I couldn’t have asked for more.
Daniel shot me a glance. He rode his favorite Pegasus—a black steed with silvery holographic wings. My reliable Pegasus, Sadie, was white with wings of purple and green. Pegasus wings were made of magic light and only appeared when Pegasi summoned them for flight. The creatures’ eyes changed while in flight too—becoming either bright cobalt or silver while the steeds exuded puffs of colored smoke from their nostrils.
Daniel directed his Pegasus to spiral downward. The opponent on his tail followed, as did several others. My friend had possession of the glowing green Twenty-Three Skidd ball. He held it in the basket end of his lacrosse sword—a five-foot long staff with a jousting lance at one end and a lacrosse basket at the other.
Instead of pursuing them, I sped straight ahead. Several of our Seven Suns teammates flanked Daniel, defending his rear. I would take another approach.
Twenty-Three Skidd was a simple game with complex strategy. There were eleven people on a team—nine first string players and two alternates. Each armored player had a lacrosse sword and a Pegasus, and the first team to score twenty-three goals won. However, each team had complete freedom as to how they would score—which made Twenty-Three Skidd as much of a contact sport as you could get. This was the reason it’d been an all-boy sport until recently. It was a rough, physically demanding, and perilous activity, and most girls at Lady Agnue’s were not of that vibe.
Sadie and I flew at full speed through the upper clouds, dodging the occasional Lyons team member. A kickball-sized projection orb followed me, one of many throughout the stadium that captured real-time images of the game and projected them onto enormous holographic screens floating in the middle of the arena. Even when we were thousands of feet above the ground and concealed by clouds, the audience could still see what was going on.
While the orbs could be distracting, I loved how larger than life they made me feel.
I heard gasps coming from the arena along with some booing. Another player must’ve been de-saddled. When players fell off their Pegasi during a match, they plummeted to a massive safety net draped above the stadium floor and were immediately taken out of the game.
Was it dangerous? Yes. But risk and danger were an inherent part of the sport. While a few adults flew around keeping an eye on things, their main role was serving as announcers whose commentary accompanied the projection orbs’ visuals. We were more or less responsible for fending for ourselves in the sky. That was fine by me. The scariness made the sport truly exciting and fun.
I dove through the clouds. While Daniel and several of my teammates had been slowed by opponents, my route through the higher sky had been clear, allowing me to cover a much greater distance. By the time I returned to arena-level, I was closer to the goal than they were.
There were two Lyons guarding their goal post, which stretched from the ground to six hundred feet in the air. Despite their armored uniforms, I recognized the players based on their sizes: one unusually large girl and one extremely petite one. Girtha Bobunk and Divya Patel were two other girls from Lady Agnue’s who’d made it onto a Twenty-Three Skidd team. They were non-royal protagonists, extremely fierce and formidable, and my good friends.
At the moment, they both stood in my way though. And we were good enough friends that we felt no qualm about challenging each other. The Lyons and the Seven Suns were tied at 22-22 and the next point would win. That next point would be ours.
I charged into the center of the arena toward my friends. The stadium was a giant ring of blurred color as hundreds of students made up the cheering perimeter. I stole a glimpse over my shoulder. Daniel had made it out of the clouds and was inbound for the Lyons’ goal post, but progress was slow thanks to various Lyons players. Members of both teams were locked in battle with their steeds and weapons. The clashing twist of holographic Pegasus wings, shining armor, and combatting lacrosse swords lit up all of the projection orb screens.
Perfect. It minimized my chance of being spotted. Only Girtha and Divya saw me coming. I rushed at them with the lance of my lacrosse sword extended. Divya did not shy away from the incoming blade and charged to meet me. The girl was faster than most players I’d encountered, and paired with her small size, that made her a difficult target.
As we rushed toward each other, I swung my lacrosse sword at her head. She ducked and reversed her weapon instantly. I blocked it and adjusted Sadie. Divya kept lunging out with different strikes while her small gray Pegasus darted around me—changing striking angles and annoying me like a speedy mosquito I couldn’t swat. I managed to block most of her blows, but I wasn’t getting any closer to my goal.
Divya looped around so she could charge me from the front again. I extended my lacrosse sword’s lance; she mirrored the movement. As she swung though, I flipped the staff. Where our blades would have collided, her blade’s point instead caught in the basket end of my weapon. Bracing myself, I clutched the horn of my saddle with my free hand and gripped the stirrups with my legs to yank the lacrosse sword from Divya’s grasp. My friend’s Pegasus veered out of control. Before they could recover, a kick of my heel signaled Sadie to ram them from the side, and my petite friend was tossed from her steed.
“Sorry!” I yelled as she tumbled to the net below.
I had about a third of a second to keep from falling in the same way as something moved in my periphery. In reflex, I hastily leaned my body to the side—hanging onto the saddle at a forty-five degree angle to keep from being smacked. Girtha’s basket missed my head by barely an inch. I yanked on Sadie’s reins to maneuver out of the way, but Girtha was hot on my tail.
She activated the grip function on her lacrosse sword, which extended the staff an extra two feet, and took another swing with the basket end of her weapon as she zoomed in. I desperately raised my lacrosse sword to stop her strike, but I had neither the strength nor the angle for a proper block. While I protected my skull from the hit, my weapon was knocked from my hand. On its way past my head, Girtha’s basket snagged the feathering on top of my helmet and it got yanked off too.
Great. Now I had no helmet and no weapon. Girtha was U-turning, coming to finish me off. I glanced back. Through the windblown strands of my shoulder-length hair I saw the majority of our teammates were still locked in combat on the other side of the arena. Daniel’s Pegasus zipped around, trying to break free of the pack. I had to clear the way so he’d be good to go when he had an opportunity to make his final approach. Of course, that was easier said than done in my current circumstances, especially when an additional Lyons player suddenly swooped down from above.
I hastened Sadie out of the way, catching the number and name on the back of my new opponent as he dove past.
It was Chance Darling.
I didn’t know whether him attacking me made me happy or angry. The prince of Clevaunt and grandson of King Midas had been trying to win my affections for some time. While I had initially been annoyed by the endeavor, he was growing on me. It felt odd to fight him, but I had no intention of showing restraint.
Battles before potential boyfriends.
The prince’s steed was white—typical, I know—but unlike Sadie, its wings were formed by maroon and gold light. I refocused on the inbound threat. Sadie and I went straight up to dodge Girtha’s charge. My steed and I swiveled to face both Girtha and Chance as they worked in coordination to de-saddle me. I bobbed and weaved like mad until Chance came at me from the left with his staff extended. There was no way to avoid the smack to the chest, so I took my best option. I leaned into the hit and used it to my advantage.
In battle, one had to absorb what one couldn’t deflect. When Chance’s lacrosse sword came in I abruptly yanked on Sadie’s reins with my right hand, causing her to swerve while my body took Chance’s hit and my left arm simultaneously wrapped around his weapon. The combination allowed me to rip the staff from Chance’s hands, and as Sadie kept spinning, I took aim and launched Chance’s lacrosse sword like a javelin at Gir
tha, who was right underneath me. She swatted it away with her own staff and Chance dove to reclaim the fallen weapon. However, the distraction the prince created as he whizzed by was all I needed. I threw myself off Sadie—launching my whole body at Girtha.
Ordinarily too big and thick to be de-saddled by any blow, the force and weight of my entire person did the job. I straight-up rammed Girtha off her Pegasus. She tumbled through the air, as did I. Fortunately, my trusty Pegasus was used to my tactical moves. Unlike other steeds, Sadie did not fly away without her rider. She came back for me. This time we cut it close. We were pretty near net level when Sadie caught me. It was a rough, hard landing—the kind of landing that would make boys wince—but I stuck it, and that was infinitely better than falling to the net like Girtha.
Now the cheers were for me. I saw myself on two of the holographic screens. I let the sound soak into my skin like fast-acting moisturizer. Outside the arena I was not the most popular student, but here people put aside their prejudices and valued a good game.
I pulled back on Sadie’s reins and looked up, expecting Chance to make another run at me. Surprisingly, he paused in the air fifteen feet away and lifted the visor of his helmet.
“Nice moves,” he said amiably.
I brushed the hair out of my face with the back of my hand. “Thanks. I’d return the compliment, but, well . . .” I shrugged and smirked.
“You want to get lunch after this?”
“Uh . . .”
Was he asking me out in the middle of a match?
And was it an actual offer or an attempt to throw off my focus?
My eyes darted to the side. Daniel had finally broken free of the clogged combat and was making an attempt at the goal Chance and I presently floated in front of.
“Sorry, I have plans,” I called back.
And it was true, regarding later and regarding now.
Chance noticed Daniel and lowered his visor. The boys shot toward each other, extending their lacrosse swords in a jousting charge. Still without a weapon, I had to help in a different way. I didn’t know if the prince or the hero would win this contest in terms of strength, but I knew who would win in terms of time and numbers. The remaining Lyons headed this way, having realized Daniel’s position. Our Seven Suns players pursued them hotly, but I didn’t want the game to get caught in another congested battle.
The goal was right there!
Also right there were two projection orbs. The metallic, magic kickballs flew around the boys, one underneath and one to the side.
“Sadie, up!” I shouted, pulling on her reins just as the prince and the hero collided.
The prince won the contest of strength. Daniel managed to stay on his Pegasus, but the impact of Chance’s strike made my friend drop his lacrosse sword, which still held the ball. Chance dove after the weapon, but only made it a few feet before a projection orb shot into his head. He halted, dazed and swaying.
I settled back into my seat, foot smarting from the perfect kick but satisfied. Chance’s helmet would prevent a concussion, but the hit had distracted him long enough that Daniel, now diving, could retrieve what he’d lost. The only problem? He would probably reach his lacrosse sword only a moment before several Lyons.
New plan.
I lunged low and grabbed Chance’s helmet off his disoriented head by the plumage. Below, Daniel recovered his lacrosse sword as I descended in a diagonal. Three opposing players were about to intersect him.
“Daniel!” I shouted.
He looked up.
Daniel and I had a complex but undeniably close relationship. We could read each other well, and when it mattered we worked like two halves of the same whole. All it took was a quick glance at me with Chance’s helmet in hand for Daniel to know what I was thinking. He powerfully flung the ball my way mere seconds before a Lyons member collided with him and sent his Pegasus veering.
I shot forward and down. My hand stretched out and I caught the ball in Chance’s helmet. Sadie and I changed course like lightning, which proved fortuitous as a recovered Chance flew by, narrowly missing me. He pivoted and I saw that perhaps he meant to miss—now he was positioned in front of the goal, blocking me.
I had a single shot before the swarm of opposition players reached me. Taking the ball in hand, I ditched the helmet and charged straight at Chance.
Since the prince didn’t have his helmet on, I could see reluctance in his eyes as I came at him. I hoped this would work to my advantage, but I also hoped it didn’t mean he would take it easy on me. As the daughter of Cinderella, I’d spent a good portion of my life being treated like a fragile glass figurine by people who thought a princess couldn’t and shouldn’t be anything more than a pretty doll on display. Alongside several of my heroic female friends, I had proven them wrong. And any boy who wanted me to respect him would respect me in the same way.
Thus, I was happy when Chance offensively aimed his lacrosse sword at me. He had no intention of letting me get by to score the winning goal.
I considered simply throwing the ball through the goal by hand, but Chance was fast and he was good. At this proximity, he could reach the ball with his lacrosse sword basket and catch it before it went in. Personal delivery was best.
My mind moved like a perfectly in sync timepiece as trajectories and distances clicked into place like gears. The next second, I acted.
My right foot adjusted in its stirrup while my left foot released its stirrup completely. I egged Sadie to boomerang up and then immediately down so we’d be shooting toward Chance at a sharp angle, the open arms of the goal post just below and beyond.
I was sure Chance thought I was going to make a head-on assault—a last attempt that pinned the pure force of our Pegasi against each other, colliding us like bumper car carriages. But that was not my play.
Chance extended the basket end of his lacrosse sword as I approached, then activated his grip function. In the instant before he would have swung and knocked me off my steed with the weapon, I threw myself off. Sadie, riderless, rammed into Chance’s Pegasus. He wasn’t pushed off, but it didn’t matter. By means of my right foot caught in its stirrup, I had swung down from Sadie’s other side. My foot came loose from the stirrup a moment later and I flung free and straight toward the goal post. As planned.
I recognized in those split seconds that if my calculations had been even slightly off, I was in for one painful and embarrassing collision with a post. Thankfully, I made it. My entire body went soaring through the goal.
Radical applause erupted from the stands. I would enjoy it once I landed. I’d scored the winning goal, but the cost was this free fall. I’d used Sadie as a battering ram, knowing full well that she would not be able to reorient herself and reach me before I plummeted to the net. I was cool with this; I’d taken one for the team and accepted that I was going to fall. Though it seemed Daniel did not.
“Knight!”
Despite the fact that the game was over, despite the fact that the net was below, and despite the fact that he most certainly didn’t have to, Daniel came after me. While all the other players descended to the field, he pulled me out of my plummet—offering me his hand at exactly the right moment and yanking me onto the saddle behind him.
We flew back to the center of the arena.
“Thanks,” I said, holding onto him so as not to slide off the back of his Pegasus.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, raising his visor and looking back at me. “And thanks for the assist. I had no shot on my own.”
The stands roared, and he and I looked around, appreciating the glory together. It was surreal to see our faces cast across the screens in the center of the stadium.
“So how does it feel to be larger than life?” Daniel asked.
“I’m used to it by now,” I said with a smirk.
He laughed and we descended to the field. The last players were coming down while the riderless Pegasi were being wrangled in the air. I leapt off Daniel’s Pegasus first then h
e dismounted, removing his helmet. His chocolate brown hair was a bit compressed and sweaty, but he looked good. A year ago, I had trouble admitting that kind of thing. But he and I knew each other well enough now that I could state the obvious without feeling insecure about it. He was a good-looking guy. Close to six feet tall, oak brown eyes, strong features—he unquestionably fit the image of a hero.
After the refs officially declared the Seven Suns the winning team, the cheering died down and the spectators from both schools began vacating the bleachers.
“Crisa! Daniel!” Javier Marcos, one of our team captains and a friend, waved us over to the Seven Suns team huddle where everyone was celebrating. Daniel gave the reins of his steed to an attendant, and he and I made our way to the group.
Javier was about my height with curly dark hair, coffee eyes, and naturally tan skin. “You guys were great,” he said, giving Daniel a pat on the back. “Really impressive stuff today from both of you. And Crisa—”
“That was the sickest move I’ve ever seen!” Gordon Sinclaire, our other team captain, butted in. The ridiculously tall prince with whiteish-blond hair grinned like he couldn’t have been prouder.
“Thanks.” I smiled.
The majority of our other teammates were equally energized about my maneuvers. Only a few guys seemed unimpressed.
Once girls from Lady Agnue’s were admitted onto Lord Channing’s teams, most of the male protagonists had been accommodating and accepting. Unfortunately, there were still some jackwagons who believed princesses should merely sit still and look pretty. I had several such dolts on my team; the one who bore me the most ill will was a “hero” named Dillain Bardó.
“It’s really not that impressive,” he commented with a scoff. “Taking risks is easy when you have magical powers that can bring you back to life.”
There was an awkward pause following his comment. Everyone knew about my Pure Magic. Our Godmother Supreme—my long time enemy, Lena Lenore—had released the information realm-wide. Since the only person in our realm who hadn’t been corrupted by the disease was Liza, and her existence was kept secret from the populace, knowledge of my disease had made most people wary of me.
Into the Gray Page 2