My thanks to anyone still reading this mess, reviews are appreciated. Brent Weeks owns The Night Angel Trilogy.
Jason woke up as the sunlight crept in through the window and over his face. He blinked in rapid succession to clear his eyes .and rolled over. He was alone. He leapt out of bed of the bed, scattering the thin covers, and reached for a knife that wasn't there. He cursed his carelessness and scanned the room. It was empty, beside a note lying on the bedside table. He picked it up and read it impatiently. "Dear Jason. I am sorry for this but we are just not right for each other. I have strong feelings for someone else, and I can't trust you. If you are reading this then the men haven't arrived yet and I implore you not to fight them. You'll stay alive that way. Goodbye Jason." As he finished reading, a sudden sharp pain tore into his calf and he fell to his knees. His mind began to blur and he struggled to put out a barbed arrow from his leg. "Poison. Cowards. I'll kill them…" He spat out the words to himself as he blacked out and crashed to the floor.
Jason woke this time outside, hands bound and surrounded by armed men. He groaned and rose to his knees, ignoring the halberds levelled at him. "Ah you have awoken." An deep, inhuman voice echoed through Jason's head as his captor spoke. "My name is Tobias Ursuul, Godking of these lands. And I'm afraid Jason Drake, that your woman sold you out." A muffled moan caused Jason to turn his head. He saw Tamara standing at the foot of a golden palanquin that held the imposing figure of Godking Ursuul. His body was hidden beneath layers of white robes and his face was covered in a bone mask, obscuring his features. He spat at Tamara, his emotions conflicting between fury and… a feeling he refused to justify, a feeling he buried beneath his scowl of anger. He glared at the Godking and shot him a foul glare. "If you are wondering, that poison I used to take you down so easily, it is non lethal. Although, I rather think you wish it was. After all, this woman is my property, the same as you are now." Jason continued to glare, ignoring Tamara and the pain she brought him. "I couldn't care less about her, but you'll not take my freedom." The Godking laughed cruelly and replied "I believe you are wrong on both accounts, Jason Drake. A wetboy is regarded as the highest calibre of killer this world has ever seen, am I right? Well, with that in mind you will fight in my arenas until you are dead or I grow tired of the amusement you bring. Now, our conversation is concluded. You will awake in your new quarters and you will fight Jason Drake. And you will die eventually, for the entertainment of Khalidor. This is my will, and my will is never denied." Ursuul nodded at the guard and he plunged a dagger into Jason's flesh. He growled in response before the poison took its toll and he crashed to the floor unconscious.
"I'm getting sick of this." Jason opened his eyes and stretched his sore muscles. His ears were still muffled, presumably from the poison, but he still heard voices clamouring beyond the bars that imprisoned him. "He's awake… too soon… must have the warriors ready…" He only caught words instead of sentences but as Jason rose to his feet and spotted the sword left unsubtly in front of him, he summarised that he was to fight immediately to test his skills. "As if they were in any doubt…" He spoke under his breath as he picked up the short sword and walked towards the bars that had been opened for him. He walked into a wide courtyard, with cells similar to his across the walls. Men of all descriptions filled them, all either glaring at him or taking a woman if they were lucky enough to have one. He scowled back and faced his opponent. A hulking Khalidorian highlander, holding three spears and a massive bronze shield shouted insults from across the courtyard, which Jason ignored. Instead he focused on his audience, which seemed to be the lower aristocracy and one man in particular stood out. He was a short plain-looking man, but he spoke with quiet authority as he pointed at Jason and the highlander. "He must be in charge" Jason thought, determining how best to kill him when he'd dealt with the primitive savage who was still hurling insults his way. Jason gripped the pommel of his sword and broke into a run.
The first spear shot forward at incredible speed, but the killer dodged under it with preternatural ease. A deafening cacophony of cheers and jibes came from the occupants of the cells, and amused mutterings from the nobles as the second spear was also denied its target. The highlander threw his last spear. The killer deftly plucked it from the air and stabbed his prey through the heart in the blink of an eye. A momentary silence was broken by an uproar as the murderer let go of the weapon and threw his sword to the ground, driven back to his cell by the guards. The owner of the estate, one Marcus Meridius formerly of Alitaera, looked on with interest as Jason Drake was locked away like a rabid wolf.
Jason was sitting on his shaky bed, thinking of how to escape, when a figure arrived at the bars to his cells. His visitor was a Sethi, the same height as him with black skin and inquisitive eyes. "You are good at killing. You must be, he doesn't lock up the rest of us." The Sethi spoke to him, seemingly unfazed by Jason's early display of murderous ability. "You'll forgive me if I'm not flattered." Jason spoke brusquely, irritated to be disturbed from his dark planning. The Sethi smiled and flashed him a toothy grin. "My name is Nuba. And yours is?" Jason stood up and walked over to the bars, noticing Nuba's calm as he approached. "Dorian Julius. Pleasure to meet you." He extended a hand which Nuba took. "I know who you are Jason Drake, and your legend doesn't say that you are well-mannered. Are you trying to lull me into a false sense of security, before you stab me in the back?" Jason met his eyes impassively. "You're good Nuba. Maybe the Sethi aren't the ignorant corsairs I've been told about." The Sethi stared back at him with equal impassivity, both men refusing to give ground. "And I'm told you were a whoremongering drunk who kills for naught more than coin." Jason laughed and turned his back to Nuba, walking back to his bed. "Then you've heard right my friend. Tell me, why have you come to see me?" Nuba rested against the bars and stared into the courtyard. "I'm the one who healed your wounds and brought you back to consciousness. I was also curious to see what kind of man you would be. I have a knack for seeing into people, and you're trying to hide your honourable notions by drastically overcompensating. They say you're here because of a woman. Any other man here would have killed her by now. But I am required to return to my cell. Training starts tomorrow." As Nuba turned to go, Jason smiled and called after him "Thank you for treating me. I will return the favour my friend."