"Lyra!" Dorian threw out his hand.
I focused hard on the image of his hand as I was submerged up to my mouth. The taste of the liquid was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was utterly devoid of flavor except for a bitter aftertaste, and it dried my mouth like a desert. Picture Dorian's hand. I sent all the power I had into my right arm, yanked it out of the goop, and reached for him. My hand struck Dorian’s, and he hauled me up, struggling to wrest me from the greedy whirlpool. I collapsed onto him with relief as he successfully pulled me free from the trap. The icy liquid slid off my clothes and skin like mercury.
Dorian looked at the bubbling liquid, which now stood between us and the flame. While I scraped the last of the silver off me, he took a running start and leapt to grab the flame. Yes! Now we just need to get to the temple. It passed easily from the tip of the torch into his hand, sitting like a strange spirit in his palm. He stared at it for a moment while I shook off the rest of the liquid. Whatever it was, I never wanted to touch it ever again.
He grinned at me, holding up the flame. “Success.”
Not quite. I craned my neck to spot the middle island with the temple. We needed to find some way back up the cliff or use a pattern of jumps to get to the temple. Right now it was very far away. My mind churned as I considered the threat of the remaining proxies. If two flames were gone, it was only a matter of time before we had a clash with another group.
"How many presences do you see out there, and where are they?"
Dorian paused, tossing the blue flame from hand to hand as he took a quick look around us. I stared at the flame, equally enchanted. It had a central heart, a lump of light blue coal the size of a golf ball that Dorian was able to clutch onto. As Krysh said, the flame wouldn't harm us… but it could go out. The flame flickered hypnotically.
"I can still see four presences," he said finally. "The rest are much higher, though…" His eyes darted to the nearest island. “We need to get up there, fast.”
We had the birds, a somewhat close island, and the option of somehow backtracking up to the cliff. We were still far behind, and I looked around, spotting two blue flames—one with Contra's team and one with Un's proxy. As usual, the spider-dog proxy was closer to the center of the arena, leaping with his powerful legs. An unexpected blast of blue flames burst upward, striking the creature square on its underbelly, and it fell several dozen feet onto a lower island with a pitiful clicking yelp. These proxies were good, and Un’s pet was no doubt used to what the Games had to offer, but it seemed even the spider-dog had his vulnerabilities.
Turning, I saw pipes at the edge of our floating rock, which connected to the cliff and ran up to another level. It seemed we wouldn't need the birds, after all. Knowing Dorian would be faster at climbing here, I jumped onto his back, then carefully took the flame from him. Despite being fire, it was cool to the touch, yet it was comforting, unlike the liquid I’d fallen into.
Leaping onto the pipes, Dorian started his climb, but his movements were slow. Was he worried the pipe might suddenly explode or burst or release toxic gas? I was. But the route proved uneventful, and we arrived at the top of the pipes in good time. As we reached the cliff top, I realized the pipes actually didn't lead to another island—there was just open space between us and the floating landmass. At least we were higher again. I slipped off Dorian’s back, and we waited for a bird to pass by on its predestined route before jumping to land on top of it. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as we found our balance on the creature. We were only a third of the way to the temple, and I could see that the other two blue flames were already nearing the white stone structure.
Dorian snarled. "Hopefully the remainder of them are distracted with fighting over the flames."
We needed a way to get there faster. I looked around for options, and my eyes settled on the pink bird beneath us. I reached one of my hands deep in its strange fur, and Dorian let out a soft grunt, catching my idea. It was worth a shot. I braced myself as Dorian used his powerful arms to wrench the pink bird off its trajectory, pulling its head around first, trying to persuade it to veer off course while I held onto the blue flame with my other hand for dear life so it wouldn't go out from any gusts of wind. I clenched my eyes shut and focused hard on moving forward. Dorian tensed beneath me, pressing the bird’s head toward where we needed to go.
For a moment, the bird deviated from its route as Dorian broke the pattern—then we plunged, the creature’s wings going rigid. My breath hitched, but I focused harder on the image of us leveling out, hoping it would influence the situation. Dorian grunted, likely still clinging to the bird’s neck. Suddenly, the bird swooped upward, and I cradled the flame as if it were a precious newborn child, shielding it from the rush of air. The bird surged through the sky, up and up, free from its tracks. It was working; the other blue flames and the temple grew rapidly closer. My heart gave a leap of joy, but I forced myself to focus on the bird moving toward our goal. My concentration was unbreakable after all our training with Ruk. The bird sometimes wobbled, but it always moved forward. I whispered a silent thanks to the universe as we crested over the highest islands. It was a breathtaking and gut-wrenching view as we stared down at the other contestants rushing across the lower islands to reach the temple and the watching crowd of arbiters that had swelled even larger since the Games began.
Un's proxy was only a few islands away, but the distance between these islands was far greater than the others. I suspected there were more traps on them, too. The spider-dog leapt horizontally across a series of small islands, at first backtracking but only to reach a more advantageous island to jump from. His legs made a sound like cracking wood as he scurried along, but the sight of them moving in a blur sent a disturbed shudder through me. I peeked at our flame, happy to see it still aglow in all its blue glory. Un's proxy began to use his webs again, but it was slow going, as the islands moved farther and farther apart. He was a determined beast, I would give the proxy that. But I'd rather eat my burned boot than let Un win.
Contra's team was using their earlier method of the serpent stretching its body and allowing the ape to use it to climb. Once the ape arrived on the next island, it used its powerful arms to yank the snake onto it and then threw the snake a rope to the next island to anchor itself. It was a similar strategy to the spider’s web, but their web was the proxy's actual snake body. They had their flame protected in some kind of bubble, but I had no idea what the bubble might be made of.
Suddenly, the remaining alligator proxy from Alai's team darted out of hiding and slammed into Un's proxy, attempting to cram the spidery legs in its mouth. Un's proxy tore itself away and snapped its mandibles together hard across the alligator’s snout. The proxies circled each other. Un's proxy also had a method of protecting its flame; the ember was secured to its back with its own web. The spider leapt and spun to guard the flame as the other proxy tried to use its tail to pull the flame away.
Meanwhile, Contra's team forged ahead as these two fell into combat. My pulse staggered.
"Un's troublemaker is distracted, at least,” I said to Dorian. “You focus on driving the bird. Leave Contra’s proxies to me." It was finally time to use all our training. A grin spread over my face, and excitement surged through me as I prepared to enact our plan.
“Time to show Un and his friends what lower beings can do,” I said.
Dorian nodded, a matching grin on his face. I built my emotions, drawing on them like I was siphoning up specific energies inside me. Images flashed in my mind. I thought of Irrikus's hardened gaze as he mercilessly took what he wanted. He’d betrayed Ruk. He was ultimately responsible for Lanzon's death, along with the deaths of so many other precious beings in this universe. He took whatever he wanted with no regard for anyone but himself.
The blue flame felt powerful yet strangely delicate in my hands as I conjured up all the anger inside my body. An invisible pressure circled my body, gaining momentum until I flung it away in the direction of the proxie
s. It continued to spin, conjuring a massive tornado five times the size of the one we’d managed to summon during our trial, our practice making the effect more powerful. The tornado turned from a gray mist to the dark color of congealed blood. Gasps and yells erupted from far away in the crowd, but they held little interest for me. I was all emotion and power, and I was finally ready to freaking show it.
I pushed the tornado toward Contra's team. They tried to take refuge beneath the island they were on upon seeing the storm coming their way too quickly for them to outrun. For a moment, they succeeded in keeping out of my trajectory by having the serpent anchor itself on a boulder and hang below it, but my tornado was vicious. It ripped over the team, and their light was extinguished. Gone, just like that. They clung desperately to the island, but my tornado continued. I pushed it toward Un's proxy because the canine was far too close to the temple for my liking. The tornado hit the ground and ripped up some of the dirt surface. The spider-dog jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding being toppled over the precarious ledge. It clung onto the rock for dear life with all its legs. The tail of my tornado took out Alai's remaining proxy. One down, three to go.
That's not going to work this time, spider. I sent the tornado back around. I didn't need Un's proxy to fall. I just needed to send a gust of wind at it to extinguish its flame. The tornado whipped around the island, circling the proxy. It raged forward and tore the flaming coal from the spider-dog's back. He clacked his mandibles angrily.
For a moment, I couldn't stop the rage. The winds buffeted everything, rending the arena apart. My control wavered, and to my shock, the tornado began to turn toward us. Dorian's hand clenched my wrist hard. Frustration flared up inside me, hot and itchy in my body. I froze, staring at the storm I’d created. You need to move it. Control it. I did this before; why couldn’t I figure it out when we needed it most?
"Lyra."
I gasped as the chaos caused the bird to plummet several feet. Dorian tried to steady it, but the tornado continued toward us. I fought back a yelp as the bird struck the edge of the out-of-control tornado. We reeled, spinning through the air, as I tried to calm myself. I cradled the blue flame to my chest with one hand, trying to anchor myself around Dorian as best as I could with my other hand and my legs. It’s okay. We’re okay. It was a simple mistake.
"Lyra, let it go," Dorian shouted. His voice was urgent but compassionate at the same time. His validation allowed me to relax. I lifted my head up, emboldened and steadier now.
The tornado dissipated, along with my remaining anger. I sucked in a breath as I stared down at all the destruction left behind by my rage storm, but I released it with a sigh when I saw that our flame was still lit. Dorian steadied the bird, and we headed quickly for the center island. We had the one remaining blue flame now, which meant the surviving proxies would try to take it from us. As we dipped down to the island, we saw, as expected, that the spider-dog, the serpent, and the ape had created a blockade between us and the temple. Its open doorway looked so close, yet remained so far.
"Decoy time," Dorian whispered. I nodded and focused all energy once again. It was so easy to picture Dorian’s rugged, handsome self. “Lyra, I’m giving you some cloud coverage.”
I nodded as I worked on focusing on the illusions. He was able to conjure a vast misty cloud that covered the sky just above the temple. We were concealed, but it wasn’t so thick that we couldn’t see.
Two Dorian decoys abruptly clambered up over the edge of the temple island as if climbing from below and started running toward the proxies, who all stared with surprise. The duplicate Dorians each held a blue flame of their own, which looked so lifelike it surprised me even though I’d designed them. They stood at opposite sides of the island. Which one would the proxies go for?
The ape lunged for the Dorian on the left. She let out a choked yelp as she fell through that Dorian's body and toppled over the side. The decoy reappeared, smiling victoriously before it dissipated into smoke. The real Dorian took us into a dive. It was time to end this.
Leaping from the bird’s back as Dorian brought us alongside the island, my feet hit the ground, and I tossed Dorian the flame when he landed beside me. I headed for the spider-dog before it had a chance to strike real Dorian. "Go!"
Fleet of foot as always, Dorian ran like a football player with the flame as the ball. The serpent leapt for him, but he punched it with his free hand, the creature falling to the side as he struck its sensitive head. The Dorian illusion slipped away as I let it go to focus on grappling with Un's proxy. Its beady eyes stared at me, the mandibles clicking. The spider-dog lunged for me, but I dropped low to deliver a sweeping kick to its legs. It jerked backward. Yes, the legs are definitely the best target.
A grunt caught my ear. From the corner of my eye, I watched the serpent manage to box Dorian into the thorny vines with a blow from its tail. My heart slammed, adrenaline coursing through me as I saw the blue flame flicker to a low, dying spark. No, we couldn't lose now. I gasped, but the flames suddenly flared, obscuring Dorian's entire face as they swelled to an inferno and the trees caught fire. Soon, the fire engulfed the stairs of the temple, cobalt flames licking at the building. The stone began to crumble, and I—
The spider-dog slammed into me, taking advantage of my distraction. The air flew from my lungs as I struggled to maintain my footing right at the edge of the island. Xiu's warnings about injuries came back to me. If I fell… if I fell…
I tried to use all the resistance provided by my weight and the friction of my boots, sinking my soles into the dry earth to keep my balance, but the proxy pushed me closer and closer to the edge. I tried to twist to the side, but it followed me. It was no use; it was much stronger than me. My heel slipped over the edge. Behind me, there was nothing but free air to plummet down. I glared into the proxy’s ugly face.
"If I'm going, you're going with me," I growled. With a sudden movement, I wrapped my arms around the proxy. It struggled, attempting to push me off with its spider legs, but I was determined to keep it restrained long enough for Dorian to put the flame into the temple. It wriggled in my embrace, and a web shot from its mouth and hit my eye. I cried out, blinded, as it managed to extract itself and shove me away.
My arms flailed to save myself, but the force was too great. The bottom of the island flew past me as I plummeted. I choked back a terrified sob as I fell through the air. I threw my arms out and tried to focus on slowing my body down, attempting to conjure something to catch me. But my focus was shaky, and nothing solid appeared, several thin projections of an island drifting past me. My intentions streamed out everywhere. The wind whipped my hair wildly around me as I frantically tried to think of a way to make sure I didn’t land in the pool. I had no idea what it would do to me, but I doubted any of it would be good.
Please, universe. Help me.
It was all I could ask.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Terror filled me, but underneath it, a serene acceptance radiated from somewhere deep inside. The whipping breeze suddenly slowed, as did my surroundings. The grass of the last passing island waved gently at me. My trust in the universe replaced the terror.
My body slowed to a stop. I glanced down over my shoulder, twisting to see that I was floating just above the silvery pool, cradled by an invisible force. I was either in some kind of heaven, or I had survived. Shock and gratitude tangled inside me, two serpents of emotion wrapped tight around my insides.
Is this really happening? How do I thank the universe for stopping my untimely splat-like death?
Just as I pondered that question, the invisible barrier abruptly broke, and I crashed into the metallic pool. Okay, so next time I would request that the universe keep holding me until I could manage myself. I had lost the momentum from my plummet, so I merely fell into the icy goo. It grabbed at me, but I fought to keep my head above the liquid. This time, there was thankfully no whirlpool, but it was still heavy to swim against. I eyed the closest floating island, sever
al yards away, my mind racing about how I was going to make it the several yards from the pool to the bottom of the island. My heart beat faster as I cut through the silver with a labored breaststroke, thinking of Dorian and the tower of blue flames. It pushed me on.
As I came to float below the island, a sound like a tinkling bell hit my ears. It was a laugh, most certainly from an arbiter, because it sounded unnatural. I’d resigned myself to swimming through the Higher Plane muck, but then a voice followed.
“I suppose we can retrieve your contestant,” Krysh said. Her voice echoed in my ear, an irritating whisper. “It’d be a shame to watch her drown after such a good show.”
Oh, good. I wasn’t going to have to figure out how to get myself onto an island that was floating out of arm’s reach. A sudden white light flared, blinding me. When I blinked, the dazzling brightness faded away, and I was standing on the cliff where we’d started the challenge. Dorian was next to me, along with the two surviving proxies—Contra’s snake and Un’s spider-dog. The others must’ve officially poofed back into nothingness.
The crowd of arbiters greeted me, and most of them were less than happy.
Before I managed to whisper to Dorian how glad I was that he was alive, a pink-faced Fiz emerged from the crowd. He directed his rage at a yellow orb arbiter floating next to Debt Keeper.
“Of course, you would say that—”
He was cut off by someone farther in the back. “This can’t be right—”
“It’s an injustice. I suspect foul play, and if we’re being—”
On and on, the arbiters trampled over each other. My muscles tensed with anticipation as I watched the fighting unfold. I’d stumbled into a full-blown argument. I looked on with concern while simultaneously shaking off the last of the silver liquid. It was slightly worrisome to see it sizzle on the ground as it dripped from my hand. Dorian gave me a look, his eyes tired and concerned as he watched the silver hit the floor.
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