The Belly of the Beast

Ch. 64, Till the Bitter End

"I'm sorry," I said again. Dagger, Skull, Lizard and I all sat in a small locker room. Each team was given one after the trial to celebrate— or mourn. I'd watched as Xyla's team had pulled her after them, cheering and yelling. I'd also watched as white sheets were thrown over two men far below.

"Sorry? You're sorry!" Skull roared. "You should have let her die! We would have won! We would be in the Top right now!" He paced away from me.

"You weren't complaining when I saved you," I muttered, and he spun back, voice a low, angry hiss.

"You're weak, little fox. You say you want to go to the Top, but you're not willing to sacrifice anything to do that."

"Leave her alone," Dagger said from his place in the corner.

Skull spun to him, his face reddening even further. "That's rich coming from you."

Dagger slowly stood, and each inch he rose, the tension in the room rose with him. He stepped forward, coming face to face with Skull. "You got something to say?"

I glanced at Lizard for help— to find him examining a piece of his vest he'd pulled off.

"Yah, I do. We might be a team," Skull said, voice dripping with sarcasm, "but so far it's only you who spends time alone with the little fox, who kisses her in the trials— "

Dagger surged forward, and slammed Skull into the locker.

"Stop it!" I yelled, but Skull had already grabbed Dagger and threw him into the other lockers, the crash so loud I couldn't believe guards didn't rush into the room.

I shoved my way between the two of them, a feeling of panic rising inside me. "Stop it! Both of you! This isn't helping." Your team is falling apart, Z! Do something!

"Helpin' me feel better," Skull said with a grin. Dagger's dark eyes glittered, so I stepped forward, and held out my hand, the angry red flesh swollen from the rope burn.

"Can you help me wrap my hand?" I said to Dagger. At once, his eyes went to my hand, concerned.

"I didn't know you were injured," he said, as behind him Skull gave an exaggerated eye roll and then pretended to gag

"Just a rope burn."

Dagger sat down beside me, his hands gentle as I handed over the medicine and cloth wrap I'd taken from the medicine kit in the corner. I could have done it myself. I'd wrapped countless injuries in the Belly, but it was about the only idea I had to stop Dagger and Skull from ripping each other's throats out. And his hands on mine felt nice.

"Wrap her mouth shut while you're at it," Skull called from across the room. Dagger stiffened but didn't respond.

"Just ignore him," I whispered. We need him.

Dagger finished wrapping, and I regretfully withdrew my hand. Skull cracked his knuckles into the silence. "Well, little fox, you got what you wanted. We stopped fighting. So what's the plan?"

The three of them looked at me, and I wondered if this was actually better than them fighting. I'd been the one to lose us the trial, now I needed to find a way to win the next one. "We just need to find the Eel," I said. Wow, Z, going for team captain of the year here. Really, well done.

"We've tried," Dagger said. "He's either not real, or he's dead. Or maybe he was from the Top, and went back where he came from."

A new voice spoke. "The Eel didn't come from the Top. He came from the Belly."

Silence.

The three of us turned as one, united for one blazing, unbelievable moment. Lizard stared down at his vest, and then slowly looked at the three of us, as if he was as equally surprised to find us looking at him. I almost didn't believe it: Lizard had just spoken.

"Lizard... I didn't know you could speak," I finally said. I thought you could only— well, hiss. He smiled, opened his mouth— then stuck out his tongue and hissed. Skull threw up his hands and muttered something that sounded like, "surrounded by idiots."

Then, finally, Lizard's words sunk in. If the Eel was from the Belly, then I'd been going about finding him the wrong way. He was a Belly rat, just like me...

"I have an idea," I said. "For how to find the Eel." This time I felt the force of their gazes like a weight. The weight of not just a team, but an entire level of lives, whom I couldn't fail again.

Dagger nodded. "We have one week. You two work on finding a fifth member for our team," he said to Skull and Lizard, then turned to me, "and Z and I will find the Eel, and find out how he won."

Skull rolled his eyes, then made for the door. "Whatever. The two of you giving each other puppy eyes is making me sick. See you in a week." He kicked the door open and called over his shoulder, "And grow some teeth while you're at it little fox!"

Lizard stood up, stretched, and followed him out without so much as a backward glance. Dagger sighed as he sat beside me, the two of us listening to the sound of their fading footsteps. "You'd think, after surviving three other trials, men would be lining up to be a part of our team."

I bumped into his shoulder. "You know what the problem is?"

"What?"

"Our team name. Zagger just isn't inclusive enough. "

He shook his head, but there was a slight smile on his face. "Well, team captain, if you have another name in mind, now would be the time."

I stood up and offered him my metal hand. He took it, and as I pulled him up, for the first time I was thankful for the phantom feeling of warmth that ran from the steel fingertips all the way to my toes. He stood, inches from me, neither of us pulling away.

"Too late now. It's Team Zagger till the bitter end."