“Trimming the sails!” shouts the wiry woman with silvery hair. She rolls her wrists, and several winches move furiously on their own, adjusting the tension of the sails until they’re full of wind and the ship’s speed increases.
We’re gliding across the Sea of Storms like a predator through the depths. My pulse quickens – whether we’re ready or not, we’re on our way. Aurora Isle lies ahead, somewhere beyond the dark horizon, and, with it, the promise of another trial.
“Look!” shouts Mei.
The gathered competitors mob to the side of the ship, where four remaining teams are chasing afterThe Leviathanin their dinghies. I can only vaguely hear their screams in the wind. Helpless pleas. Angry curses.
The sea begins to churn. Two barnacled tentacles pull two of the dinghies under. Then the monster’s head erupts from below, a show of jagged, razor-sharp teeth that opens like a crack in the sea and swallows the remaining two dinghies whole.
“Thalassa’s mercy,” Rhius breathes.
“That’s the nature of the game,” Savannah murmurs. “Only twelve teams were ever going to board this ship.”
The tension that simmered on the surface after the first trial begins to boil again, and it gives off a sour taste, like an unripe citrus fruit. I try not to breathe it in. Try to lookpast the murky cloud of energy gathering overhead the competitors.
High Prince Seraphius’s words echo in the sudden silence.Some of you will not return from Aurora Isle.My throat knots. This is truly a fight to the death, and failure means Elara will be lost for ever.
I glance at Taron for his reaction. He leans forward on the rail and stares quietly across the murky waters. If he’s as appalled as I am, he’s hiding it well.
At least his face is less blanched now, and the veins clawing around his neck and lower jaw are subsiding – he’s slowly regaining his energy.
“What do we do now?” I wonder aloud.
Cyrus spreads his arms over his head. “I say we find out which of these deck scrubbers has the key to the cargo hold. There’s bound to be something to drink on this floating coffin.”
“Later.” It’s the voice of the silver-haired woman, low and grating. She approaches our gathering with a scroll in her hand. “First, you’ve got a letter from the Games Master.”
Competitors’ Brief
From the desk of the Games Master…
Esteemed competitors,
What a splendid spectacle you’ve given us this evening! To those of you who remain after the first trial, congratulations. Tonight, the waves will carry you to Aurora Isle, where the trials to come will stretch your resolve and test your mettle in ways you cannot imagine. For now, enjoy this temporary reprieve. Below deck, you will find cabins assigned to each team. Rest up, because at sunrise the Isle will greet you. And with it, the next trial will begin.
Before I leave you, heed this warning: a mandatory truce binds you all during the intervals between the trials. These zones are sacrosanct, meant for rest and recovery. Should anyone dare to break the truce, the consequences will be … unfortunate. Rest well, competitors. And when the gong sounds, be ready. Bon voyage.
Yours ever-watchful,
The Games Master
Chapter Nineteen
Below deck, the wooden walls ofThe Leviathancreak like old bones as the vessel shifts with the rhythm of the waves. I press my hand against the wall for balance.
My stomach is worse down here, without the sticky ocean breeze to keep me cool. It also doesn’t help that the air here in the competitors’ quarters is damp and pressing, almost suffocating, and the sharp tang of saltwater seems to cling to everything.
I continue down the dim corridor, swallowing the swells of brine at the back of my mouth. I’ve never been on a ship before and, honestly, I don’t see the appeal.
The constant motion beneath my feet is unnerving, as if the floor itself were alive, breathing and pulsing with the waves of the sea.
After Kara read the Competitors’ Brief aloud, the crew vanished below deck, and nobody knew what to do withthemselves. Gunther and Gigi quickly sniffed out the cargo hold, and, much to everyone’s delight, it was filled to the brim with wine and cider.
“If we can’t kill each other, we might as well kill the time!” Gunther bellowed atop a barrel.
It was strange, seeing the competitors drink together. With their tight-lipped smiles and hollow chatter about Principal Academies, upcoming exams and the best places to holiday along the Solaran coast.
They made it sound as though we were on a school trip, not sailing towards an island most of us won’t return from.
