Chapter Fifty-One

 

Slipping out of the Terreno to the northern tunnels to circle around was far simpler than Kuma expected. The Alliance guards were huddled in groups, talking quietly, checking over their shoulders, but not actively seeing. He knew the look. They were afraid and he couldn't understand why, but he wasn't interested in that mystery. He needed to find Navos.

The northern entrance to the arena was well lit. Like a lot of the caverns adjacent to the Terreno, it was illuminated with stringed lights, and the paths had gravel, making for an easy traverse. The homey feel made him miss the Machi, which he heard had been abandoned months ago. The houses were probably rotting as the insects and other critters took over. When Vasilisa had mentioned it, he'd pretended not to care. He'd already lost his family. Why would it matter if the buildings were no longer in use?

Crunching across the gravel, he circled around to the barred gate. To his surprise Navos was actually standing guard, expressionlessly staring forward. Kuma almost raised his hand in a wave as he approached, forgetting that he was Aman Crownline, rather than a former clanmate. The only sign Navos gave that he was watching his advance was a shifting of the eyes.

"Navos..."

Kuma had practiced a speech in his head, but standing before the stoic former Drops member had him questioning his strategy.

"The proper entrance for the arena is on the south side. Please return before I deal with you in a manner equal to your disobedience."

The robotic, emotionless tone shocked Kuma. Navos has always been free with a grin, even when they were enemies. The blond waku had often looked out of place in the Undercity based on his lanky height and absence of obvious malice. He'd made a good counter to Choo-Choo's angry demeanor. Kuma checked over his shoulder and lowered his voice.

"Navos. It's me, Kuma."

His gaze slowly shifted, coming to rest on him. Kuma tried to give him a welcoming smile, but the lack of friendly response left his stomach in knots.

"We're going to hit back. We have a chance to flip the table, taken the Undercity back from Dominion. We need your help."

For a fleeting moment, Kuma thought he saw an anxious cry for help in Navos' eyes as if he were a prisoner in his own head, but his expression quickly changed to intensity.

"Navos? What's wrong?"

Kuma grabbed Navos' forearm to trigger a reaction, but it was like grabbing a statue. The former Drops member barely moved.

"Can't you talk? What have they done to you? Come on, we can do this. Join us." Kuma leaned back. "Why aren't you talking? Is this something they did? Drugs, spells?"

Navos closed his eyes, squeezing them shut as if he were in pain. He slowly opened his eyes and mouthed a word. No sound came out. Kuma wasn't a good lip reader, but it appeared to be two words.

"What is it? Can you say it again?"

The whites of his eyes shone before fluttering back to normal. The second time a whisper of voice came out, confirming what Kuma thought he'd heard.

"Blood...stone."

The gears clicked into place, followed by a chill that went bone deep. Bloodstone. The faez crystal had somehow changed Navos. Kuma gave Navos a once-over, looking for signs of the stone. While they used to wear their stones in places that couldn't be seen, the trend for the Alliance, having control of the entire Undercity, was to wear them prominently. Navos had liked his jewelry and tattoos, often looking like a rock star rather than a waku, but Kuma couldn't find it.

"Where is it? Is that what's happened to you?"

Navos appeared in great pain as he lifted his right arm, pointing to a spot on his left. Kuma frantically pulled up his sleeve to see a lump under the surface of his pale skin.

"I don't understand..."

Kuma ran his fingers across the lump. It moved beneath his fingertips, making him recoil.

"It's a typhid, or something like it," he said with realization. Navos was being mind-controlled like he'd almost become in the Eternal City, until Hylakane had removed it. There was no bloodstone. The truth made certain things clear that had confused him before. No faez crystal attuned instantly and gave multiple abilities.

"It's a trap. The contest is a trap."

The purpose of the competition became clear. Dominion was recruiting more deadly warriors for his employ. Rather than wait for his waku to get trained up, he'd lured grand masters to the Undercity with promises of wealth and increased abilities, but that's not what they were getting. The top eight would be turned into mindless zombies who did everything Dominion Thule said.

Kuma reached for his blade to cut the typhid, or whatever it was, out of Navos' arm. He was so lost in the realization, he hadn't heard people approaching from the opposite end.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

A group of six Alliance waku approached. Kuma spun around, twirling his blades as a show of skill, knowing at a glance he could easily take them. Not a single one appeared to have a gun. But he wasn’t ready to fight yet. They were supposed to wait for the ceremony, but if Dominion was going to infect them with a method of mind control, maybe he needed to act now.

"We were having a conversation," he said. "I suggest you head the other way and forget that you even came here."

"Hey, he's one of the competitors," said one of them in back, eliciting a round of nods and concerned comments under their breath. Half the group looked open to his idea, especially because they looked relatively new. But the older one in front that Kuma thought he might have recognized from before scowled and pushed his sleeves up as if he were preparing to fight.

"I'll dance if you want to," said Kuma.

The waku chuckled. "Are you opposing the Alliance?"

"You're not my friends, if that's what you're asking."

Kuma had a sense he'd said something wrong when the older waku smirked.

"Navos. Grab him. Take his weapons."

The idea that'd he'd screwed up became clear when Navos' iron grip latched onto his arm. Before he could twist away, his other arm was pinned and the waku surrounded him, easily taking his blades. Kuma struggled to get away but it was like being trapped under a boulder.

"What do we do with him?" asked one of the younger waku.

The one in charge shook his head. "Let's stash him away until afterwards. I'd rather not upset the big boss while all this shit is going down. Besides, the last thing I want to do is get noticed these days."

The others nodded.

"Is something wrong? What are they doing to you? I know that trainees have gone missing."

"Shut him up," said the older waku.

"Look, if you don't do something, this will be you—"

Before he could continue, a rag was shoved in his mouth. The waku pulled out zip-ties and bound his wrists and ankles. He was hoisted on someone's shoulder and carried out of the cavern like a sack of potatoes.