The boy she chose was the smaller of the two, with lanky limbs and short blond hair. He stood slightly off-balance, favouring his left leg, and grinned as he stared down his opponent — a thickly built, dark-skinned boy. Ruby’s choice confused Roman; her fighter looked the underdog.
“Deal,” he said.
The fighting pit wasn’t really a pit — more of a shallow depression that had been hacked out of the concrete floor. Ten yards wide, its uneven ground was stained with blood from previous fights.
“You noticed our tail yet?” Ruby asked.
“No,” Roman admitted. Not for lack of trying on his part. But with the hundreds of people packed into Gavin’s Haven, it was near impossible to notice which one was watching him. Somehow, Ruby was always able to tell.
“Two rows in front, at the end of the row. Missing an ear,” she said.
Roman sighted him. Sure enough, the man casually glanced towards them, quickly turning back when he noticed Roman staring. Gavin always set a tail on them when they came to his Haven. No doubt One-Ear would raise the alarm if Roman so much as approached the downstairs cells where Gavin kept his Adrenalites.
Not that he could have reached them anyway. He stared at the barred doors at the end of the hall, guarded by four thugs. Gavin was very defensive about his fighters, and he trusted Roman almost as little as Roman trusted him.
“Where the hell is the bastard?” Roman frowned at the empty space beside him, eager to get the meeting over and done with. He had hoped to leave before the fight begun. Too late now.
Two pit guards stepped forward, one behind each fighter. The dark-skinned fighter unleashed a wild howl as the guard injected adrenaline into his back. Blue lights began to shine from each combatant’s chest. The crowd screamed their encouragement.
“Fuck ‘em up!”
“Kill him!”
The Adrenalites charged, colliding in a fury of fists. The blond fighter scored the first hit, striking his opponent in the ribs. The crowd roared. The dark-skinned boy’s size meant the blow barely pushed him back. He responded with speed that defied his size, swinging a series of kicks aimed to drive his rival off balance.
Roman’s heart pounded. Despite his hatred of pit fights, he couldn’t deny the sheer thrill of it. The two boys’ rapid movements made their blue glows swirl in his vision, blending trails of light around them.
“Welcome to the show, my good man.” A thickly accented voice came from Roman’s left. “Watch the beauty humans are capable of with just a little itty bit of mutation.”
Roman tore his gaze from the fight to acknowledge Gavin’s arrival. Despite having seen the gang leader dozens of times before, and therefore knew what to expect, Roman struggled to hide his innate revulsion.
It was the eyes. Fucking unnerving eyes. The left was in the normal place, staring blankly at the roof. His other eye watched Roman from just to the right of his nose, an inch below where it should of been. Green, bloodshot, and altogether creepy.
“Which kid is yours?” Roman asked.
Gavin rubbed his seven-fingered hands together with glee. “The blond one is my dear Rusty. Damn good boy. He won’t disappoint me.”
Roman thought there was a good chance Rusty would be disappointing his owner today. The boy was forced to the edge of the pit, arms raised in a defensive posture. He was fast, but his opponent had the advantage in bulk and strength. Rusty stumbled with each step backwards, unable to properly ground himself on the rough floor.
“I think you may be leaving a poorer man,” Roman said.
“Bah! Rusty can handle it. Just wait and see. Besides,” Gavin flashed Roman an ugly grin, “I’ve got money to spare. I suppose I can thank you for at least a part of that.”
Roman grimaced. It galled him that he had paid Gavin so much, but the mutant bastard wouldn’t have parted with Sparks for anything less. Roman could have bought any other Adrenalite for half the price, but after seeing Sparks fight…
Hell, these boys are good, he watched Rusty dodge a blow and land his own in his rival’s shoulder, reclaiming a step forward, but neither would last a minute against Sparks.
“And how is the little bird that you stole from me?” Gavin asked. “I do miss him ever so much. Sparks was a fascinating kid.”
Roman rubbed his jaw, suddenly aware how hard it was clenched. What was he meant to say? He is the best fighter I’ve ever seen, and he saved my life. And I hate him for it. Every moment I see him I think of how he could kill everyone I know, and would probably enjoy it, too.
Not worth saying that.
“He’s doing fine without you,” Ruby answered for him. “I think he enjoys being allowed outside, rather than facing that pit.”
Gavin laughed, loud and grating. “I highly doubt that. I’ve never seen an Adrenalite with a fiercer passion for the pit.”
“We’re not here to talk about the boy,” Roman said. “We’re here for information.”
“Ah forgive me, I just get so sentimental. But alas, business must be dealt with. You know I’m always eager to help.”
“Like hell you are. You’re eager for more of my money.”
Gavin shrugged. “You know me so well. That is why I like you, my good man.”
“The feel isn’t mutual. We’re looking for an Adrenalite registered as EX89.”
“Ah.” Gavin raised an eyebrow — the one above an empty space where his eye should have been. “Of course the Captain would have sent you after him.”
“You’ve heard of him?”
“Everyone in Legacy has heard of Candle.”
Roman’s jaw tightened again, hands forming fists. “Then why the hell did nobody tell me?”
After everything he had done to help this city, all the rogues he had stopped, why did no one ever come to him for help? They owed him that much, at least.
Gavin gave an exaggerated shrug. “I’m sure I can’t imagine why.”
“Don’t play games with me,” Roman growled. “Who is Candle?”
“A scum-fucking piece of shit who doesn’t understand his place.”
“That doesn’t narrow my options down.”
“How much do you want to know?”
“The usual.” Roman reached into his coat and pulled out a handful of coins. They were tarnished with age, but the coins of the Ancients never lost their significance.
“My tongue feels looser already.” Gavin slipped the coins into his pocket. “Candle first appeared two weeks ago, when he raided Kyrin’s hideout. This wasn’t some random rampage. This was a planned attack.”
“Kyrin… the rado-weed dealer?” Ruby asked.
“The very same. He owned two talented fighters.”
“Let me guess,” Roman said. “They haven’t been seen since the assault?”
“Wrong. Everybody saw them when they attacked Jennie’s bar two days later.”
“Shit. Why Jennie’s?”
“I don’t doubt it’s because Gregory Marko just happened to be dining there. His pit fighter — a young specimen, full of potential — was taken from the bar’s holding room.”
Marko. Roman recognized the name. It sickened Roman that a Ministry worker would own a pit fighter.
“What happened to Marko?”
“Dead as the Ancients themselves. The same as Kyrin.”
“So Candle’s not just targeting Adrenalite owners, he’s targeting—”
“—Pit fighter owners. Yes. And he’s stealing their little birds. Now you understand why he’s such a pain in the arse.”
“Is there a chance his motivation is revenge?” Ruby asked.
Gavin shook his head. His abnormal eye rolled with the movement. “Nobody has any record of an Adrenalite marked EX89. I assure you he’s never been a pit fighter before.”