance to kill Drake. All he had to do was keep him angry.

  “Yo Titus!” Drake yelled. Titus didn’t wait for the announcer to declare the beginning of the fight, he picked up an enormous sword and charged toward Drake.

  “Woah,” Drake said after dodging the attack. “What’s with the hostility? I thought we were friends.”

  “I’ll kill you!” Titus bellowed as he swung his sword wildly in Drake’s direction.

  His plan was working. Titus hadn’t even noticed Angela.

  Drake ran to the rack of weapons and picked up a handful of knives.

  Titus bellowed in rage, blowing fire from his mouth.

  Drake threw a knife straight into Titus’s face.

  It bounced off of his thick armor, even if he had hit one of the few holes in Titus’s armor there’s no way it would have pierced his thick scales, but being hit made Titus angry, which made it worth doing.

  “I don’t know why you hate me so much Titus.” Drake yelled. “Is this because of the last job? I know I killed your whole crew, but you didn’t like them anyway, and you stole my escape ship, so isn’t that revenge enough?”

  “It has nothing to do with my crew.” Titus said. “Do you have any idea how much money you cost me?”

  He swung his huge sword at Drake again, this time Drake only narrowly dodged the blow.

  “That’s all that this is about?” Drake said as he dodged yet another attack from Titus. “You know I’ve still got all the euphodine I stole. If you’ll do a job for me you can have it.”

  Titus stopped swinging his sword, and stood up straight, staring at Drake, his eyes cutting like knives.

  “I’m listening.” He said. “But if this is another one of your tricks, I will end you.”

  “First thing’s first,” Drake said. “Help me get out of here with that girl and I’ll give you the rest of the details after that.”

  “I get all the euphodine or no deal.” Titus said.

  “Fine,” Drake replied. “It’s all yours as long as you promise not to sell it to Dathan. Anyone else is free game.”

  “Deal.” Titus replied. “How do we get out?”

  “Keep fighting!” The crowd screamed.

  “You think we can take out any guards in here between the two of us?”

  “Not a chance.” Titus said. “There are way too many.”

  “In that case,” Drake said, “I need to get a Line Transceiver and call in some back up.”

  “The audience is rich.” Titus said, “One of them is bound to have one on them.”

  “Get me up there.” Drake said.

  The crowd gasped as Titus grabbed Drake by the throat with his huge clawed hand.

  “Don’t hurt me too much.” Drake choked out.

  “No promises.” Titus said with a look on his reptilian face that Drake assumed was a grin, although, it was hard to tell since Drake had never seen him show an emotion other than anger.

  Drake felt his stomach drop as Titus flung him up over the wall and into the spectator seating. His landing was less than graceful as he crashed into the seats, but nothing was broken.

  “Stay away!” said a panicked looking man dressed in obscenely expensive clothing.

  Drake punched him hard in the face and immediately began rifling through the man’s pockets.

  “I found one!” He yelled out as he pulled a Line Transceiver from the man’s pocket and dialled Al’s number.

  “Al!” Drake said into the phone. “No time for details. I’ve started a riot in Khras coliseum, come get me now!”

  “I know. Your fight was broadcast. We’re already on the way.” Al said. “What kind of equipment are we going to need?”

  “Smoke bombs.” Drake said, “And you’re going to have to cut the power here.”

  “Consider it done.” Al said. “Just give us a few minutes.”

  “Thanks,” Drake said, “I’m gonna fight some people now. I’ll see you soon.” He threw the Line Transceiver down and raised his sword.

  “You’d all better run!” Drake screamed out as he pulled out his revolver and shot fireballs toward the decorative tapestries that hung over the doorways, setting them ablaze.

  That should keep some of the guards distracted.

  He turned down to see how Titus and Angela were doing.

  Several guards had run onto the arena floor, but Titus had killed most of them, and was now fighting the remaining few that dared to attack him.

  Drake ran back to the edge of the seating and hopped back down onto the arena floor.

  “Did you have to throw me by my throat?” He said as he ran past Titus who was now fighting against six soldiers simultaneously.

  “I need to get job satisfaction somehow.” Titus replied as he impaled a guard on his enormous sword.

  “Try not to kill anybody.” Drake said, “I don’t like it.”

  “That wasn’t in the deal.” Titus said as he swung his sword and decapitated another oncoming guard.

  “You can’t do it just to be nice?”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Fine, just try to make the deaths painless.”

  There was no time to argue with Titus about what he could and couldn’t do. At least He was only killing soldiers.

  Drake turned around looking for Angela. He found her pinned down by several guards.

  He raised his revolver to shoot the attacker, but as he pulled the trigger all he heard was a click.

  He was too close to Titus. Vhy’ Rai wouldn’t work.

  Holstering his revolver as he ran, Drake sprinted toward Angela, kicking over a guard who was bent down tying ropes around her wrists.

  He brought the hilt of his sword down hard on the head of another guard, knocking him unconscious.

  The last remaining guard was just a young man. Probably a new recruit. He couldn’t have been older than seventeen.

  “When I was your age.” Drake said to him, pointing the tip of his sword. “I massacred an entire village with my bare hands. There’s no shame in running away from me.”

  The boy dropped his sword and sprinted away toward the door.

  Drake turned his attention toward the man he’d knocked to the ground. He was already back on his feet and running the same way that the boy had gone.

  “Are you alright?” He said as he cut the ropes around Angela’s wrists.

  “I’m fine.” She said as she stood up and gave Drake a tight hug. Drake picked her up and stepped to the side in time to avoid being hit by an arrow.

  “Not a good hugging time. But please hold onto that feeling for when this is over.” He said as he turned to face the endless streams of guards that were rushing in.

  A large shadow appeared over the arena, and smoke grenades rained down from the sky into the middle of the oncoming guards.

  Drake looked up at the ship floating above the stadium. His ship. A large metal platform lowered from the bottom of it until it touched the ground in the middle of the arena.

  “Let’s go Titus!” Drake yelled out as he grabbed Angela’s hand and ran along with her onto the platform.

  Titus jumped onto the platform from out of the smoke only moments after it started rising back into the ship.

  “Nice timing Al.” Drake said as the platform locked into place and the ship flew away. Al immediately lifted one of the hefty axes he carried with him and pointed it offensively toward Titus.

  “We appear to have an unwanted guest.” Al said.

  “No worries Al.” Drake said. “I hired him.”

  Al lowered his axe reluctantly, but still allowed Titus to pass.

  “Hired him to do what?” Al said.

  “I know we’re usually exclusively into piracy.” Drake said. “But today, we’ve got a princess to rescue.”

  Chapter 23: Drake

  “So I don’t get to kill anybody?” Titus said.

  “Look, if it comes up, you can kill some people, I’m just saying you don’t have to.” Drake replied.

  He’d been arguing with Titus for nearly half an hour. Everybody else agreed that it was the best plan, but Titus was still hoping for one that involved a little more violence on his part.

  “Fine,” Titus said, “So I march into the castle, and demand payment from the king, thus distracting the guards and allowing you to sneak in. And that’s it. No fighting. No killing.”

  “Exactly.” Drake said.

  “And nobody dies?” Titus replied.

  “Exactly.” Drake said, “You’re finally getting it.”

  “I hate this plan.” Titus said glumly.

  “Well you’re going to have to deal with it if you want to get paid.” Drake said.

  “Let’s get this over with.” Titus said as he stepped out back of the carriage they’d been sitting in and walked over about twenty yards to the gateway of King Dathan’s castle.

  “Stop there!” The guards yelled as Titus walked through the front gate. “State your business.”

  “The King owes me money.” Titus said without stopping and continued walking past the guards.

  Nearly every guard left their post to follow behind Titus.

  The plan was working. A huge magic cancelling Draco was quite the threat after all. His presence in the castle would garner a lot of attention.

  Drake waited until most of the guards were out of sight and darted through the still open front gate, immediately ducking into a small side door in the castle.

  It was a good thing security cameras hadn’t made it onto the list of acceptable blasphemies for the Mystic’s yet, or it would be much harder to sneak through these hallways undetected.

  He stopped as he caught sight of two guards standing in front of a staircase leading down.

  “Excuse me!” Drake said as he walked over to the two guards.

  “Stop!” One of the guards said. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

  “Is this the staircase that leads to the dungeon where Dathan would keep a high profile prisoner?” Drake asked.

  “That’s privileged information.” The guard said. “Identify yourself!”

  “That means yes.” Drake said as he punched him in the face.

  The other guard drew his sword and swung at Drake’s chest. Drake ducked below the sword swing and delivered a swift punch right between his attacker’s legs.

  The guard doubled over in pain.

  Drake stood and punched the man’s face over and over until he stopped moving.

  He turned to the first guard, expecting more of a fight, but he was already unconscious.

  “You’re not faking it are you?” Drake asked the motionless body on the floor. “The last thing I would want is for you to go alert the other guards while I’m down there.”

  The guard made no indication that he was awake.

  Drake punched his face a few more times just to be sure.

  He threw the unconscious bodies through the nearest door, took their keys, and walked down the stairs into the castle’s dungeon.

  “Olivia!” He yelled out as he walked into a room full of barred cells.

  “I’m here!” He heard Olivia yell from inside one of the cells.

  “Oh good. You were surprisingly easy to find.” Drake said as he walked over to her cell.

  “And so were you.” A voice came from out of the darkness. “Honestly Drake, screaming out in the middle of your enemy’s castle is hardly advisable when trying to practice stealth.”

  “169.” Drake said as he turned to face the direction of the voice. “I figured I’d run into you here. You seem like the type who would spend their time in a dark room full of torture devices.”

  “Always the comedian, Drake.” 169 replied as he stepped out of the shadows. “I think it’s time for your jokes to come to an end. I am not so lenient as Dathan. I may not be allowed to kill you, but you can live without your limbs.”

  Drake drew out his sword and charged at 169.

  169 parried it using the blade of the device attached to his arm and brought his free hand up to grab Drake’s throat.

  Drake started losing strength as 169’s grip tightened on his windpipe, cutting off his air supply.

  He dropped his sword and grabbed his revolver out of its holster, pushing it into 169’s chest and pulling the trigger.

  A fireball exploded against 169’s chest, sending both of them flying backwards in opposite directions.

  Pain shot up and down Drake’s forearms as he lay on the ground.

  The flesh was burnt and already starting to blister.

  He glanced across the room.

  169 was already back on his feet.

  He had torn off his shirt, and it lay burning on the floor next to him. His bare chest looked as disfigured from the blast as Drake’s arms.

  “You’re going to regret that.” he said as he picked up Drake’s sword from the floor and walked toward Drake.

  Drake reached instinctively to his holster for his revolver, but it had been thrown from his hands by the force of the explosion and now lay at least ten feet behind him.

  He searched frantically for anything that he could use as a weapon.

  His hand came to rest on a large stone that had come loose from the floor.

  It would have to do.

  He wrapped his fingers tightly around it and flung it through the air into 169’s unsuspecting face.

  169 stumbled backwards dropping his sword to cover the large cut on his face and his obviously broken nose with his hand.

  Drake sprinted to his retrieve his revolver and unleashed a barrage of fire into 169 as fast as his burned trigger finger would allow him.

  Only two of them hit their target before 169 was able to take shelter by crawling behind a large stone pillar.