Lovthis Jilarer was carried along with the crowd through the tunnel and up the steps to the centre of the Arena, watching, waiting, feeling the anticipation building inside her. A family of Dermorians dithered in front of her until the youngest squeaked, "Over there! I want to see Phoenix!"
Yes, she thought, there was always a large crowd when Phoenix was fighting. She followed the family past the food kiosks, the smell of fried rat meat and clacker gruel mixing with the underlying stench of blood and fear. She tossed a small stone over the meat sellers head, it clattered against the stone wall behind him and as he turned to see what it was, Lovthis slipped a greasy rat steak into her pouch.
The family turned right once in the stands, following their bloodthirty offspring, so Lovthis turned left, her smoky eyes scanning the rows intently. She saw a few potentials, all small fry, hardly worth the risk, until she saw her mark, a Klyros.
He was a wealthy merchant of some sort, and clearly very proud of his riches. His wings were pierced along the ridges with several gold rings and he wore a robe of deepest mauve, embroided with gold threads and emblazoned with precious jewels. Such oppulence disgusted Lovthis, she could feel her anger rising and fought to control her emotions. She had to stay cool, bide her time.
She found a seat a couple of rows behind the Klyros, and sat down. In the arena, an Enki jester was juggling juiceberries, warming the crowd for the main event. The jugglers assistant, a young Stonebreaker with barely a whisker on his chin, was asking the crowd if he should give the jester more fruit to juggle. The younger members of the audience yelled "Yes!", and the dwarf tossed two more juiceberries to the jester. For a few seconds, the juggler kept eight berries in the air, until, inevitably, she missed one. It landed on her foot with a wet splat and soaked into the dirt. This momentary distraction caused the Enki to miss the rest of the berries, and they landed on her head, splatting and running down her face, one by one. The crowd roared with laughter which turned into applause as the Enki playfully kicked her assistant out of the arena.
While all this had been going on, Lovthis had been checking out the Klryos merchant and his associates. To his left was a slightly less ostentatious Ylian and to his right a very large Kran, clearly the bodyguard. She wasn't worried about the Kran, she knew from experience that they tended to be powerful, but slow and sometimes not too bright. As long as she was quick and unseen, she would be fine.
As she waited for the gladiators to enter the arena, she chewed on the stolen rat steak. It was a bit tough, but as she hadn't eaten anything more filling than a few apples in the last few days, it would do for now. The gladiators were coming into the arena and a huge cheer went up as Phoenix appeared. Lovthis used this distraction to glance around, checking that her escape routes were not blocked. They weren't, so she turned her attention back to the mark. She had to get closer, but the only space was directly behind the Kran. Obviously, nobody wanted to sit there because they wouldn't be able to see anything past kras large head. It wasn't ideal, she would have to use her left hand, but she'd made up her mind.
As the gladiators were warming up, stretching, taunting each other and testing their blades, Lovthis moved down the rows until she was directly behind the Kran.
“LET THE BLOODSHED BEGIN!”
The crowd stood as one, cheering for Phoenix. Lovthis stood as well and slid her dagger from its sheath. She deftly tossed it to her left hand, testing the balance. It felt unfamiliar, yet familiar at the same time. She moved to the left, pretending to see past the stone head in front of her, but really she was using her body to shield those behind from seeing what she was doing. Her fingertips found the purse and lightly slid up to the belt. With one swift flick of her wrist, she cut the leather strap and caught the purse before it fell. A split second later, both purse and dagger were hidden away.
Fire. The crowd gasped and fell silent. One of the gladiators was on fire, Lovthis wasn't sure, but it looked like the Ylian. She couldn't move, the crowd had surged forward and she was trapped. She could see her escape routes, both clear, but the press of the crowd kept her immobile. She had to get out, she could feel the panic rising in her throat, her vision blurring, her heart pounding in her chest.
She had to get control, she had to move. In the arena, Phoenix had dispatched the Ynnwn and was advancing on the Lemur. The crowd surged again, and Lovthis saw her chance. She pushed her way past the spectators and finally, in a clear space, she was able to breathe. The panic that so nearly had taken over, was gone, leaving her shivering.
"Are you alright dear?", a kindly looking woman asked her, "you seem shaken."
"Yes, yes thank you", thinking quickly, she added, "I had a lot of money riding on Phoenix, I thought she was defeated."
"Aren't you going to stay till the end then, dear?"
"I need a drink, if you'll excuse me madam."
"Yes of course, as long as you're alright."
Lovthis made her way out of the Arena, not seeing the crowds, thinking only that her luck must run out soon.
