The Sanser across from Alex was trembling. A skinny, dark-haired and pale-skinned boy no older than sixteen. Her search into the Sanser database had revealed some facts about him. Carl Won was born on a farm in Rivienna Province, somewhere along the Southern Rocky Mountains. Parents and two older siblings. Mediocre schooling, mediocre fighting skills. Mediocre life.
He was a late bloomer, having developed his Sanser power only last year. His father, a Faithful sworn to serve the Mainland, dutifully took him to their local extraction lab to get harvested when he started Kindling. Somewhere out there, a human being had become a Meta because of him.
There was no greater act of loyalty than giving one's Sen so it could be used to create a superior human soldier, but the ANEF expected more. Always more. Hence why Carl Won was here now, facing off against Metas in a mock battle in which he'd been instructed to fail.
Not that he stood any chance of winning. Alex had practiced with him and his fellow Sansers all week at Calsin Foundation's spacious and weapon-stocked indoor gym, and Won, while not terrible, didn't really impress her.
A voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen! Seventy-four years ago, our world was invaded and colonized by a ruthless race of beings. Mankind was under threat of extinction, but we came together under the banner of the Allied Native Forces and—"
"—on this glorious day, triumphed against the invaders," Liam parroted in a deep, overdramatic voice, "and reclaimed our birthright!"
"Your irreverence is disturbing, Bishop," Robert said as applause broke out in the stands. "If someone important hears you, you might get shipped off to disciplinary school."
"It's not irreverence, my confused friend." He tugged at his glove with the other hand. "I'm simply so excited I can't contain myself."
Robert snorted. "There isn't a single patriotic bone in your body, and we both know that. Makes me wonder who you really serve."
"I serve the Mainland and all of its glory. Just like you."
"Let's just focus on what's going on, shall we?" Alex murmured before Robert decided to make an issue out of it and got her partner over the summer break in trouble. Even though he deserved it.
The announcer waited until the cheers died down. "Meta soldiers defended the Earth against Sansers decades ago and they protect us even to this day, risking life and limb in the treacherous Skads. And every year, we celebrate not just our security and freedoms, but humanity's greatest heroes. Please give a round of applause for the liberators of Earth, the protectors of the innocent and the righteous. The Meta Faction!"
The applause was deafening this time, vibrating under Alex's skin. The young Metas around her lifted their hands and grinned up at the thousands of people in the stands, basking in the gratitude of all of humanity. In contrast, the Sansers avoided looking at the crowd. No blade had been swung yet and they already looked defeated.
"Representing the Meta Faction this year are some of our finest and most talented Metas-in-training. Hailing from San Juan in Rivienna, this young man is no stranger to the Dance of Blades. He was among the top twenty nationally ranked recruits last year and has already proven himself a capable soldier on the battlefield. Please give a round of applause for Stan Aries!"
Stan thrusted his arm in the air and bellows, "Yeah!"
"What a hero," Liam muttered.
As people clapped once more, Alex tried to make eye contact with Carl Won, but he stared at her feet. She stopped bothering with attempts at communicating and studied the two groups of people gathered around her.
The Metas stood together in a circle, their backs to one another, facing an outer ring of twenty Sansers, twice their numbers. Surrounded, just as the natives were seventy years ago in the decisive battle at Boulder City, the location of the first successful Meta experimental lab.
The Sansers sieged the city and were burning it down when hundreds of young and newly-made Meta soldiers emerged from the base and defeated an army that outnumbered them. It was the first time mankind ever had any hope of victory against the superior race.
A week later, the Sansers decimated two-thirds of the Earth.
Alex lifted her gaze to the stands filled with thousands of Metas, humans, and a select group of trusted Sansers. Members of the highest echelon of the Meta Faction sat together under a sloped pavilion covering one section of the stands. She recognized most of them personally because of her father, who'd had visits from them for most of her childhood.
"And last but certainly not least," the announcer continued, "championing the Meta Faction this year is the daughter of the great General Drasse of Saranth, a prodigious young Meta who claimed first place in the recruitment rankings a year ago and who, just a month earlier, single-handedly captured one of the most dangerous criminals in the Wasteland. Please help me in welcoming Alexandra Drasse!"
A chorus of cheers broke out. Alex shifted her weight and looked higher at the mass of excited and colorfully-dressed shapes, acknowledging them with a slight wave of her hand. Her father denounced ostentatious displays, but he believed events like the Dance of Blades and the cloying praise heaped on them were good for the morale of the natives.
"People need to celebrate their heroes," he told her when she was invited to the Dance of Blades. "They need to be reminded that even though the natives of Earth suffered a terrible blow decades ago, and even though we are still under threat of attack by Sansers, we will triumph against our enemies."
The cheering died down the moment the lighting in the amphitheater dims. The announcer said nothing of the Sansers' identities; he went right on to summarize the fateful battle at Boulder City, his dramatic words accompanied by soft drums that beat in rhythm with Alex's heart.
"No introductions for our Sanser companions?" Liam asked. "How terribly sad."
Alex pursed her lips, annoyed. "Don't act surprised. This is about celebrating humanity."
"It doesn't make it any less tragic, does it?"
"Liam," she said in a low, tense voice. "It's one thing to mock the ANEF in private, but you're surrounded by people who are loyal to our government—people who might misunderstand you. Watch yourself."
Alex could tell he was smiling when he replied, "You sound like you care what happens to me, Miss Drasse. It's nice to know you're not completely made out of stone."
She didn't dignify that with a response. Of all the people she could be saddled with, why a rule-breaker? Why Liam, who enjoyed riding the line between right and wrong and makes a mockery of the discipline that'd been instilled in her?
She didn't want to think about fairness or unfairness. She didn't want to feel sympathy for the sons and daughters of people who destroyed her world. She didn't even want to care enough to hate them. She just wanted to do her job. As she always had.
"The Dance is about to start," Robert said when the announcer fell quiet.
The drums became more urgent and ominous. A Sanser gave an impressive cry and they attacked in unison, glimmering golden weapons manifesting out of nowhere and slashing at the Metas. Alex's sword slid out of its sheath with a satisfying metallic sound, its weight so familiar and comforting that it immediately eased the restlessness inside her.
Clang!
Gold flecks of light sparked through the air as weapons meet. Alex parried one attack from the tattooed girl to her left and ducked under a wide cut from another Sanser, her feet deft as they executed moves they'd practiced a thousand times.
Faster and faster the two groups circled each other in a dance of life and death. The Sansers' conjured swords disappeared and reappeared, along with brilliant golden shields that deflected the Metas' attacks, so bright they hurt her eyes.
Alex slipped aound and between the undulating bodies in the field to the tune of the rhythmic beat of drums and the clang of swords, giving herself over to a primal song that calls to something deep inside her. At a time like this, she could believe the Sen in her bones and muscles and even her heart, harvested from young Sansers, was singing back.
Movement out of the corner of her eye pulled Alex out of her trance. It was wrong and out of place, nothing like what they rehearsed. She glanced quickly to see the Sanser stagger back again as Stan Aries rammed his sword into his shield, shattering it.
When he lifted his sword high, the Sanser's eyes widen with terror. He tried to dart out of range and stumbled into the path of his comrade, who slammed into him so hard they fell to the ground in an ungraceful tangle of limbs.
Alex's body was on autopilot, going through the routine as she twirled and stabbed and did everything she was supposed to do, but her senses were heightened, focused on Stan. He was smart about it, seamlessly reverting back to the choreography, before he attacked again.
This time, a girl tripped over his foot. She cried out in surprise and landed on her knees. On the other side of the clustered fighters, another Sanser was knocked to the ground. Robert smirked down at him before he resumed the Dance.
One by one, the Sansers suffered little accidents: an elbow to the nose, a hard jab in the ribs, missteps that tripped them and sent them stumbling around like untrained performers. Alex stayed out of it and kept up the routine, even when she spun around to meet the blade of an opponent and found him already on the ground.
"What's going on?" a voice crackled over her earpiece. "Enforcer Goldwin. Please respond immediately."
"We're giving these Mainlanders a performance they'll never forget," Robert replied as he swiped a girl's feet out from under her. He did it so smoothly she looked like she tumbled down on her own. "I'm sure they're bored of seeing the same thing every year."
"Careful, Goldwin," Liam chirped in. "Wouldn't want to be accused of irreverence, too."
"Goddammit, kids, what the hell are you thinking?" someone else said. "Your officers will have your heads for this."
"My father gave us approval. You can ask him if you'd like."
Alex was surprised at Robert's bold lie. Was he so confident that no one would check with his father? Or did he really think his father would back him up no matter what?
Pause. "Just don't embarrass us or you'll have to answer to me."
A feeble threat. Alex knew then that no one would bother to ask Director Goldwin.
The Sansers displayed varying reactions to this joke of a Dance. Some, like Carl Won, became too scared to move. Others tried to continue the routine: they gritted their teeth and picked themselves up every time they were knocked to the ground, suffering silently because they knew nothing about this was fair and they had no hope of winning.
There were a few whose pride wouldn't let them take a beating. They swung their flashing swords harder, forcing Metas like Robert and Stan to scramble to the defense.
Of the three Sansers fighting back, one stood out the most, a brown-haired boy with sinewy muscles and fury in his eyes. Arin Kolseya, a resident of Calsin. An official in the High Courts took him in when he was eleven and raised him to become his bodyguard. Sanser bodyguards were incomparably more effective than human ones. They were also cheaper and easier to obtain. There were stories about Sanser parents selling their children for a month's worth of food or a plot of fertile land in the Outskirts.
Alex saw potential in Arin Kolseya during those practice hours. She could tell he was holding back then, but now his full power was unleashed and there was no doubt in her mind that Stan Aries, as arrogant as he was, stood no chance against him.
"Don't interfere!" Stan yelled when another Meta attempted to come to his aid.
Liam scoffed. He stood on the fringe, observing the scene with his arms crossed. "The only legitimate way for Aries to win at this point is to beat their strongest Sanser one-on-one, but he's not going to be able to do it. He's not as good as he thinks he is."
Kolseya's sleek back muscles flexed beneath glistening tattooed skin as he went after Stan, attacking him with a rapid onslaught of cuts and jabs with his golden sword. Kolseya dodged and parried several desperate moves before he saw an opening.
A hard kick to Stan's solar plexus sent him on his back. As he gasped for breath, Robert slipped in between them and engaged Kolseya. Alex finally gave up on the routine and joins Liam in watching the two trade blows that resonated in the air and flash like golden lightning.
"Alex."
She stiffened at the familiar voice coming over her earpiece. Her father.
"We cannot have our Metas losing to Sansers on a day like this. End it."
Alex didn't have to be told twice. She sprinted over to the two boys, intercepting the Sanser's sword as it swung down on an overwhelmed Robert. Surprise flashed across Kolseya's face when he saw her, but determination quickly replaced it.
Kolseya was one of the fastest she'd ever faced in the Mainland. He darted around on swift feet, staying out of range and fighting with a sword with a longer reach. He wasn't trying to kill her, but if that blade touched her, it would cut deep enough to do damage.
"Why are you doing this?"
The question was out of her mouth before she realized she'd spoken. And once it was out, a burning need rose in her. To understand why a privileged Sanser like this boy would risk everything, even his life, to rebel against the ANEF.
"You know they're going to kill you," she pressed when he didn't reply.
"I don't care. You Metas might own my body, but you don't own my heart or my will."
"No one owns you any more than they own me."
He let out a disbelieving laugh and flung his arms out in the air. "You chose this. I didn't. Do you think anyone asked me if I wanted to be here today? If I wanted to become some human's slave when they took me from my parents?"
Uncharacteristic anger sparked inside Alex. "Do you know what's out there—how ugly the Skads are? You've been given a better life here. You've been given comfort and security, and the only thing expected of you is that you serve the ANEF, as we all do. Why would you spit in the face of those who have treated you justly?"
"Because I never had a choice! I didn't ask for any of this!" Tears glimmered in Kolseya's eyes. "So where is the justice in that?"
"Come on, Alex!" Robert shouted. "Stop trying to reason with him! It's too late for him anyway."
Alex tossed her sword aside. Kolseya was fast, but she'd dealt with lightning-fast Sansers in the Skads, including Tosk Melkan.
He never saw her counterattacks coming. She struck him in the face and kneed him so hard his ribs fracture. He gave a choked cry and tried to lift his hands to form a shield, but she caught his jaw with a high kick that sprawled him in the grass.
Straddling his prone body, she grabbed his collar and lifted his head. She punched him again and again, until blood bloomed across his face and his eyes rolled back, until he wasn't a threat to anyone. Then she let go and straightened up, her fists dead at her sides.
"Good work."
The voice in her ear wasn't her father. Of course it wasn't him. He'd never praised her, not even after she'd completed of her first year at Saranth Foundation, when she'd been rewarded a plaque for her outstanding achievements. When she showed it to him, he said, "Don't think you've accomplished anything worth speaking of. Your life will only get more difficult from this day forward."
He was right.
The crowd picked up a chant. "Alex! Alex! Alex!"
She stepped over the Sanser's body, surveying the group around her. The other two who'd fought back have also been subdued. The rest stood where she'd left them, bruised and shell-shocked. And the recruits appeared confident once again, even Stan Aries, who picked himself off the ground and limped over to slap her on the shoulder.
"I was wrong about you, Drasse," he shouted over the cheers. "You are worthy of your reputation."
"She's worth that and a lot more," Robert said, pride in his voice.
He slipped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her lips, reassuming his role as her boyfriend now that their duties as Metas were out of the way.
Robert looked so handsome and gallant with his gold-streaked brown hair and his brilliant smile. Focusing on him made it easier to ignore the unmoving Sanser boy behind him. She smiled back at him, and the fans roared with excitement as the Mainland's beloved couple shared a kiss.
A/N: I'm sorry that Kray hasn't been around the past couple of chapters. But rest assured that he'll be back in chapter 19! And he and Alex may or may not meet again (okay, they definitely will). Stick around and thanks for reading!