The Game Master played out as if he didn’t know what happened.
“How is that possible?”
Dugan lifted his head, voice hoarse. “He passed out. I had to unlock the gate myself. Swim back. Open the door. Drag him out.”
Vaelor stared at him, stunned despite himself. Dugan had done the impossible—alone.
The Game Master nodded approvingly.
“A remarkable feat of endurance and loyalty. Dugan and his partner advances.”
Vaelor’s fists clenched. Blaine had nearly killed Mara with the toxin. He had shoved her into danger during the Predator Walk. And now he had nearly cost Dugan his life as well.
The urge to finish what he started—to end Blaine—burned hot and violent.
But Mara leaned into him, trembling from the cold, and the fire inside him shifted. Protecting her mattered more than punishing Blaine—for now.
The Game Master raised his arms again, voice booming with excitement.
“Competitors—rest, recover, and prepare yourselves. Only two teams remain. The final challenge awaits.”
The hologram burst into a shower of blue sparks and vanished.
Silence fell over the glacier.
Vaelor looked down at Mara, her breath was still unsteady, her skin pale but her eyes bright with determination.
“We made it,” she whispered.
He nodded, though his gaze drifted to Blaine’s unconscious form. “Yes. But the cost grows.”
And Vaelor knew one thing with absolute certainty:
When the final challenge was over, when nothing could disqualify him, Blaine would answer for everything.
*****
Mara’s legs gave out the moment the Game Master’s hologram vanished. She tried to hide it—of course she did—but Vaelor felt the tremor run through her body as she leaned into him. The sub-glacial tunnel had drained her completely. She was shaking from cold, exhaustion, and the brutal effort it had taken to reach the gate.
Without a word, Vaelor swept her into his arms. He had already grabbed the two packs from the technician that had beenguarding it. But she weighed so little, he barely felt the extra weight.
She made a soft sound of protest. “I can walk.”
“You are barely standing,” he said, voice low but firm. “Rest.”
Her head dropped against his shoulder, and she didn’t argue again.
Vaelor turned away from the main camp. He would not risk Blaine being anywhere near her. Even unconscious, Blaine was a threat. And Dugan—though Vaelor respected him more now—deserved space to deal with his partner without Mara caught in the middle.
He scanned the glacier until he found what he needed: a narrow fissure in the ice wall, half-hidden by a drift of snow. Inside, the space widened into a small, sheltered cavern. The walls glowed faintly with trapped bioluminescent frost, casting a soft blue light.
Perfect.
Secluded.
Safe.
Vaelor carried Mara inside and gently lowered her onto a natural shelf of ice. She shivered violently, her skin pale, her lips still tinged blue.
