Slave Unbound Ch. 22

Tylone gave a hearty chuckle. "Of course he wasn't. No one has to give any sort of explanation for donating to the arena's lots." He replied in a condescending tone, as though explaining something to a child. "My boy, if you only knew just how much that gets abused, I think you'd be shocked. Both from within and from without. Cornelius is far from the first person to pull such a stunt." He gave Verdant's arm a patronizing pat. "I've done something similar myself and took complete credit for it afterwards. Given that most place their wagers on the gladiator, expecting easy wins, the Arena is usually quite happy for such little surprises."

Verdant scowled, but turned the expression towards the combat below, trying to suggest that it was the pitiful display taking place there that had conjured the look of distaste. He liked to think of himself as an honorable and fair man. If he was ever dishonest, it was only to spare feelings or to try to improve a bad diplomatic situation. Even then, to him, such corrupt practices were nothing to brag over.

"Still, I am sure that it does sting a bit to find yourself at victim to such a ploy." Tylone continued, either not recognizing Verdant's mood or simply ignoring it. "And, while I commend you for your bravado, trying to openly defame him in the Grand Arena is not the smartest of moves, dear boy. Master Venge is not someone you should openly challenge."

Verdant peered peevishly at the small man. "So, you are suggesting that I should back down from the matter, I take it? Please, forgive my frankness, but I wasn't aware you were very concerned with my House's well-being."

Tylone didn't respond for a long moment, his gaze on the fight below, but his expression showing that his mind was elsewhere. "I am not, in all frankness. However, I am interested in taking a pound or two of flesh from Cornelius Venge's power. I have come into a bit of information that might shed a bit of light into his motives with why he made this particular move and it has shown a potential weakness in his considerable defenses."

Now the little FennFolk had Verdant's full attention. "You are here to make some kind of...alliance?"

"Oh, I think 'alliance' might be a fairly strong term for it, but that is the general notion, yes." Tylone replied, a slight smile creeping into his features. "I had intended to be more subversive about it, but your generosity with me has made me decide to take a more honest tact." He looked towards Verdant, taking a sip of the excellent wine before continuing.

"You see, his little game of last week was actually not directly pointed at either you or Sabrina Marlowe, but the gladiator who fought the woman he snuck into the lots." Tylone explained, turning his attention back down to the sands below, where the gladiator of House Golddawn was suffering a laughable beating. "It seems that he has a rather personal vendetta against the girl, due to multiple times she has managed to embarrass him."

Verdant turned his gaze down to the arena floor himself, considering this point. He'd not even considered that Leita having been the one that fought the woman to be of any significance, other than her having won the fight. "I see. So, you are wanting to use her to get to him. She isn't my slave, though. Why are you coming to me and not Sabrina?"

"Because Sabrina trusts me about as much as she does Cornelius, my boy." Tylone said with a sour chuckle. "Especially given that it appeared as though I had attempted my own cheat in the match she arranged between that same slave and one of my gladiators." He gave Verdant a meaningful look. "Something else that I am inclined to believe Cornelius was behind and which has further helped motivate me to approach you with this."

"Given this recent debacle, I'm sure that she will no longer have quite the same trust in me, I fear." Verdant said, frowning deeply. "She very likely blames me, at least in part, for what happened."

"Oh, I am quite certain she knows who was really to blame for all that." The small HouseMaster said, with a knowing grin, glancing down at his own listings for the day. "Speaking of which, I do believe the next gladiator coming out is to be her dear, dreadful, ex-concubine."

Verdant leaned back thoughtfully, frowning softly. While he'd seen that House Firebridge had submitted a gladiator named 'Cookie' to fight today, but he'd not been certain, until Tylone's confirmation, that it was the same person. He couldn't imagine any reason why Sabrina would have her personal concubine and right hand woman fighting in the pit. In light of this and Tylone's implication, however, he could only assume Cookie must have been helping Cornelius set up Leita to fight his ringer.

Turning his eyes back to Tylone, he considered the FennFolk a moment. "Even if she does still trust me, Master Orchidbryar, I am not wanting to burn that trust. Not even to hurt Venge."

Tylone turned his own gaze towards him. "Then don't, my boy. Tell her the plan we devise directly. The point is that, even were I to come to her honestly, she would expect some kind of manipulation from me. You, however, have a reputation for being uncorrupt and forthright. If it is you who petitions for her complicity, she will be much more likely trust your motives and to agree."

Verdant paused a moment, tasting the idea tentatively. Below, the attendants were dragging the gladiator's unconscious, or dead, body from the sand. His opponent, an overly buxom woman who'd spent the whole fight wildly swinging her spear about in an insane frenzy, seemed about as astonished to have won as the crowd.

"I am also not interested in putting the gladiator, Leita, in any undo peril, just for revenge." Verdant said, finally. While he wanted his revenge on Cornelius, he wasn't willing to compromise his own principles for it. At least, not completely. "Whatever plan you may have; I will not help you if it requires her to be intentionally harmed or unnecessarily endangered."

The FennFolk gave him an intrigued look, seeming a little amused by that. "Very well. She will, obviously, be intended as the bait for the trap, but I will ensure that whatever that trap is won't cause her any unnecessary danger."

Verdant took a deep breath, weighing everything out, and finally exhaled. "I will need a day to fully digest this, but I think we can—"

"Master!" Lanni gasped, getting his attention. "Did Master Orchidbryar not say the next gladiator was to be Miss Cookie?"

He turned to regard her, but found her pointing down at the sands below. The lot who had just exited the gate below wasn't a typical one. It was a massive oruhk brute, its body covered in tribal tattoo-work. The bestial thing was still heavily shackled even as they brought it out, savagely struggling at the chains. It roared in rage at the shouting crowds, whipped into frenzy at the near certain promise of blood.

And, if the gladiator it was about to face truly was the Cookie he knew, there would certainly be a lot of it.             

Beside him, Tylone gave a soft chuckle, winking impishly. There wasn't a single note of surprise in his expression. "See. Everyone does it. Even Sabrina."