The Traitor of Inlustris

XVIII

Marisole pushed through and handed me a canteen of cold water. I took it in my trembling hands and gulped it down in such an unlady-like manner. Theodora would be mystified by my behavior. Gaia dabbed a wet cloth over my face, cleaning away the blood. I almost teared up at the nice gesture.

Herc switched positions with Adonis, so now he faced me, studying me as I attempted to feel better after that terrible fight.

"Why didn't you all tell me Initiation was a stupid fight?" I asked.

They chuckled taking in my battered appearance. Perhaps it wasn't so stupid, but I didn't understand such secrecy.

"You would have bailed a long time ago," Herc replied. "At least now, you're alive." He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Whatever," I grumbled.

"Now, we gotta move. The boss is waiting for us." He waved at us to follow him.

Adonis leaned his head closer to mine. "Can you walk on your own?" He whispered.

I nodded, so he let go of my waist. My body trembled, but I was able to keep up. I needed to get used to moving on whilst in pain anyway.

Gaia and Orion trailed behind us, which was a relief in case I got lost in the crowd. Another match had started, and the people were rioting. It was like they had enough energy to power an entire land.

As I walked by, I was hit by random scraps and objects that flew from people's hands in their excitement. I knew it was a product of their joy or thrill, but with every hit, my attitude went from bad to worse in seconds. It took all of my willpower to stop myself from flicking my wrist and making everything fly off to the wall hundreds of feet away.

When we made our way to the other side of the ring, I noticed Herc nodding towards a man with an expensive suit embellished with red charms on top of his shoulders. The man stepped aside and the view of another man, laughing at the match, caught me off guard. He looked ordinary yet frightening. I could only feel adequate to speak with him wearing my crown.

"Bachus," Herc bowed his head. I stared at the rest of the gang and followed with bowing as well. There was no use in sticking out from the gang. We were now one.

"You have what I want?"

Herc nodded and pulled out a pouch from his pant pocket. He gave it to Bachus without a second thought. Bachus inspected it, turning the pouch in his hand from side to side. Feeling its contents, he gave Herc a smile.

"You Bleeders never disappoint." His crooked smile made my insides twist. "I see you have a newbie," he jutted his chin towards me. I tried to remain stoic, but I couldn't resist grimacing under his stare. It was penetrating, incredibly shrewd. I fisted my knuckles to hide my trembling fingers.

"Yes," Herc looked at me, "this is Ella." He waved me over, and it took every ounce of my willpower to move my body, limb by limb. I made my way towards Herc and pressed my legs together as Bachus inspected me from head to toe.

"A Flamber," he clicked his tongue, "how intriguing." He beckoned me forward using his pointer finger. "You put up quite the fight. How did you end up in a gang, sweetheart?"

Up close I could smell the horrid scent of rum that lingered around him. His uneven shaved beard glistened with sweat. His face was marked with tiny scars, both deep and small scratches. Those wild brown eyes bored into mine and I wondered just how much this man had to endure to become this feral human being.

"I bumped into them and decided to join," I said, finally finding my voice.

"Oh," he started laughing, clutching his stomach with one arm, "that's not just what happened. Tell me your story. I want to know you." He caressed my arm in a salacious manner. I quirked a brow and pulled my arm back fast.

"Touch me like that again and I'll skin you alive," I threatened. Herc coughed beside me and stepped in between me and Bachus.

"Uh, what I think she means is that she doesn't know when to share her story. She has yet to get accustomed to how we work as a gang." Herc shot a warning glare at me, but I only rolled my eyes.

"Herchael, you got a good one," Bachus commented. "I have another job for you."

Everyone around me stiffened.

"War is coming to Potentia Flamber," Bachus started. "We have information that Queen Antonella was given a choice between handing the kingdom to her enemies or starting a war. She's choosing to 'protect' her kingdom and the Inlustris, but we all know the rest of the kingdoms together can destroy Potentia Flamber."

"Damn, the coronation wasn't that long ago and she already has war on her hands? That must not be nice," Kora said.

I wanted to scream 'I know' but that wasn't an option.

"I know," Bachus echoed my thoughts, "I need King Rasmus' insigne. Rumor has it that King Rasmus is behind the initiative to go against Potentia Flamber. I wouldn't be surprised if he held meetings to discuss his strategies."

Of course. That two-faced son of a gun probably wanted to have the Inlustris to himself and gain all the power my great grandfather fought to preserve.

"We'll go to Fortis Crystallum then," Herc said. "We'll retrieve his insigne."

My body trembled, not in pain nor fear but in excitement. Joining the gang was getting me closer to where I needed to be. We were going to break into Fortis Crystallum and get the intel I yearned to destroy my enemies and protect my kingdom.

"This is why I love you Bleeders," Bachus raised his fist up. Right then, the audience cheered harder than they had before. I looked at the ring to see one man pinning down the other, who stayed in the position, dazed and weak.

My eyes traveled up the bleachers, taking in the roaring crowd. They screamed in Jubarian, waiting for the match to finish. I continued looking until my stare fixated on another man wearing a suit, tailored to perfection. The gold and red embellishments were those of a king.

When the timer of the match came to an end, the suited man looked towards the side and I wanted to throw up.

King Davian Solaxe clapped his hands as the winner of the match was announced.