Prologue

The cell’s stone walls made it hot, musty, and dark. The only light came seeping through a hefty wooden door. There were no chairs in this small chamber except for a board that served as a small bench in one corner. It was quiet except for the occasional squeaking of rats or a hissing snake.

The prisoner inside stood tall, staring up at the stone roof. His emerald green eyes were hot with tears of frustration and anger as he calculated an impossible escape. This figure was dark and rugged, incredibly fearless for the age of 20. His dark brown hair was shaggy and hung over his eyes. Its length which was now past his shoulders partly hid the electronic collar he wore. Still, he was an imposing figure clothed in torn black leathers which took the domestic look away from him.

His name was Xavier.

Xavier’s body shuttered as the sound of footsteps came from outside his cell door. Quietly fading into the corner, he waited for the door to open. When a minute had passed and a noise was not heard, he relaxed.

Suddenly, a door from a cell across the corridor burst open. A man began screaming hysterically for his life, then there was stunning silence. Xavier shifted in his position and bit his lip hard to ease his emotional pain. He felt the taste of blood on his tongue, but ignored it.

The cruel sounds beyond the wooden door brought a thought of the future to his mind. Being held in the slave pit, as it was called, was a permanent sentence for hard labor if they survived. Each prisoner was a slave, prepared to be bought, sold, or do any desire of their masters.

A jingling of keys were heard as Xavier’s cell door was being unlocked. An ugly figure entered the cell. Its body was as white as snow. A shaved head with a beaded band with feathers around it caused it to look like a savage beast warrior. Before Xavier could straighten up to defend himself, it threw a heavy chain around his neck and tightened it.

Xavier gasped for breath, trying to pull the chain from his neck. The creature dragged him out of the cell by the chain where two more of the creatures grabbed his arms. In the distance he could hear the roar of a crowd…and he knew.

Today was the arena.

Author's Note:For this fic, I made the Wahani language up myself. Sort of. It’s actually a mix of Greek and English words. That may be why it will look familiar to some of you. I am using the Greek language in another one of my original stories and I’ve always had this huge fascination with all things Greek.

Anyway, to make this language, I took the English word and its Greek translation, then combined letters from both of the words. Here’s an example: the English word ‘what’ is ‘poia’ in Greek. I took the at and ia, put them together to make ‘atia’ the Wahani word for ‘what’.

Not all of the words are that simple to make though. And I made a direct translation for each and every word, unlike some languages where some words are ‘understood’ since there is no direct translation (words such as I, am, is, you, etc). I have included translations at the bottom of each chapter that needs it, but I will have a glossary of all the words once I've posted the epilogue for easier access.