She wrote the word FRAGILE on the rectangular block next to her, focusing her faez as she wrote the word. Then she kicked the block. A crack went up the center, splitting the block in two. The larger half nearly crashed on top of her. Aurie dove out of the way just in time.
A voice came from the center of the arena. "Quit screwing around and come fight me."
Aurie ignored him and placed the tip of the quill against the inside of her forearm. The ink was cold. She wrote the word STRONG in big, bold letters while she let her faez flow into the quill. When she lifted the quill, the ink glistened like an oil slick.
After a few experimental flexes, she pushed the arched block next to her. To her surprise, it jumped an inch.
"That's promising," she said. "Sort of."
She didn't think she'd be able to make herself invisible or take flight, since those were things she couldn't naturally do. The truth had to be something plausible.
Aurie held out the quill and focused her faez. This time she wrote the word LIGHT on the block next to her. Using her strong arm, she pushed the block a good five feet so it pressed against another block.
The protector called out from the center of the arena. "You know they'll fail you if you just hide. No pain, no gain. But you know, I've been doing this all day. I'm ready for a bar and a burner." He paused. "Though I am enjoying having little miss blondie on her knees here."
A quiet rage filled Aurie. She might have made an enemy of Violet, but she wasn't going to let him treat her like that. Aurie moved towards the center.
Looking through the gaps between the blocks, Aurie was able to find him. He had cut off sleeves and a thick neck.
Violet was on her knees next to him, clearly fighting the enchantment from his voice. Though she was covered in green scales, the ones under her right eye were purple with bruises.
He'd picked a good spot. Defensible. Clear sight lines. There was no way she could sneak up on him, and he was her superior in close combat.
Aurie wrote LIGHT on the nearest block, and shoved it towards the center. Then she moved to the next one and did the same.
"Stop moving the stupid blocks and come out and fight me. Are you afraid, little girl?" he called out.
Under her breath, she whispered, "No. Are you, Johnny?"
She didn't know if that was his name, but if asshole's had a name and a type, they'd be called Johnny.
She circled the arena, slowly closing him in. A few times Johnny looked like he wanted to move out and engage her, but each time he realized that doing so would free Violet.
When she was finished, she'd created a wall of blocks around him, except for three openings. He was forced to keep circling, fearing her attack from one of the other two.
Johnny grabbed Violet's hair, eliciting a scream. "You'd better hurry up, or I'm going to do a number on her face."
Aurie crept near an opening. It took her a moment to rotate the word in her head, but eventually she wrote FAR on her throat.
Imagining her voice on the other side, Aurie said in a singsong voice, "Warriors, come out and plaaayyyy."
As Johnny moved to defend the location her voice had come from, Aurie ran out and, using her magically strong arm, punched him in the head. He started to fall to his knees, but stopped himself halfway. She hadn't hit hard enough. He side-kicked her in the gut, throwing her backwards.
She landed on her back, knocking the air from her lungs. The quill had broken in half. She felt the magical strength fade.
Johnny stood over her, blood running from his bottom lip, which hung open awkwardly as if he were in a lot of pain. His face was bright red. His hands were fists at his side.
"I think you broke my jaw," he said, muffled. "I'm going to do a lot worse to you."
Johnny raised his fist, then crumpled forward, collapsing to his knees. Violet had been behind him. She'd kicked him right between the legs. A triumphant gong signaled their victory as Johnny moaned from the fetal position.
"Oh, thank you," Aurie said, holding her hand out so Violet could help her up.
"You let him do that to me," said Violet, and she stalked away.
Sighing, Aurie followed her out and returned to the dormitories to find her score was nowhere near the top. Pi found her, hugged her, and asked, "What happened? Did you lose the match?"
"No," said Aurie, bewildered. "Our strategy, or lack thereof, was a disaster, but we won. I don't understand why my score was so low."
A blue-robed attendant was walking by and overheard her. "You get scored on teamwork just as much as how you played the match."
"But what if my partner didn't want to work with me?" asked Aurie.
"Then you should have done a better job following her lead," said the attendant, before walking off.
"Great," said Aurie, staring at her score in the middle of the pack. "If I don't score near the top on the last day, I might not get in Arcanium."
Chapter Thirteen
The next morning in the auditorium, Aurie marveled at how few initiates there were compared to the first day. It appeared more had left during the night. And of those that had stayed, nearly all had visible injuries. The healers on staff had been busy making rounds in the dorms during the night.
The other initiates seemed to notice as well. There was a lot of glancing around and remarking at the emptiness of the room. It flushed Aurie with both pride and concern.
Professor Delight took the center stage once again. She wore a skintight blue bodysuit with the Hundred Halls "double H" emblem on the front that accentuated her generous frame. A businesslike braid hung over her shoulder. Many of the guys, and a few of the girls, leaned forward.
Professor Delight spoke in her melodic voice, amplified by magic. "You've made it to the third and final day. Congratulations."
Muted applause followed. Everyone had a concerned expression—except for Violet, which bothered Aurie. The blonde initiate looked entirely too pleased, as if she already knew she'd passed.
"The third trial is sometimes considered the hardest. It can also be the most dangerous because the interaction of so many students is hard to plan for," said the professor.
Violet was nodding along like she already knew this part. Aurie's stomach started aching.
"So this is your warning. If you thought the first two trials were difficult, or dangerous, this one will be much worse. Wielding magic is not for the faint of heart. Sometimes when things go wrong, the best option you can hope for is a quick death. So if you're not willing to expose yourself to grave danger, then leave now, because once you pass through the red door, you won't have another chance to leave."
The professor paused, holding her hands in front of her and glancing around the crowd. A gasp went up as a beefy-looking guy with a buzz cut went over to the entrance doors, placed his hands against them, and after a furtive glance at the crowd watching him, said, "I am defeated. I am defeated. I am defeated."
After he left, another three initiates followed him out. When no one else moved, Professor Delight started again.
"Only four. Good." She offered a grim nod to the assembled initiates. "The third trial is a group trial. Which means all of you will be competing at the same time. After I'm finished explaining, everyone will file through the red door. You will be given a pair of bracelets that you will place on your wrists, and a wand. The bracelets will allow you the power of flight in the arena. Just to warn you, the bracelets, and all the other items, are linked to the Spire and will not function outside of the trial areas. Unfortunately, that's a lesson that goes unheeded, year after year, by a select, and stupid, few.
"The trial will be a free-for-all. Everyone for themselves. There are no points adjusted by the observing judges. Your score is based on how many kills you make and how long you last in the arena. The wand fires a bolt that will feel like you've been stung by a giant wasp. If you're hit three times, you're out of the game. But I must warn you that the other initiates aren't the only dangers in the game. Good luck, and yo
u may proceed to the red door."
As soon as they started moving, Aurie caught Violet's I've-got-you-now glance. A group of initiates formed around Violet, who gave them each a knowing nod as they arrived. Other initiates were quickly forming alliances as they walked.
Aurie spoke to her sister. "Violet must have known what the final contest was going to be. She's going to take me out first. You should group up with others, Pi. I don't want you to get knocked out because of me."
"No way," said Pi, punching her sister in the arm. "I'm not leaving you to that hyena. Let's find some allies."
Aurie tried to make eye contact with the girl next to her. She wore glasses and had her hair in a ponytail. She looked like the kind of girl that shared Aurie's love of books. As soon as the girl noticed Aurie, her eyes went wide and she quickly moved away.
Behind her, Pi was speaking to the red-haired guy she'd partnered with in the second trial. He was shaking his head.
When she came back, Pi said, "Your friend was busy last night. She warned everyone else that if they joined up with us, they'd be taken out next. And she promised those that joined her team would have a glowing article written about them in the Herald of the Halls."
"I'm sorry, Pi."
"Don't worry about me. I can come back next year," she said. "We need to get you into the Halls since this is your only chance."
They received their bracelets and wands past the red door. The space was massive, larger than the auditorium, and went up just as high. Hundreds of obstacles hung above their heads like a floating modern art installation.
She grabbed her sister and moved towards the far corner. "Let's at least put some distance between us and them for when this starts."
They took position behind a concave wall that looked like a spoon was sticking from the wall.
Pi pointed to squares on the six walls. There were about a half dozen on each side.
"What do you think those are?" she asked.
"I think we should stay away from them," said Aurie. "Professor Delight warned that the other students wouldn't be the only danger."
Violet and her gang had collected to the right side. There were twelve initiates, including the guy in the martial arts uniform, which was disappointing for more than the obvious reasons.
No one dared to camp near Violet's group for fear of getting caught in the crossfire, or being the next targets.
Aurie grabbed her sister by the shoulders. "We're going to do this, Pi. At the end of this, we're going to be the last two standing."
"I'm totally going to fire this wand right into your back if it's just us two at the end," said Pi, winking.
They shared a brief laugh. A countdown started.
Aurie took a quick glance around. She spied a floating sphere with holes in it near the top of the arena.
"See that up there," she told Pi. "As soon as we can, fly up there."
"But it's right next to one of those squares on the wall," said Pi.
"Just trust me," said Aurie.
The starting gong hadn't finished reverberating before Aurie and her sister were flying up towards the holey sphere. Wand blasts zipped past as Violet's gang tried to shoot them out of the sky.
Aurie was almost to the sphere when she was hit in the back. The pain made her lose control as her body seized up. Pi sensed Aurie's immobility and grabbed her arm, dragging her the final distance into the sphere. They threw themselves against the inner wall, protected from the hailstorm of wand blasts.
"That wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be," said Aurie, rubbing her back.
"Look." Pi was pointing at her arm. There were three hearts on the inside of her wrist. The third one was empty.
Violet's gang was flying upwards, firing their wands as they went. The rest of the battle was on the bottom floor, as most of the initiates had stayed below.
Aurie fired a few shots through the hole, not really trying to hit anyone, but to slow them down.
Pi fired her wand, then threw herself back into the sphere. She said, "I'm not afraid of heights, but this is ridiculous. We must be three hundred feet up."
"Don't think about it. Just keep firing," she said.
Their attackers had slowed down due to the suppressive fire, but Aurie didn't think it would be long until they were upon them. She wasn't sure how two were going to win against twelve, especially when they hadn't hit even one of them yet. Every time she leaned out to fire, three bolts came flying her way.
Pi screamed and fell back into the sphere holding her arm. She'd been hit. The third little heart on her wrist was empty.
Violet's gang was nestled in the obstacles directly below them. Aurie could see the martial arts guy hiding behind a floating pyramid to her right.
"Should we make a run for it?" asked Pi through gritted teeth.
Right after, a light tone rang into the arena. The wand fire slowed as everyone glanced around.
When the squares on the walls slid open, six-legged insects the size of a small dog came flowing out like a chittering madness. Each side had released a different color of insect. The initiates closest to the holes were overrun before they could take to the air. When those initiates were knocked out of the game, a protective white cocoon formed around them, to keep them from further attacks.
Everyone still on the ground flew upward as fast as they could. It looked like a host of grasshoppers had taken to the sky. Those initiates above them fired into the fleeing ranks. Dozens of initiates were knocked out of the game in the ensuing chaos.
From below them, Violet cried, "Ignore the insects, keep firing. We've got them."
The assault on the sphere continued, though less voraciously, as her gang had to worry about the initiates flying upward. Aurie used the opportunity to catch one of the pale Scandinavian twins in the face with a wand blast.
On the walls, the insects had spread out. Nearest her position, they had orange chitins. Aurie watched as a large specimen leapt from the wall to an oddly shaped block. Other insects followed.
Aurie fired her wand at an insect on the wall. The wand blast turned it to dust.
She leaned out to fire again, and she got hit in the side. Violet had moved to a flanking position. She was crouched on a block about thirty feet away. Aurie curled into a ball for a few seconds before resuming the fight with gritted teeth. She was one hit from being knocked out. There were still far too many initiates left in the arena.
"We have to get out of here," said Aurie. "They've got us surrounded."
Pi ducked a blast, and nodded.
Other insects were making tentative leaps to floating blocks, distracting Violet's gang as they had to clear them off before refocusing.
Pi leapt from the inner wall and flew against the other side, knocking the sphere through the air a few feet.
"They move!" said Aurie. "You're a genius, sis."
"About time you noticed," said Pi.
Aurie flew through the middle of the sphere as fast as she could. She hit the inner wall. It felt like she'd dislocated her shoulder, but it knocked the sphere a good twenty feet in the opposite direction of Violet.
A wand blast nearly took Aurie's head off. She fired back, hitting the cute initiate in the martial arts uniform lurking near the wall. An insect came around the block he was hiding on and leapt on him. Both initiate and insect went careening into the center of the arena, spinning. Multiple wand blasts hit both insect and initiate, knocking them both out of the game.
Their new position put them away from Violet's gang, which had lost a few members by this time, but they were close enough to the wall that the six-legged insects were leaping towards their position. Aurie spent more time keeping them away.
Something impacted the outside of the sphere. It suddenly flew towards the wall, right into a knot of insects making a bridge.
"Get out. Get out," screamed Aurie, dragging her sister through a hole. They escaped out the side and flew towards a cluster of smaller blocks before the sphere impacted with the
insects. The crunch of carapaces echoed through the massive chamber.
They each used a block to hide behind while firing at Violet's gang. The mass of little blocks formed a partial shield, but restricted their view. Not being able to see made Aurie claustrophobic.
An errant blast hit one of the smaller blocks, throwing it forward a few feet. She hit it a few more times, turning it into a mini-projectile. The more faez she poured into the blast, the farther the block flew. This gave her an idea.
One of the pale twins found a flanking spot and fired on her. Aurie barely got out of the way. She used another block to shield herself.
Rather than fire back at the pale twin hiding behind the angled block, she directed her blast at the block itself, trying to spin it. A regular blast didn't move it much; she had to really focus her faez into a compact missile and give the shot some solidity.
When she poured in a good amount, the angled block spun, exposing him to their blasts. A cocoon of white formed over him as they hit him three times in succession.
They took out two more attackers before their opponents figured out what was happening. Aurie and Pi flew away from Violet's gang, which was at half the numbers it was at the start. The arena was filled with lots of cocoons, but not enough to make Aurie feel confident about her chances.
Pi had taken position behind a large monolith. Aurie found a curved sphere that resisted attempts to move it around with wand blasts due to the curved surface.
A group of curious insects had moved opposite Pi and were trying to form a bridge to reach her, so her sister started blasting them. Aurie helped with blasts of her own, wanting to eliminate the danger so they could turn their attention back to Violet's gang.
Destroying the insects took longer than she expected, and when Aurie looked around, Violet's gang wasn't where she thought they should be. They'd taken position across from the monolith that Pi was hiding behind.
The remaining five lifted their wands. Aurie knew instantly what they were intending. The wand blasts would spin the block around, exposing Pi. Except the monolith was too close to the wall for that maneuver and would crush Pi like a bug. Professor Delight's warning about the unexpected dangers of the arena echoed through her frantic mind.
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