Prison Contests by E.Banks - HTML preview

ELEVEN

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An alarm suddenly sounded within the prisons. Many of the guards inside the prisons rushed outside with weapons to find out what was causing the intruder alarm to sound.

The first assumption that reached the guards was that the robot had broken down and electrified all the guards outside.

Marlo lay back on his prison bed, quietly contemplating as to how to escape the prisons. It was 303

clear that Kora had not survived the contests and neither had Dario. No news had been brought of any surviving contestants. One prisoner had told Marlo that news was always brought when a prisoner had survived the contest and set free.

It was lunchtime and the sound of the intruder alarm outside the prison gave Marlo a little hope.

Perhaps Risti had come up with a rescue plan. He quickly got up from his bed as an escort guard approached his prison room. It wasn’t long when Marlo had been ushered to the dining hall.

Another guard walked into the prison dining hall where Marlo sat with other prisoners eating his lunch.

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The guard mentioned something of a prison system crash. This meant some few other prisoners would have to join them for lunch in the dining hall. There weren’t many prisoners at the prison site that Marlo had been placed in.

Marlo continued to eat his lunch quietly when a surprise tap hit his shoulder. Marlo ignored the tap on his shoulder and continued to eat. There was a second surprise tap on the shoulder then a third. Marlo lifted his head up to see what or who had tapped him on the shoulder three times. To his even further surprise Marlo saw his father, Kristan and Karlos all seated at the table he was sitting at. All three men stared in 305

amusement at Marlo.

Marlo closed his eyes in disbelief. He hadn’t thought his father had survived the crash landing. In fact, Marlo had completely forgotten his family the moment he awoke on planet Mycene. He opened his eyes slowly and gazed into his Father’s eyes. It was for real, his father was alive. A tear rolled down Marlo’s right eye.

“Dad, you’re alive! I never even thought for a second since I got to this planet that there would be any other survivors besides myself, Kristan and Karlos,” Marlo whispered out. He was trying to be cautious so as to not to be heard by any of the prison 306

guards at the dining hall. Marlo’s father let out a slight chuckle.

“Well son, we all survived that crash landing.

However, the reason why we were captured was because most of us fell out of the jet just as it was about to land on the island. We were lucky to have survived the fall. Very lucky. The fall was only a short distance from where the jet finally crash landed at,” Marlo’s father explained while Karlos looked on eagerly at Marlo.

“I think it was at the very place where they fell that the Tyrants were roaming about at. Luckily the Tyrants did not pursue finding the jet, till later. I think 307

that’s when they finally caught us. Don’t worry about the guards Marlo. They're too worried about the prison system crashing to be bothered with us,”

Karlos muttered out reassuringly. Marlo looked on worriedly at his father.

“I know what you’re thinking son, just calm down. Your mother’s fine and so are your siblings.

There’s just one thing you must know. Cathy has turned into a real devil. I found out that her father died from natural causes but it tore her apart. She changed after that and has since joined Brutus in encouraging these secret prison contests. I don’t know why they hold these contests – perhaps for their 308

own light entertainment. We must come up with a plan to escape before your mother and others face the prison contests,” Marlo’s father said fearfully. Marlo shook his head in agreement to what his father told him and thought carefully as to how they could escape the contests.

A week went by and the prison system was still not working. Kristan, Karlos, Marlo and his father all slept in one prison room. Many of the other prisoners had been moved to the site in which Marlo had officially been placed at. A few robots had been placed back outside the prisons and within the prisons.

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It was clear that a new assumption had been resolved by the guards as to the system breakdown.

They had a new notion that something or someone had intentionally intruded the prison entrance, causing the sudden electrocuting of the other guards and the only robot guard to break down and collapse.

Marlo sat in his prison room and planned an escape with his father and his two good friends.

“It’s simple. We must find a way to control the robots to break down the prison walls. This way we can get everyone else out of here,” Marlo suggested.

It was drawing closer to nightfall and Marlo could not seem to close his eyes to sleep.

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There was a sudden sound of the unlocking of a prison room door. Marlo got up from his prison bed to find out what or who it was. To his dismay, a prison guard was standing right before the open prison door with a weapon. He told Marlo not to move an inch and that the prison system was up and running again. This meant that all prisoners could be detected again.

Some other guards moved towards Marlo, his father and his two close friends. They were all cuffed by the hands and feet and led out of the prison room towards a massive prison hall. Once they had reached inside the prison hall, Marlo’s heart began to beat 311

rapidly. One of the guards smiled at Marlo and looked at him distastefully.

“It is a new moon again. Another two prisoners must face the contest,” one of the guards notified while bursting into an unexpected fit of laughter.

A few more guards entered the massive prison hall with two other prisoners. To Marlo’s horror, his mother was one of the prisoners that had been brought in to face the death challenge. Marlo felt enraged that his very own mother had been picked to face the death challenge. He spat angrily at one of the guards standing nearby.

“You have no souls. She is my mother and the 312

only woman standing in this cruel, cold room!”

Marlo yelled out in anger towards the guards standing within the prison hall.

The guard standing near Marlo had a rather arrogant expression plastered on his face. He used a weapon he was holding to knock Marlo on the head.

Marlo fell to the ground in agony. His mother cried out in dismay and his father kneeled down to the ground to help him back on his feet.

Karlos was standing in silence in the room. He recognized one of the prisoners that had been brought into the room as his father. Karlos’s father winked at Karlos in silence. Karlos winked back at his father as 313

a sign that he was okay. One of the guards standing by Karlos grinned at Marlo.

“This is fun! His mother is standing right here, on the opposite side of the bottle. I know we’re not supposed to do this but let’s show some sympathy to the boy. Let his mother play the challenging game.

Let his mother spin that bottle!” The guard grinning helplessly at Marlo cried out viciously and cruelly.

Marlo turned to look at the guard that suggested a slight alteration to the rules of the death challenge.

After a few seconds, he decisively gazed deeply and hopefully into his mother’s weary eyes.

“It doesn’t really matter which way the bottle 314

faces because they are all going to die one day anyway. I can see she’s clearly right handed and her left hand already seems slightly injured. Remove the chains from the lady's left hand and allow her to choose her own son’s fate,” the guard who suggested the idea insisted coolly.

The other guards in the room seemed rather reluctant but went ahead to unchain Marlo’s mother’s left hand.

Marlo’s mother stepped towards the large table and grabbed the sparkling blue bottle that was shifted towards her by one of the guards. She lifted her right hand with tears rolling down both her eyes.

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“There is only one God. A God of love, justice, peace and freedom!” Marlo’s mother cried out. She continued to pray silently in her head until one of the guards hit her on the head in annoyance.

“You are wasting time, lady. Spin the bottle now or lose the chance to do so!” The guard yelled out impatiently.

Marlo’s mother quickly took a deep breath in and out. She placed the bottle horizontally on the table and spun it around with all her might with her left hand.

As the brilliant blue bottle began to spin rapidly, tears rolled down Marlo’s mother’s eyes. Each 316

prisoner in the room closed their eyes shut as the bottle continued to spin.

The moment the sound of the bottle spinning had stopped, each prisoner anxiously opened their eyes to see the result. Marlo’s mother was the first to let out a cry, followed by Marlo’s father and then Karlos’s father. Kristan remained silent within the massive prison hall.

The guards quickly grabbed hold of Marlo’s parents and Karlos’s father and hurriedly dragged them out of the massive prison hall. One guard made his way quickly towards Kristan. Kristan glanced determinably towards Marlo and Karlos.

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“Both your fathers are now my blood. I will never stop fighting for their freedom. Marlo, your mother is now my mother. I will fight for her freedom, there is only one God!” Kristan yelled out towards his two loyal friends as a guard dragged him away from the prison hall.

The sparkling bottle was facing Marlo and Karlos. They were both going to face the prison contests. Marlo swallowed hard on his own spit as he watched his parents, Karlos’s father and Kristan being dragged out of the prison hall. He turned to look at Karlos, trembling uncontrollably.

“I gave my whip to Kora. I don’t know how I’m 318

going to survive the contest,” Marlo whispered towards Karlos. Karlos remained silent for a while.

His heart was suddenly beating rapidly.

“Don’t worry, I still have mine. Just stick with me at all times,” Karlos replied reassuringly but fearfully. He was beginning to feel a bit panicky and afraid that they might not survive the contest ahead.

“I can’t breathe. I need some water. I need some air. Help, I need some air!” Karlos suddenly yelled out. One guard walked back into the prison halls and smiled dubiously at Karlos.

“Don’t worry, you will soon be outside to face the contests. Blindfold them!” the guard yelled out 319

towards another guard approaching the prison hall.

The guard pulled out some black bandages and trotted in a lazy fashion towards Marlo and Karlos.

After a few seconds the two friends had been blindfolded.

Marlo tried to pat Karlos on the back but found it impossible to reach Karlos’s back. He used the heel of his shoe to hit Karlos’s chained feet ensuring his friend was still by his side.

“Have no fear Karlos!” Marlo said viciously towards his close friend Karlos. Karlos let out a heavy sigh.

“I have no fear!” Karlos replied vengefully.

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After a few minutes Karlos and Marlo felt themselves being hauled into cages. There was a dead silence for a while and then to Marlo and Karlos’s surprise, they were suddenly pulled out of the cages and their blindfolds were removed.

Marlo turned his head to see who or what had removed his blindfold – it was a robot. Marlo then turned to see Karlos’s blindfold already removed. The two close friends turned their heads to see what was ahead – it was a field of fires. Marlo shook his head at Karlos. They both turned to see if they could escape the robot, but to their further disappointment there were even more robots standing behind them. The 321

robots were carrying some form of deadly ammunition, it seemed as if they were preparing to fire at them. Marlo and Karlos realized there would be no way really out for them.

“Oh heck, we’re going to have run!” Marlo cried out and quickly dashed off towards the field of fires.

Karlos rushed after Marlo and at that very point the robots began to fire at them.

“Have no fear!” Karlos yelled out. At that very instance Karlos and Marlo ducked away from the ammunition being fired at them. Karlos quickly tapped at the device hiding at a far corner of his right ear to unleash his virtually enhanced whip. He 322

quickly found a rather high tree not far from the field of fires.

“At the count of three you grab hold of my right leg!” Karlos yelled out towards Marlo as more ammunition was fired brutally at them. Marlo quickly ducked at that point before he was blown away by the heavy ammunition being fired at them.

Within a blink of an eye, Karlos had managed to attach the whip onto a rather long thick tree branch.

He quickly pulled himself towards the tree branch and as he did so, Marlo jumped as high as he could to grab hold of his friend’s right leg. Within seconds the two young men had managed to haul themselves up 323

the massive tree. The robots were still firing at them and Marlo knew they had to find other trees to jump to in order to escape the robotic attack.

Karlos came to the rescue again, he found another tree not too far from them to jump to. With great speed Marlo and Karlos had managed to swing onto another tree with the help of the advanced whip that they had on them. They were both panting and gasping for air by the time they had reached the next tree. Marlo shook his head in fear towards Karlos.

“I can see what looks like a quicksand way ahead of us. Let’s wait for the robots to quit firing at us –

then we can plan a different path to escape and 324

survive this wretched contest,” Marlo told Karlos hopefully.

The two friends sat on the tree, gasping for air helplessly. The sound of firing had suddenly stopped.

Then suddenly a roaring sound emerged from the very bottom of the tree that the two friends were resting on. Marlo looked at Karlos doubtfully. Then he peered down towards the bottom of the tree.

“Oh heck, no. The robots have transformed into cutters. They are actually trying to cut down not just the tree we’re on but the other trees!” Marlo exclaimed.

Karlos seemed slightly perplexed as to what 325

Marlo said and looked at his friend with a blank expression.

“That doesn’t make sense. Not unless they didn’t want to alert us by firing more ammunition. Let’s make a run for it! Quicksand or no quicksand, we are not going to be crushed to death!” Karlos cried out anxiously.

Without any hesitance, Marlo and Karlos quickly used their whip to climb down the tree which would soon collapse. The minute they had descended back to the ground, Marlo and Karlos run as fast as they could from the forceful and relentless robots. As they run, more ammunition was fired towards them.

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After a while, Marlo spotted a narrow ditch leading to another field. He quickly yelled out to Karlos to follow him. Karlos rushed after Marlo just as the heel of his left shoe suddenly caught fire.

Karlos quickly threw off his left shoe. He quickly got past the ditch with Marlo and reached another field safely.

“Who needs shoes, when you’re on the run for your life. I better throw my right shoe away as well.

The left one’s gone,” Karlos quickly said. Marlo shook his head and laughed.

“Yep. We are heading for quicksand. The best way of survival is if we took our shirts off and tied 327

them around our waists. I’m going to take my shoes off as well. I don’t think my shoes would last under quicksand. It is crucial we find a good tree to tie the whip to, so we won’t have any problems crossing the quicksand. You will have to go first. We can’t both go and end up sinking. Do you understand?” Marlo quickly replied and suggested. Karlos shook his head in agreement.

The two friends quickly dashed off towards a different pathway, after tying their shirts to their waists. It wasn’t long when they had both managed to cross the quicksand with the help of their whip fastened tightly to a tree not so far. They had now 328

reached a rather strange dead end with a small hut facing them. There was a note attached to the door of the hut. Marlo pulled the note from the hut door and struggled to read it.

“It says, congratulations no one has ever managed to surpass the first round – get ready for the second round. Oh boy!” Marlo read out aloud and sighed sadly. Karlos shook his head in anguish and annoyance.

“There is no satisfaction for the wicked and no rest for victims,” Karlos replied sadly.

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TWELVE

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It was clearly almost midnight and a massive celebration was being held a few miles away from the prisons at a rather extraordinary looking inn. There was dancing and merry drinking taking place within the violet lights glowing within the rather dark inn.

Alistair and Bethea sat in a corner laughing and drinking with a few Tyrants. They had already learnt a bit about the society that had been established 331

within the small island. Thanks to Alistair, the Tyrants had learnt how to create natural light from gravel, seashells and granite. It was awesome to the clueless Tyrants, that had no idea that Alistair had used one of the weapons that he had brought to empower the light beaming from the shells and stones within the merry inn.

The Tyrants were clearly very gullible people.

Whomever dressed and behaved like them was clearly a Tyrant. There were so many of them there, it was impossible for them to distinguish Bethea’s long blue hair from other female Tyrants.

Alistair looked on keenly at Bethea. The Tyrants 332

they were sitting with were clearly very drunk and about to pass out.

“When shall we visit the prisons?” Alistair questioned, clearly not impressed as to the people they had decided to blend in with. Bethea gazed back at Alistair and then towards a small litter basket at the inn.

Inside the basket was what appeared to resemble a cream rose. The rose-like object glistened a fiery red within the inn. Bethea quickly got up from her bench at the huge bar within the inn and walked towards the small litter basket.

Alistair watched out of curiosity as to the object 333

Bethea was heading towards within the litter basket.

Alistair quickly rose from the bench he was seated at and rushed towards Bethea.

“Are you drunk? That is garbage. That flower is rubbish! I will buy you a dozen flowers tomorrow –

fresher and prettier than the one you are so eager to attain from the litter,” Alistair vowed with great devotion. Bethea shook her head defiantly in response.

“No flower can appear as powerful as this one. I thought I saw it glistening for a second,” Bethea replied while slowly picking up the cream rose-like looking flower.

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At that very instant a bright white light glowed from the flower. Alistair quickly grabbed hold of Bethea and the pair were zapped away in a flash into the castle garden of the warrior women.

Alistair and Bethea let out a cry in disbelief.

They were suddenly afraid as to the place where the power of the flower had taken them to.

“Where are we? Are we in another world?”

Bethea questioned Alistair. She was clearly still in doubt. However before Alistair could get a chance to respond, a woman spoke from behind them – it was Risti.

“You are holding the flower of deceit. It has 335

brought you back here. There must be a reason for that. Is your hair naturally blue?” Risti suddenly questioned in wonder. Bethea frowned for a second and hesitated slightly.

“No. Blue is not the natural color of my hair,”

Bethea admitted reluctantly. Risti looked deeply into Bethea’s eyes and frowned back at her.

“Listen to me carefully. Whose idea was it for you to change your hair?” Risti questioned once more as her heart suddenly pounded rapidly in excitement.

Bethea shook her blue hair from her face and explained to Risti that it was Alistair’s idea that she changed the color of her hair, to escape her execution.

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Bethea then went on to explain the stigmatization she faced. Not only was she accused of treachery within the reign of the dark oppressors on Earth but as a disgrace to the society of dark oppressors. Alistair had been the only one that had been supportive all throughout her hardships on planet Earth, way before she came across Marlo. Marlo had later become her tower, protector and her rock. If it hadn’t been for Marlo, she would not know where she would have ended up or been by now. Risti patted Bethea on the head gently and smiled cheerfully at her.

“Now I know why Alistair could not escape the cage of truth. He helped you in attaining a deceiving 337

appearance. This also explains the reason why the flower of deceit has brought you back here,” Risti replied, letting out a slight chuckle. She quickly grabbed the flower of deceit away from Bethea and placed it into the garden earth. Bethea suddenly felt inclined to move closer to Risti to confide in her. She grabbed hold of Risti’s right hand firmly.

“Listen to me, thanks to Alistair and Marlo I have a future to look forward to. I hope to repay them one day but for now I must find Marlo and his loved ones. I think they might be imprisoned under the power of the Tyrants. Is there anything or anyway you can help me in rescuing Marlo, his friends and 338

family?” Bethea begged anxiously.

There was a dead silence at the castle gardens as Risti tried to reason with everything that had occurred. After a few seconds Risti took a deep breath in.

“There is no point in attempting to rescue Marlo and his loved ones without confessing to my Queen. I know if you do confess to Queen Vera she will send many of our warrior women and flowers of powers to aid you in your quest and search for Marlo,” Risti suggested quietly.

At that very instance an unexpected hand tapped Risti from behind her shoulder which made Risti 339

jump in surprise. She quickly turned to see the newcomers and strangers that had tapped her on her left shoulder. It was Kora and she was not alone, she was with a rather tall looking man. Kora gazed deeply into Risti’s eyes fearfully.

“You can stay behind and confess to Queen Vera to send aid as quickly as possible. It is not only Marlo’s friends and family that have been imprisoned under Tyrants. Many of our men that we lost long ago, including children and women have also been captured and imprisoned. I’m not sure how many of our people have faced the vile contests but we need to rescue them all now before it's too late,” Kora 340

insisted frantically.

The sight of Kora caused a tear to roll down from Risti's right eye. The false black color on Kora’s hair was still thickly plastered onto her fine hair. Risti moved closer to Kora and the stranger that was standing by Kora’s side.

“You look dreadful! You look like you have been through the flames of evil. You can’t return to the Tyrant prisons. You need to rest. Who is this stranger you have brought? He looks familiar but hard to recognize through that thick beard and moustache?”

Risti questioned worriedly.

Kora quickly explained to Risti that it was her 341

good friend Dario that was standing by her side. Risti exclaimed in surprise as to the return of a man that had long been notified as missing from their castle.

She quickly thought of the best rescue plan. It was crucial their kingdom was restored back to the way it was before the Tyrants arrived on their island.

“Okay. What’s the plan? I can’t think. My mind’s gone blank,” Risti panicked out.

Bethea took a deep breath in and had a slightly perplexed expression on her face. She looked calmly at Kora, Dario and Alistair. She had no idea who Kora and Dario were but from the look of them it was clear that they had both managed to escape the 342

prisons.

Dario let out a heavy sigh as a warning that they didn’t have much time in rescuing the other prisoners.

“Listen carefully, the Tyrants are guarded by robots and other heavily advanced security. It wasn’t that easy for us to get past them. I don’t know how you two survived amongst them or perhaps you haven’t come across them yet. Nevertheless we need to be aware of the sort of security and monitors that have been adapted by the Tyrants. Before we managed to escape, Kora and I noticed a few men that appeared to be of a higher caliber seated by the 343

so-called evil creator of the prison contests, Cathy.

We assumed she was the sole creator until we reached a forest not far from the home of a family of tyrants.

We overheard some pretty frightening stuff,” Dario informed them all with a worried frown across his face.

Risti, Alistair and Bethea all nodded their heads as a sign for Dario to continue his story. Dario hesitated for a second and then cleared his throat before attempting to finish his story. After a few seconds of fidgeting with his shoes, Dario finally managed to grab the confidence to carry on telling them as to what he and Kora had overheard.

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“Apparently, a dark oppressor named Stopher is Cathy’s half brother. Stopher’s father was the one that secretly started the contests years ago. However, he did not succeed in killing even one prisoner. Cathy decided to renew the rules of the contests after her real father died from natural causes. She then encouraged the cloning system on planet Earth with the help of her half brother Stopher.

Many of Stopher’s legions and followers followed Cathy to this island and converted into Tyrants to dominate this small planet!” Dario quickly told Bethea, Alistair and Risti.

There was a few seconds of silence again at the 345

castle gardens. Bethea looked coldly at Alistair and told them they had to hurry before it was too late.

“What’s the plan and we have to move now before it's too late,” Bethea insisted. She was suddenly trembling nervously. Alistair patted Bethea gently on her shoulder and looked at Kora, Dario and Risti hopefully but fearfully. He took a deep breath in and cleared his throat before attempting to speak.

“Okay I have a plan. Bethea and I are already one of the Tyrants. It wasn’t difficult for us to adjust to their dressing and way of lifestyle just within the short while that we have been here. They are really no different from the dark oppressors that now reign 346

in many lands on planet Earth. The prison systems are monitored by robots and sensor devices. Basically the sensor devices are able to detect any intruder standing from a certain angle nearing the prison entrance and exit. We can actually calculate the radius and locate the exact point at which the sensor begins to detect any living being or object. Since the territory of Tyrants are guarded by sensor devices and robots, we need more people on our side to help us out in rescuing the prisoners. Bethea and I are holding about four different types of weapons to de-sensor the territory of Tyrants. These weapons also have the ability to demolish their robot guards.

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We need to move in a group of four to demolish the prison systems and the rest of the empowered territory of the Tyrants. We also need further assistance in combating the Tyrants themselves. If it’s possible, please gather as many of your warriors as possible to help us in also defeating the Tyrants,”

Alistair quickly suggested.

Deep down within his very soul he was worried that none of them might survive. Dario suddenly collapsed to the ground and Kora sighed in disappointment.

“Oh no, Dario, please try and get up. Alistair did mention moving in a group of four. I’m awfully tired 348

already and have the dagger fruit to search for later on,” Kora cried out in vexation. Risti smiled in a caring manner towards Kora and looked on wisely at Alistair and Bethea.

“Calm down Kora. My cousin Peter has a special gift. He will join you three in rescuing the prisoners.

You have nothing to fear, there is power in his mind. I will gather as many warrior supporters as possible to follow on with weapons as quickly as I can,” Risti suggested without any hesitation. Alistair gave Risti a perplexed look.

“If Peter has power in his mind, why didn’t he use it before this terrible ordeal occurred?” Alistair 349

suddenly questioned angrily. Risti looked coldly at Alistair and took a deep breath in before deciding to respond to his aggravating question.

“We didn’t know where exactly the Tyrants were. We tried many times to search for their exact location but failed. Now that their location has been found, we will surely succeed with Peter in defeating the Tyrants! Give me one of your weapons to de-sensor a place. I might need it on my way with the other warriors. Don’t be afraid Alistair, Peter’s gift might be even more powerful than your weapons installed with de-sensors!” Risti told them all optimistically.

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Alistair nodded his head reluctantly in agreement as he handed one of his weapons to Risti. Risti grabbed the weapon and placed two of her fingers in her mouth and whistled as loudly as she could.

An owl suddenly flew out of nowhere and relaxed on an oak looking tree at the castle garden.

Then like a flash of lightning hundreds of blind black bats flew out of nowhere into the castle garden and out of the hundreds of black blind bats walked out Peter. Alistair trembled and jumped back in shock as to the sudden appearance of the tall young man.

“Cousin, why have you called for me?” Peter questioned in a rather daunting but sinister manner.

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Risti looked on hopefully at Peter and told him of the imbroglio he’d have to face. It was crucial they rescued all the prisoners from the Tyrants and brought them back safely to the castle. Peter nodded his head in agreement but there was a look of fear in his eyes.

“You want me to use my special gift don’t you?

You do know there is a heavy price for using such a gift, don’t you?” Peter asked his cousin worriedly but sadly. Risti nodded her head in response.

“I will pay whatever the price. Just use your gift to rescue the prisoners and defeat the Tyrants once and for all,” Risti replied sadly. Peter nodded his head 352

in response sadly. He looked at Bethea, Kora and Alistair and waited for them to finish drawing a map to the land of the Tyrants. It was crucial Risti used the map to later get to the land of Tyrants. Peter then hugged his cousin and bid her farewell before preparing to embark on a venture with Alistair, Bethea and Kora.

It wasn’t long when Alistair, Bethea, Kora and Peter were all trekking towards the land of the Tyrants. Alistair seemed very nervous and was trembling uncontrollably. Bethea kept telling him to calm down and to have no fear, Peter was with them.

Peter looked at Bethea anxiously.

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“I think we should be afraid. We don’t know what the Tyrants themselves are really capable of.

The gift I hold cannot be used for long. If it is used for long, I could go permanently blind. You all have to move fast and close your eyes when I tell you to,”

Peter cautioned his three new companions.

Kora patted Peter on the back in a friendly manner. She spat fiercely on the ground and lifted her clenched right fist up towards the brilliant white skies.

“I have no fear!” Kora cried out vengefully.

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*

*

*

Marlo looked up at the skies and raised his right hand towards the skies.

“There has to be a way!” Marlo yelled out fiercely towards the clear white skies. He and Karlos had managed to find a route out of the hut towards a wide open field. They were unsure as to where the field would lead them to but they knew they were getting closer to surviving the prison contests. Karlos spat fiercely on the field he was now walking on with Marlo. He clenched his fist and looked up towards the skies.

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“We have to survive this Marlo, we have to!”

Karlos yelled out hopefully. Marlo nodded his head in agreement and response to what his good friend prayed for. He looked about in hope of seeing a stream nearby. Dehydration had caught up with him already.

It wasn’t long when they had reached a forest with masses of trees. Marlo insisted they used their whip to climb up one of the trees and relax for a while. As soon as the two friends had made themselves comfortable on the trees, Marlo strained his eyes to see what was beyond the forest they had reached. His eyes suddenly caught a glimpse of a 356

massive arena.

“Wait...I can see a huge sign outside that arena. I think there might be a message for us. I don’t think I want to carry on like this. I feel like I’m struggling at the same time fighting for my life. Let’s go,” Marlo insisted.

In no time, Marlo and Karlos had reached the massive arena. Karlos grabbed a note that had been placed on the gates outside the arena.

“It says, congratulations you have reached the final round of the contests. Press the bell to complete the final round,” Karlos read out. He took a deep breath in and looked at Marlo quietly but worriedly.

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“Should we press the bell?” Karlos asked Marlo before attempting to follow the instruction on the note.

“Have no fear and press the bell,” Marlo said with faith while smiling confidently at the same time.

Karlos took a deep breath in and pressed the bell. A loud buzzing sound filled the air and the gates to the arena suddenly opened.

Marlo and Karlos were met with loud cheers and blood thirsty faces sat at the arena. The only guards present at the arena were robots. The two friends walked into the arena nervously.

What met their eyes next was even more 358

shocking and unexpected. Their friend Prometheus had been tied and placed onto a huge dart board.

Marlo clenched his fist in anger as to the sight that met his eyes. He looked up to see Cathy sitting on a high stool right next to his biggest enemy –

Stopher. Not far from Stopher was sat his brother Brutus and his new wife Sadinya. Behind Sadinya were a group of Tyrants crying out for blood with blood thirsty faces. Marlo spat fiercely on the ground.

“Cathy! Is this what you do to someone you love? You deceive them into torture, treat their family like animals and capture their best friend!” Marlo cried out angrily towards Cathy.

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The loud blood thirsty cheers stopped in the arena. Cathy, who was sitting away from the centre of the arena that Marlo had entered, stood up with a proud look on her face.

“Who said I ever loved you? Let the final round of the contest begin!” Cathy yelled out.

At that very moment sharp spears and daggers were thrown towards the ground. The weapons fell right next to where Marlo and Karlos were positioned in standing. Cathy let out a rather horrendous laugh.

“You want love – I will show you love. Kill Prometheus and I will set you both free. Go on, give it your best shot!” Cathy yelled out again. Stopher 360

suddenly got up from his seat at the arena and cleared his throat to speak.

“Don’t even try throwing one of those spears at us. This arena has sensory detectors and a strong force field which will cause whatever you try to throw at us to fall back on you. No weapon can reach us!” Stopher yelled out cruelly towards Marlo. He quickly returned to his seat and motioned towards Cathy to rise again from her seat to commence with the final round.

Cathy quickly got up from her seat and lifted her left hand as a sign for the final round to begin.

Marlo nodded his head towards Karlos and 361

smiled sadly at his good friend Prometheus. He took a deep breath in and picked up a spear. He looked deeply into the eyes of his good friend Prometheus, who had been placed on the huge dart board for the slaughter. Prometheus closed his eyes tightly.

“Kill me and be free,” Prometheus cried out with passion.

Marlo focused on the dart board and threw the spear right above Prometheus’s hair. He then turned to Karlos to continue with the contest’s request.

Karlos stepped forward and gazed at his good friend Prometheus. He picked up a dagger and threw it really fast towards the corner of Prometheus’s right 362

leg. The dagger cut Prometheus’s right leg slightly which caused a little blood to spill from Prometheus’s right leg.

Loud blood thirsty cheers suddenly filled the arena from the many Tyrants present to watch the final round of the prison contest. Prometheus cried out in pain and tears streamed down his weary eyes.

“Just kill me now so you will both be free!”

Prometheus yelled out once more.

Marlo stepped forward with a few daggers he had picked up. He began to throw the daggers around Prometheus’s exhausted body. Not a dagger touched Prometheus which angered Cathy greatly. She 363

quickly got up from her seat to put a stop to Marlo and Karlos’s foolery.

“Enough with the games! Kill him now so we can all go home and get some rest!” Cathy demanded.

Marlo nodded his head in silence. He looked towards Karlos sadly and motioned to him to grab the last dagger. There were a few spears still lying on the ground that had not been touched but Marlo was reluctant in directing Karlos in picking up a spear.

Karlos took a deep breath in and closed his eyes.

As he did so, Marlo quickly glanced at the many Tyrants seated at the arena. He caught a glimpse of a Tyrant smiling keenly at him. She had bright blue 364

hair with twinkling eyes. Marlo watched quietly as the familiar looking blue haired lady pulled out a weapon and nodded her head towards him in an encouraging manner. Marlo suddenly realized who he was looking at – it was Bethea. For a second it was hard for him to believe it. He quickly rushed towards Karlos and grabbed the dagger from him.

Loud jeering came from the bloodthirsty Tyrants sitting at the arena. Marlo stood before Prometheus with the dagger in his right hand. He closed his eyes with a tear rolling down his right eye.

“Goodbye my friend!” Marlo yelled out fearlessly. At that very moment the sound of a 365

de-sensor could be heard from two different angles of the arena. The robots came crashing down as a wave of electricity flew from the weapons being operated by Bethea and Alistair.

There were loud screams amongst the many Tyrants sitting at the Arena. Marlo looked about to catch sight of a blue haired woman but there was no sign of Bethea.

With all his might, Marlo threw the last dagger right towards Stopher’s head. Stopher dropped down dead to the ground. Karlos then quickly rushed towards the spears on the ground and threw a few towards the Tyrants standing behind Stopher’s dead 366

body. All the Tyrants that had been standing behind Stopher’s dead body also dropped dead to the ground.

The only people remaining frozen to their seats next to Stopher’s dead body were Cathy, Brutus and his wife Sadinya.

Without any further delay, Karlos quickly rushed towards Marlo to help him in untying Prometheus from the huge dart board. Prometheus was shaking uncontrollably with tears streaming from his eyes as he was finally freed from the huge dart board.

Bethea and Alistair were still using their weapons to sustain the other Tyrants at the arena.

Then like a flash of lightning, hundreds of black blind 367

bats suddenly filled the arena. Bethea yelled out to Marlo, Karlos and Prometheus to close their eyes.

The three friends closed their eyes without any hesitation. At that very moment Peter walked out of the hundreds of black blind bats at the arena. His eyes turned jet black and he closed his eyes. A blinding bright white light emerged from his forehead. The light turned into cold ice, freezing the many Tyrants seated at the arena.

After a few seconds Peter opened his eyes again, which were no longer blackened but crystal clear.

The black bats had disappeared from the arena and all the people that had closed their eyes when Peter did, 368

were not frozen. Peter yelled out for the unfrozen to open their eyes.

Bethea opened her eyes slowly. She laughed out cheerfully and just as she did so, Kristan and Kora rushed to the arena with many freed prisoners and warrior women along with Dario. Risti was amongst the many warrior women at the arena.

Marlo opened his eyes and turned around to see Kora. He jumped up in the air with joy. He had assumed Kora had not survived the contests. Kora rushed towards Marlo and hugged him with great relief. Prometheus laughed out loud even though he was in pain. Kristan had brought all their friends and 369

family to the arena. Peter looked towards his cousin Risti with a perplexed expression on his face.

“Why am I not blind? Who paid the price for me to survive?” Peter questioned. He was still slightly surprised that he had not suffered from any blindness.

A tear rolled down Risti’s left eye.

“Queen Vera paid the price with her life. Don’t worry she gave up her life so we can all be free from the oppression of the Tyrants,” Risti told her cousin Peter sadly. She quickly looked up at Cathy, Sadinya and Brutus who were still pinned to their seats.

“Seize them! They must be taught a lesson before we consider setting them free,” Risti cried out.

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Bethea moved towards Risti and glared at Sadinya.

“We will not imprison them like they did to us.

Instead we shall ensure they get the therapy they need to change their views on life,” Bethea cried out vengefully.

Karlos laughed at Bethea’s suggestion and moved towards Bethea cheerfully.

“I guess you know who they are,” Karlos said in wonder. Bethea smiled at Karlos ecstatically.

“Yes I do,” Bethea let out with a slight chuckle.

Risti and a few of the warrior women also let out a chuckle. Risti suddenly moved towards Kora. She pulled out a small bottle and handed it to Kora.

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“Drink this Kora. It will restore your eyes back to its natural color,” Risti quickly said. Kora eagerly grabbed the bottle from Risti’s hand and gulped down all of its contents. She closed her eyes in silence and opened them again hopefully. Marlo jumped back in surprise as to the sudden change. Kora’s eyes were no longer a glowing gold but a crystal clear blue.

Loud cheers came from the freed prisoners and the warrior women. Marlo looked in wonder into Kora’s eyes and looked up at the skies.

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THE END.

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