The Black Tattoo (31 page)

"I think you'll find this quite interesting, Charlie," said the Emperor, selecting a sweetmeat and turning to Charlie with a wide grin.

"I can't wait," Charlie replied, doing his best.

Fifth gladiator
, Gukumat's announcing voice boomed out,
fresh in from the twelfth-segment stench pits — the GRAKULOUS SLOAT!

A gasp of delighted disgust rose up from the crowd as they saw what came into the ring next.
 
Charlie barely suppressed a shudder.
 
It was something between a centipede and a hedgehog.
 
Some forty feet long, its cockroach-brown segmented body marched forward on a selection of disgusting, crablike pincers, and a ridge of shuddering black spines ran in a line down the center of its back.
 
Emerging into the white-hot light of the ring, the hideous creature suddenly reared up on its hind legs, exposing a flat, disc-shaped head and two evil yellow eyes.
 
Its mouth a mass of dripping mandibles, hinged open to let out a terrible gurgling hiss.
 
The creature eyed its opponents, then shook itself contemptuously, as if shrugging them all off.

"Ah, the Sloat," said the Emperor, chewing luxuriously.
 
"I think we're going to see great things from him."

Sixth gladiator
, boomed Gukumat's announcing voice:
 
a longtime supplicant, first-time entrant, give a warm demon welcome to... INANNA TWELVE-SWORDS!

The rest of the audience fell quiet, content to gaze curiously as the big blue swordswoman strode into the ring — but the section of the auditorium where the uncalled gladiators were sitting erupted with cheers.
 
Charlie watched the newest entrant.
 
The dark blue, leather-clad figure was well built, muscular, and bristling with weaponry, but to his eyes she didn't look like much, not next to more imposing contestants like Gladrash, Svatog, or the Sloat.

"Remember what I said, Gukumat," said the Emperor, in an uneasy tone that made Charlie turn and look at him.
 
"No surprise results."

Do not disturb yourself, Majesty.
 
Lord Slint has been alerted to your feelings on this matter, It has all been taken care of.

"Good."
 
The Emperor and the Overminister exchanged a look, then, still grinning widely, Hacha'Fravashi turned to look at Charlie.
 
"I've another surprise for you," he said.

"Yeah?"

"A new acquisition for the gladiator pits," said Emperor airily, though the golden slits of his eyes never left Charlie's for an instant.
 
"She arrived yesterday.
 
Another acquaintance of yours."

"Acquaintance?" echoed Charlie.

Still grinning, the Emperor settled back in his seat.
 
Raising one immaculately suited arm, he pointed at the ring.
 
Charlie looked — and his eyes went wide.

Seventh and final gladiator
, boomed the voice,
a surprise late entry!
 
Newly arrived from the as-yet-unclaimed planet of Earth, and perhaps the best opposition that world has to offer, show your appreciation for Miss ESME LEVERTON!

FAVORS

Jack's mouth fell open.

It was her.
 
His head filled with questions like, How did she open the Fracture?
 
What was she doing there?
 
Had she come to rescue them?
 
But as he watched her walking out calmly onto the white sand of the arena floor in her red top with the hood up, the main thing Jack thought was—

Oh no.

Suddenly, he realized that everyone was looking at him.
 
He had said the words aloud.

"Friendayours?" belched Jagmat, nudging him.
 
The eyes — and other organs of attention — of the entire row seemed to swing round and focus on Jack as they waited for his answer.
 
Jack felt the blood climbing up his neck and into his face.

"Yeah," he managed.

"Well, no offense, mate," said Jagmat, "but I hope she's better than you."

*
       
*
       
*
       
*
       
*

"
She came
," said the Scourge.

"Surprised?" said the Emperor.

"Yes," said Charlie, fighting to keep his expression blank.
 
"Yes I am.
 
Has she... said what she wants?"

"I'll be hearing her request officially in a moment," said the Emperor.
 
He smiled.
 
"But I think you already know what it is."

"She's come for us," said Charlie.

The Emperor's smile only widened.

"
She will have to survive the Akachash first
," said the Scourge.

*
       
*
       
*
       
*
       
*

As referee for this fight,
said Gukumat,
O loyal subjects, we present to you none other than the keeper of the pits himself:
 
the Clashing Jaws, the Potentate of Pain, the Undisputed Master of the Ring... LORD
SLINT!

A hatch screwed open in the wall just below the royal box, and the great shape of the flying shark emerged into view, blotting out half the scene below.
 
With a single lazy swish of his horribly scarred tail, Lord Slint propelled himself down through the air toward the ecstatic crowds.
 
As the seven gladiators waited, with varying degrees of self-restraint, the shark made three wide, lazy circuits over the audience, provoking a Mexican wave effect as he did so.

Svatog, Gladrash, and Gunch
, Gukumat went on,
your requests are already known to the Emperor.
 
Tunku:
 
you do not wish your request to be known unless you win.
 
As for you other three, His Highness the Emperor will now hear your supplications.
 
Fifth gladiator, what is your boon?

The Sloat gave a great shudder.
 
Rearing up on its hind legs once more, its disgusting brown jaws hinged open, it unspeakable poison-tipped mandibles mashing together as it ground out a single word:
 
"FLESH."

A thrill shook through the crowd.

Inanna Twelve Swords, state your request
.
 
Briefly,
please
, the voice added as Inanna strode forward, her great black-leather-clad torso bulging as she took a deep breath before she spoke.

"Demons of Hell," she shouted, "I have waited a long time for my chance in this ring, and this is the favor that I ask.
 
I come from a far corner of the Demon Empire, a world called Bethesda.
 
We are a peaceful people.
 
A hardworking people.
 
But the tithes and taxes we have been forced to pay lately are more than we can bear.
 
Now, I'm going to give you," she went on, raking the other gladiators with a piercing glare, "a display of fighting you have never seen. And in return, I ask only that the Emperor and his Overminister relax the
grossly
 
unfair—"

Thank you, sixth gladiator.

"—and cruel demands they have—"

Thank you, sixth gladiator
, the voice repeated, losing patience.

"—seen fit to inflict of a planet that never did them any harm!"

That will be all!

"MY PEOPLE ARE STARVING!" boomed Inanna in a voice that echoed round the great stadium even despite the booing and jeering of the crowd.
 
"ALL I WANT IS THAT YOU PUT RIGHT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"

Sixth gladiator
, said the voice.

He sand of the arena floor went dark around Inanna as Lord Slint settled, gently, in the air just over her head.
 
Big as she was, Inanna would go down the great shark's gullet in not much more than a single mouthful.
 
Looking up, she fell silent and her face turned grim.

You will hold your peace, or the consequences will be swift and painful
, Gukumat told her, in a voice that only she could hear.
 
Inanna scowled for a moment, then nodded curtly.

Seventh gladiator, you may speak
, said Gukumat, in his announcer's voice again.

All eyes in the ring turned to Esme.

Esme just stood there at first, staring up at the royal box.

Speak
, Gukumat repeated.
 
The Emperor is listening.

Never taking her eyes off the distant bulk of the royal box, Esme took a step forward.
 
She pulled back her hood, opened her mouth, and, in a quiet voice that everyone there heard quite distinctly, said, "It doesn't have to be this way."

In the royal box, the Emperor smiled.
 
The he got out of his seat.

Sire
, Gukumat muttered,
keep back from the window.
 
Its not safe!

But the Emperor had already brushed the Overminister aside.
 
He walked straight up to the great sandy sill and spread out his hands on it luxuriously.
 
He leaned out into the open air and replied, "Oh yes?
 
And why is that?"

Now the silence in the arena was intense.
 
To the absolute and certain knowledge of every demon there present, the Emperor had never answered a gladiator directly in this way.
 
Never.

"You could just give me what I want," said Esme.

"Which is what again?
 
Remind me."

"The Scourge," said Esme, the steel in her voice sending a cold chill down Charlie's back.
 
"Let me fight the Scourge."

A buzz of fevered speculation spread round the audience, quelling itself quickly when the Emperor opened his mouth to answer.

"I
shall
let you fight the Scourge," he said grandly, "If you win."

"I have no quarrel with you or these others here," said Esme, casting a glance around the ring at the six other gladiators.
 
The Sloat rippled its legs listlessly, but the other, more experienced fighters did not react.
 
"But for them, and for you, this is the last chance.
 
Give me the Scourge."

In the rows around the royal box, a bit of guffawing and tittering broke out among the more aristocratic demons.

"I told you," said the Emperor, pretending to be surprised.
 
"
If
you win."

"Then everyone in this ring," said Esme simply, "is going to die."

For a moment, there was shocked silence.

Then, suddenly, the whole arena was laughing.
 
Svatog even joined in, the great foghorn grunts of his glee bouncing off the great black walls and echoing round the pit.

Esme's expression didn't change in the slightest — and the Emperor, despite himself, found his own smile beginning to fade.

"We'll see."
 
He spun on his heel and went back to his royal seat.
 
"She has courage, I'll give her that," he said, frowning as he settled himself.
 
"Gukumat, I grow weary of preliminaries.
 
Let's get this under way."

With pleasure, Your Magnificence
, Gukumat replied with a bow.

GLADIATORS,
his voice boomed in the heads of everyone present
, TAKE YOUR POSITIONS!

Every demon in the audience began to stamp the ground in time.
 
The rhythm was slow, unhurried, and merciless at first.

Crash.
 
Crash.
 
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!

Crash.
 
Crash.
 
CRASH-CRASH-CRASH!

But it quickly got louder and faster, reaching an ecstasy of noise and thunder, and now, suddenly, the whole crowd was up for it, ready for the blood, ready for the carnage, ready to scream and howl and roar their guts out at the terrible battle that was about to take place on the shining white sand of the arena floor below.
 
The noise of the crowd was like a solid thing, pressing on Jack until he was dizzy with it.

And
, said Gukumat, pausing fractionally.

BEGIN!

THE FIGHT

As soon as the command was given, the cheering died away to an excited murmur.

Esme unstrapped the pigeon sword from her back:
 
now she held it by her hip, in her left hand, her fingers loosely encircling the top of the dark wooden scabbard.
 
She let her right hand fall easily to her side again:
 
she bounced a couple of jogging steps on the spot, to ease a little of the tension in her legs — then she was ready.

Ninety-nine times out of a hundred,
Raymond had always told her,
a fight'll be decided in the first few seconds.

Esme glanced round the ring.
 
Her attention was caught by Ianna, the tall blue woman:
 
for a moment, they looked at each other — then Esme let her eyes flick onward as she waited to see which of her opponents was going to make the first move.

It didn't take much longer to find out.

To the delight of the crowd, Svatog the Canceler — standing some twelve yards off to Esme's right — was the first to lose his patience.
 
With a heave of his arms, he lifted both his feet off the ground and
slammed
 
them down, hard enough to make the earth tremble under Esme's trainers.
 
Turning toward Esme and flinging his arms wide (the gleaming steel claws sprang out to either side), he pushed out his great black chest—