Esu woke to the bells clanging like war drums. His ribs had turned into a dull fire overnight, the kind that hurt worse when you breathed deep. He rolled off the mat slow, biting back a groan. Lami Okoye was already up, folding his thin blanket neat, eyes bright with stupid hope.
"You ready, Jide?" Lami whispered, using the dead man's name like it was gold. "Beast cages pay three coppers. Enough for real food tonight."
Esu nodded, forcing a half-smile. "Born ready, Lami Okoye."
The boy beamed at hearing his full name. Trust was a rope pull slow, and it tied tight.
They joined the volunteer line in the yard twenty servants, all poor trash with zero blood or thin sparks not worth feeding. Head servant, a fat man named Guru Hassan, counted heads and grinned with yellow teeth.
"Low cage today. Wind wolves and thunder lizards. Feed 'em raw meat, clean the shit, don't die. Easy three coppers."
Guards laughed. Servants didn't.
Esu carried a sack of bloody goat chunks over one shoulder, the weight pulling on his broken ribs. Lami took a broom and shovel. They marched behind Guru Hassan through a side gate to the beast pens stone pits deep as houses, iron bars thick as arms. The air stank of piss and old blood. Growls echoed low.
First pit: three wind wolves. Grey fur, eyes glowing faint blue. Thin Òya blood in their veins fast as gusts, teeth like knives.
Guru Hassan unlocked the feeding slot. "Two at a time. Throw meat, step back. They smell fear."
Esu went first. Sack open, he grabbed a chunk still warm and tossed it through the slot. The wolves lunged, snarling, wind whipping the meat mid-air. One wolf slammed the bars, claws scraping stone. Esu stepped back calm.
Lami went next. Hands shaking, he threw too short. The meat landed on the ledge inside. A wolf jumped, jaws snapping inches from Lami's fingers.
The boy yelped, dropped the broom, stumbled back into Esu.
Guru Hassan laughed. "Careful, Benin rat. They bite fingers first."
Lami's face went red. Esu picked up the broom, handed it over without a word. Inside, he noted Lami feared the beasts more than death. Useful.
Next pit: thunder lizards. Big as horses, scales cracked with yellow lightning scars. Slow but one stomp crushed bones. Five of them lazing in the sun.
Feeding slot higher. Esu and Lami on buckets to reach. Esu threw meat steady. Lami rushed, slipped on blood slime. The bucket tipped. He fell forward, chest slamming the bars.
A lizard lunged slow but heavy. Jaws wide, lightning sparking on teeth.
Lami screamed.
Esu moved without thinking. Grabbed Lami's robe, yanked hard. The boy fell back into him, both crashing to the ground. The lizard's jaws snapped empty air, teeth cracking the iron bar.
Guards rushed over, spears ready. Guru Hassan cursed. "Idiot boys! Almost fed the lizard servant meat!"
Lami lay shaking, eyes wide. "You… you saved me, Jide."
Esu stood slow, ribs screaming now. "Watch your feet next time, Lami Okoye."
The boy grabbed his arm, tears mixing with dirt. "I owe you. Anything. Brothers now."
Esu patted his shoulder. "Brothers."
Inside, the rope pulled tighter.
Rest of the job dragged. Clean shit with shovels, hose the pits with cold water. One kid got bit wind wolf claw through the slot. Blood sprayed. Guards dragged him away screaming. No one helped.
By end, Esu's hands bled, back soaked sweat. Three coppers in his pocket. Lami stuck close, talking nonstop how he'd buy medicine for Esu's ribs, how they'd pass trials together.
Dusk came. Free hour.
Esu slipped away to the herb sheds, stole two red leaves pain killer and slow poison mixed right. Crushed one into powder.
Back in the dorm, Lami waited with stolen bread. "For you, brother."
Esu took it, slipped the powder in Lami's water gourd when the boy looked away. Small dose. Hallucinations tonight. Fear tomorrow.
Lami drank deep. "To brothers."
Esu smiled. "To brothers."
Night fell heavy. Boys snored. Lami twitched in sleep first whimpers, then screams. He bolted up, eyes wild, clawing at nothing.
"Snakes! In my skin! Help!"
The dorm woke chaos. Boys shouted. Lami rolled on the floor, tearing his robe, nails raking arms until blood ran.
Esu knelt beside him, held him down gentle. "It's okay, Lami Okoye. Bad dream."
But inside, he pulled.
The boy's terror poured out pure, childhood deep. Snakes from village stories, sister's death fever, alone in the dark. Esu drank it slow, fed the spark in his chest.
Warm. Heavy. Closer.
Guards came, dragged Lami to the healer. "Fever madness. Happens to weak ones."
Esu lay back, spark pulsing strong now.
Still Layer 1.
But the hunger roared.
Tomorrow the beast wave trials started for real. Thousands of hopefuls. Blood in the air.
Esu closed his eyes.