by P B Hughes
The Spyball began to blink.
Suddenly, Daniel remembered Jude’s words. If they were to make a difference, they had to earn their way into positions of power. If they were to rescue Mordecai, victory in the arena had to come first.
Then victory will be my mission.
The gate rose—Daniel and Ari rushed down the hall and out into the arena: a barren wasteland before them. The enemy team was one hundred yards across the field—to their left were Jude and Gregory—to their right, Tiff and Gertrude.
Daniel and Ari hurried toward Jude and Gregory. “Come on!” he called over his shoulder to the girls.
Instead of following, the two of them stood their ground. Tiff gave Daniel a smirk, raised her staff, and slammed her foot to the ground. A boulder tore up from the arena floor; she hurled it through the air while Gertrude hopped up and down behind her, cheering her on.
“No—stop!” shouted Daniel. “We need to group up or—”
Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Jelani, the Amber Miraclist with dark skin, had the end of his staff pointed at the ground; his eyes shone a fierce orange. The whole stadium began to tremble as if an earthquake were shaking the world. Daniel and Gregory lost their balance. Ari hovered above the ground while Jude rooted himself in place with several vines.
Little Gertrude fell face first to the dirt. Tiff stopped throwing boulders and turned to pick her up. Then, a wall of earth split the ground in two with a mighty crack. It rose upward, higher and higher, until it became level with the arena walls.
“No!” shouted Ari. “He’s splitting them off from us—we’ve got to do something.” She shot up from the ground.
Jude sent a vine speeding after her. It wrapped around her ankle and tugged her back down. “Stop!” he said. “You’ll be a sitting duck up there—they’ll pick you off.”
The whirring sound of electricity, blasts of fire, shouts of fury—all came from behind the wall. Then, a sphere appeared holding Gertrude and flew out of the arena, followed shortly by a pained cry that was clearly Tiff. Then, a loud snap—the opposing Amethyst Miraclist flew out from the arena, and then, Tiff flew out after her.
Gregory cursed as she flew overhead. “Those idiots—why wouldn’t they listen?”
“We need a plan!” said Daniel.
“Right,” said Jude. “Ari—you fly along the edge of the wall and relay their coordinates. Gregory, create a diversion. Throw fireballs along the opposite side—go!”
Ari took off, skimming the edge of the wall while Gregory heaved fireballs as far from Ari as he could.
“Is there enough humidity in the air for you to do something big?” Jude asked Daniel.
Daniel held forth his hand. A ball of water formed above his palm. He froze it and gave Jude a quick smile. “More than enough.”
“Good. We’re going to bring that wall down.”
Ari sped back down to them.
“They’re meeting right now, discussing their next plan of action.”
“How thick is the wall?” asked Jude.
“About six feet.”
“Piece of cake,” Daniel said, bounding forward and up to the wall. He placed the end of his staff against the side of the smooth rock.
Jude followed after him, flinging a seed into the ground next to Daniel. Up sprouted a red cactus; black needles sprang out of its hide like quills on a porcupine.
Daniel grinned. It was the Devil’s Paw.
“Gregory—you and Ari stand behind me,” Jude commanded. “Daniel—on my mark—ready, set, now!”
Daniel shot a frozen blast from the end of his staff; a vein of ice ran up the side of the wall, splintering the rock.
CRACK!
The wall crumbled where the ice slithered. A gap, twenty feet across, broke the middle of the wall, revealing the five enemy Miraclists behind it, stunned by what just happened.
“Duck, Daniel!” Jude shouted.
Jude flexed his hands and the cactus spun in front of him. Needles shot out from its blood-colored flesh like darts at their enemies, riddling their Sapphire Miraclist across his chest. The Ruby, a dark haired girl, rolled to the right to escape the deadly spikes, while everyone else rolled left.
“Gwen, get over here!” Jelani roared to his Ruby comrade. But Jude’s needles were relentless—and Jelani, pained look upon his face, encased his team in a dome of earth without her. Needles glanced off the outside of the dome, ricocheting this way and that.
“I’ll get her,” Ari cried, shooting past Jude, riding the wind through the gap.
Gwen looked up with a terrified expression as Ari sped toward her. She held forth her staff—a blast of fire erupted from the end.
Ari sliced through it with a rush of wind and landed on her toes in front of the girl.
Ari swung her staff around her like a club. “Valiant effort,” she said. A gust of wind blasted Gwen skyward. She tumbled through the air and landed several yards away with a thud.
“Nice job,” Jude called to Ari. He pointed to Gregory. “Time to heat things up.”
Gregory nodded. He and Jude ran up beside Daniel while Ari took to the sky above them. The boys climbed over the rubble until they stood in front of the earthen dome.
Gregory cracked his knuckles and readied his staff. “Let’s see,” he said, “medium, or well done?” He shot a stream of fire from the end of his staff, heating the dome like an oven.
Ten, twenty, thirty, seconds went by.
The dome burst open in an explosion of electricity and rock. Nera sprang out from the debris, completely aglow as if she were made entirely of light. Dazzling thunderbolts jumped from her body, careening this way and that. One struck Gregory in the chest, and another grazed Ari’s leg. Ari hit the earth, muscle spasms coursing through her body. Both she and Gregory writhed on the ground as the electricity did its work. Jelani leapt out from behind Nera, his body encased entirely in stone armor, bolts and needles deflecting off of him.
Daniel noticed their Emerald Miraclist lying on the ground, fainted from the heat. Suddenly, a blue sphere enveloped him and carried him off.
“Daniel, heal Ari and Gregory!” ordered Jude as he tossed a fistful of seeds to the ground.
Vines burst forth at Jude’s feet, flying at Nera like the tendrils of a squid. She spun her staff and discharged another wave of electricity, blocking the onslaught. She slid forward on her knees, shooting bolt after bolt at Jude from her palm while he dodged.
Daniel healed Gregory first, keeping an eye on Jude while he stalled Nera and Jelani. Finally, Gregory was up, breathing heavily. He reached in his pouch and used a mana-crystal, as did Daniel.
“Go help Jude,” Daniel said.
Daniel ran to Ari’s side while Gregory peeled himself off the ground and readied his staff.
“Don’t worry,” said Daniel to Ari. “You’ll be good as new in no time.”
Daniel looked up. Gregory sprinted toward Jude, launching fireballs at Nera. She couldn’t thwart both Jude and Gregory—a fireball caught her side and knocked her to the ground. Instantly, Jude’s vines encircled her, and he raised her into the air. And there she squirmed, shocking the vines to no avail.
Gregory pointed his staff and made ready to blast her, but Jude grabbed him by the arm before he shot.
“What are you waiting for?” Daniel called out.
“Not yet,” Jude yelled with a backward glance at Daniel. Then he turned his attention to Jelani, who had abandoned his rocky carapace and was racing toward the pile of rubble.
Finally, Ari’s body ceased convulsing and she jumped to her feet, knocking Daniel backward.
“That’s it,” she growled, “I’m done with these two!”
Ari flipped across the ground, hand over foot, and landed in front of Jelani on top of a boulder.
“Come on,” she taunted, motioning him with her hand.
Jelani let out a battle cry and began to hurl the rocks, one after the other, at Ari. She twirled, dashed, and fle
w, dodging each attack, edging her way closer and closer to Jelani. Then, she shot into the air above him.
“You’re quick, Feather-Girl,” Jelani called as she soared above him; she rocketed down, aiming a kick at his head. “But not quick enough!” He snatched her foot, gave her a twist, and flung her against the ground with a snap. Ari’s body went limp.
“No!” Daniel bellowed. He clambered up from the ground and shot a stream of water from the end of his staff. The jet caught Jelani against his side and pinned him against the wall. A blue sphere encircled Ari and carried her away. Jelani squirmed beneath the force of the water, but Daniel was enraged—nothing would stop him. Harder and harder Daniel pushed his way forward. Jude rushed up next to him and whispered in his ear, “Don’t end him.”
Daniel snapped his fingers; the water turned to ice. Jelani was frozen solid against the wall.
“All right, Jude,” said Daniel. “Spill it. What do you have planned?” Daniel looked back at Nera, who was still trying to fight her way out of the vines.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Gregory agreed, still aiming his staff at Nera.
“The harder you struggle, the tighter they coil,” Jude called over his shoulder to Nera. He lowered his voice. “Just trust me.”
Daniel and Gregory exchanged glances, and then gave him a nod.
Jude cleared his throat. “I am going to speak plainly to the two of you. We are impressed with your abilities. Our current allies are…Less than what we’d hoped—disagreeable, refuse to work together, and even pick fights with our other teammates. Such an environment is toxic, and we cannot progress. You’ve both shown yourselves to be quite the opposite. Now, I propose a truce.”
“A truce with you?” said Nera, disdainfully. “You really think we would go along with that? You’re up to something—” she took a strained breath “—we know it.”
“Yes,” agreed Jelani, his lip curling, “you have a forked tongue—we cannot trust one who practices deceptive tactics.”
“Obviously we have you both in a precarious situation. All I need do is squeeze my hand, and you, Nera,” his eyes began to glow green, “will be eliminated. And you, Jelani, a quick icicle to the head should do you in.” His eyes stopped glowing and he released Nera from the vines, setting her down. He lay down his own staff. “What we want is you—both of you, to join our team. I’m not entirely sure about the judge’s point system, but I know that you both may not have enough points to move on to the next round, especially if the rest of my team’s performance props up Tiff and Gertrude. So here is my proposal: eliminate me.”
Daniel and Gregory protested, but Jude held up his hand.
“If you eliminate me, then you will most assuredly have the points you need to move on in place of our other allies. I have plenty of points to move on from this round, so I have nothing but physical pain to worry about. Do you agree to this?”
Nera looked to Jelani. They stared at each other for a while, and then finally, Jelani lowered his head.
“We agree,” said Nera, a lightning bolt forming in the palm her hand. Jude spread his arms out, and she thrust it at him, hitting him directly in the chest.
Daniel acted quickly. He hurled two spheres of ice at Jelani and Nera’s skulls.
CRACK-CRACK.
Both of them fainted, and all three of them were carried from the arena.
Chapter 31
“I’m going to strangle you, you lily-livered, blood-sucking maggot!” roared Tiff’s voice in Jude’s ears as the world came into focus.
An old woman shook her head as she tended to his wounds. Behind her, Tiff struggled against the grip of two guards.
Jude sat up, his head swimming. Slowly, his memory returned.
“Ouch!” yelled one of the guards as Tiff popped him on the nose with her elbow and broke free.
“Come here, you little traitor!”
Jude slid backward, pressing himself against the wall, bracing for the attack. But it did not come. Jelani stepped in between them, like a stone-faced sentry, stern and foreboding.
“Stop there, Grizzly Woman,” he said, his deep voice like the low rumble of distant thunder. Even Tiff, large as she was, drew up short in front of Jelani, who stood like a giant before her. “No more of you. No more of your anger!”
“Seize her!” Judge Harquist exclaimed.
The guards leapt forward and bound her wrists from behind, dragging her backward.
“I’ll make you pay, you little weasel,” Tiff called out as the guards pulled her out into the halls, Gertrude following behind. “Everyone knows you’re a liar and a sneak—you’ll never be Guardian, never!” Her voice continued to rant in the hall, and eventually died off.
“Brilliant,” said Judge Marriott as he fluttered out from his chair. “Positively brilliant.”
Suddenly, Daniel and Gregory flew onto the platform in two blue spheres. Ari stood near the wall looking thoroughly confused. Nera sat on the floor, looking up at Jude with narrowed eyes, a look, Jude knew, that spelled suspicion.
“You do realize,” Judge Marriott continued, “that in the four-hundred year history of the Investiture, never has there been an allegiance formed mid-competition. Brilliant!”
Chancellor Harquist ignored them, poring over a rulebook with Judge Thatcher. Her head shot up.
“He’s right—it’s never been done, and there are no rules forbidding it.” She snapped the book shut. “Now—according to the individual points scored in this round, your other two teammates, Tiff and Gertrude, did not have enough to move on to the next round, besides being disqualified for their antics. Which means you may either take Jelani and Nera for your team, or wait for the next two teams to compete and try to make a trade—”
“We will take Jelani and Nera,” said Jude decisively.
Chancellor Harquist picked up the book and handed it over her shoulder to a servant. “Very well—this team is finalized: Jude Elm, Daniel Hart, Gregory McPherson, Ari Celeste, Jelani Uboko, and Nera Gallagher. Good luck in the Championship.”
Nera jumped to her feet. She marched up to Jude and locked onto him with her fierce hazel eyes. She was a little taller than Ari, pretty, but wild-looking by comparison—curly blonde hair unkempt and bushy from the fight, her skin bronzed by the sun that had left a spray of freckles across her nose.
“Before we join your team, I want a promise from you, Jude Elm.”
Jude raised his eyebrows expectantly. Of course, he thought. They always want promises.
Nera looked to Jelani, who had walked up beside her, his strong strong jaw set like a vice. “We want you to promise you will not betray us—that we will be included in your plans for our team, big or small.” She looked past Jude to Daniel, Gregory and Ari. “Or else we will join a different team.”
Annoyance pricked at Jude. It wasn’t like they had a choice. “It’s either our team or you—” Jude began, but Daniel stopped him, pulling on his sleeve.
“Be quiet,” he hissed in his ear. “You’re going to ruin everything.” Daniel stepped out in front and addressed Nera and Jelani directly. “We promise—no shady business. Don’t we, Jude?” He gave Jude a hard look.
Jude pursed his lips, glowering at Daniel, but he acquiesced by giving them a nod.
“We want him to say it,” she said, shaking her head. “We want Jude to promise.”
Daniel turned to Jude. “Go on—tell them.”
Jude stepped forward, nostrils flared, frustrated. “I promise not to betray the two of you.”
“And?”
“And to include you in our team meetings.”
“Good,” said Nera, a bright smile lighting her face. “Then we accept your offer; isn’t that right Jelani?”
“It is accepted,” Jelani said—the same stern expression on his face.
Chancellor Harquist cleared her throat, and the six of them turned to face her. “If you have set your team, then the six of you should go greet the crowd so we can get on with
the competition.”
With that, the new team walked out onto the platform to meet the roaring crowd.
Afterward, they decided to stay and watch Caden’s team from the stands. His team won. Quickly, decisively. Not one of his teammates was eliminated. They worked together with intimidating precision, picking apart the other team, isolating each of them. It reminded Jude of a pack of wolves he’d witnessed last winter—how they separated a calf from its herd before devouring it. In less than twenty minutes, the match was over—nearly a record time for a team fight. At the end of it, Jude stood and spoke to the team.
“Let’s get going. The sooner we begin strategizing the better.”
The six of them left, making their way through the tunnels before Caden’s team was announced. They exited the stadium, and headed back to the hotel.
Jude felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Ari, ushering him to the back of the procession. Daniel was the only one who noticed, and cocked his head to listen.
“Jude,” she whispered, “I know your actions were for the betterment of our team, but in the future, I would prefer to be included in any major decision making—just like Nera and Jelani.”
He looked down at her out of the corner of his eye and scowled. “Those girls had to be dismissed—they were a cancer. If I had let them remain on our team, they would have destroyed us from within.”
“I know—I’m not disagreeing with you, I just need to know that my opinion is taken into consideration.”
“Why? I knew you’d agree with me, and even if you didn’t, I’d still have done the exact same thing—so I don’t see the point in asking for your permission.”
Ari stopped, a shocked look on her face that was quickly replaced by one of anger. “I want to know my opinion is valued!” she said, a little louder than she intended.
Everyone stopped and looked back at her.
“Something the matter?” asked Jelani.
Ari smiled nervously. “Everything is fine—we’re just having a discussion about the day’s events.” She quickly changed the subject. “Please, tell us about yourselves, Jelani and Nera. We know nothing about either of you—what’s your story?”