I searched the stadium to find Romy, and when I did relief uncoiled through me. Her scream, as it turned out, was not from fear or pain.
It was the song of fury.
Kai was behind her, fists balled and knees bent. At their sides lay three bodies simmering with smoke, flesh charred and burned. The only sign of fire was the burning balls that overcame Romy’s hands. The element dripped like liquid from her fingers, falling onto the sand and turning it into black glass.
I followed her focus to Tomin who stood watching Romy with his arms crossed. He didn’t fear the fire.
But Verena did. The Hunter’s witch put herself between Romy and Tomin, using her body as a shield for a man who couldn’t die. I couldn’t hear what she was saying to Romy, but whatever it was must’ve taunted her. Because the balls of fire she conjured turned to pillars so brilliant, that it cast Romy’s braids off her face in a gust of volcanic wind.
“We need to get to her,” I said, already taking steps in that direction. “Now.”
“It’s not Romy we should be worried about,” Arwyn said, gaze trailing over the Hunters who were beginning to regroup again. “My aunt would be a fool to go against Romy right now.”
I couldn’t fathom that Arwyn had just referred to the woman as his aunt. What else didn’t I know about him?
“Well, that’s not a risk I’m willing to take,” I replied. “We don’t even know what this trial requires to pass it. Anything we do could lead to failure.”
Arwyn couldn’t argue with that. As a man who had been groomed his whole life to partake in the Witch Trials and win it, someone who had studied previous trials and was a walking encyclopaedia for previous challenges. If anyone understoodthat to pass a trial, you had to follow its unspoken rules, it was him. And yet,The Drowningwas a new player. Unknown territory.
“What I do know isyouhave an upper hand. Old magic is still at play, especially since Bahmet has taken our Gifts back.” Arwyn must’ve worked it out too, and yet he had not studied the old magic as I had. No wonder he hadn’t conjured flame or torn the very ground in two with a single thought. “I say we take out as many Hunters as we possibly can, removing them from future trials, and saving us the hassle.”
“We kill them all, then we will be left fighting each other by the second trial,” I reminded as that piece of the puzzle slotted in place.
Arwyn looked down at his blood-coated fists, brow furrowing. “Shit. You’re right.”
“Of course I am,” I said. “We need as many of them to survive as possible.”
As if me speaking that aloud triggered something in Bahmet, it seemed that I had figured out exactly what he was trying to do. With Bahmet goading the Hunters to kill me, the demon knew that without weapons they would be powerless in their pursuit. It was because the demon wanted me to kill them, all of them. Removing the players of the trials would pit me against my allies.
“You really are a thorn in my side.”
I clutched my head, despising the discomfort the demon’s presence left. My nails dug into my palms. “Bahmet?”
The dark voice didn’t answer me with words. Instead, a ground-shuddering groan overcame the stadium. Everyone looked up to the origin of the noise.Almosteveryone.
In the confusion, a single Hunter took the moment to run at me. Even though Arwyn attempted to put himself in harm’s way,I was faster. I had enough pent-up fury that a little rough and tumble wouldn’t go amiss.
I met the Hunter face-on. Before we connected, I dropped my shoulder and drove the full weight of my body into his chest. Something cracked, perhaps his ribs? The combined force sent us both sprawling on the ground, me on top of him. He screamed at me, so I quickly scooped a handful of sand up and stuffed it inside his open mouth.
The Hunter gripped his neck, gargling on bile and sand, thrashing around like a fish out of water. I drew back, just as something wet hit the back of my head. I thought it was blood until I lifted a hand and ran my fingers through it.
The liquid was clear. Scentless. I almost popped it on my tongue before Arwyn snatched my wrists in his large hand. “Could be poisoned. Best you don’t put random things in your mouth.”
Arwyn hoisted me off the Hunter’s body. As I stood, more droplets began to fall in tandem. It was like it was raining, except when I looked up all I saw was blue skies and the wisps of clouds.
No, I was wrong. Because theskywas shifting, moving apart as though curtains were being drawn open. And from the gaping mouth of darkness camemorewater. Not droplets this time, but a gushing ravine as though the sky just dumped the body of Loch Ness upon the stadium.
I only managed to get out one final word. “Fuck.”
Arwyn dragged me into his chest just as the body of water hit the stadium. The force crushed the few Hunters who’d stood beneath it, then swept out in a gushing of waves. There was but a few seconds before the foaming white monsters reached us, knocking our feet out, and dragging us under. I barely had enough time to take a final hulking breath in.
We became puppets to an uncaring master. Waters thrashed at our bodies, spinning us around until I had no concept of what was up or down.
And yet, no matter the force, Arwyn refused to let me go. He forged his arms around my body, ironclad in his focus. I’d clamped my mouth together just in time before the current pulled us beneath the surface. My eyes closed too, so I didn’t know who we crashed into as our bodies were tugged and pulled.
Something hard cracked into my spine. Pain reverberated up into my skull, forcing me to cry out. That was my grave mistake. Water filled my lungs like unwanted fingers forcing their way into my throat. My instinct was to cough, but that only made it worse. More water forced into me, drowning me from the inside.
The Drowning.It finally made sense.
