A Woman's World Page 9

  Baya heard the sound of more stone grinding. She spun back around to investigate the source of the noise. A large rock slab slid upward in the far wall.

  Out of the darkness emerged something that looked like it had come straight out of Ameris’s scrolls. First she saw a long scaly snout with a mouth full of sharp teeth — teeth that were longer than Baya’s fingers. Four black eyes were intently focused on her. Each side of its face contained two eyes, one right above the other. The eyes blinked at different times as they adjusted to the light. The beast’s head gave way to a thick mane of feathers around its neck. Baya took a step back.

  “Be very careful to stay inside the circle,” Shema warned. “Exiting the circle is an automatic failure.”

  Baya had completely forgotten about the circle that had been drawn around her feet. She had to flail her arms to keep her balance and remain inside the circle.

  She could have reminded me of that sooner, Baya thought.

  The creature slowly, almost lazily, headed toward her. The large stone door slid shut behind it.

  Now Baya could see the entire monster. It stood at least twice her height. Small scales covered its thick muscular body, save the neck, which was adorned with brightly colored feathers. Both the scales and the feathers changed hues as the beast moved. The firelight caused an array of pinks and oranges, blues and purples to flash with each step the monster took. The colorful beast was in stark contrast to the drab golden-brown stone walls of the arena.

  Its powerful hind leg was meant for leaping and bounding forward. Most likely to help it catch its prey … wait! Baya was its prey. This thought snapped Baya from her previous state in which she had been completely enamored by the lovely creature. She had seen drawings of animals that resembled this beast but the scrolls were not in color. They didn’t depict its true magnificence.

  A rainbow of light shimmered from its powerful and graceful body. Its clawed feet fluffed up dirt as it made a wide circle, never taking its many eyes off Baya. The two front paws were slightly smaller than the one large back foot.

  A whip-like tail slashed through the air. The sharp point on the tip looked like it could slice through flesh and bone as if they were little more than water.

  If these creatures ever had a name, or at least a category like birds or fish, it had long since been lost. The scrolls referred to all predatory animals only as beasts. They had fish, birds and insects on the island but that was it. Baya had no idea that one of the beasts from the past remained on this island, albeit in captivity.

  Baya shivered but held her ground and held the beast’s stare as it made its way closer.

  Shema must have to remove the circle at some point. Right? Or did she have to stand here and let the beast eat her?

  Baya thought she heard it try to tell her something. But the high council raised their arms toward the domed ceiling and began to chant again. This distracted both Baya and the beast. The earth shook and Baya struggled to stay on her feet. The sound of loud cracking and snapping assaulted her ears.

  Now what? she thought.

  Chapter 20

  A stone wall jetted out of the ground in front of Baya, flinging dirt through the air. Baya’s teeth chattered and her vision blurred as the earth rattled. When the noise and shaking stopped, Baya looked at her feet. Shema’s magic circle was gone.

  Thank the Goddess! She was free to move. She peeked around the new wall in front of her. The arena floor had been transformed, it was no longer empty. There were stone structures scattered about. They ranged from short to tall and consisted of all sorts of different shapes.

  Baya searched for the beast but couldn’t see or hear him.

  What do I do now? I can’t just wait here — where the beast last saw me. He’s most likely making his way toward me.

  She darted for the nearest wall. With her back against the stone she slowly moved to look around the next corner. Nothing. Again she ran. She looked around the next wall and heard a crack as small pieces of stone rained down on her. The creature had sneaked up on her from the other side. He flung his long tail around getting ready to strike again.

  In case Baya had any doubts before, this confirmed that the beast did indeed want to hurt her. It was time to disappear. She closed her eyes and focused on blending into the wall. She ran around the stone structure as the tail hit the wall where she had been.

  The beast looked from side to side, searching for his prey that had vanished. Baya pressed herself against another wall. Glancing down she could only make out the vague outline of her body. She blended in perfectly with the stone around her.

  She watched from around the corner as the beast sniffed the air. A curse escaped Baya’s lips. It would still be able to find her with that long scaly snout. She bolted for the next rock wall, then watched him smell his way toward her.

  Baya preferred to keep him in sight, but she had to keep moving. Speeding around the next wall, she came face to face with the beast, as he had bounded around the other side and caught her off guard. With one mighty leap his nose was close, pressing Baya against the wall. His mouth opened and the horrible stench of its breath washed over Baya. She watched saliva drip from its long yellow teeth. Her nightmare had come to life.

  She opened her palms and released as much smoke as she could. The beast howled in protest and snorted. It rubbed its nose in the dirt to try to get the smoke out. Baya ran.

  Maybe she could use some of the smaller stones as steps to get up higher where the beast couldn’t reach her. This test must be like the first, in that she had to survive for an allotted amount of time. She prayed it wasn’t three hours, like the first test. These trials were designed to test their endurance to the fullest. She needed to conserve as much energy as possible. There must be someplace where he couldn’t get her — where she could rest.

  Baya leapt up a couple of smaller stone walls as fast as she could; all the while, focusing on blending into her surroundings as much as possible. As she climbed higher, her pace slowed and each step was deliberate. It was a long way to the ground on either side.

  The beast sniffed around until he caught her scent again.

  He can’t see me but he can still find me, Baya thought. At least it takes him longer when I’m up high.

  The beast pointed his nose upward and inhaled deeply. Soon he was not far from her.

  Baya hesitated when she reached the end of the wall. She was unsure if she could make the jump to the top of the next wall. She would have to land perfectly as the walls were only about as wide as her feet.

  The beast could smell that he was getting close. His tail flicked wildly in all directions, in the hope of accidentally finding her.

  He will kill me with that damn tail, she thought, as she leapt with all her might. Her feet barely missed the wall. She caught the wall with her arms draping over the top. Her body slammed into the stone. Lifting herself with her arms, she scrambled to the top. The beast must have heard her struggle and guessed her location, because Baya felt a sharp pain in her upper arm where the tail found its mark.

  A painfilled scream escaped from her lips before she could stop it. She thought she heard her mother call her name. Yet, there was no time to think about that, as the force of the blow knocked her off balance and she was falling from the wall. She grabbed for the edge with her fingers, which barely latched on to keep her from falling to the floor. Her injured arm felt as if it were on fire.

  Baya tried to pull herself back up on the wall but pain shot through her arm and it gave way, losing its grip. The hand on her good arm slid, her fingers could hardly hold her full weight. Stifling a scream, she forced her injured arm to grasp the wall again. Her feet slid against the wall when she tried to use them to crawl to the top.

  She couldn’t get any traction and she couldn’t hold on for much longer. Her hands ached with the effort it took to keep herself from falling. She strained to look down. A fall from this height would at least break a leg. Then she couldn’t escape the beast.<
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  Frantically she glanced to either side. No beast in sight. Not far off was an outcropping in the wall. She slowly inched her hands along the ledge moving herself toward the step. With each inch she advanced, the pain in her arm flared and each flare burned more than the last. She bit her lip to keep from screaming. Sweat trickled down her spine.

  As she reached the step, she heard the sound of large feet pounding toward her — growing louder and louder as they approached.

  Thankfully she had been able to keep herself invisible. But the beast must’ve had an idea of where she was, even though it didn’t know her exact location. It bound toward the wall where Baya hung. With all its power it slammed its front paws into the wall straining with his muscular back leg.

  Loud cracking sounds befell her ears as the wall gave way. Baya had no choice but to ride the wall to the ground. Her body slammed into it as it toppled to the arena floor with her on top of it. All the air was ripped from her lungs at the impact. This caused her to materialize before the beast.

  Before she could force air back into her chest, the monster was upon her.

  Chapter 21

  Baya gasped for air. The beast stared down at her with a mighty paw on either side of Baya. She saw something in the monster’s eyes — a hint of intelligence. She wanted to try to communicate with him. She had no idea if she could but she wanted to try. It was difficult to decide which one of the four eyes to focus on.

  “Make yourself blend in!” Baya heard someone scream, her mother probably.

  Baya ignored the advice. The beast’s hot breath brushed over her.

  Just pick an eye and do it quickly before he mauls you to death, an impatient voice in her head warned.

  “What do you want?” Baya asked the beast. She looked deep into one of its eyes.

  The four dark eyes blinked at different times and the beast withdrew. Baya’s arm throbbed as she slowly got to her feet.

  “What do you want?” she asked again.

  “What, in the name of Ameris, is she doing?” one of the priestesses said.

  The beast blinked again and cocked its large head to the side.

  A slight smile crossed Baya’s lips. It was almost cute when it did that.

  How can it be? I thought humans couldn’t talk. A deep and unintelligent-sounding voice came into Baya’s head.

  “We can read the minds of simple creatures —”

  A growl came from deep inside the beast and it lunged for Baya.

  She held up her hands. “Please. Wait! I’m sorry.”

  The beast paused only inches from her. Are you calling me simple? It snorted.

  She looked intently at him. “I mean, we can read animals minds. I didn’t mean to insult you.” She couldn’t believe she was trying to reason with a beast. “What is it that you want?”

  What do you mean? What do I want? The voice roared in Baya’s mind. He had clearly never been asked this question before.

  “Are you lonely? Is it a companion that you seek?”

  No. His deep voice boomed, causing Baya to jump. I’m not alone. There are others like me.

  “There are more of you?” Baya asked.

  He snorted a yes.

  Oh no, Baya thought. He already had companions. This may have been a terrible idea. What if she couldn’t offer him anything that would help her to get out of this … alive? Maybe the only thing he wanted was to eat her.

  “Is there … something I can do for you. Something that you would like more than … chasing after me?” Or eating me for your mid-day meal?

  It’s very boring in this place. Chasing humans is the only fun I get. And I don’t get it often. The deep voice replied.

  “You’re bored being penned up all the time?”

  It’s bad. At least they let us out sometimes. But mostly it’s just … boring.

  “So you’re tired of being locked up all the time?”

  The beast flicked its tail and began to pace.

  Perhaps this conversation was boring him. Think Baya! “Okay maybe we can work something out. You want to chase something?”

  Yes! Yes I do. The beast’s four dark eyes lit up.

  “Alright.” Baya looked around. She reached for a piece of broken stone from the fallen wall next to her.

  The beast bared its teeth and a terrifying growl echoed through the coliseum.

  “I’m not going to throw this at you. Please … trust me.”

  She held the stone up and waved it back and forth. The beast followed it intently with all four eyes. She tossed it as far away as she could. The keen senses of the beast followed the movement with precision and he leapt into action. Its powerful back leg propelled him through the air many times faster than Baya could run. In no time he brought the rock back and dropped it at Baya’s feet.

  Chase. Again. The beast’s deep voice came into Baya’s head.

  She tossed the saliva covered rock. When the beast bounded after it, Baya ventured to look up at some of the priestesses. They watched in open-mouthed disbelief.

  The beast retrieved the stone and Baya tossed it as far as she could in a different direction. She tried to trick him but his keen eyes couldn’t be fooled.

  “This is not right.” One of the priestesses protested. Baya thought it was May, Fay’s mother. “She can’t do that!”

  Shema smiled. “Why not? The rules are clear. She simply has to survive in the arena with the monster. And it appears that she’s doing a fine job.”

  With Baya’s next throw the rock landed high up on one of the walls.

  Oh, no. Will it upset him if he can’t get it? Baya thought.

  The beast paced at the base of the wall that held the stone — his stone. With a hard, sweeping flick of its tail, he hit his mark. The rock flew through the air. The beast’s hind leg sent him straight up after it. He caught the rock in his mouth and landed gracefully.

  Baya laughed. “That’s amazing!”

  The beast strutted toward her with obvious pride.

  Baya laughed again as he dropped the rock at her feet. “I guess I will have to try harder to challenge you.”

  When the beast was finally tired, he lay down panting at Baya’s feet. She was relieved. Her one good arm ached from throwing the rock so many times.

  Cautiously, she ventured to run her hand across the beast’s feathery neck. “Your feathers are lovely,” Baya said.

  Why thank you. The beast let out a low throaty chatter of pleasure. So Baya continued to run her hands through his feathers.

  “You would blend in perfectly with the flowers in the garden.” It seemed that once the connection had been made between her and the animal, she didn’t have to be looking in his eyes to communicate with him. She also didn’t have to speak out loud. He knew her thoughts and she knew his. It was from habit that Baya spoke out loud to him.

  What’s a … garden?

  Baya’s heart grew heavy.

  Why did my question make you sad? The beast asked.

  “You can sense my feelings?”

  Ahh … I guess so. Before you were scared and then curious and now sad. Why?

  Baya was surprised at this accurate description of her feelings since she had entered the arena. The creature was rather perceptive. “It’s just that you belong in the wild — in wide-open spaces, where you can run and …”

  Sounds lovely. He purred. You take me there?

  Baya shook her head in dismay. “I’m afraid not. Unless … I become Unawi then … maybe —”

  Smoke from the priestesses began to fill the arena and the stone door on the far wall ground its way open once again.

  The beast got to his feet. Then become this Una-whatever and set me free.

  The beast knew his time was up. He also knew that there was no use in fighting. The powerful priestesses would force him back into his cage. He slowly lumbered toward the door from where he had come.

  “Wait. Do you have a name?” Baya asked.

  Mook.

  “It was nic
e to meet you, Mook.” Baya waved goodbye as smoke surrounded her. It didn’t bother her. She could protect herself from it. That was why it didn’t bother her when she released it. Women were immune to it — but not animals or men.

  He gave her a piercing stare and a slight nod as the stone wall slid shut.

  The priestesses gathered around Baya.

  “What happened?”

  “That was remarkable.”

  “I’ve never seen the like.”

  These were some of the comments that rang in Baya’s ears. Her mother had never looked more proud.

  One of the priestesses tended to Baya’s wounded arm — Baya winced when the woman touched it. She looked down to find a long swollen red welt across her upper arm. She hadn’t ventured to examine it prior to this.

  “How many of them do you have in captivity?” asked Baya.

  “Currently we have four,” Shema said. “We use the males in the arena and the females produce a steady line of them.”

  “We won’t be able to use that one again. He’s clearly too tame.” May stood with her arms across her chest.

  “Well he wasn’t tame for Fay,” Aga retorted.

  “No. Fay had to use her skills. Not just play with it,” May said.

  “That’s enough ladies,” Shema said. “Baya demonstrated her powers.” Then to Baya she added, “That was impressive. Well done.”

  Baya bowed slightly and Fay’s mother stormed off.

  For the first time it dawned on Baya why the leader was forbidden to have children. Aga and May couldn’t see the truth when it came to their daughters. Their love blinded them. Not having children of her own helped to keep the ruler objective.

  Baya, like Shema, shouldn’t question Ameris’s laws. They simply were facts — the way things had been for a millennium. It was comforting to realize that they did serve a purpose; there was a good reason why the Unawi had to drink her morning brew that kept her childless — so she could more easily see the truth and be a fair and just ruler.