Zellie Toro: one
Solene Lox: one
Leo Vance: one
Who will reign victorious? Contestants, ready yourselves. You’re allowed five minutes with your sponsors. When the horn sounds, a random grouping will be called. May the stars guide you. The constellations are the only constant.”
“This is fucking crazy,” I whisper-shout to Orion.
“I know it is. But you’ve practiced. Anticipate your opponents’ movements and play defense for as long as possible. Let them tire themselves out. If you need to, remember: the neck, the chest, the back.” He clasps our hands together. “You’ve got this.”
“What do I do if I’m in the middle?”
“Multitask?”
I snort as the horn blows. With a reassuring squeeze, Orion star-shoots out of the arena. Will five minutes ever be enough?
Thirty-five
“The first match has been decided. Leo Vance, Miles Zeno, and Lenny Jorston, please proceed to the officials in the center of the arena, who will star-shoot you up to the platform.” While Leo and Miles are a fair match, Lenny, unfortunately, is not. The Kosmos doesn’t care about fairness, though. Only what will provide the highest form of entertainment.
I bite my lip as I watch them disappear. The rest of us remain on the ground, making our vantage point difficult to gain logistics. The three reappear atop the beam and quickly take their places. I breathe a sigh of relief when both Lenny and Leo are placed on the end with Miles sandwiched in the middle. Not that Miles will make this easy—he’s a beast.
The two descend on Miles, who is ferally fending off both, from what I can see. A glint of light catches my eye. They haveweaponsup there? As if this weren’t dangerous enough. Lenny’s lanky form is being pushed further to the edge of the beam, and he’s losing ground quickly. Leo slashes at Miles, but his attempts to reengage Miles are ignored; the predator has honed in on his prey. Lenny takes a step backward only to run out of room on the platform. He loses his balance before toppling through the air in a free fall.
My heart plummets into my stomach. “Lenny!” I scream, jumping from my chair. Helplessness slams into my body as I watch him fall further down, limbs flailing. I can’t watch this; I’m going to be sick. Tears pool in my eyes as I hyperventilate. Not Lenny, please not Lenny. Without warning, his body lands with a springy bounce, midair.
I blink repeatedly to ensure I’m not seeing things. There’s an invisible safety net, or something to that effect. Is this the work of the air element?I couldn’t care less who or what is responsible, just that he’s okay. Lenny bounces several more times before stilling. He tentatively looks around him and tests the net, as if he cannot believe his eyes. I can’t either, buddy. I suppose without the net, the Kosmos risks losing every human in this challenge. Then they wouldn’t have anyone to collect their precious moonstone.
I look up to check on Leo and am surprised to see him barreling his shoulder into Miles to push him off. The move works, yet Leo also loses his footing. He lies on the beam, belly down, watching Miles fall below him. With a struggle, he stands, and the horn sounds. Is he hurt? It’s impossible to make out anything from down here. Leo won his round and another moonstone fragment. Pride radiates from my soul.That’s my man.
“For your next match, Atlas Quell, Aria Zollo, and Celeste Gayton. Please proceed to an official for help reaching the platform.” Celeste flashes a confident smile my way before ascending. She doesn’t seem concerned about the match in the slightest, which is more than I can say. Atlas is facing off against Aria and Celeste. The three are slower to start than the first group. I don’t blame the hesitancy. How could I try to beat one of my closest friends? Atlas, stationed in the middle at a disadvantage, makes the first move, striking his longsword against Celeste. Celeste, the goddess, looks like a warrior wielding her sword in the sky.
Echoes of metal clash throughout the coliseum as her and Atlas’s swords meet. The two are well matched, each holding their ground in a hypnotizing dance. Aria attempts to gain ground on Atlas, attacking from the opposite side. Atlas, however, parries with ease. He’s a natural with a weapon; he swings his sword around his body as if the metal extends his arm.
Celeste and Aria simultaneously attack, likely looking to overpower Atlas. The plan backfires. Celeste’s thrust of her sword contacts Atlas’s arm—an unexpected blow that has Atlas stumbling into Aria. Aria immediately loses her balance, falling sideways off the beam. Atlas lashes out, attempting tograb Celeste to steady himself, but the movement sends both tumbling head over heels off the platform.
Once all three hit the invisible barrier, the horn blows, signaling the end of the round. With no winner in this second match, I’m understanding that this is going to be even more difficult than it looks.
“The third match will comprise Solene Lox, Zellie Toro, and Merri Trask. Please proceed to the officials who will star-shoot you to the platform.” The amplified female voice booms.
As I brace myself for the burning and disorienting sensations accompanied by star-shooting, the realization of facing off against Solene has me dreading what could be my most laborious challenge yet.
Thirty-six
“Select a weapon and make your way onto the platform in the following order: Merri, Solene, Zellie. You may begin once each competitor has both feet placed on the beam.” A bored-looking Astral instructs us in a neutral voice. Who decides the order of operations around here? Honestly, I’m thanking my lucky stars I wasn’t placed in the middle, but—sorry, Merri—I would’ve preferred a barrier between me and Solene and her permanent scowl.
Merri selects a short sword and hesitantly makes her way down the beam. Solene decides on a fuckingdouble-sided spear,and I’m about ready to vomit. My choice comes naturally; I’m most comfortable with a dagger. I nervously glance down, looking at the arena so far below. The world seems so small from up here: a blur of darkened heads blending. The sounds of the roaring crowd are muffled; up here, all I can hear is my heartbeat and erratic breathing.
I place one foot on the platform, testing my balance. The beam cannot be wider than the length of my shoe. I relax my posture, letting muscle memory from my practice take over, as I set my second foot down. Instantly, without warning, Solene whirls her spear horizontally, swiping Merri across the stomach. Completely unprepared, Merri instantly tips off the beam, limbs failing and blood oozing out of the gaping slash.Holy shit—she didn't even have time to ready herself. Solene isn’t messing around, and now her glare has landed on me, vengeance ablaze in her eyes.
I focus on my balance, twisting the handle of the dagger in my palm and reminding myself of the spare from Orion in my pocket. “We can do this without hurting each other, Solene.”
She stalks towards me, spear resting on her shoulder. “I’m not interested in your pretty words.” Mouth agape, I note how much softer her voice is than her appearance. On the outside, Solene is every ounce of female rage that I have tucked away deep within me. Our rage is not our weakness, but a fire forged—long overdue to ignite. And we explode.
Solene spins her spear low, attempting to knock my feet out from under me. I jumped over the stick, somehow landing back on my feet. Taking advantage of the moment where she is recoiling her spear, I jab the dagger towards her, landing a superficial slice to her arm. She unleashes a blood-curdling scream, not of pain but of anguish, thrusting the spear in my general direction. Pain blinds me as the spear pierces my shoulder. “Fuck!” I shout, recoiling and holding my shoulder. “Damn it, Solene, I have a plan! Just let me talk it out with you.”
Solene lets out a disbelieving laugh, her half-and-half hair shaking with her head. “Let me tell youmyplan,girl. I come from an absolute shithole of a life that I haveno intentionof returning to. That life as a Celestial? It’s mine. And you’re in my way.” She hits the spear to my shoulder wound so quickly that I don’t have time to move. White spots dance in my vision as I stumble, closing my eyes and trying to feel the grip of my feet on the beam.
