War God for Hire- Gladiator by David Burke (books under 200 pages .TXT) 📕

then inside the tunnel. But he didn’t stop there. He streaked through the hallways and made it to the infirmary.

Selma and her apprentices were treating a number of slaves and others who hadn’t escaped quickly enough. None of the wounds looked serious, and Saber was keeping a watchful eye over the proceedings. Kyle moved up to one of the stone examination tables and shoved a man with some minor cuts on his arm out of the way as he laid Nyda down.

“She is hurt, flesh mage. Heal her,” Kyle said. Even he was a bit shocked at the deep and imperious tone that came out of his mouth, but he felt every ounce of the sentiment.

Selma looked at him with a harried expression on her face. “As soon as I can.”

“No! You will see to her now, mortal.”

The sound of his voice had everyone on edge and staring at him instantly. A couple of guards started to draw weapons, but Saber motioned for them to hold back. Selma stopped long enough to get a good look at Kyle. She must have seen the bloody mess that he was, because she said, “Oh, by Jordan. Sit down, boy. You need to be treated immediately.”

“I am fine. Nyda is not as durable as I am. Now treat her.” As Kyle spoke, he felt the energy draining out of him. His voice was softer this time and he started to feel dizzy.

He noticed as Selma looked at Saber, who simply nodded, and then she put her hands on Nyda. Kyle felt essence flowing from her. It was an interesting blend of earth, sea, and lust. He didn’t recall being able to sense the essence so clearly before, but then he felt the room spinning.

He heard a voice cry out, “Catch him!”

Then the room went dark.

Chapter 18 - Waking Up

Kyle woke up on the infirmary’s stone table. He immediately sat up this time. It was getting to be a habit and not one that he wanted to keep up. Once again, Selma was sitting in a chair reading the same book as before.

She must have noticed his movement because she said, “Glad you are awake. I was beginning to worry. You were a bloody mess from the birds, but none of the injuries were very severe. It was more just that they bled a lot. But you still didn’t wake up.”

Several thoughts rushed through Kyle’s head at once. “How long have I been out?” was followed immediately by, “Is Nyda okay?”

Selma smiled softly as she answered, “I assume Nyda is the name of the elven girl that you were so insistent that I treat. You will be happy to know that she only had minor cuts and even the puncture wounds in her back were easily healed. Lord Soren won’t normally allow us to spend much time treating the slaves, but I care about all types of people, so I made sure she was okay. Although you may be interested to know that the guards finally had to make her leave as she kept lingering around to check up on you.”

“That’s good,” Kyle said, surprised by how much relief he felt that she was okay. Sure, she was one of only a few people that he knew here, but it certainly felt like he was developing more emotional attachment for her than was normal. Hotness alone didn’t account for this. Maybe dying and being reincarnated really had changed him.

Selma continued, interrupting his thoughts, “You, on the other hand, have been unconscious for over ten hours. The showcase will begin shortly, and everyone from Lord Soren to Saber have been in here to check on if or when you would be ready to be put up on stage.”

“Not sure what the showcase is, but I feel fine now. I was actually looking forward to the match tonight. You don’t happen to know who my opponent will be, do you?” Kyle asked.

“Normally, I would tell Lord Soren that you weren’t fit to fight tonight. No human should be unconscious for that long and be able to just sit up and start fighting right away. Then again, you aren’t entirely human, and we know next to nothing about what an elemental is capable of.

“I do have some questions for you before I will clear you for fighting, though. Feel up to answering?” Selma replied while skipping over his actual question.

Kyle nodded. “Sure, whatever gets this over with faster.” He had too many memories of trainers who wanted him to rest a sprained wrist or pulled muscle when all he wanted to do was compete. It was his body, after all. Shouldn’t he know it better than anyone else?

Of course, that thought caused him to realize that this body wasn’t the one that he was used to. It was different in many ways that he had already discovered and likely more that he hadn’t. He started moving his fingers and toes, stretching his legs, and in general trying to determine how he felt.

There was definitely a difference inside of him. It was hard to put his finger on, though. His body felt stronger, more energized. But that wasn’t the real difference that he felt. It was that part deep inside that he always identified as the part of him that was Krig. It was more active, almost like it had grown.

He could feel strange thoughts in his head, and that was saying something for a man who talked to a fire angel that only he could hear. But as he considered it more, they weren’t strange thoughts. It was more primal than that. Feelings, perhaps some memories or ways of thinking, might be a better way to put it. He remembered the surge of power that he had pulled on and the driving emotions that he had felt.

“Yoo-hoo, are you even listening to me?”

Kyle finally realized that Selma had been talking to him while he was lost in thought.

“Staring off at the ceiling like that isn’t