Empire of Sand

The guards woke us before dawn. We stumbled into the pod, bleary-eyed and disheveled, clad in a fresh pair of black tunics issued by His Highness. It was more pleasing to the spectators if we battled in noble garb, and not the rags we’d arrived in. No one wanted to acknowledge the desperation of the contestants or their humble origins. The Trials were a sporting affair, a celebration of the Emperor and his standing.

Banshee was nowhere in sight. The ten of us scanned our surroundings, fearing his attack. Tessie trembled beside me, holding her head high despite it. I’d decided that, second to myself, I wanted her to win the last match.

“Congratulations,” a somber man announced. He stood in the center of the pod, his thin figure dripping in heavy velvet robes. His head was shaven clean, and his face was scarred from brow to chin. He wore a patch on his left eye.

“I’m Master Givvens,” he said. My stomach contorted at the familiar name. Givvens was the name of the frail old man with the false coins.

“But my friends call me Replica.”

Ian swayed on his feet beside me. His color had returned, but I’d heard him retching outside the bunks hours before. To my right, Roweena smiled at the man with the scarred face, feigning her innocence. If anyone reported what she’d done to Ian last night, she would be discharged.

The group released a collective gasp as the cloaked man became two identical versions of himself. They stood side by side, their movements in perfect sync. Then a third appeared, identical to the first two. Only his movements were opposite. When Replica raised his hands, the second did so. The third swept his hands low, mimicking the waves of a flowing river. A fourth appeared, performing movements unlike the others, and soon our heads were turning in confusion while our eyes danced from one man to the next.

“I can replicate myself,” Givvens said. “Hence, the nickname. Imagine fighting one man, only to discover that he is eight,” he said with a smirk. He extended his hands, recalling the duplicates one by one.

“Can any of you do that?” he challenged.

“I can do something similar,” one boy called. I craned my head to peer at the small young man with shaggy red hair and freckles across his fair skin.

“What do they call you?” Master Givvens asked in his silky voice.

“Edmond, sir.”

“Lovely to meet you, Edmond. Let’s see what you do.”

Edmond stepped into the pod and faced the rest of us. Though the Trials only permitted those old enough to marry, this boy appeared to be all of thirteen. I wondered if he’d lied about his age, or if he was just small. Edmond blinked and his eyes bulged, giving his face an unnatural, ghastly appeal. The girls squealed with revulsion and Edmond’s teeth elongated into sharp fangs. He squatted low, and his skin shimmered with fresh scales. I gasped as something moved beneath his skin, contorting his back. From where we stood, it appeared that Edmond had a beast inside of him.

Roweena cried out in surprise as a second being erupted from the first, splitting Edmond’s back with a heart-rending sound. Edmond seemed unfazed and waited as the creature climbed out and crouched beside him. The creature was identical to its host, with bulging eyes and scales across its grotesque body.

“They called me Chameleon back home,” he rasped. “I am two creatures in one.”

Tessie snickered behind her hand, earning a sharp glance from Master Givvens.

“Well done, Edmond. You may return to your ranks now.”

Edmond’s eyes sank back into their orbits. His skin grew smoother as the second creature scurried back into the torn places of his back, retreating beneath the bones there. The skin mended as we watched, fascinated and silent. When the transition was complete, Edmond stood and dusted himself off, returning to his place in the line of contestants.

“Rather than waste time on show and tell, I think it is best to begin with smaller matches. Everyone pair with the person on your right. That will be your sparring partner for today. You two,” Givvens said, pointing at the first two in line,

“-center of the pod, please.”

Roweena and a boy named Jack took their positions in the pod opposite each other.

“When I give the word, you two may begin. No lethal force. No injuries with lasting effects. You stop when I give the word. Now—fight!”

Roweena’s eyes turned red, and her hair vanished. She parted her lips and hissed at Jack as she hunched low and encircled him. Jack raised his hands high and rotated his fingers, conjuring something I couldn’t see. The clouds shifted, mirroring his hands, and I clutched Tessie’s arm as we looked up in astonishment. The white clouds turned an angry gray and drew closer to where we stood. Water fell in a deluge, drenching us all and causing the sand to pool in muddy puddles at our feet. Jack swept his hands again, drawing thousands of droplets up in a lovely arc and sending them toward Roweena. She hissed and spat a red liquid resembling blood. Jack used his water to absorb Roweena’s poison. She growled and doubled her efforts as Jack calmly manipulated the water.

Roweena charged him, releasing the same red mist she’d used on Ian, who trembled where he stood. His color was poor, and he perspired, as though standing was a great effort. I wondered if Master Givvens would send him to the medical wing if I explained the situation. It was clear Ian was unwell.

Jack spun and dropped to a knee, hands still extended, and just as the mist dispersed where he knelt, Jack’s body dissolved into a great splash of water. Master Givvens applauded, much to Roweena’s consternation. Jack had bested her in front of everyone, a transgression she would not forgive. She screamed in frustration as Jack’s body materialized from the rain behind her. Acting quickly, he churned the water in a furious cyclone, encasing the venomous Roweena in a great wall of rain.

“Cease!” Givvens called.

Roweena cursed and Jack’s water fell abruptly. The pod was silent and wet. Roweena’s golden hair returned, and her eyes resumed their blue irises. Jack’s dark hair was plastered to his face, and his gray eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun.

“Very well done, Jack,” Givvens announced. “Excellent use of your elements. Roweena, I recommend you train yourself to act with intent rather than pride and anger. Your emotions can cause your downfall,” he chided.

Roweena’s nostrils flared as she accepted the criticism and returned to her place in line.

“Next up, Eduardo and Millicent.”

Tessie and I exchanged knowing stares. Being the last two people in line gave us the advantage of knowing what we were up against.

_#_

They served meals in a banquet hall on the east side of the training grounds. The Emperor fed his soldiers three meals a day. Most of us were accustomed to eating once or twice if the harvest was good. Tessie and I hunched over steaming plates of potatoes and pheasant with pickled beets that tasted awful. We ate them, anyway. Jack slid in next to Tessie and started the conversation. Silent servants refreshed our drinks as Tessie’s eyes trailed after them. It felt strange having someone tend to me. It was a wonder the Emperor did any task for himself.

“Is this seat taken?”

I froze with a spoonful of beets in my mouth. That voice, I recognized it. William stood behind me, his eyes alight with mischief and his hand holding a tray.

I nodded and slid to my left, closing the gap between Tessie and me. William slid in and smirked.

“How in the name of god’s green earth did you get in here?” I hissed.

William stretched his legs out under the table and shoveled a spoon full of the beets into his mouth. He grimaced and chewed, fighting the urge to spit out the pickled vegetable. He swallowed.

“I registered my name in the Trials,” he said.

Tessie looked at me askance and craned her head to assess my new companion.

“Ash, who is this good-looking friend of yours?” she teased.

William swiped his hand across his face, removing the glob of mashed potatoes from his chin. He shot her a winsome smile, ignoring the gravy that dripped down his chin.

“Ash, how terribly rude of you not to introduce me to this dazzling creature!”

I groaned and rolled my eyes as William extended his hand past me. Tessie giggled and accepted his grip. I held my breath as he leaned over me to plant a delicate kiss on Tessie’s scarred knuckles. I could tell he noticed them just as I did, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

“This is Tessie. Tessie, this shameless creature is William. We met on the road to Tristan.”

“I rescued her from a band of highwaymen.” He winked.

“You charged in and almost got yourself killed,” I corrected.

“Tessie, your friend is very prideful,” he commented, earning another coy giggle from my friend. I’d never seen Tessie so smitten before. It was almost unsavory.

“Ash, you recall what master Givvens said about pride, don’t you?”

I gaped at Tessie, who snickered. William shot me a meaningful look.

“What were you thinking, registering to fight?” I hissed at William. “Whatever happened to finding your cousin?”

William’s face grew thoughtful as he pushed the potatoes around his plate.

“I’m not sure that’s possible, Ash. I fear I’ve got to find myself before I go searching for anyone else.”

“That is so insightful!” Tessie squealed.

“You can’t be serious,” I chided. “William, do you realize what you’re risking?”

“I understand very well what I risk, little sand devil.”

I swatted him.

“Never call me that.”

He rubbed his arm.

“Sorry. By the way, I found your horse. She’s with mine in a paid stable. I’m sure you didn’t want her to get stolen.”

Guilt swallowed me up. I’d looked in on Birdie several times since our arrival in Tristan, bringing her food and seeing to her needs, but the public stables weren’t the best place for a horse like Birdie, who was accustomed to having her own space in the quiet countryside. William’s generosity was overwhelming. Paid stables were cleaner, and the horses better tended to.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

“You’re welcome. Now, what were you saying?”

“William, you aren’t an elemental,” I told him. “Everyone here has an extra ability. No matter your skill with the sword, you’ll only end up dead!”

“Perhaps, but I owe it to the empire to submit my name to the Trials.”

“Foolish talk. How did you ever convince the guards to let you compete? They only permit elementals. Or is the Emperor’s bloodlust so blatant that he’s allowing anyone to risk their lives for his entertainment?”

A shadow fell over William’s eyes before he straightened and smiled.

“I told them I’ve superhuman strength and that steel melts in my grip,” he whispered.

“You’re a dead man if you continue this charade,” I warned.

“I may surprise you,” he said.

“I hope so, for your sake.”