Six

Chapter 3: Six

 

 Huum had arrived at Nine’s cave; he called for his number to follow him through the warrens and Nine obeyed. Phase three was treacherous to anybody; it was the next step for someone as talented as Nine.

 They turned a corner and the channel became narrow and low. The torchlight was faint here and the screaming from the other caves could not be heard. Huum opened another cage door; Nine stepped in and waited for the locks to click into place behind him. Darkness loomed ahead of him.

 Huum sighed.

 “Sir?” Nine turned around.

 “Nine, this one isn’t going to be as easy as the others, it’s phase three, phase three means you will be using weapons.” His elderly face drooped, the wrinkles that lined his features relaxed with unease.

 “Weapons, sir?”

 Huum nodded his head; the sweat on his thinning scalp reflected the little torchlight. “And you’re fighting, Six.”

 “Is he bad, sir?”

 “You can beat him, Nine. Just keep a wary eye.”

 Nine gave a small nod through the bars. His eyes looked big, but he didn’t cry, he trusted his priest.

 Huum clicked his fingers; the sound echoed through tunnel and reached the ears of a young cleric waiting with a short sword. Huum took it from the young cleric who bowed away, and handed the weapon through the bars to Nine.

 “What about him?” Nine nodded to the darkness.

 “He has his already. Nine, listen to me.” Huum leant forward and whispered, clearly an urge to aid his number took over, after all, he had raise Nine since birth. “He’s fast but not big, watch his left.” The old priest turned to leave. “Oh, and Nine, don’t listen to him, not a single word, understand?”

 Nine nodded frantically at the old man before turning back around and facing his enemy somewhere in the shadows. Priest Huum had broken a sacred rule in informing Nine of his opposition, but Nine didn’t care, the rare piece of advice was relieving. Before he continued, he washed away his feelings and became numb to all. Nine had found that the other numbers fought with raw emotion, anger, pride and perhaps the most dangerous, fear. Fear led to desperation and a desperate enemy is willing to do anything to survive.

 Nine took a step to the right, crouched down and leant against the wall. There he waited for Six.

 

 The dim torchlight gleamed from the short sword in Nine’s hand. So this was phase three, weapons. Nine guessed that the priests wanted to push him beyond his comfort zone.

 “So, you’re number Nine?” A voice came from the shadows; it was light, almost cheery for someone about to fight to the death. “You’re the ‘test’ for me. I thought you’d be bigger, but by now I suppose you’ve realised that muscle doesn’t matter down here.” The voice stepped out of the darkness and stood not six feet away, in plain sight for Nine to see. He wasn’t built with muscle himself, slender and lean; he stood holding the sword his priest had given him moments before Nine had arrived. There was a glee in his dark eyes.

 Nine leant on his hands, his right foot pressed where the cave wall meets the ground for leverage if needs be.

 “Why so aggressive? Who say’s we have to fight? Or if we must, why can’t we talk first?”

 “No talk, we kill.”

 Six smiled. “Yours taught you well. Is this the first time in phase three?”

 Nine didn’t answer.

 “Well, well, now that is odd. They don’t usually let the rookies face me first time around, something special are you? Must be if they called you a test.” He sat down and leant against the wall on the other side of the iron barred door. He sighed. “Have you seen outside?”

 Nine’s footing on the base of the wall eased.

 Six smiled once more. “I take that as a no, I have. You’ll get there �" if you survive tonight. I learned things out there, you know? Life. They’re questioning Rah’s rule. Some of them. Some are inventing their own stories.”

 Nine’s eyes grew wide; to question Rah was a mortal’s sin.

 “Some believe that the earth was created by an explosion, and that Rah was just a man and Sin was just a brother.”

 “No. They’re wrong.” Nine’s knee touched the ground, he shook his head slowly in disbelief, for the mortal’s sin they will be sent to Sin’s cage.

 “Are they really? Rah would never have let us live like this, to kill is the work of Sin, is it not?”

 “But we have, born with Sin’s seed we are, I must become the clergy’s �" ”.

 “Divine Soldier?” Six looked across to Nine. His greasy blonde hair was clumped with mud and dirt, it grew over his ears. His face though, was slim yet soft which was noticeable considering the rations the numbers were on. He invited trust with his confidence and use of words, his eyes however, weren’t innocent. Nine saw flashes of malice and happiness at his lack of knowledge. “Ever wondered what the Divine Soldier is?”

 Nine didn’t answer, instead he moved back into his crouching position, though he held the sword tight.

 “Again, I’ll take that as a no.” Six leant in slightly which Nine thought was very trusting. “No one does,” he moved back again, “I don’t even know and I claim to know all.” He smiled once again.

 “How you get outside?”

 “Good question, I was taken by my priest. I was at the last sacrifice, and the one before.”

 “More than once?”

 Six nodded. “I doubt it will happen again though.”

 “Why?”

 “They have seen me speaking with the mortals, and they have seen the seed in me. I speak more wisely than you, or any of the other numbers. And for this I am Sin’s seed. I cannot go any further, they will not allow it.” Six left his sword and crawled over to Nine who backed up against the cave wall, he brought his sword to his Six’s throat who didn’t flinch. “I am telling you this, in hope that you will grow a mind of your own, that you will think for yourself but not speak a word to your priest or any other. The priests must see something in you far beyond a number of your years; otherwise you would not have faced me. If they are correct and you do become the Divine Soldier, if it is not what you expect, you have a way out. Your mind is your own.”

 Nine saw that his eyes weren’t filled with malice but sadness, they were filled with tears. Nine had been mistaken, he had thought of Six as something evil, yet after speaking with him, Nine realised he was just curious. And for that he was punished by the priests, never to have a future.

 “You understand now, don’t you?” Six asked.

 Nine nodded.

 “Good, once I am gone the priests won’t cleanse me, will you?”

 “How?”

 “Just pray, pray to Rah.”

 “What do I say?”

 “Whatever you think sounds right, Nine.”

 Nine nodded, he still held the sword to Six’s throat.

 “I’m ready.”

 “Bye.” Nine cut the sword across Six’s throat. He slumped to the ground and gasped for breath. His blood appeared almost black in the dim torchlight as any remaining light in his sad eyes faded.

 Nine crouched over Six’s dead body. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. “Rah, please help Six find his way to your temple of Thera. He wasn’t bad, just lonely and curious. Amen.”

 Outside, in the tunnels Huum stood and listened.

Reviews

[SuicidePact.]

I'm not too great at the whole Reviewing thing, but this was a great read. :)