“It’s fine. There’s no trap in yours. You can jump.”
“You helped everyone else—”
“I didn’t want them to get hurt!”
“Solaris would see me die!” he roared. The stands were in an uproar with confusion now.
Eira ignored him and slid down. Perhaps she was being a bit callous. But the draconi hadn’t done anything to help her at any point. She didn’t want them to die…but she wasn’t going to help them out of the goodness of her heart when it wasn’t necessary.
She sprinted around the arena, not too far behind the other competitors. Halfway to Alyss, there was a large splash. Ponn must’ve jumped. Judging from the crowd’s reaction, his torch was extinguished, too.
Eira kept running, sprinting as fast as she could until the torch was in Alyss’s hands. At the same time, attendants were rushing forward. Knights were surrounding the arena. They were investigating her claims, Eira hoped.
But the game had yet to be called off, so Alyss took the torch and made her run. She jumped on the pedestal, the last of the four remaining teams, and immediately drew the rock of the earth underneath the arena up and around her, leaving a small opening at the top for air and smoke. Eira, Noelle, and Cullen all put their backs to the shell, adopting defensive positions.
As soon as they did there was a burst of flame at their left. Heat crashed into them, nearly knocking back Eira and Cullen, but Noelle stood firm. The pool of water at the base of Meru’s last obstacle had been evaporated in an instant. The obstacle itself reduced back to scrap, crumbling into the raging fire that burned in the crater before it. As the competitors all recovered, they stared at the unnatural flame that burned so hot a bead of sweat rolled down even Noelle’s temple. The knights fought to snuff it.
“What the…” Cullen murmured.
“Flash beads,” Eira said under her breath as the crowds above grew even noisier.
“The game is still on,” Noelle reminded them. “Keep your positions.”
But none of the other competitors moved to fight them. Even though Lavette and Olivin were both on their pedestals, neither team made a motion toward Solaris. In fact, they didn’t even fight each other. Most of the teams began to converse amongst themselves, glancing toward the Solaris pedestal from time to time. A few approached the attendants still by the other pools.
Graff was now on the pedestal, and still, no one attacked.
The crowd began to shout and roar with confusion, demanding a show. But still, no one fought.
A tiny hole opened in Alyss’s shell at eye level. “How’s it going out there?” she shouted, though her words were barely audible through the rock.
“No one’s attacking,” Eira responded.
“What?” Alyss’s rock sank back into the earth.
“Protect yourself!” Noelle scolded.
“But no one’s attacking,” Alyss repeated Noelle. “Why not?”
“I think it’s because of Eira,” Cullen answered.
“Why are you always making trouble?” Alyss asked with a joking tone.
Eira looked over her shoulder, a little bewildered. “I hadn’t intended this…”
The crowd continued to scream, reaching a fever pitch.
“Well, I suppose I was the last one here.” Graff waved a hand over his torch, snuffing it. Confusion was apparently the only thing that could silence the stands.
“You kept Menna safe.” Olivin met her eyes with pure admiration. A warm smile slid across his mouth, arcing like a crescent moon. It pooled heat in her lower stomach. If he had smiled at her like that the other night…perhaps her answer to his invitation would’ve been different. He murmured a few words and a glyph collapsed on the flame of his torch, snuffing it.
Lavette looked to Cullen, but then her eyes drifted to Eira. The competitors from Qwint discussed and Lavette’s attentionreturned to Eira. She nodded, as if she’d spoken with Eira herself, then spun her bracelets, and snuffed her torch.
With that, Solaris was victorious. They had won the tournament.
But there wasn’t time for victory as Lumeria’s knights raced toward them. “You need to leave the arena,now.”
40
