Now that was the distraction we needed. The gate wasn’t far, and we found ourselves in front of it in under a minute. It was completely shut.
“We have to go inside the gatehouse and open it,” Julian said.
“How do we do that?” Samuel asked.
“I don’t know, we’ll figure it out.”
Julian threw open the gatehouse door, which led to a narrow set of wooden steps. We circled around until we reached the top. To our left, an open archway led to the ramparts, where two guards stood transfixed, watching the Gilgamesh. Since they were not even looking our way, Samuel put his hand on a giant wheel, which connected to a giant link of chains. He gave the wheel a heave. Not able to do it himself, we all joined him.
The loud cranking sound shook the guards out of their stupor. They aimed their rifles, but not before I shot one in the chest. He fell off the rampart toward the dirt street below. The other one, deciding not to take his chances against the four of us, jumped right off the rampart rather than get shot.
Below us, the large wooden gates groaned as they opened. Everyone stopped turning the wheel, and ran back down the stairs. We burst on the street, turned the corner, and ran out of the barely opened gate and into the night.
Gilgamesh lifted off from where it had hovered above the settlement, angling our way. From the ramparts, the guards fired at us. We zigzagged our path in order to dodge the bullets.
Gilgamesh swooped overhead, knocking us all down with a colossal sound and gust of wind. It half-turned toward us, its headlights still blinding. It landed maladroitly upon the ground, the boarding ramp extending. The blast door opened.
Then, men on horseback surged out from the gate behind us. We were about halfway to the ship.
“Run!” I yelled.
We sprinted for the boarding ramp, even as the horsemen gained on us. The ship became larger as we neared it, but the thunder of hooves behind let me know how close we were to being captured again.
Finally, we ran up the ramp, and the blast door closed behind us. Several bullets dinged off its metal outside.
No sooner than we were in, the ship lifted off. I fell to the floor, and slid toward the wall as the ship leaned upward, surging upward toward the black sky.
Chapter 13
Once we were up and away, we all stood on Gilgamesh’s bridge.
“Well, the operation wasn’t a complete waste,” Samuel said. “We found out Anna is in transit to Nova Roma with a group of other slaves. If we hurry, we might still catch her.”
“And how did you find this out?” Ashton asked.
Samuel gestured to Julian, who stood next to him. “This is Julian. He saved our lives by showing us how to get out of the city. He also let us know what happened to Anna.”
Ashton looked at Julian. “You are sure of this?”
He nodded. “They have auctions there, every Saturday, in Central Square. That is probably where they are taking her. She put up a big fight against all the slavers, even killing one of them. They probably see her as a potential fighter for El Coleseo.”
“El Coleseo?” I asked.
“It’s the grand arena of the Empire, located in the heart of Nova Roma,” Julian said. “They fight slaves there for entertainment.”
“Great,” Makara said. “How can people watch that?”
“They do not see slaves as people,” Julian said. “Many came to seek refuge in the Empire, after the Rock fell — both native Mexicans and foreign Americans. Most were just enslaved as soon as they crossed the border. The lucky ones were sent to the farms. The unlucky ones, to the arenas. And the most unlucky…to El Coleseo.”
“You know this, how?” Ashton asked.
“I have been to Nova Roma many times as part of my duties for my old master. He would attend these auctions at times. I have even fought in a few gladiatorial matches myself, though never in El Coleseo, thank God. They say that anyone who enters the Blood Gates is already doomed to die.”
“Well, we’ll just have to hurry, then,” I said.
Ashton nodded. “You came along at just the right time to help us, Julian.”
“How did you guys get into Itcala, anyway?” Julian asked.
I assumed Itcala was the name of the settlement. “We parachuted.”
Julian’s eyes widened. “That’s crazy. You’re lucky to still be alive.”
“We know,” Makara said.
“How did you come to be in the Empire, Julian?” I asked.
“I was hunting with my father outside my home, ten years ago. There were slavers, there. They killed my father, and they took me. From then on, I was sold from one master to another, until I found my way here. They fought me in arenas, from time to time, and I was lucky to survive until now. Because I can read, my last master found a use for me that didn’t involve swinging a sword. He lived in Itcala, and would sometimes travel to Nova Roma, taking me with him to help him write contracts for his business. He mostly dealt with slaves.”
“So, you know the city well?” Ashton asked.
Julian nodded. “I’ve been there at least a dozen times. I know it well enough.”
“Maybe you can help us find Anna, then,” I said.
“I will,” Julian said. “You guys got me out of there, so it’s the least I can do.” Julian looked around the bridge, as if he couldn’t believe he was standing in such a place. “Although, I have a lot of questions myself.”
“That’s understandable,” Ashton said. “We have questions, too, but unfortunately, time is not on our side right now. We’ll catch you up later.”
“Can you use a gun?” Samuel asked.
Julian shook his head. “I’ve only used a sword and shield before. Gladiators are not allowed ranged weapons in the arena, unless they are javelins.”
“Christ,” Ashton said, looking away. “There will be time for that later, I guess. Makara can probably teach you.”
“I can show him the basics,” Makara said. “The finer points he’ll have to learn on his own.”
“Teach him what you can,” Ashton said.
“Even if he can’t use a gun, Julian can speak Spanish.” I looked at him. “You can speak Spanish, right?”
He nodded. “Fluently. I even knew it before I came to the Empire because I am, well…Mexican.”
Makara chuckled. “Well, that is something we didn’t really consider before. How could we have missed that none of us spoke Spanish and we were hoping to find our way around Mexico?”
“It was a gross oversight,” Ashton said. “Still, two months in Skyhome was hardly enough time to learn a new language.”
“We’re lucky to have Julian,” I said. “He can translate everything for us so we aren’t in the dark.”
Julian nodded. “There is one thing…after we are done with all this, I’d like to be taken home.”
“Where is home?” Ashton asked.
“A town, called New America. It’s in Texas, on the Gulf Coast. I don’t know exactly where, but I know that much. That’s where my community is, my family. They need to know I’m still alive. It has haunted me all these years.”
“We’ll do what we can,” Ashton said. “We need you here, right now. Are you willing to help us with this first?”
“Of course,” Julian said. “You have already done more for me than I could have ever done for myself. Helping you find Anna will be the least I can do.”