“I gave him a ruby and an emerald,” I whispered, patting Myth’s side. “So maybe we’re even.”
Rush’s fingers paused as he tied his strap, but he said nothing. His silence struck me as odd, but I was nervous too. He had more on the line than I did, so I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to talk.
I just hoped I was right about the stones, and that rubies were for winning. If they were for something else, then there was no telling what Myth might do tonight. I’d become a better flyer second semester, but Myth would have to race with abandon to beat Azeron tonight.
As Luther lifted his hands, indicating the race was about to start, fear gripped me like an iron fist.
A single voice from the crowd stirred me from my near-trance.
Prescott was looking up at us, his eyes traveling between us. “I can’t believe I’m saying it, but I actually hope she wins.” He offered a weak smile.
At the official races in the arena, the racers would line up vertically. But here, it was no rules and all claws.
“Ari,” Rush spat as Luther drummed up applause from the crowd. Keeping my eyes ahead, I gave an imperceptible nod. “I won’t let…”
A pistol fired, and Myth lurched.
CHAPTER 45
My heart danced into my throat as we shot forward.
Azeron was fast. He burst from the starting line with fury and precision.
“Go!” I screamed, jamming my heels into Myth’s sides.
We were airborne in a single wingbeat, but there wasn’t much room to lift as we sailed under bridge after bridge.
Azeron’s tail whipped at Myth’s snout. Myth snapped with his jaws, but missed. I almost shouted at him not to hurt Azeron, but this was night racing. And hurting Azeron was better than watching him die.
The first turn beneath a bridge was tricky, and Myth had to touch down before leaping once more into the air. My stomach lurched as we aimed topside, charging up and up, narrowly avoiding hitting the stone railing that flew past us. Wingbeats like cannon fire drowned out the sounds of the city.
We banked, snaking through one tight turn then another as we followed the course around the tall buildings. Flying topside, Myth put on speed, edged over Azeron.
Rush glanced up. He yanked Azeron until his head slammed Myth’s belly. The spikes likely hurt, and I ground my teeth. Mythsnorted sparks into the night, and I screamed. Considering the stakes, Rush had towantto lose—didn’t he? It had to be the magic fueling him onward.
“Ari!” Rush bellowed as he rose just ahead of us.
I leaned into Myth’s neck, squeezing the handles so hard my fingers lost blood. “Win,” I told him. All along, Rush had told me to win, to give the duke a reason to keep me alive.Win so we can live.
Whatever the duke had given Azeron was working. Together, he and Rush were unbeatable, but only if Rush wanted to win.
It’s the magic, I told myself as Myth once again fell behind. The duke needed this to be a fight to the finish. He couldn’t risk his own son losing.
One more turn and we dropped back bottomside, blazing past the watching crowd. Azeron made the dive and leveled out without a claw touching the stones. Myth’s claws slammed the stones, but he wasn’t losing ground. He was every bit as fast as Azeron.
But if he wasn’t just a bit faster, Azeron would die tonight. And I might, too, if the duke decided keeping me alive wasn’t worthwhile. I couldn’t accept that, though the reality of it raced at us as we neared the final stretch.
Azeron gained a length in the narrow bottomside streets.
I closed my eyes and thought about the ruby, willing it to help us win, and the emerald to create my desire to win into a reality. But I might be entirely wrong about the stones, about magic, about all of it. What if the emerald contained specific magic to alter only a specific book? What if the ruby only made someone win if it was first imbued with the correct magic?
I’d taken a risk, and I was going to ruin Rush’s life because of it.
Then it struck me. Myth had magic of his own, in his flame. Maybe we didn’t even need the stones to win.
“Go!” I shouted as we carved our way back up to the high streets.
I had no idea how his magic worked or how to activate it—if I even could. But I could try.
