She writhed against her bonds, the spotlight pinning her as the crowd screamed their approval. Beneath the platform, a shallow bed of gas-fed fire hissed and roared, ready to burn it to ashes.
Ginji raised a single hand, his smile wide. “I present the scale. The single deciding factor that will determine our winner tonight. Each correct piece the Golden Flame places will stoke the fire; each correct piece the Little Sushi Chef places will drive it down. If the Golden Flame finishes first, the scale favors him. If the Little Sushi Chef wins, the fire goes out, and she is declared the winner.”
My hands tightened on the block until the edges bit into my palms. If I didn’t finish first, Miki would burn to death right in front of me.
“Are you ready for En no Kumiki, the Puzzle of Flames?” Ginji asked.
The crowd leaped to its feet, fists in the air. In perfect showman timing, Ginji raised his fist, held it a beat—then brought it down, and the arena erupted in a single deafening cry.
71
Jiro
The Chopmen pressed us back with relentless jabs of their spears. Every time I saw an opening to reach Akiko, another spear lunged in, ready to skewer me. Kai lashed out with his blade. So did Sora. But our knives were too short to match their reach.
I’d become separated, hemmed in by my own circle of Chopmen. One laughed with every lunge, like it was a game. If not for quick reflexes, I’d be dead. The other… His jabs lacked force. They were lazy, almost half hearted.
I looked closer. Masaki!
He winked at me as he gave another fake jab, grunting for effect. For the first time since this nightmare began, hope sparked in me. Maybe we could turn the tide. Maybe Sora’s screw-up wouldn’t be the end of us.
“Tell me you’ve got a plan,” I said, just loud enough for him to hear.
Before he could answer, a scream tore across the arena. We snapped our heads toward it.
Up on a platform above the firepit was Miki. Chains bound her as flames licked beneath and smoke curled up.
Masaki froze. His weapon dipped as he stared at her writhing.
“Masaki!” she screamed, her voice breaking.
If he’d been pretending loyalty to Ginji, the act was over. The cat was out of the bag.
One of the Chopmen lunged at me. Masaki cut him down instead, driving his spear clean through the man’s chest.
“Take his spear,” Masaki barked.
I yanked the weapon from the dying Chopman as he sagged against the shaft. Masaki planted a boot in the man’s stomach and ripped his spear free, blood spraying as the body toppled.
Masaki then lunged at another Chopman attacking Kai, his spear punching straight through the man’s back. Kai’s eyes went wide at the sight of the impaled body.
“He’s with us now!” I shouted to Kai. “Take his spear!”
We dropped another Chopman together. Sora snatched the fallen spear and went feral the second it hit his hands. He hurled it straight through a man’s chest, the point bursting out the other side. With a guttural laugh he yanked it free and spun on the next.
One by one we carved a path, cutting down Chopmen and forcing our way toward the center of the arena. My focus was on Akiko. Masaki’s gaze was locked on Miki.
The plan was simple now: Kill forward.
72
Akiko
I wedged another block into place, and the flames under the platform eased back instead of climbing higher. Sweat stung my eyes. My hands trembled as I turned another piece, trying slot after slot before tossing it aside and grabbing another.
Miki’s screams carried over the roar of the crowd. Every part of me wanted to look at her, to promise it would be okay, but I couldn’t break focus. Her life depended on me solving the puzzle.
Across from me, Ogon slammed his pieces into place with brutal force, stoking the fire hotter, driving the flames closer to Miki.
