9- Underground

RED POV

“Holly Mother of Hell” Siana said beside me. “Is this what I think it is?”

“If you think this is the entry to the Underground then yes, it is” I said.

The Underground was a city the size of Asia. It was built centuries ago for people to sell and buy secretly from their king who had banned all markets. Over the years, it became the city where criminals lived and where the black market evolved into something bigger.

We walked to the portal where two bodyguards were located. Both of them were almost seven feet tall and five feet wide. One of them I recognised since he was always here. Right now, he was checking some guy who wanted to enter the Underground.  The other bodyguard was probably in training because he was watching the line.

“Hey Zoren” I said as we got closer to them. The big man looked down at us once he was finished verifying the guy. His dark eyes shined from the light over our heads.

“Twin?” he asked in his deep voice. “Well, it has been a long time”

“Indeed, how are you?”

“I’m doing fine” he said. “Are you coming to see your sister fight?”

“I am” I said

“Who is this beside you?”

“This is my friend. She is with me today” I answered. He nodded and did his usual checkup. He put his hands over my head and slowly brought them down my body but never once touching. His ability was to see through glamour, magic and lies. He was a very good bodyguard because he could tell if people were bringing trouble his way. He proceeded with Siana who was fidgeting nervously beside me. I took her hand in mine once Zoren was done with the checkup.

“Oh, I almost forgot, Cameron’s here and he will be looking for you. And don’t try to hide from him this time. He already knows you’re here” he smiled at me before turning back to the next clients.

“Fuck” I swore.

“Cameron? The Cameron?” Siana said in shock.

“You know him?” I asked her.

“Of course I know him. He is one of the most respected men in the world. The one who control most of the black market and is the head of the Phenix mafia”

“Yup, that’s him” I said innocently

“I can’t believe this. This is too much. First were going to the Underground city where murderers live and then you tell me we are going to see a powerful head of mafia” she started panicking

“Sy relax. Siana stop” I grabbed her hands and held her still. “Everything is going to be fine. Nobody is going to us tonight. If you want I can send you back home” She shook her head.

“No, I said I wanted to know and I’m going to know.” She took a deep breath and held it before slowly exhaling.

“Let’s do this” Together we went through the portal.

“Anytime you want to go back, you tell me okay?” she nodded.

“By the way, why did he call you Twin?”

“Here, you never tell your real name. My sister is known as the Blood Kid and I am known as her twin sister. Therefore, I am known as the Twin” I replied.

“Noted” she said

-

There were different parts of the cities. Some neighborhoods were cleaner than others, and some were more dangerous. Some had newer buildings and some still had the old architecture of medieval times. It all depended on the hierarchy of this city. The part of the city that we were in was a more common area. There were different creatures walking down the streets. People were buying and selling things. There were bars, restaurants and clothes stores. This place was more civilised than others because it did not have the major trafficking intersections. Deeper into the city was where the human/creature, weapons and magic trafficking were based. This reminded me of the first time Jamie and came here:

“Are you sure this is it” my sister asked me.

“No, I’m not” I said “but we have to do this”

Together we made our way to the giant men. According to my findings, this was the entrance of the Underground. As we came closer, one of the men stopped us.

“State your business” he said.

“We want to join a fight club. One where killing is allowed” I told him nervously.

“Go home kids, this is no place for you.”

“Please, we need to join” I said desperately.

“Let the kids in Zoren, it’s none of our concern why they’ve come here.” The other man said.

“But they are only children” Zoren said to his partner.

“I said let them in.” Zoren bowed his head and told us to follow him.

“The least I could do is to show you where it is” Zoren said “How old are you?”

“14, sir.” I answered. He scoffed and started mumbling under his breath

My sister and I followed him and were astonished by what we saw. This city was everything they said it was and more. I was too busy looking around the buildings and the streets that I did not noticed we arrived. We stopped in front a building but what captured my eye was the sign on top of the door; it read ‘Golden Fist’

“State your business Zoren” the man in front of the said.

“These girls wish to fight” Zoren told him. The man started to laugh loudly.

“That’s a good one Zoren. What does your wife say about you and young children?” he said “But I must say that you have good taste. Can I have them when you’re done?” he reached a hand out and brushed my hair out of my face. By then I was really scared, my face was white and I was shaking like a leaf. ”I’ll be gentle”

“Don’t touch her” my sister growled beside me pulling me behind her.

“What are you going to do kid, huh?” he smirked and grabbed my sister forcefully by the arm. “How about I start with you?”

Zoren stepped forward to stop the man but I held his arm and shook my head. This giant man had been very nice so far and my sister had to prove that she was admissible to fight. Jamie grasped the man’s forearm and with a rapid movement snapped it upward. We heard the crack and we saw the bone coming out of his elbow. The man screamed in pain as he fell to his knees.

“You bitch” he spat and lunged himself at my sister but he never made it. Zoren caught the guy by the waist and held him tight as he struggled to get out.

“Enough” a voice boomed. “Let him go Zoren” the British man said as he came into view. He snapped his fingers and three men dragged the screaming guy inside the building.

“Sorry about that, children. He will be good entertainment for the guest tonight. I am sorry but I was too curious about the commotion outside my bar that I had to come and see. And let me tell you I was very impressed in this fabulous encounter.”  He said to us. “Why don’t you both come in and explain to me why you are on my doorstep.” He motioned us go inside.

“ You may call me Cameron”

-

We a stopped in front of a brick building, where tables were set out and people were drinking. Over the wooden door was a metal fist with an arrow and was written 'Golden Fist'.

“This is one of the best fighting bars in the world. Only the most skilled and ruthless fighters can fight here. Or whoever that pays a fortune” I said. I showed my ID to the bouncer in front of the door and went in. We made our way to the bar and ordered us some drinks. Siana took her cocktail and downed it in seconds before ordering another one.

“This is totally illegal” Siana mumbled.

“Not really.” She looked at me like I grew a second head on my shoulders. “Technically it’s an illegal fight club, but because of its rates the government turns his eyes away from here. When the outside world becomes too easy or boring for murderers and what not, they come here. This place provides entertainment, drinks and fights, so what is not to like?”

“Jimhaya fights here? With those people” Sy asked in disbelief.

“She does. She learned to fight here. She had a few trainers over the years but fighting for your life is the easiest way to get better.”

“Well, well, well, isn’t it my one of my favorite customer.” A voice spoke behind me with a British accent. I cursed under my breath before facing the man.

“Camreon” I said dryly.

“Now, now, what have I ever done to earn such a curt response?” he asked with a smile on his face. Cameron was a charmer. He had short dark hair, with a small beard lingering on his face. His small body frame for a man was very muscular and he was not ashamed to show it. He was wearing a black blouse shirt with black pants. You could see on his neck the beginning of a tattoo that went further down his body. That tattoo was a symbol of his power. His followers had the same, but in smaller versions. Cameron’s tattoo covered his entire right arm and the right half of his body, down to the waist. In the Underground, this man held a great amount of power and was feared and loved by many people.

“It has been a long time since you last came to see your sister play little Twin. I was beginning to think that you had given up on her and you would renounce her as yours”

“You know I wouldn’t do such a thing Cameron” I told him. He smiled at me again before turning his attention to Sy who was standing beside me, trying to look small.

“And who is this?”

“She is my plus one tonight”

“I see. Has your sister finally lost it and you had to ask for help to control her?” he asked curiously but I did not answer. “I take that as a yes”

“I heard you have not yet upgraded her winnings Cameron. May I ask why?” I said, changing the subject.

“I am losing customers since her little incident two years ago. She is killing off my best fighters”

“You are gaining customers because many people travel from afar and pay greatly to see her in action. After all, who does not want to see the youngest fighter to have survived five years in the cage?” I corrected. “Also there are many fighters who are willing to try against the famous Blood Kid”

“It’s Blood Princess now. Your sister is no longer a child”

“Sweet, but it doesn’t change the fact that we agreed that every year you would raise her winnings by 20%”

“Right, now I remember. Did she tell you that I had to change her fights to the Iron Battles.”

“No. Why?” I asked surprised

“Because she has not been able to control her killings: once she has started to fight, she cannot finish without a dead body at her feet and this scares my clients. Your sister is breaking child, and you know it” He answered. “I will raise her winnings by 10% for every death and 20% for every life she spares in my cages. You should know: I lose a lot of money cleaning after her”

“Raise her winnings by the normal amount of the Iron Battles plus the 10% for every death”

“Then I can only raise her pay by 15% of every spared life”

“Deal” I said taking my knife out of my belt.

“Deal” he said and repeated my movements. We both cut our hand and shook.

“The blood is sealed” he said.

“The blood is sealed”

After our agreement, Cameron started to laugh. “Oh, how I love to make business with you, little Twin. My offer still stands about you working under me. I could teach you so many things about business. But I know you are going to refuse tonight. So” he waved his hands in a shooing gesture, “Go use your great gambling talent and gain a monstrous amount of money off the bored rich men that are betting against your sister tonight. I suggest you start with the Duke of Farnon, I heard he has a treasure in his pockets and he is ready to spend it” He tipped his imaginary hat towards me and I bowed my head in response. Before I could go far Cameron called my name and turn around to face him. “Keep her close to you. We wouldn’t want anything bad happening to her” he said pointing at Siana. I nodded my head then continued to make my way towards the Duke of Farnon.

“What are the Iron Battles?” Siana asked me.

“They are fights to the death. Normally, a prisoner has the right to demand a shorter life sentence if they fight in the Iron Battles. Depending on the gravity of the crime, the prisoner has to fight a certain amount of fights before he is let free. Also, a prisoner who is sentence to death can be granted his life back if he wins.”

“So, what do we do now?” She whispered to me.

“We are going to bet on my sister” I answered.

“What?” I asked after I saw her surprised face. “Did you think my sister was the only one who can have fun here?”

“You call this fun?” she said through gritted teeth. I knew she didn’t like it here but I did warn her that she was not ready. I gave her an innocent smile.

“What is more fun than to rob old fat men who believe they are smart and invincible? Besides, I am here on behalf of the Blood Kid- sorry- Princess. I’m her sponsor, therefor I speak for her. So technically I have to make business with others who wish to buy her and keep my reputation. Everyone here is aware that my sister is not for sale but here are always some who try anyway.”

And so, for the next hour, I made my way around the bar, making bets with other sponsors. Siana followed me quietly the entire time without making a sound. I could tell she was out of her comfort zone but she has not asked me to go home yet.

When it was time for my sister to fight, I found us a good place to sit in the VIP lounge. We sat in silence, listening to the voice beaming from the speakers.

“Ladies and Gentlemen. Creatures of day and night, we have come to the moment you all have waited for” the voice paused to create a suspenseful effect. He did this every time. “The Iron Battles” the crowd around us went wild. They screamed and cheered and jumped up and down from their seats.

“Is it always like this?” Siana whispered in my ear. I nodded.

“Tonight, we have a special guest. This guest is a prisoner who has been condemned to death. He has chosen the right to fight for his freedom. He has fought four battles and won four. Tonight, if he wins, he is a free man but if not, well, you know what happens” the crowd laughed. “Now, please welcome our guest: William, werewolf, son of Damian and Alpha of the Nawin pack” The crowd cheered as a huge bald man came into the cage. He had nothing but his boxers on, showing his muscles to the public.

“Now, I know you are dying to know who this man will be fighting so I will end the mystery.” The voice paused again. “Ladies and Gentlemen, please cheer for our one and only: The Bloody Princess” The crowd went wild as the voice screamed out my sisters’ title.

My sister came into view, wearing nothing but a black sports bra and tight shorts. She entered the cage with her bare feet and walked once around the cage. She was looking in the crowd and when her eyes locked with mine she gave me a nod but she soon frowned when she saw who was sitting beside me.

Relax, I told her mentally, she wanted to see what you were up to. Don’t go easy on him.

Jimhaya nodded again then faced her opponent. I could see Williams smirk as he thought this fight was going to be a walk in the park.

“Let me remind you of the rules: This is a close, hand to hand fight. There will be no magic and no weapons; not that either of you need any” everybody laughed again but soon fell into dead silence. I always hated the silence that occurs before the fight. It’s when everybody in the club waits impatiently waits for the fight to begin. My heart started to pump faster. I never liked coming here because I was always afraid that one day Jamie wouldn’t make it out of the cage.

“Fight” the voice boomed through the intercom and the fight begun. William turned into a big black wolf and attacked Jamie. She dodged him and threw a punch into the wolf side. The hit was so hard he flew into the bars at the other end of the cage. We could hear the bones cracking from where we were sitting but he got up quickly and snarled.

The fight went on for some time; they were punching, clawing, biting and dodging each other. William had gotten few good cuts on Jamie but it was not enough to slow her down. The wolf was bleeding and limping and he was getting tired. He snapped his teeth at her but was to slow and gave my sister enough time to side step and grabs his neck with both of her arms. William went wild trying to get away from her headlock but Jamie did not give in. in a swift movement, my sister squeezed her arms together strong enough to break the wolfs neck. Williams’ limp body fell down at her feet while the spectator roared in joy. Two men went into the cage a dragged the wolf out.

Suddenly the crowd grew silent as an explosion was heard from the inside of the cage. I looked at Jamie and saw a hole in her stomach that was not there before.

“Shit” I swore

“What’s going on” Siana asked me.

“It’s a surprise fight, it’s rare but it happens. Some fighters are able to reserve a fight that was not supposed to happen without the other fighter knowing about it. Their sponsors must have paid a great amount of money to be able to pull this stunt” I explained. I smiled a little, trying not to show my discomfort to my friend. I was actually freaking out inside. I really hated those kinds of fights, especially if it’s against my sister. "Don’t worry, this fight is with magic. They shouldn’t have done that.”

Three men came into the cage as Jamie turned around to meet them. Instead of looking afraid, she smirked and her hard red eyes showed pleasure as they formed a semi-circle around her. We could see her fangs as her menacing smile grew wider. She had blood on her face and body from the previous fight and her injuries.

“Now, you are going to find out why they call her the Blood Princess” I told Siana. My friend looked frightened at the sight before her. I didn’t know if she was scared of Jamie or afraid for her.

Together, all three men began attacking her. The first man had a sword and started swinging but Jamie was too fast. She easily sidestepped the sword but the other two were throwing magic her way making it difficult to counterattack. While the swordsman swung his sword downward, my sister stepped inside his comfort zone. With one hand she grabbed the arm that held the sword and with the other one, she buried it into his chest. Seconds later she pulled out the guys’ heart as he fell to the ground. Without missing a beat she summoned her magic and raised the second man in the air. She closed her hands and swung her arms in a horizontal way as if she was stretching rope. The guys’ arms were ripped off his body. She then raised her arms above her head swiftly brought them down and that caused the guys’ legs to tear off his body. The man was dead before he touched the ground. The third man, after he got over the shock, started to use his magic in an uncontrollable way in hopes of hitting my sister with it. Jamie used her vampire speed to go behind him. She grabbed his head with one hand and his waist with the other and sunk her teeth in his neck. The man struggled in her arms before he stopped moving completely. Once my sister drank his blood to the last drop, she let him go and made her way out of the cage. I could see that the hole in her stomach had closed off after she drank the blood. The crowd yelled and cheered her name as she left the scene to fetch her winnings.

I got up from my seat and motioned Siana to come with me. “Where are we going” she asked me.

“First we are going to retrieve my money. Then we are going to find my sister so we can go home”

We started to make our way through the crowd and collected the money. Jamie joined us when we were collecting the last debt from the Duke of Farnon. She held a sports bag which I was sure was full of money.

“So these are the famous sisters: The Princess and the Twin. Tell me Twin, how much do you want for your fighter?” the Duke said.

“I’m sorry, but she is not for sale” I told him dryly.

“Come now, I can give you so much money you won’t have to work in your life again. Tell me the prise.”

“She’s not for sale” I repeated. He was getting on my nerves and I was ready to put him in his place. The Duke came close to me and put his fat greasy hand on my shoulder. He bent down so we were face to face. I could feel his disgusting breath that made me want to gag. Jamie’s hand reached out to hold the wrist that Duke’s hand laid on my shoulder. I gently placed my fingers on hers while shaking my head. It wouldn’t be smart to kill a very important man in the middle of a crowd.

“I own the best trainers in the world. Don’t you want your sister to become the greatest fighter man has ever known? And why don’t you come live with me? I’m sure your sister would like you there and we could do many things together.” he asked.

“The lady said her sister was not for sale” Cameron said behind me with his strong British accent. The Duke released me and I took a step back into my sisters’ chest. Jamie wrapped her arms protectively around me.

“I thought I had made it clear Duke that the girls were not to be approached.” Cameron said.

“We were just doing business.” The Duke said calmly.

“Business?” he asked. “Let me rephrase my words correctly. It is not that the princess is not for sale. It is because you cannot control her. No one can, and I personally do not want that child roaming around free without a leash on. Now, if you please, be on your merry way” The Duke took one last glance at us before walking away with his men.

“Thank you” I said to Cameron.

“You are welcome. After all I must keep my clients safe and happy.” He inclined his head towards us and we bowed ours before he left us alone in the VIP room.

“Can we go now? Because I am tired as hell” Siana said breaking the silence.

“We can” I said and made my way to the exit.

“Are you ok?” I heard Sy saying behind me. She was standing close to Jamie, touching her where the hole was in her body. I smiled at her genuine concern for my sister. I could tell that my sister liked the attention given to her.

“I’m fine. I do this a couple times a week.” Jamie said.

“As much as I hate to ruin this moment, but I really want to be in my bed right now” I interrupted. Sy turned her head away trying to hide the blush that covered her face while Jamie smiled and walked towards me.

We made our way back to the portal that led us to the outside. As we walked out I bid Zoren goodbye as he did the same to me and teleported us back to the lake house. Luckily, the other three were still gone so nobody heard us come in. Siana wished us goodnight and dragged her feet to her room while Jamie and I made our way to ours. I didn’t bother changing so I simply took off my socks and dove under the covers. Jamie soon followed my lead and curled up on my side, her back touching me for comfort.

“I liked today” she whispered so softly I barely heard her.

“Me too. I hope tomorrow will be the same” I said. After I said that, I fell into a dreamless sleep.