by Emma Dean
They all had to wait until the end to see if their names made it onto the scoreboard.
So at least Mika didn’t have to sit in a freezing wet uniform while healers did their thing, wondering for three more matches if she’d make it.
Finally, they were up and she cracked each finger to ease some of the tension in her body. Mika’s magic was sitting up and taking notice. She felt ready and nervous all at the same time. They could only do their best, but now that she’d made it this far…
Mika felt like she had a stake in all this. She felt like she actually cared, and that annoyed the hell out of her. She didn’t want to care, but she also didn’t want to be alone and isolated anymore.
They stepped onto the bridge from the underground hall that went around the field. The water sloshed underneath as players climbed out of it, shivering and cursing. Healers were waiting for them and Mika tried not to think of how cold that water was.
When her foot hit the field her whole body went on alert. She grabbed one of the practice masks and settled it over her face as Audrey did the same. The red bandana tied around her upper arm matched the others on their team. Their opponents were blue.
Three rounds of three minutes.
It would be fast and brutal and Mika lived for these short scrimmages.
Three minutes was long enough in her opinion – long enough to show the other team she wasn’t fucking around. That she had the speed and strength to back up her attitude.
Mika tipped her head back and took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she’d been on a field and only now that she was here did she realize how much she’d truly missed it.
Audrey’s shoulder brushed hers and Mika bent her knees and put her hands up like a fighter. Battle magic was a lot like boxing, or any hand-to-hand style of fighting. Her hunter training had always given her that extra edge.
The clock went up and whistles sounded off for everyone to prepare.
She and Audrey were positioned on the right side of the field, near the middle of their team. They’d all decided the diamond formation would be best since none of them knew each other well enough to do something more flashy and dangerous.
Someone hollered her and Audrey’s name – generally being obnoxious as the cheers went up.
Then the bell rang and Mika tuned them all out.
Blue fired off immediately and three people on their team were instantly blasted into the water.
Audrey and Mika stepped forward as one, the other witch slightly in front of her to shield them both. Mika didn’t conjure the energy ball she’d made earlier. Instead she summoned fire in one hand and earth in the other.
A clod of dirt hit an opponent in the face while another just barely shielded in time to block her fire. Audrey stepped forward, throwing an attack with one hand and shielding with the other. She stepped to the side to make room for Mika who was already summoning ice shards from the water below them.
Again they stepped forward as more players were knocked out. They kept circling each other, moving and moving. Heat blasted her side as Audrey jumped in front of her. Then a ball of energy came right at them – too big for either of them to shield against.
Mika stepped in front of Audrey and caught the ball. Audrey threw her hands up and shielded them both. They stepped forward, over the line and into the next square, their opponents throwing everything at them that they could.
But Audrey had cast an excellent shield.
“Now,” Mika whispered.
The shield dropped and she sent that juiced up ball of energy at a group of three working together.
As the shield dropped something blasted her shoulder and she flew back. Mika scrambled for purchase on the field, but it was slick from the spells – one of the downsides to being last. She couldn’t stop herself from sliding. She was going to go over.
“Gotcha!” Audrey declared triumphantly, diving after Mika.
Audrey had grabbed Mika’s hand. Their skin was touching as she dangled over the edge.
Mika didn’t dare look down. “Let me drop,” she hissed, trying to make her fingers slide through Audrey’s. The longer they were in contact the more danger Audrey was in. “Let. Me. Go.”
“Figure it out, witchy bitch,” Audrey snapped, throwing a shield over them just in time to avoid being roasted.
Her hands weren’t tingling.
They had twenty seconds for Mika to get up or get out before the round ended.
Grunting she lifted herself up until she could put her feet against the edge of the field and then blasted power away from her. It sent her flying up and over until she landed in a heap on the field just as the first round ended.
“Don’t ever do that again,” she told Audrey, dusting off her gear. “I’m trying out for you, but I refuse to be responsible for your death.”
Audrey rolled her eyes. “You’re so dramatic. Nothing even happened.”
The second bell rang and they moved forward again, staying behind the remaining players on their team.
“You act like I’m making this all up,” Mika snapped, throwing ball after ball of energy up and over the other players at their opponents so their teammates could advance forward. “Like I have control when I don’t. Pushing my boundaries isn’t going to help. It’s just going to get someone killed.”
She was pissed and tired and down to the last dregs of her magic. Mika stomped down hard with the pure energy, making the field rattle with the force of her anger, unsettling their opponents. Audrey took advantage and knocked another out.
There were only three on the blue team left and four on theirs.
The bell clanged and Mika had to walk it off. She was practically foaming at the mouth.
Audrey had done nothing but help her since she’d arrived at Morgana and it was like the girl had a death wish. She kept testing Mika, pushing her. One of these times it wasn’t going to end well, all because Audrey figured after nothing had happened a few times, it never would.
Mika ignored the glare Audrey was giving her and made sure she was behind everyone left.
The third and final bell clanged.
The blue team gave it their all, blasting everyone as hard and fast as they could.
Everyone went down, including Audrey. Everyone except Mika.
Fuck.
Mika didn’t bother shielding as three opponents fired at her. She would never be able to hold one, and even a fire defense could only burn up so much magic before reaching her. Her best bet was to make herself an impossible target until Audrey could get up.
She dodged and ran, sliding under one attack, firing and then rolling to avoid another. Mika could feel the heat narrowly missing her back. Springing to her feet she ran over to Audrey who was holding a shield up against an onslaught of attacks.
Two splashes told her their other teammates were out.
One more minute and they would lose if they couldn’t get their shit together.
Mika took the risk and threw up a wall of fire as she jumped in front of Audrey. It was just enough time for the other witch to get to her feet. Then a massive clump of dirt came through the wall of fire. It hit her right in the stomach, steaming and hot even through her gear.
The sound she made as it knocked all the air out of her was not feminine or graceful at all. Mika landed on her back and somehow managed to turn it into a backwards somersault so she was at least on her feet in a crouch.
But she couldn’t breathe.
Gasping for air, she looked up to see Audrey shielding and firing all she had – standing in front of Mika just like they’d practiced.
Thirty more seconds.
Should she risk everything for a game?
Finally, she got air in her lungs. Mika stood and knew she had to make a split-second decision.
Audrey was the only one she’d touched skin to skin – multiple times, since she’d practically carried her the night before without the bone bracelet on – and had never once hurt her.
Mika
couldn’t shield for shit, but her power was raw.
She took one step forward and placed her bare hand on the back of Audrey’s neck. Two words and power went down her arm and into the other witch.
Suddenly the shield flared and grew. They moved forward together, Mika’s hand still on Audrey’s neck. She didn’t give her everything. She kept enough to build a ball of energy in her other hand similar to the one she’d used to blow apart the wooden dummy.
Over and over she said that word as they pushed the blue team back. The shield was strong enough Audrey was able to send it barreling into one of the other players, shoving him right over the edge of the field with a shriek into the water.
Thank Artemis Mika wasn’t at full strength. If she had been, she never would have tried something this dangerous.
“Take it down when I say,” Mika said, glancing at the clock. Fifteen seconds. “Blast the one on the right with everything you have, right at the ankles. I’ll take the one on the left and aim him toward your dude.”
Audrey nodded, no doubt unprepared for the invasion of Mika’s magic – even if she did know what to do with it. Transferences weren’t normally used because two witches had to have an affinity for each other.
But Audrey could do enchantments like no one Mika had ever seen before. She could turn an umbrella into an octopus and then back again – a spell so powerful it could blow up an entire building if done wrong.
Mika knew if she had an equal in strength and power – it would be Audrey. They’d been paired by the universe it seemed – and this was a risk worth taking.
Mika wanted to prove to Audrey she wasn’t afraid. Well, she was, but…Audrey wanted this. It was worth the risk. And just because Mika was afraid, it didn’t mean she couldn’t still face that fear and do it anyway.
“Now,” she whispered, eyeing the glittering ball of energy in her hand.
The shield dropped and Audrey did just as she’d asked.
Mika threw that energy ball toward the bigger of the two guys.
He flew backward into his teammate who was already unbalanced. The bell went off indicating the end of the round as both opponents hung over the edge like they were frozen in time.
Then they tumbled into the water just before the bell stopped.
Mika released Audrey and collapsed, falling to her knees hard, gasping for breath.
Audrey pulled off her mask and wiped the sweat from her brow, grinning and waving as the crowd went crazy.
They’d done it, and somehow…Mika hadn’t killed anyone.
29
Everyone who had tried out and hadn’t already been cut sat on the very bottom set of chairs that circled the field. They’d been reserved just for this.
Mika turned and found Kenzie and Selene waving at her while Ash and Finnick exchanged cash. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the field. She shouldn’t have been surprised that they’d taken bets.
Malachi stood in the center of the field with a small smile on his face like he was proud of everyone for trying as hard as they did.
At least if she made the team, Mika felt like she could trust Malachi. For some reason she didn’t think he would look down on her for not being able to shield.
“Thank you to everyone who gave their best today,” Malachi said, projecting his voice so the acoustics made everyone able to hear him. “We have some really amazing contenders this year.”
Audrey was jiggling her leg. Mika slapped her hand over Audrey’s knee and pressed down so she stopped. “You’ll make it,” Mika murmured. “Don’t stress.”
The other witch flung her arm over Mika’s shoulders and grinned. “I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.”
Mika snorted, still not convinced that it couldn’t happen one day. But for some reason her magic didn’t attack Audrey – there had to be a reason why, something there for her to unpack and examine, but she filed it away for later.
There was a lot she needed to sort out later, but right now she could just be another college witch waiting to find out if she’d made the team.
The scoreboard started flashing names as Malachi talked.
“You’ve all been separated into your respective teams already,” he said. “And you’ve all been grouped based on your individual skills and weaknesses so there shouldn’t be any one team infinitely better than the others.”
Mika wondered whose team Malachi would be on. Wouldn’t that be unfair? Or would he put himself on the team with the least skilled players?
Then Audrey nearly choked Mika to death when she squeezed her tight. “Look! We’re on the same team!” she practically screamed, pointing at the scoreboard.
But she was right, they were both on Team Black…and so was Malachi.
Mika couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, relief suffusing her entire body until she felt like she might just ooze off the chair into a puddle on the floor.
Cheers from the foxes, Kenzie, and Selene were loudest of all, but Mika turned and saw Ethan and Lucien cheering as well. Ryan caught her eye and gave her a thumb’s up, grinning like a madman.
More players jumped up and celebrated. Cheers filled the stadium as more names flashed onto the scoreboard and Mika hugged Audrey, hard. Audrey made a strangled noise, but she hugged Mika back with a laugh.
Too many emotions rattled around inside of Mika and she had no idea what to do with them. She was happy and scared and nervous, but more than anything she was grateful. Grateful for this witch who pushed her even when she snarled in retaliation – for the group of people who’d come to watch her try out…
Mika had people who cared about her here, and she could honestly say she’d never expected that to happen.
Coming to the University of Morgana had been the best decision she’d ever made.
“Congratulations to those who made the cut. To those who made it this far and didn’t make a team, better luck next year. Don’t stop training. You’ll be the first tapped if anyone is injured.” Then Malachi walked off the field and came right towards her and Audrey.
Audrey flung her arms around the massive witch and they both laughed as she nearly knocked him over. “You did great,” Malachi said. “You earned this.”
“Thanks to you and Mika,” Audrey laughed, pulling back to shake Mika again.
Her joy was infectious and Mika grinned up at Malachi. “Looks like we’ll be seeing you more often,” she said, shrugging a shoulder.
Would he practice without a shirt on?
Mika cleared her throat and stood, offering him her hand. Surprisingly Hunter had brought her bone bracelet down to her after the match, and her magic was dampened once again.
Malachi shook her hand, not realizing how big this moment was for her – how easily she could kill him if she didn’t bind her magic.
Apparently, only Audrey was immune.
“I’ll be emailing everyone the information tonight, so don’t get too hammered at the celebration.” He walked off to congratulate the other players who’d made it before Mika could ask what he meant.
“Another party, woo!” Audrey screamed, running up the steps toward Kenzie and her foxes.
Mika was much slower, and her excitement was waning as she wondered if another party was really a good idea after what had happened the night before.
Ryan was gone when she looked for him. Mika figured she could bring him a muffin on Monday. When she looked up for Lucien and Ethan the hunter had disappeared too. He’d been there the last time. Mika wondered why he hadn’t stuck around.
Then she reached the top where the foxes were and Ethan had made his way over. He waited for her with a smile, hands in his pockets. Mika stopped one stair below him, looking up at this impossibly tall, hot as fuck storm witch.
“I knew you liked dangerous things,” Ethan told her.
For some reason that made her laugh. Mika went up two steps and then turned, enjoying not having to crane her neck so much to look into Ethan’s eyes. “You’re not wrong,” she admitted.
He tilted his head and studied her. No doubt she looked disgusting and sweaty and dirty.
“I’m uh, sorry. About what I said last night,” Mika said, taking a step forward to wrap her arms around his neck.
Ethan took his hands out of his pockets and placed them on her hips. “Apology accepted.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah, just like that.” Ethan grinned and then leaned down to kiss her. His lips tasted sweet like donuts and Mika sighed, melting into him. His strong arms wrapped around her waist and squeezed until her feet came off the stairs.
“Get it!” Finnick shouted.
Ethan laughed and released her. Mika’s cheeks were red hot and she glared at the fox.
“Don’t you have better things to do than be a creep?” Mika asked, taking a step away from Ethan.
“No,” Finnick said with a shrug. “Plus Ethan is super pretty and I like eye candy.”
Kenzie just laughed and rolled her eyes. “I’d say they’re not always like this, but that would be a lie.” The void witch came over and gave Mika a quick little hug. “Good job. I’m glad you were able to figure out a way to still join the team despite everything. We’ll see you next Friday?”
It was weird being so close to Kenzie after a lifetime of keeping their distance, but now they were more alike than Mika had ever thought possible. For someone who could strip her of her power permanently, Mika wasn’t afraid. She wondered if this was how Audrey felt.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Next Friday.”
Finnick and Ash hugged her even though she tried to push them off. They did the same to Audrey before leaving with Kenzie. Hunter and Selene lingered.
Mika glanced over at Ethan, but he was chatting with Audrey.
“I’ll text you when I know when I’ll be in San Francisco,” Mika told Selene. “I was thinking tomorrow, but maybe next week since apparently I’m obligated to go celebrate.”
Selene gave her that small smile and nodded. She stepped forward and gave Mika a quick hug. “I’ll hold you to that. You were my only friend,” she admitted. “My only real friend since no one else had the guts to come stay at our house.”