Tenn had been lying to Iggy since the day they met.
The Andradan explained to him what the Centuri Order was. While the empire classified it as a rebel faction, it was anything but. The Order was a defunct religious group that worshiped the old gods—gods the galaxy no longer believed in. They existed long before the Elysian Empire rose to prominence, serving as peacekeepers and officers throughout the lawless planetary systems.
They fell during the rise of the Elysians. Thousands of cycles ago, the members of the Centuri Order were purged and systematically wiped out by the oppressive force that was the empire. Their names were scrubbed from history. Their temples throughout the galaxy were toppled, left behind on scorched worlds to become ruins. The empire did whatever it could to make sure their kingdom had no recollection of the Centuri Order.
But Iggy still couldn't figure out how his father—and Tenn—were involved. If the Order fell thousands of cycles ago, what were they doing wearing the symbol on their bodies? The empire made it a crime to own anything bearing the Centuri insignia. The two men might not have been rebels in the traditional sense, but they were enemies of the empire.
Why?
"How did you know my father?" Iggy eventually asked. His head was spinning, and his ears rang as if he'd been standing next to a gong, but he managed to keep his cool for the time being. He still had more questions for Tenn.
"We were two of twelve believers throughout the galaxy looking to bring back the Centuri Order," he explained. He kept his voice low, his eyes constantly checking the nearby cameras and the entrance to the training center. "I was living on Yensari in self-imposed exile following my time in the service on Galenrad. It was there I met your father. During those times, many rebellious groups rose and fell, none succeeding in even making a dent in the empire's armor. People across the galaxy, not just the empire, were dying. We couldn't stand it anymore."
Iggy squeezed his eyes shut. He thought back to his time on Yensari, but couldn't recall ever seeing Tenn. Then again, his father used to slip away in the dead of the night often. He'd been too young to think much of it then, and he never thought too much about his time back home once they moved to Novr.
His eyes widened.
"The letters..." His hands trembled as he remembered the pieces of parchment he discovered in the salt mines. "Those...those were from you?"
Tenn said nothing. His silence said everything.
Iggy staggered backward. His head spun faster than [planet name]*. Face burning, he glared at the old man before him. He lied. This whole time he'd been lying. They were supposed to be partners. They were supposed to be friends. There wasn't anyone in this arena he could trust besides Tenn. But now he couldn't even trust him.
Once again, he was alone.
"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" His voice quaked as angry tears welled in his eyes. Tenn reached out, but he stepped away from the man. "Answer me!"
"I couldn't," Tenn hissed. He cursed in his native language. "I couldn't tell you the truth, Iggorii."
"Why not?!"
"He made me promise!"
Iggy dipped his head forward, his pointed ears perked. He urged the Andradan to explain. So, he did.
"Your father. Icarii. He made me swear, should we ever meet, to never let you find out about what we were doing. He didn't want you going down the same path."
"I don't believe you."
"Iggorii, you have to understand—" Tenn pinched the bridge of his nose. "What we were doing would have seen us, along with everyone we loved, executed. We were making progress on Yensari. But one of our communications to another member was intercepted by the empire. We had to flee. Your father moved you and your mother to Novr to keep you safe. I fled elsewhere, but we kept in touch. After the other ten members of our group were compromised, I lost hope. I lost faith. But Icarii? He never did."
Iggy wiped the tears from his eyes. Only a single question remained in the hurricane that was his mind.
"Where is he?"
"Iggorii, I—"
"Where is my father now? Is he alive?"
Tenn went quiet for a moment before answering with, "He let the empire get too close. In his desperation to find the first Centuri temple, he got sloppy. I urged him to be more careful, but he wouldn't listen. In one of his last letters to me, he revealed he knew the empire was close to finding him. He...he had to leave. He instructed me to travel to Novr to rescue you and your mother."
"What happened? Why didn't you?"
"I tried. Believe me, I tried. But the empire had been tracking me as well. They arrested me before I could get to you."
Iggy could barely breathe now. Things still weren't adding up. "Why weren't you executed?"
"I...I made a deal," he confessed. A regretful look passed over his face like the shadow of death. "I told them everything I knew about the Centuri Order and our plans in exchange for my life."
"What about my father? Was he killed?" Sniffling, Iggy wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. "Did he abandon me?"
Tenn blew air from his nose before raking his fingers through his grey hair. His eyes flickered over to the glass doors of the training center. No one walked through them. Not yet, anyway.
"I don't know," he answered. "I lost all contact with your father. I don't know where he is, or what happened to him." He paused. "I'm...I'm sorry, Iggorii."
"That makes two of us."
"You have to understand—"
"I don't have to understand anything. This whole time you knew the truth and kept it from me. I don't care what my father made you promise. I deserved to know. I deserved to know the truth." He turned away from the old man. "You were supposed to be my friend."
"I am. Believe me when I say I'm your only friend here, Iggorii." Tenn inched forward. "You think that priestess is your friend? Or the emperor? Or that rebel you've been talking to? Trust me when I say this, boy. They are not your friends."
That might've been true, but none of them lied to him the way Tenn had. Not even Voltai.
Iggy wanted to scream at him. He wanted to shout until his throat went raw. But he couldn't. He couldn't even muster a single word. Warm tears spilled down his cheeks and he didn't bother wiping them away. Besides, there wasn't anything else to say. He had no more words for Tenn. Betrayal and confusion swirled around his chest like smoke inhaled from a burning building. It choked him until he couldn't breathe.
He gave the old man one last, hurt-filled glance before sulking out of the room.
#
Iggy swung the wooden pole in his hands at the head of the training dummy in front of him. It flung backward before snapping back to its natural upright position. The blank expression on its stupid face only made him angrier.
He swung his weapon again. And again. And again. He kept battering the training dummy until the sweat dripping from his face hit his hands and ruined his grip on the staff. With a grunt, he swiped wildly at the dummy. The long rod flew from his fingers after making contact. Breathing heavily, he listened to it clatter against the concrete of the elevating practice platform he stood on.
He didn't bother picking it up. A Hand would be around to put his staff back where it belonged. After all, it was their job. He'd gotten his fill of dominating his stationary victim for the morning.
For the past two days, he'd been waking up early to pummel the training dummies before breakfast. A few other tributes lingered about the training center, but it was usually just him at this time.
He made sure to avoid running into Tenn.
Whenever he caught a glimpse of the man in the cantina during meals, he made sure to quickly finish his meal and disappear. He pretended Tenn didn't exist whenever they accidentally crossed paths in their sleeping quarters. He even traded beds with another tribute to put as much space between them as possible.
He wanted nothing to do with him.
His life had no room for liars and untrustworthy individuals. The old man had lost his trust. Not only had he lied about knowing his father, but he also turned his back on whatever project they were building together to save his own skin. Tenn said it himself: he lost faith. It seemed to be a trend with him. Who was to say he wouldn't betray Iggy in the arena when the time came? Because it would come. Iggy might've been young, but he wasn't stupid. The Elysian Gladiator Games could only have one winner.
What would stop Tenn from making sure it was him?
Iggy figured it was best to cut ties with him now. There were only two challenges left, anyway. His focus needed to be on surviving. With his new sponsorship with Au Castus, the reality of winning the games was more likely than it had been before.
He decided to train alone for the rest of the tournament. Tenn already taught him enough of the basics. It was up to him to carry on his training and sharpen his skills.
The schedule in the training center announced that the next challenge would start tomorrow night. As per usual, no one knew what to expect. His gift from the emperor had yet to open as well. He wouldn't be getting any hints about the next game this time. Like all the other tributes, he was in the dark. The gamemakers wanted a level-playing field. Well, they got it.
There weren't many of them left now. Out of all the tributes who arrived on the Chyron, only a little over two dozen of them had survived thus far. The previous games cut their population well in half. Iggy frowned at the thought of all the lives lost in the name of entertainment. The bloodthirsty chants of the arena's audience plagued his nightmares whenever he went to sleep. The sound lingered in his ears like echoes of the past. His hands curled into fists at his side.
Only two more games. If he survived, he'd be freed from this hellhole.
He'd be able to see his mother again.
He let the thought of returning to her ease his mind. He hoped Jaxon's smuggler managed to bring his mother her medicine. Without it, she was as good as dead.
Before he could dwell on that any longer, a chime sounded from the speakers built into the walls of the training center. A robotic voice notified him that breakfast was being served now. His stomach grumbled right on cue. Wiping the sweat from his glistening forehead, he dismounted the dueling platform and headed for the cafeteria.
Much like the past two days, breakfast was rather uneventful. Most of the tributes ate in complete silence, their minds likely too focused on the next challenge to engage in meaningless conversation. Iggy found himself sitting at a table by himself in the back of the cantina. He spotted Tenn on the opposite side eating alone as well. He made sure not to meet the old man's eye. Instead, he kept his stare on the cereal drowning in lavender-colored milk before him.
He devoured his meal within minutes and hurried out of the room.
The rest of the day was spent between the training center, recording more interviews and promos with Moxi Daystar and Ivy Brightway, and the sleeping quarters. He coasted through the interviews, mostly answering Ivy's pointed questions with bland, one-word answers. Most of her inquiries were centered around his new sponsor. He had no interest in talking about the emperor.
One of her questions had taken him aback, though.
"One of my sources claimed they spotted you speaking with High Priestess Noia Adani at the emperor's feast," she had said. "This isn't the first time you two have been seen talking. Can you speak to this?"
Iggy wasn't sure how Ivy knew that, seeing as she wasn't present at the emperor's palace, but now he understood what Noia meant when she said there were eyes everywhere. Even the reporters were keeping tabs on him.
Didn't these people have better things to be doing?
He elected not to answer Ivy's question. She pressed for an answer. He didn't budge. That was the end of their interview. It'd air sometime in the morning the next day. He wouldn't be watching it. He couldn't care less.
All he cared about was surviving the next challenge.
His mind wouldn't rest until he discovered what it was. To help ease his nerves, he went for a walk before bed. He ventured through the intricate network of tunnels and hallways snaking throughout the arena's underbelly. Elysian soldiers paid him no mind as they passed him by. Still, he kept his head down and tried to stay out of their line of sight as he went.
Eventually, he made his way to an area he hadn't explored. He hadn't explored it because it was usually closed, guarded by heavy metal doors that could only be opened with a keycard. And he didn't have one of those. Only guards, arena employees, and other authorized personnel did. Well, and now Jaxon Gunn.
As Iggy snuck through the opened doorway, he couldn't help but wonder who left this area open. A guard wouldn't have been this careless to leave a secured room exposed like this.
But upon delving deeper into the room, he realized it was just a rather large supply closet. Metal containers, empty boxes, and things covered with tarps were strewn about. Cobwebs and dust littered the walls and ceiling. The lights hidden behind glass panels flickered every few seconds, momentarily shrouding the hall in darkness every time one went out. A deep chill passed through the space, penetrating Iggy's clothes and coiling around his skin.
His footsteps faltered as he heard two hushed voices toward the back.
I definitely shouldn't be here.
But his curiosity got the best of him. He tiptoed further into the storage unit, the muscles in his legs taut as if ready to send him running out of the room at a moment's notice. As he turned a corner, he spotted the owners of the voices in the back of the room. Well, he only saw one of them. He only managed to catch a glimpse of the second.
His eyes widened as he recognized the one in full view.
Her pink hair, tall frame, and tattooed skin were unmistakable. High Priestess Noia Adani. She spoke quickly and the tight expression on her face suggested she was annoyed. Iggy leaned in closer to hear them better. His foot connected with a stray container. The noise echoed throughout the room.
Sucking in a sharp breath, he scampered behind a nearby box and hid. His heart threatened to explode out of his ribcage as Noia and her companion froze.
"You heard that right?" the second voice asked. Their words were muffled as if they were wearing a mask.
"I did."
Footsteps approached his position. Iggy cursed himself silently.
"You see anything?" the other person asked.
"No..." Noia continued inching closer.
"It was probably a rat. This place is crawling with them" her conspirator said. "Look, I gotta get going soon. I can't be in this place for too long."
"I know, I know." Her footsteps retreated. Iggy could breathe again. Once he deemed it safe, he stole a glance around the container he hid behind.
He was finally able to get a good look at the other person in the storage unit. His eyes nearly fell out of his head once he spotted them. Despite a metal mask covering everything from his nose down, he recognized those vibrant, cobalt eyes.
Noia was talking to Jaxon.
But that couldn't be right. What was she doing talking to him? The emperor would have her head if he knew she was speaking with a rebel. How did they even know each other? Iggy tried his best to force the questions down and homed in on the conversation continuing ahead of him.
"Have you and your team made any progress?" Noia asked.
"Progress? We've made tons of progress," Jaxon boasted. He brandished the keycard Iggy swiped for him as if it were some flashy item. "The kid got this for me. Honestly, I wasn't expecting him to pull through, but he did."
Noia folded her arms. "I wish you wouldn't use him like that."
"He needed a favor."
"I'm sure he did. But you could've helped him without making him steal something for you."
"Hey, look princess, we're fighting a shadow war. I'll take any advantage I can right now. Besides, the kid said he wants to help."
Noia pressed a perfectly manicured finger to the rebel's chest. "You better not—"
"Relax." He batted her hand away. "I told him to keep his head down and stay out of trouble."
"Good. He doesn't need to get involved."
"I dunno, Noia. He might be able to help us."
Iggy's face lit up.
Noia didn't seem convinced by Jaxon's admission. "He's not helping. End of discussion." Her bracelet beeped. She grumbled something under her breath. "Opal is calling me back to the palace. I must go."
Jaxon nodded. "So do I. We'll talk again soon, yeah?"
"Yes. We will."
The pair of them turned in Iggy's direction. The boy blanched. Before they could pass him, he crawled behind another set of stacked boxes to avoid being seen. They went by without even looking in his direction. He watched them disappear through the doors of the storage unit.
Iggy remained crouched behind those boxes with his fingers trembling.
The priestess had been an enigma since the first time he saw her. His few conversations with the woman often left him with more questions than answers, but after their time in the palace, he figured she was no different from the Elysians. That wasn't true. Not in the slightest.
High Priestess Noia Adani of Eos, princess of the Maajans, and the fiancée to the emperor was a rebel conspirator.