It was still going to be a long day, and they would have to put in the miles no matter what. But without the endless annoyance of obstacles scrubbing time, they would have a pretty straight-forward go of it. Dorrin was almost humming with cheer as they started out again, this time at a casual jog rather than a run. They would pace themselves. Pace themselves and narrowly avoid the hazards so as to not let those in charge know they’d figured out a glitch in the system until it was too late.
Best of all, this was not cheating. With so many eyes on this particular event, there was no way they could be accused of any such thing. No one, not even the elites, had seen the course before today. It would look like an incredible stroke of luck, nothing more.
Oh, some gamblers would lose a lot on them, no doubt. But the longshot bets would pay a small fortune. More than that, their unusual success would be the talk of the games, at least for a day or two.
Filthy, sweaty, scraped, and bloody, Flagro and Galla crossed the finish line late in the afternoon, arms thrown high in a victorious gesture.
They were met with no more than murmurs.
“Why are they not cheering?” Galla asked her brother. “We are victorious. I demand recognition!”
The woman’s confusion melted into rage the moment she saw Dorrin and Ziana reclining in the shade, sipping a fruit cooler and looking quite rested and refreshed.
“Oh, hey! Glad you finally finished,” Ziana called out. “We’ve been waiting for you guys forever. Hope it wasn’t too hard for you out there.”
“You! How did you?—”
“Beat you? We’re just better, I guess.”
Flagro spun, his attention laser-focused on the officials overseeing the event. “What is the meaning of this?Wewon.Weare the victors.”
“Apologies, but you came in second,” the man replied, hoping to placate the angry man but knowing this was just damage control at this point.
“Impossible!” He shifted his ire to Dorrin, his face reddening with rage. “What did you do?”
“Do? We ran the course, just like the rest of the competitors,” Dorrin replied, pausing to sip his drink for punctuation.
“You cheated!”
“Cheated? How, Flagro? The entirety of our race was on screen for everyone to observe. No, you simply lost. And quite badly at that.”
The siblings shifted their attention to the scoreboard. It was then that they realized the worst part of it all. Not only had theynotwon the event—which really didn’t matter as they were all added up on an accumulated points basis—but these two commoners had finished so far ahead of them that they’d skyrocketed in the overall rankings. In fact, the gaming community was going wild as a result. Never before had a commoner team, let alone one hindered by a replacement competitor, staged an upset like this.
“No. It’s not possible,” Galla blurted. “The pathetic human? I can’t believe it.”
Ziana did the worst thing she could have done to the privileged heiress. She ignored her. Calm and relaxed, she instead turned to Dorrin with an exaggerated stretch.
“Hey, Dorrin. Wake me when the rest are back, will you? I think I’m going to take a little nap.”
“Of course,” he replied with barely concealed mirth.
Dorrin and Ziana weren’t in the lead in the standings, but they’d drawn within striking distance. And if their unexpected climbing the ranks was a victory cake, seeing Flagro and Galla seethe without a damn thing they could do about it was the most delicious icing they could have asked for.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“I will admit, I am impressed,” Dorrin said as they flew back to the arena when the rest of the teams either completed the challenge or were retrieved from the field having failed to make it by the time limit.
Of course, there were also those who had been flown out earlier. Those who had fallen victim to the many traps and obstacles in a most spectacular manner. They were done for the day. For the games. And one of them might be done with life. That depended on whether or not the healing machinery could mend the particularly horrific injuries they’d managed to sustain, their hurt being far more than even the traps’ designers had intended.
But these things sometimes happened. Dorrin had made that much perfectly clear from day one. And it was the knowledge of that risk that made the games all the more intriguing to those betting on them. But today’s upset? And by not only a commoner, but one bound to a replacement who had, until just recently, never even had her runes? It was the talk of the town, and as a result the arena was full long after the games ended. The lingering crowd was in a very festive mood and waitingaround as they enjoyed the energy of the day, looking forward to catching a glimpse of the day’s winners.
“You think it’ll make a difference?” Ziana asked as their transport slowed as it reached the arena.
“Oh, it most definitely did.”
He gestured to the stands as they pulled into the arena proper.
“They’re all still here,” she marveled. “Is that normal?”
