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There was a light on my face. I tried to move my arm to cover my eyes but it was caught in the sheets. Damn, it was probably going to be another bright and wonderful day. I hate those, they were hot and there would be chores to do. I tried to move my other hand, to make things worse it felt like I had a splitting headache already and I hadn't even gotten up yet. That arm wouldn't move either, I growled at the stubborn appendages. That was when I noticed someone was talking awfully close to me. It didn't sound like mother but I knew that if I slept in much longer she was going to pour water on me.

I sat up in a rush, "No don't, I am up. I am up." My arms moved that time and the two men holding them pinned got knocked back from me. The other man at my feet looked surprised and confused. It took me a moment to figure out where I was and that the threat I had thought I was under couldn't be possible any longer. Mother and Father had died over a year ago. I looked at the man sitting on my legs, "Get off."

The trainer made eye contact with me. "Are you awake, then?"

"Yes, and if you don't get off me…" I put my head in my heads as a particularly sharp pain raced through my skull. I couldn't remember what the threat would have been.

A cup of greenish liquid appeared in front of me. "Don't go threatening people, dead man. Here drink this." I followed the hand holding the cup up to the man who had talked. It was Hose the messenger that had taken me to our lord. My other sense had told me that but that sense seemed to be what was splitting my brain in half at the moment.

I frowned at the man. "Our lord wants you alive for now. Drink or I will force it into you, again." Well that sounded reasonable. I grabbed the cup and tossed it back. I almost tossed it back out again, the stuff tasted awful.

The messenger snagged the cup before I dropped it and walked away. The two men I had managed to knock off their feet had stood back up again. I looked at the one on my right. I noticed that someone had given me a bath and my clothes were new. "How long was I out?"

"You went to the top two days ago. We have been here for one day and night. You haven't missed too much of today yet. You should eat."

I was in too much pain to want to eat right now. The messenger was clearly listening to what we were saying. I wasn't sure how much of my memories our lord had shared with the man. I signed at the man, "Deadman, someone must've forgotten to tell her."

The brothers around me gave me confused looks. I had only taught them a little more then functional signing. Just enough to get my meaning across in the arena. They understood deadman and someone. They had no reason to know her or forgotten. The messenger understood and humored me anyway. "She tends to do that with men our lord has killed. One unfortunate man went almost 300 years without making his meeting with her after he was killed. I have seen 95 years of death myself. Granted I don't know who killed you, if you even remember, our lord didn't share." The man signed as he talked which wasn't doing my head any favors. "There is more then one way to learn something, boy. Signing is common in the priesthood."

I was wary of the man now. Were the specials vampires? But that would mean that our lord had disobeyed the lord. Unless he didn't think they were really vampires. The man had been out in full sun the other day. He balanced four plates as he walked back from where he had been behind a half wall. He set them down on a table that was near the couch where I sat now. "You should listen to them, eat while you can."

I picked up one of the plates. The second he had brought them out the smell had made me realize how hungry I am. There were easier ways to kill a man and the matriarch would probably be happier if I didn't come back now anyway. I looked at the trainer as I ate, "Did you take them up on the offer then?"

"I know we haven't trained together like you have these other two but I really didn't feel right leaving you short handed against the odds I was hearing."

I shrugged, "Your choice, I am grateful for the help. You should know enough not to die too quickly. How much time do we have, and what are the odds right now?"

The messenger raised an eyebrow at me as the other men looked at him. "About 10 days until the fight. Right now it is 14 to 4."

The trainer cursed under his breath, I just nodded. I hadn't been expecting to be able to get an answer. "What are the terms? When is the cut off?"

"Bad for you. Any man that kills you will be given 5 years by our lord." I tried to just listen but that was crazy, he was giving years and not blood that meant he was including food for the victors as well. At least that should mean that no more then 5 will team up at a time though if they have to split the prize. Maybe 10 if they all have debt. The messenger had paused after saying that so I could think about it. Now he continued, "Should a group succeed our lord is granting 3 years, each."

My mind couldn't handle the pain, and thinking about what I had just been told so I filed it for later. "Is our lord waving the law?"

The messenger raised an eyebrow and then sat down in a chair across the table from me, "That is a good question. No he is not, if he wanted to execute you he wouldn't use the arena."

"So what does our lord want out of the match?" I was talking to myself, and my brothers looked at me like I was crazy.

The messenger smiled at me. "In the arena, our lord always wins."

My head was feeling a little less like a drum. "What are the special terms?"

The messenger nodded, "Funny how the wilder has been the only one the priesthood has talked to so far that is smart enough to ask that question. Victor's house gets the main house in the capital. It would be expected that the other building the house would then control would become a branch house."

"The main house is within the arenas. It has been in the care of the priesthood since… forever."

The messenger and I both looked at my brother, "Nothing has existed forever." I continued as the messenger paused to access me again. "The main house used to be the only house containing humans when the civil war took out all the other vampires. It could be called the birthplace of our civilization. Everyone alive today is related to the people who survived in that building. It was built to keep humans, as little more then cattle for their masters. Not exactly set up as the houses we use today." I looked back at the messenger, "Any more terms?"

"You should be careful what you share with those three, it isn't good for their health."

"I haven't told them anything that they couldn't learn."

The messenger signed, "Right, and the priesthood hasn't noticed your signs in the arena. We don't fight so we do watch." At the same time he said, "There is one more term, if you don't die, and your friends are as loyal as they have been so far, whoever survives will be removed from the arena line up and placed under your command. They can be your proof of concept for expansion in time. Your matriarch will also love to hear that she is to provide two women for each of them, and other then that your time is to be your own."

"Fuck, well, and when is the cut off?"

"Three days before but I will not be telling you where the odds stand after today."

"Will you at least tell me when the terms change?"

The trainer frowned, "Terms don't change after players have been assigned."

I looked over at the man, "They will have to, it has only been half a day since the priesthood could start telling the matriarchs about the terms of this fight. Every matriarch is going to notice a fight scheduled in the black stone and when they hear the terms that they will ask about every house is going to want at least one fighter in that ring. We started the count with only 8 oppants after 6 hours we have almost doubled that, with 7 days left for the matriarchs to make up their minds. The black stone is the biggest arena but it is a stone arena not a sand arena and it can only hold about 30 fighters at a time and it not turn the fight into a farce. Which means if the messenger will tell us when the terms change and what they are, we might be able to get an estimate on how many want into this fight."

The trainer looked from the messenger and back to me, "Shouldn't you have waited to tell me that when we are alone?"

I sighed at the empty plate in my hand, I was still hungry but it would have to wait. I traced the circle in the center of the plate. The two men of my unit were looking at me with worry. The men I had trained, noticed the odd things that happened around me. It had saved their life a time or two and they trusted me enough, but they didn't think the messenger would like it if his stuff started moving on it's own around the room. "No point, Hose here isn't going to let me out of, well, not his sight perse." I shrugged and dropped the plate. It hung in the air like it was attached to the ceiling. The trainer had never caught me doing tricks before, he had moved away like the plate was possessed. The other two of my unit were watching the messenger. "Either way, he will know what I tell you and through him, our lord will know. Which makes it easier since our lord ordered me to spend some time practicing." I pointed my hand at the table and the plate set itself down like it always flew through the air. I put my feet on the floor now that the trainer had finally moved. I looked at the messenger, "Speaking of which, where can we practice?"

The messenger nodded and stood up. The others had finished their food and the plates jumped up off the table. I had known they would but the other men were clearly trying to decide how we had done it. The messenger pointed at the half wall and the dishes stacked themselves up on the counter on the other side. The circle I had traced on the plate hadn't been there on accident after all. "If you are feeling that well. Come on."