Chapter 1:
Blood covered the ground at Randy's feet. He stood there looking around the arena, his lungs burning from the battle he'd just finished. One of the thousands. The roar of the crowd was deafening and it both excited and disgusted him. But this was the life he'd been born into. He'd been bred to fight to the death for the amusement of others.
He looked up at the king on his throne before walking back into the coolness of the shaded hallway that led back to the cells. His mind flashed for a moment to his mother. She'd spent her whole life as a slave here. At the beck and call of men just like him. He closed his blue eyes and sighed to himself. He wanted something more for his life.
"They're calling you that name again. The Viper. " The voice made him open his eyes and look over at his friend. "Always coiled and ready to strike. " Randy smirked and let the water his friend had with him wash over his body. He'd hated the moniker. Ever since it had been given to him.
"Yeah well there's no accounting for taste." He said. The smaller man took the weapons to be cleaned. He watched Matt as he walked away. Matt wasn't the fighting type. He was kind of scrawny and more intellectual. Like Randy he'd been born here too and they'd become friends pretty quickly when they were younger. The bond had grown over the years and now they were like family. Brothers almost.
Randy slumped against the wall and closed his eyes again. But this time he didn't see his mother. He saw the same set of violet eyes he'd seen in more than one of his dreams. They seemed to draw him in. Almost as if they were drawing him into some kind of trance. He continued to stare at them for what seemed like an eternity. There was something almost enticing about them.
Randy wanted to find out who they belonged to. Then the feeling surged through his veins like it was in his blood. The feeling was much more than want. It was a need. He had to find out who those eyes belonged to and why she was haunting his dreams. Why he felt drawn to her. A hand on his shoulder made him start awake. He looked up at Matt. He could see the moment of confusion on his face before the realization sat in as to why Randy was a million miles away. He slumped down next to his friend both of them looking out into the arena at the battle that was underway.
"Did you see the vision again?" he asked. Randy nodded.
"I just wish I knew what it meant."
Across the world, a woman sat in a darkened room, a twisted smile on her crimson lips. She had him exactly where she wanted him. She'd been searching the world over for the last six months. She looked at the gold tablet to her left and ran her hand over it letting her fingers linger over the pictures that were inscribed on it. The power of the tablet was great. Greater than anyone ever knew. And she was so close to unlocking that power. The thought of it excited her. She looked over at her scribes and smiled. They had finally served her well. After all the searching and all the times they had failed, she'd finally found the last piece of the puzzle. Soon she would have exactly what she needed to unlock this tablet and all the hidden powers that it held. The last piece of the puzzle was the soul of the Viper. She smiled to herself again and sat back on her thrown.
"Soon my pet. Soon your soul will be mine."