“That would be. Who’s new this year?”
“Ina, Ami, Jove, and Belle.”
“You’ll have to explain this to me as it unfolds.” I take a bite of the pastry, and Kaia was right in saying they were too good to wait to eat.
“There’s not much to the game. Seriously, there’s only one rule.”
“Don’t kill each other.”
“Right. And you don’t know what you’ll be dealing with until it happens. One of the best games happened three years ago and Professor Balbina conjured a snowstorm with these intense, howling winds. It was awesome to watch.”
“And it starts out in the stadium, right?”
“Yep. The orbs usually stay in that general area for a while, and then go anywhere. I heard the hedge maze was another super tough match, but I could hardly see any of the players.”
“What do you do then, when you can’t see them?”
“Listen for screams.”
My face blanks and she laughs. “I’m kidding. Do you see that big brass hoop over there? It’s low to the ground now.” She points to the only side of the stadium that doesn’t have bleachers.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“It’s a glassless mirror. They’re used by advanced level reapers for seeing into different realms.”
“Why is one out here?”
“Because the spell was reworked. There are a ton of crystals placed throughout the grounds, and they’re enchanted to project the image of what’s in front of them into the ring.”
“Whoa. That’s awesome. And sounds complicated.”
“Oh, trust me. It is. It took like every professor here to get the spells working right.”
Kaia looks at the large grandfather clock in the corner. “We better get going then. I’m going to run these up to our room.” She takes one more pastry out before closing the box. I finish mine by the time she’s back, and we go outside together.
The air is alive with excitement as students and professors alike walk down the cobblestone path to the stadium. I pull the hood of my cloak up over my head to fight off the damp chill that’s lingering in the air. We go through the woods, crossing over the same creek that runs along the train tracks, and come out on the other side.
The stadium is huge, with enough bleacher-style seating for the whole academy to fill. The wooden bleachers are divided into three sections for each of the houses, with a special seating area for professors or any guest spectators.
Gertrude is already there, saving us a seat up at the top. She has a big sign that says GO PROELIATORS written in alternating red and black block letters. I bring my arm up to wave to her and someone bumps right into me.
I think it was an accident at first until I see a streak of silver-blonde hair.
“Oops, didn’t see you there,” Celeste says, and her friends laugh as if that’s actually funny.
I bring my hand to my chest, looking concerned. “Oh, no, is your vision going bad now too? That would explain why you weren’t able to get that last sigil to work.”
I’m being petty, I know.
“You better watch it,” Celeste sneers.
“I will,” I deadpan, and the indifference in my tone just pisses her off even more. Celeste brings her hand up, probably to hurl a curse at me, but Cass pops up right in front of her. Startled, Celeste jumps back and almost twists her ankle.
“Cute how you need a lost soul to fight your battles for you.”
“Battles? Really?” I shake my head. “This is hardly a battle.”
Kaia grabs my wrist and tugs me along. “She’s not worth the breath.”
