Читать книгу Sinbad: Rogue of Mars - John Garavaglia - Страница 57

CHAPTER SIX

DISCORD BETWEEN THE POWERFUL

IS A FORTUNE FOR THE POOR

Sinbad watched as another ill-fated prisoner had been killed in the arena. The gladiator cried out at first, but his feeble protests were quickly replaced by the sounds of crunching bones and the thud of heavy fists and boots against tender flesh. Sinbad couldn’t even see the man beneath the pack of homicidal maniacs satisfying their never-ending thirst for bloodlust.

They piled onto the doomed Azurian man. The poor soul was fighting back sobs and screams. The audience either stared at the grisly scene with horror, or else buried their heads in their hands, trying unsuccessfully to hide from the awful sights and sounds.

The beating lasted less than five minutes, but seemed to go on forever. Just when Sinbad thought he couldn’t possibly stand another moment, however, the gang of murderers stepped back from their victim. The prisoner’s pulped body lay face down in a puddle of dark, venous blood. His limbs were twisted at unnatural angles that made Sinbad’s joints hurt just looking at them.

The guards took hold of the man’s limp arms and dragged his lifeless body into the catacombs as it left a trail of blood across the arena. The remaining guards left their posts and began to purify the ring before the next match could commence.

Sinbad looked at the Azurian elder, “I am set to fight the centaur.”

“Kar-Tyr of the Kurwani,” the old man corrected him. “He is Akhdar’s recent favored fighter, since you lost face to the insufferable whelp.”

“What is the hearsay within the prison walls?”

JOHN GARAVAGLIA

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