Going Deeper - E. D. James

Jose Tomas stood in center of the arena as he had a thousand times before. This was his kingdom. Here he ruled. In his suit of lights he controlled a ritual as ancient as the civilization that inhabited the Mediterranean. From the bull jumpers of Crete to the matadors of Spain man had demonstrated his mastery of his environment in these tests of strength and will. The sun beat hot and the murmur of the crowd was increasing in intensity for Jose was the star attraction. A man whose skill and passion and grace had taken him to the top of the ranks. Today he faced his opponent utterly confident that he would prevail. The beast was magnificent. Bloodied but not humbled by the picadors. The brightly colored banderillas bobbed from just behind his neck. He held his head slightly lower now than he had at the beginning of the match. During the tanda Jose had seen that the bull favored his left, and now, as he faced the bull for the final dance with death, he would take advantage of this habit to find the opening for the estocada, the thrust of the sword over the head and through the neck to the heart. The roars of the crowd faded from Jose’s ears and it was just he and this primal creature. Nothing to protect either one other than their intensity and singular focus on the moment. A moment that might lead to death of either one. The bull lowered his head and charged. Jose stepped to his right and took small steps to adjust his body to that his arm could reach between the horns to thrust the sword while his body was safely to the right side of the outstretched horns. Seconds became milliseconds, every breath and movement of the bull was magnified as Jose concentrated on the spot where he would slide the blade and suddenly, inexplicably, the bull lowered his head even more and thrust to right. Jose felt the brutal impact as the horn torn through his thigh and the pulled him up and over his head.