Plucking Ceremony

Ch. 1

I found a leather book on the ground. It seemed to be very old and the pages were worn out. Most of the book suffered from water damage. I reached for the latch and removed it. I flipped the rugged leather cover and read the following words.

"This is a story about one of the greatest gladiators…"

And so it went....

I remembered opening my eyes…. I was a young boy. My body? Frail. I was skin and bones and very pale. I lacked colour because my body lacked nutrients. I had bags under my eyes and I always felt lethargic. My body had trouble keeping up with the requirements in the Gladiator Pits. I had dark brownish-black hair. It was brittle and rough. My teeth were chipped and broken as well. Every time I went to bathe I was reminded of my place in the world. I was low on the pecking order. I would look down on my body and see it riddled with cuts, scars, bruises and more. I can't count the amount of times I've had to deal with broken bones and fractures. Everything I've mentioned…. Isn't even the worst of it.

This all happened a few years ago. I think I was 7 or 8 at the time. We all lived in small towns and villages. Every year they would take a boy and a girl away from each village and throw them into the Gladiator Pits. They were left there to rot and fight for their lives.

The village did not retaliate. If the villagers spoke out they would be murdered…. Killed on the spot. The thing is….. the Gladiatorial Games brought in a lot of money for our Kingdom. The people above us helped fund our village….. they were effectively helping us all stay alive. However, this was our way of paying them back. The village came to see this ritualistic practice as a once-a-year tradition. A give and take.... A necessary evil.

I remember it vividly. These despicable men never showed their faces. They were shrouded in brown cloaks. They did this so we couldn't build personal grudges with them on an individual level. Which sane person would kill someone simply because they happened to look the same or wear the same robes?

They had a stage made for this "special ceremony". They gathered all of the villagers. We were herded like cattle. The man spoke up.

"We are here today for the annual Plucking Ceremony. As you know the names will be chosen randomly. First, the woman that will be going... Seris…. Does anyone volunteer to take her place?….. Going once….. going twice."

No one spoke out for her. Not even her family… She looked to be around 16 years old. She had pitch black silky smooth hair. It traveled down to her lower back. The had a pale smooth face and soft skin. She had very light freckles on her face and bright green eyes. They looked like orbs…. To be honest, they were unbelievably enchanting. Especially for a village girl. She looked dainty though. She probably wouldn't last fighting for long. She didn't cry…. She didn't even look sad. She held her emotions behind her visage. Two men in brown robes escorted her away... After she was gone the main one spoke again.

"We shall now continue.... For the boy…. Please come out…. Calder.... No one spoke…. Calder!.... Calder! If you do not come out. We will find you…. And when we do we won't be kind. We will look through every villager here to find you if we have to. There will be no hiding from The Order."