#apadia

Eryn crouched, waiting in the highest boughs of the tree line.  He’d been seen here for the passed three nights, stumbling around in a blind rage, but Eryn wasn’t especially hopeful.  Once the rain started and the thunder picked up, Eryn became more concerned this minotaur wouldn’t show.  Eryn thought for a moment, cataloging her options as rain struck her face.  

The bounty on this enemy was big; bigger than other bounties she’d faced before.  He was supposed to be wild, rabid.  It was a stupid risk for her to even try and take on a minotaur.  But the bounty was too fantastic and she needed the money.  Imperial Gold went a lot farther than back alley trades and the hope of returned favors.  At least the storm would put them at an even playing field, the lightning ruining any dark vision that the beast might have. 

Eryn closed her eyes and listened, a deep grunting coming from the forest floor.  The minotaur came through, dragging a large tree branch behind him.  The signature, single horn was there as well, marking the monster clearly.  With a flash of lightning, Eryn could make out all the figures in the silhouette and confirmed her target.  Without hesitation, she fired an arrow.  

The point struck the minotaur’s shoulder hard, making him rear and bellow.  He turned quickly and caught Eryn’s form in a flash of lightning.  The minotaur snarled and dropped his tree branch.  Eryn struggled to reload her bow before the monster’s forehead collided with the trunk.  Knocked off balance, Eryn struggled to keep her grip before falling from the tree and landing on the minotaur’s shoulders.  

Without thinking, Eryn wrapped her bow around the creature’s neck.  The minotaur bucked and reared, trying to bring Eryn off his shoulders.  Rushing through the woods, Eryn used her bow to steer the goliath beast, leading him directly into a large stone sticking out of the ground.  With a boom like a crack of thunder, Eryn jumped from the minotaur’s back as he collided with the stone.  

The monster shook his head a little and collapsed on his back.  Eryn rushed over and shifted her bow to his throat.  The string was snapped, but the blade still had a nasty bite that would end this quickly.  

“Do it.”

The words startled Eryn.  She’d never heard a minotaur speak before.  

“Finish what you started,” the minotaur grunted.  “I’m in no mood to live anymore.”

“No mood to live?”  Eryn asked.  “That’s a stupid reason to kill you.”

“I have nothing left...” The minotaur grunted, rubbing the back of his arm against his jaw.  The storm grumbled again, a little calmer.  

“What’s your name?”  Eryn asked, taking her bow off his neck.  

“I’m a Brokenhorn.  I have no name anymore more.”

“Well, then what do I call you?”  Eryn asked, standing.  The minotaur stood, a little uneven and shaky, but no longer enraged.  He looked upset, not wild.  Drunk to be sure, but Eryn had made deals with people in much worse shape.

“Brell.  That’s what I used to be called.”

“Brell,” Eryn nodded, holding out her hand for him to shake.  “I won’t take your life.  Not tonight.  But I can’t leave you walking around either.  So, what can we do about this?”

“You earned your kill,” Brell snarled, grabbing Eryn’s wrist and putting the knife to his throat.  “Do it!”

“Pull yourself together,” Eryn snapped, smacking the minotaur across the face.  “I don’t like killing anything smarter than a cat.”

“Either you kill me or I owe you my life.”

“You owe me nothing,” Eryn sighed.  “But if it keeps you out of trouble, I’ll let you work with me.”

“Work with you?”

“Is this you?”  Jane asked, holding out the newspaper.  Christian looked the page over and made an uncomfortable face.  

“I wish they’d used a better picture, at least.”

“You flew in the Valkyrie Games?”  Jane almost shouted, dropping into the chair in front of Christian.  Some of the diner patrons shifted, but remained mostly engrossed in their own food.

“I competed when I was back on the other coast,” Christian explained, pushing the paper aside and going back to eating his eggs.  “But I haven’t since I moved.”

“You’re...you’re Christian Slain!  You unsaddled eighty-six—“

“Eighty-seven.”

“—Men from their horses in the games!  We followed you in the papers and even went to see the games one year!  I watched you dismount from your mount and jump fifty feet left so you could unsaddle another man and then you were jumping between the two horses for the rest of the fight!”

“That wasn’t as glamorous as you make it sound.”

“Why’d you quit?  You were amazing!”  

“I wasn’t amazing.  I wasn’t great.  I was lucky for a long time.  I broke a lot of bones, but always healed up.”

“Why’d you stop flying?”

“Gladiators aren’t known for long life-spans.  I found that there was more to life than a damn game.”

“It’s not just a game though—“

“Oh, of course,” Christian shook his head.  “It’s tradition, right?  Or...our heritage?”

“Well, sure, I mean...it’s honoring our old religion.”

“You know they used to slaughter fifteen cows before the start of the race.  Riders also went naked.  There was a tradition where they slept in the same stall as their winged-horse for six months before the races, so that the riders were really one.  They used to have the winged-horses win a race once and it was dishonorable to have them do any labor after they had succeeded in the games.  We don’t do that anymore, you know why?  Cause it’s not really about tradition or the hedonistic religion we claim to be honoring.  It’s about the game still, but the game is about the blood.  People pretend to be civilized all year and save their savagery for the games.  It’s not about tradition or heritage.  It’s about a chance to shed blood in a way the society won’t hang you for it.”  

Jane was quiet for a minute, folding her hands over the newspaper.  She hadn’t considered his reaction to be like this, she assumed that Christian Slain wanted to be remembered as a hero of the games, but he seemed to be in a worse mood than when Jane found him.  

“Then help change it...”

“Change what?”

“The Valkyrie Games,” Jane said.  “I want to enter.”

Christian laughed, biting into a piece of toast.  “That’s a great idea.  Why jump from the cliff when a winged-horse will get you so much higher?”

“The prize money—“

“If you were really interested in change, you wouldn’t fly for the money.”

“It could be enough to make some change around here.  This town is in shambles and that prize money could do some good!  A new roof for the church, replace the rotting piers, pay for some actual feed for the animals.”

“They’ll never let you fly...”

“They will if you teach me.”Christian let out a long breath, a deep sigh that was trying to loosen the twist in his gut.  He thought for a minute considering this string bean of a girl.  She was small and light, not a problem in itself, but dangerous if she wanted to get in close contact.  She made Christian feel like she’d be unsaddled by a powerful wind.  

“You got a winged-horse?”

“No,” Jane shrugged.  “No one will seriously haggle with me for one.”

Christian rubbed his chin.  “I got one.  Sully.  He’s got a bit of a bit to him, but I reckon you don’t mind biting back.  He’ll be hard to train, but if you’re his first breaker, he’ll be loyal enough.”

“So you’ll teach me?”  Jane smiled.  

“On my terms,” Christian nodded.  “In my way.  If I say no, we stop and cut our losses.  Agreed?”