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“It’s like walking into a casino,” Sheppard commented.

At the far end of the passageway they entered a large, round room. There were sealed doors all around it with keypad locks. Sheppard stared at them, started to ask what their purpose was, and then thought better of it. On the far side of the chamber, a large set of double doors stood open. Mara led Sheppard ahead of the others, and they walked through into much brighter light and a dull roar of sound.

Sheppard stopped, and the others were forced to wait as he took in the scene before him. They stood on a ledge that led off to the right and to the left, circling around and rising up and back in tiered seating. At intervals around the huge circular chamber there were blocks of more private seating, sealed off from the larger areas by clear walls.

“Come,” Mara said. She tugged on Sheppard’s arm, and he followed her around the circle.

The others followed slowly, taking in the glass-walled chamber. Below them was a large space that resembled a stone bowl. The walls were painted in bright colors, murals circling the room, and thick barred doors were scattered around the perimeter. It was dark on that lower level, and it was difficult to make out what might be down there.

“What is it?” Rodney said uneasily. “Some sort of theater?”

“Not exactly.”

Mara led them around the first group of open seats and into the terrace below. Inside were two rows of more comfortable seats fronted by low-slung acrylic tables. “This is where we will sit,” she said. “The entertainment will start soon.”

“But what is it?” Rodney persisted. “What is this place?”

“Looks like some sort of arena,” Cumby said. “Like a coliseum, maybe?”

Mara stared down into the silent, empty space. “You are closer to the truth than you know. In other times and places that is exactly what this would have been called — a coliseum. We only call it ‘The Entertainment.’”

They took their seats and as the citizens of Admah filled in on either side, whispering under their breath, the lights began to dim.

“Here we go,” Sheppard said.

Mara squeezed his arm and he glanced at her. She was staring into the darkness below, eyes sparkling and lips parted.

He turned back, just as spotlights lit a raised platform that emerged from the darkness near the center of the room.

Chapter Fifteen

Saul stood alone on the raised platform. He wore a jacket of a sparkling material that caught the spotlights perfectly. If he’d had a top hat he’d have looked like an Ringmaster — as it was, Sheppard thought of Vegas again. He expected trained animals, or jugglers, or maybe some steroid enhanced wrestlers to appear. Saul smiled, and the platform slowly turned, rising even higher above the open expanse of the arena. Rings of lights circled the space. At first, only the very lowest ring of lights illuminated, then they grew brighter, and the next row followed suit. The process slowly gained momentum until the lights rippled up the walls and brought the floor of the arena to life.

By some trick of projection, the brightly lighted walls shifted color and reformed, creating the image of large blocks of hewn stone. The doors, which had already seemed large, now appeared arched and their surfaces had the aspect of thick, carved wooden planks. Wrought iron rings were set in the surface that had not been there moments before. It was a grand illusion, and its effect wasn’t lost on Sheppard or his team

“Welcome,” Saul cried. “Welcome one and all to the latest and the greatest, the finest entertainment Admah can offer. Ready your bets and prepare to be amazed. Most of you know me so well you could stand here and speak the words for me, steal my very soul and breath. Tonight, though, is different. Can you feel it? Tonight there are strangers among us. Tonight there is new blood in the audience, and I — for one — can almost taste it.”

The words flowed with practiced ease. Sheppard glanced around him and saw that the citizens of Admah leaned forward in their seats. Their eyes were open wide, their lips parted. They appeared fascinated, though the fascination held an edge of desperation. Whispered comments rustled through the air, and more than once Sheppard caught money changing hands as bets were laid. Whatever they expected to see tonight, on some level, they also expected to be let down and disappointed. For Sheppard and the others, the entertainment was new. For the people in the stands, it seemed to be a shot at something new — something unique and interesting. Something to talk about.

Then the lights brightened another level, and all his attention was focused on the floor far below.

“Without further ado, I bring you the first of the night’s contests. From the far off world of Celzin, with five wins under his belt, the challenger — Alden Zane!”

Saul’s voice echoed through the speakers and reverberated from the walls. A loud grinding sound arose and one of the huge sets of wooden doors rolled slowly open, splitting in the center and widening to reveal a darkened tunnel stretching off into the lower levels of the city. There was a low murmur and a smattering of applause. The audience knew what was coming, but they savored it. They waited. Finally, a figure emerged from those shadows, and the applause grew from a hum into a roar.

Alden Zane was tall. He had blond hair and he wore it swept back over his shoulders, which were bare except for the leather straps holding a breastplate over his torso. His arms and legs were encased in leather and he wore a huge, gleaming sword on his belt. He looked for all the world like a warrior stepping out into an ancient Roman gladiatorial battlefield. He didn’t seem frightened. He seemed eager. He turned and waved to the crowd, fanning their applause into serious flames.

“What is this?” Sheppard whispered, leaning closer to Mara. “Who is he?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Mara said, confused by the question. “He is Alden Zane. He is one of the favorites of the entertainment. He has fought many times, worked his way up through the ranks of the contestants. His last five battles have been amazing victories. The betting on him will be heavy.”

“But who is he?” Sheppard said. “What…?”

Mara shushed him as the crowd grew silent once more.

“Despite a most impressive string of victories,” Saul’s voice boomed, “tonight our champion must take his game to a new level. Tonight he will face a challenge that ten men before him have attempted — and failed. Tonight he will do battle with a servant of darkness, born of the hunger of the Wraith and the miracle of science. Stronger than any ten ordinary men — and very hungry. Wonder, or abomination? It is not for us to decide. A creature undefeated in mortal combat since his creation — could this be the night that it all comes to an end?”

“His creation?” Rodney said, looking right and left as if to see if the others had heard. “Did he say —?”

“Shhh,” Mara interjected.

“The Woard,” Saul concluded with a flourish.

Across the arena from Alden Zane, who stood his ground bravely, another set of doors slid slowly open. The creaking and groaning sounds piped through the speakers were campy, but effective. The opening portal revealed yet another tunnel. Within that tunnel, something growled. The sound was deep and resonant. The room actually shook, and though the effect was caused by speakers and amplification, it sent a thrill of fear rippling through the audience all the same. The growl was very real, and in an entertainment thus far built on showmanship and glitter, that bit of realism lent tension to the moment and brought the crowd to the edge of their seats.

The Woard was slower in exiting the shadows than its opponent had been. It moved with deliberation, one powerful, reverberating step at a time. Rather than staring at its opponent it swung its huge head in a semi-circle, taking in the crowd far above, and the walls surrounding it, with blank indifference. The creature’s eyes were huge and pale; there was no hint of emotion reflected in their depths. The head and shoulders were those of a Wraith, with the blue skin and a forked, silver beard, but they were much larger than any Wraith had a right to be and were perched on a grotesquely huge body — it was a giant. A giant mutant Wraith!