Galdoni (27 page)

I watched the younger me in the training
room twirling a blade above my head. In the next image, I knelt
next to a small Galdoni with brown wings and showed him how to hold
a blade larger than he was in a firm grip.

Next, it showed the closing of the Arena,
winged forms silhouetted against the morning sun. None of them were
me, but it didn’t matter because no one else could tell.

There were a few pictures from high school
that I hadn’t known had been taken, me in my coat at the back of
Dr. Ray’s classroom talking to Brie and Jayce, a room full of
students at Zach’s place with me in the background throwing darts.
I had to smile at that one because I realized the tip of my
feathers were visible at the bottom of the coat when my arm was
raised to throw the dart. There was a picture of Brie and I
standing in the rain in the backyard. A lump formed in my throat. I
glanced at Nikko.

He shrugged. “I thought it would come in
handy,” he said apologetically.

Then there was a video of three figures on
top of the old city building. Two looked like they were talking,
and the third stood a bit further from the edge. The video blurred
a bit and moved slightly, but it still did the job. I watched the
first figure turn and fall backward off the building; the second
caught his hand and was pulled over with him.

Even though I had experienced it personally,
my heart skipped a beat when the second figure grabbed tight to the
first; a coat flew up discarded behind them, then black wings
opened and caught the air a second before they hit the ground. They
soared low over the crowd and the jumper was set down before the
Galdoni crashed a few feet away. He rose gingerly, his eyes wide as
though he had just realized what he had done. The crowd swarmed and
he disappeared from view.

The screen went black and the music grew
quieter. Words appeared, white on the black screen. Jayce’s voice
read them solemnly. “The life of a single Galdoni. Not a monster,
not an animal, but a hero waiting for his chance to live. We’ve
been taught to see them as inhuman, but we can’t deny the humanity
Kale has shown.” The black image changed to one of the Arena, the
gates gray, cold, and forbidden. “Help us stop the violence that
goes on behind these walls. Refuse to watch the fights; don’t
gamble on lives that should be spent in the pursuit of happiness,
our right and theirs. Don’t let Kale die because you didn’t take a
stand.”

The tape paused and Nikko turned to me, “We
thought you’d want to see what occurred at the Arena after the
video. They tried to cut it off, but Iggy found a way to keep the
footage rolling so everyone saw what truly happened.”

I nodded and watched the battle from
multiple cameras at the top of the Arena. I heard us talk, make our
battle plans, and watched us dive toward the attacking Galdoni. The
battle felt longer than it had in real life. I saw Goliath, Varo,
and David’s sides of the fight, acts of heroism in saving Galdoni
they could have slain.

My throat tightened when David was stabbed,
but I couldn’t look away. I heard us speak, and heard his last
words again, the words that had echoed in my head through my fever
dreams.

“
You know what I’ll miss
most? Flying.”

I swallowed hard to fight back tears, but
shook my head when Nikko asked quietly if he should turn it
off.

I watched myself curse the viewers and the
Galdoni who stood around me, and saw the Galdoni drop their weapons
and take off their masks, all except Blade, who turned his back. I
followed my battle with the guards, a losing battle before it even
started, but one I refused to give up.

I felt the bite of the spear in my hand and
glanced down at the bandages around my left palm. The scratch of
stitches tugged at the gauze. I felt the bite of each wound as I
watched them occur, but I didn’t regret fighting. I didn’t regret
any of my own pain.

The video changed to a view outside the
Arena gates. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have
recognized the square beyond because it was filled to overflowing
with protesters banging on the gates and trying to get in. A few
minutes later, someone with a big black SWAT truck rammed them
repeatedly until they bent and fell inward. The crowd rushed past
the twisted metal and swarmed the Academy walls. Nikko turned off
the video.

I forced a slight laugh. “Wow, if I didn’t
know that Galdoni better, I’d follow him, too.”

The others laughed and Nikko put a hand on
my shoulder. “Well, he’s going to have a lot to do when he gets out
of the hospital.”

I met Brie’s eyes. “I can’t wait.”

*** Keep an eye out for the second book in
the Galdoni series projected to be released in Spring 2014

About the Author

Cheree Alsop is the mother of a beautiful,
talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy
and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light
of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her
by reading the first drafts and adding depth to the stories. Cheree
is currently working as an independent author and mother. She
enjoys reading, riding her motorcycle on warm nights, and playing
with her twins while planning her next book. She is also a bass
player for their rock band, Alien Landslide.

Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they
rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop
dreaming.

Check out Cheree’s other
books at
www.chereealsop.com