The Bowl of Bones is an arena where Silver and Red criminals are executed. Holding cells are made of Silent Stone, and the arena has seats for an audience to hide behind an electric shield.
Description[]
The Bowl of Bones is located in East Archeon. It is a nestled among the high-rises of the common Silvers. It is shaped like a massive oval with spikes around the rim in a violent crown.
There is an unending line of holding cells that have low and heavy ceilings, dim lights, and each cell has metal bars. Outside the underground holding cells is a preparation area. Here there are curtained areas to prepare those who are going into the arena. Then there is a last room, before the arena. It is a sloping passage, leading up a gentle incline to a steel gate. The floor of the arena is made of fine, white sand. The arena is enormous, a wide gray mouth of steel and stonework. The audience seats thousands. Video screens dot the arena to record the events in order to broadcast them across the nation.[1] The royal box is up high above the arena, and drips with black and red flags. The electric shield is a giant purple dome of veined glass with sparks of lightning pulsing through it.
History[]
Silvers and Red criminals used to be executed on broadcasts in the Bowl. Cal came to the Bowl of Bones for the first time when he was four and Maven was two. The Bowl of Bones hosted everything nightmares are made of.[2] Before Mare and Cal's execution, it had been ten years since anyone was executed in the Bowl of Bones.
Great Greco[]
He was executed in the Bowl of Bones for tearing men in half and eating their livers.
Poison Bride Viper[]
She was an animos from House Viper, and executed in the Bowl after she sent snakes into her husband's, Cal's great-great-uncle, bed on their wedding night. Rumors say his blood turned to venom he was bitten so many times.
Red Queen[]
After Queen Elara Merandus controlled Cal and forced him to kill King Tiberias Calore VI, Maven Calore sentenced Cal and Mare to death for treason. Maven came to their holding cell privately and asked Mare if she was willing to be his bride, in exchange for freedom. Mare ultimately chooses to die than become Maven's "Red Queen."
Mare and Cal are dressed for the arena in a cheaper version of the training suites. Then they are dragged to the gates by Rane Arven and forced to watch Mare's guard, Lucas Samos, be executed right in front of them. Mare and Cal are then dragged into the sandy arena, Cal is able to use a limited amount of his ability, but Mare is completely silenced by Arven. Five executioners then walk into the arena: Lord Osanos, Stralian Haven, Ryker Rhambos, Ptolemus Samos, and Evangeline Samos.
Still silenced, Mare must use her bare wit. Maven opens a chasm under the arena for Lord Osanos to bring water out of. While the magnetrons team up on Cal, the Haven executioner holds Mare by her neck and tries to choke her. This fails, and the Haven executioner soon dies. The Rhambos strongarm throws a metal pipe at Mare, but she ducks, and it hits Arven straight through the chest, killing him and scraping Mare's cheek in the process. The video screens turn off and the audience is evacuated, but everyone has already seen: a Red with Silver abilities.
Freed, Mare instantly electrocutes Ryker Rhambos and moves on to save Cal who is almost dying. Lord Osanos has Cal surrounded in a water bubble with the magnetrons surrounding him. Mare electrocutes the water, zapping Osanos and making him take his aim off Cal. Cal is freed from the water, and the two fight the magnetrons, Mare against Evangeline and Cal against Ptolemus.
Cal and Ptolemus brawl, the tide shifting every few minutes, while Lord Osanos wakes up and tries to use his ability on Mare. Mare electrocutes the water, frying Osanos, as the water seeps back into the sand of the arena. Cal pins down Ptolemus, but Maven interrupts the execution with hundreds of Security, Sentinels, and soldiers surrounding them.
Mare uses the electric shield to her advantage, breaking it and sending bolts of electricity onto the guards. The Security soldiers run for the gates, as well as Ptolemus and Evangeline, but the soldiers and Sentinels still stand.
Finally, Mare and Cal are pulled into the chasm which used to hold Lord Osanos's water by the Scarlet Guard and escape the Bowl of Bones.
References[]
- ↑ Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard: pg. 360
- ↑ Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard: pg. 346