Flickers of Flame Page 7

  I shook away my jealous thoughts. It was entirely possible Nate was used to receiving half-hugs from Clio; she gave them out often. Although I was new to the group, I’d been on the receiving end of more side-embraces than I could count. There was no reason to make myself crazy over something that was probably as second-nature to the two of them as holding a sword.

  Thor surprised me by holding his hand up for a high five when he rejoined our group. When I slapped his palm, he even smiled. Bridger’s expression was more difficult to read when he met up with us.

  “Who’d they put you with?” Nate asked.

  Bridger grimaced. “I’m with Shonda.”

  “My condolences,” I muttered.

  But he shook his head. “It’s fine. She’s a strong fighter. I guess now that we’re not an even number anymore, when we have partnered tasks, one of us will be the odd one out.”

  His words were like a smack in the face. “Sorry I threw off the balance.”

  Bridger held up his hands. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  Before he could clarify how he had meant it, the voice from earlier rose over the noise in the tent. “Thirty seconds until we begin. I need Cadets Bradford and Tyne to make their way to the doorway at the north side of the tent.”

  People in the center of the space parted as Aisha and her partner, Ramiro, made their way toward the opening six feet from where our group stood.

  I turned toward Thor. “Wait—so we all just wait in here until it’s our turn?”

  He nodded. “They don’t want any of us to have an edge because we’ve seen the mistakes others have made.”

  I watched as Aisha and Ramiro followed an officer out of the tent. “So, what are we supposed to do until they call us?”

  Thor lowered himself to the ground and sat with his legs criss-crossed beneath him. “Get comfortable and try not to psych yourself out.”

  Huffing, I dropped to the ground beside him. I supposed he was right, but his advice was easier said than done.

  Chapter Ten

  A little over an hour had passed when they called Bridger and Shonda.

  The only hints about what was happening in the stadium beyond came from the crowd’s reaction. There were cheers and gasps and groans—sometimes all at the same time. Occasionally I thought I heard chanting, but the syllables didn’t always match up with the names of the people who they had called from our tent. But since they pulled a new pair after every muffled loudspeaker announcement that the round was over, I assumed our people were always on the field.

  When Bridger and Shonda exited the tent, I shifted and winced when I realized my entire right leg was numb. “Ugh. I’ve been sitting too long!”

  Nate climbed to his feet and held out his hands. “Here, let’s take a walk.”

  I couldn’t help glancing at Clio as I took Nate’s hands, but her attention was fixed on the opening through with Shonda and Bridger had disappeared. With effort, Nate pulled me to my feet. My movements were a far cry from graceful, but without the ability to feel my leg, I was doing the best I could.

  Nate offered me his arm to hold on to as he led me to the open area in the center of the tent. The space’s occupancy had thinned dramatically over the last hour, leaving around a dozen pairs. Like our group, most of the other remaining people were sitting on the floor, waiting to be called. A few small knots stood along the walls, murmuring nervously to each other.

  “A few times around the tent, and you should be good to go,” Nate said as I limped along beside him.

  “What if I’m not ready for this?” The worry that had been circling through my brain slipped out so fast I couldn’t stop it.

  Nate was quiet so long I thought perhaps I had only imagined blurting out my fear. But finally, he asked, “What if you’re not?”

  I almost told him it was no fair turning the question around like that, but before the words took form on my tongue, I started considering my answer. If I failed today, they wouldn’t choose me for the mission. Whatever I might have learned would remain beyond my grasp. But I would be no worse off than I was now. There wasn’t even a guarantee that the mission would lead me to actionable information. And this wasn’t like when I faced Shonda. If I didn’t do well today, they wouldn’t kick me out of Blakethorne. My cover would remain intact.

  The ball of anxiety that had been writhing in my stomach stopped twisting. “I guess if I can’t do it today, I’ll just have to try harder tomorrow.”

  Nate place his hand over mine and squeezed it. “That’s my girl.”

  His praise flooded my cheeks with warmth.

  “You’ve made it this far without throwing up, so you’re already a step ahead of Bridger.”

  I laughed, but a pang shot through me. The gasps and cheers from the crowd had largely become white noise, and I wondered how Bridger was doing. He was capable—that much I knew. But with no clue what he was facing out there, I could only guess how he was faring. As Nate and I began our second tour around the tent, I listened more attentively to the sounds outside. The spectators were mostly quiet, but I didn’t know whether that was good or bad. A cheer rose, only to be choked off a few moments later. A loud sigh mixed together with shouts further off. “Does it make you crazy, not knowing what’s going on out there?”

  Nate shrugged. “Not having any control over what’s happening is something I’ve got a lot of practice with.”

  The words struck a nerve. How often had I felt like I had no say in my own life? Given the work Liza and Marco did, there were strict limits on my social interactions. They couldn’t risk me accidentally revealing something about their operation when playing with an unsanctioned friend. But even when it came to helping with their medical endeavors, Liza had micromanaged every piece of the puzzle as it related to me. Any time I asked for more freedom, the same explanation met me: the protection was for my own good. Still, no matter how much I trusted the adults in my life to be looking out for my best interests, I couldn’t help wanting the choice to make my own decisions—even if it meant making mistakes.

  I liked to think things were different before my mom died, but since I was only eight at the time, it was possible I romanticized things in my memories.

  “How’s your leg?” Nate asked as we finished up our third tour around the tent.

  I stopped walking and shook it out. The last vestiges of pins-and-needles had finally disappeared. “I think I’ll live.”

  He cracked a lopsided grin. “Glad to hear it.”

  “Cadets Rocha and Jensen, to your starting positions.”

  Nate gave my hand one last squeeze before pulling away the support of his elbow. “You’re gonna be great.”

  I nodded, despite not being entirely sure I agreed.

  Thor met me at the zippered flap that led to the stadium. Keats stood there, blocking the way until a second guard on the outside tapped him on the shoulder. Although Keats gave no indication he recognized me, I shivered as I passed by.

  Outside, the sunlight was so bright I squinted against the glare. The second guard told us to hold position a few feet away from the tent as he moved to another officer yards ahead. Bleachers rose on either side of us, but I couldn’t make out much of what was happening on the field beyond.

  “Are you ready?” Thor asked, his attention on the guards.

  “No.” I shifted my weight from foot to foot. “But from what I’ve heard, you can’t ever be a hundred percent ready for these tryouts.”

  He nodded. “Fair enough.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “You seem to be fitting in well here.”

  I glanced at him, surprised by the observation. “I guess. I mean, you guys have all been really nice to me.” Even though he wasn’t the warmest person, I included Thor with the others. He had shown kindness in dozens of tiny ways since my arrival, like helping me steady my balance at my welcome banquet and standing up for me when Shonda issued her challenge for the Aether Blade.

  His head bobbed. “Yeah, the group is pr
etty welcoming. But I can’t help noticing that lately, you and—”

  “Cadets!”

  The guard who had met us outside of the tent returned to our position, cutting off whatever Thor was going to say. Instead, he stood at attention, facing the officer. I followed suit.

  Two more sets of partners had joined us from the other tents. A guardswoman went to each pair and distributed pinnies of different colors to all three sets. Thor and I ended up with green.

  “The rules are simple,” said the officer as the cadets pulled the loose tank tops on over our uniforms. “You and your partner are a team and will be scored both as a pair and individually. Your goal is for your team to be the first to reach the golden flag in the center of the field. There are weapons in various locations on the field, and you’re welcome to use them if you think they’ll benefit you.”

  I did my best to file away all the information, but time felt like it was marching along at double the normal pace. The excited chattering of unseen spectators filling the bleachers beyond provided so much background noise I was afraid I would miss some key piece of information.

  “Your objective is the flag. You should work to reach it using any means necessary, which may include frustrating another team’s efforts.”

  A rush of dread coursed through me and I took a better look at the two pairs Thor and I would be on the field with. The red-shirted team on the right consisted of a guy and a girl I vaguely recognized from Angelic History class. Two guys made up the blue team. The tall, thin one was Raul Barras, and the shorter, broad one was Kareem Newbold. All I knew was they were in my Weapons and Stealth class. I wondered if Thor was better acquainted with either pair. Maybe I would have time to ask before the challenge began.

  “While the team who acquires the flag will automatically receive a bonus in scoring points, being first to the flag does not automatically mean that team will be chosen for the mission, and not getting the flag doesn’t necessarily count a team out. If there are no questions, it’s time to get into position,” the officer continued.

  Questions did bubble up in my mind, including wondering why we might need weapons if our objective was to grab a flag. But no one else spoke, so I kept my mouth closed.

  The officer nodded before pointing to a white circle painted on the grass three yards from where the teams stood. “McBriar and Barras.”

  The guy from the red team and the taller of the blue team members strode to the spot the man had indicated.

  The officer pointed to a second circle set behind where he stood. “Berkley and Rocha.”

  As the red-shirted girl hastened to comply with the direction, Thor turned and gripped my upper arm with gentle pressure. “Run as fast as you can. Don’t let him knock you down. I’ll meet up with you on the field.”

  Before I could respond, he removed his hand and jogged to his place beside Cadet Berkley.

  The officer nodded toward the last circle. “Newbold and Jensen.”

  I joined the stockier member of the blue team within the white ring.

  “Hey,” Newbold said. “Good luck.”

  The tight knot of unease in my chest loosened. “Thanks.”

  His lips twisted into a smug smirk. “You’re gonna need it.”

  Fear flooded into my stomach so quickly I was sure I would vomit. But the officer blew a short blast on his whistle, robbing me of my opportunity. Before the shrill sound faded from the air, I was off, sprinting with all my strength. Thor had told me to run, but I wasn’t sure I would have needed the instruction to put distance between myself and Newbold.

  The crowd erupted into cheers as we raced onto the field. I looked toward the center, expecting to see a lone pole with a flag flying from the top. But that was only part of the scene before me. There was indeed a flagpole, but it stood atop a vast pyramid-like scaffolding that stretched fifty feet in the air. Guarding the base at five-foot intervals were guardsmen with gold pinnies pulled over their dark blue uniforms.

  And they were armed.

  From bo staffs to swords to spears, each guard held a weapon and glared menacingly at the new group of cadets entering the field.

  Out of the corners of my eyes, I spotted weapons lying around the edges of the stadium. More gold-shirted officers surrounded some while others appeared to be unguarded.

  Although I wanted to grab something to defend myself from an attack I was sure was coming, Thor’s words played on a loop in my head. I put as much distance between myself and Newbold as possible, but before me lay an obstacle course littered with irregularly spaced hurdles, walls with no discernible hand- or footholds, and cinder blocks tied to the ends of ropes and swinging through the air like pendulums.

  The pounding of footsteps behind me drew my attention to the fact that I had slowed down. It wasn’t as if I could run full speed ahead when the entire arena was designed to trip me up.

  I chanced a glance over my shoulder, but when I spotted Newbold running full-tilt in my direction, I regretted the decision. Although the officer had made it clear that the flag was our aim, the cadet had apparently decided that taking me down would increase his chance of reaching it.

  Turning away from the obstacles ahead, I darted to my right. The sound of Newbold’s heavy breaths alerted me that he had changed course as well. As I pumped my arms and legs as fast as they could go, a stitch in my side made me grimace. Why hadn’t anyone warned me so much of this competition would depend on running?

  When I eyed the hazards this side of the course held, I longed for the simplicity of unclimbable walls and swinging cinder blocks. What fresh death-trap was this? Ten yards in front of me stood a tower of platforms that rose and fell with no discernible rhyme or reason. One second, a five foot by eight foot platform was ten feet above the ground, then it rocketed upward to twenty-five feet as a second floor plummeted from fifteen feet to ground level. All the other cadets were giving the contraption a wide berth. A person would be crazy to voluntarily jump onto the thing.

  Or crazy to follow someone onto it.

  Ignoring the stabbing sensation just below my ribs, I pushed myself forward, aiming for a low platform and hoping it didn’t shoot upward before I reached it.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement to my right. Someone in a red pinny raced toward me. Great. All I needed was a second opponent chasing me down.

  Unless it was exactly what I needed.

  My mind spun through a plan at lightning speed. I didn’t have time to go over all the possible outcomes, so I focused on the one I wanted to happen, working out how I wanted things to go the way I had planned out a shot when playing pool.

  Newbold’s heavy breaths were growing louder, rising above the noise of the crowd. To my right, the red-shirted cadet drew nearer by the second. Fifteen feet away. Ten. Five. This was it. Now or never.

  Locking my right leg, I skidded to a stop, allowing my momentum to drag my feet forward as I leaned my body back and twisted to face the ground. I pulled my left leg to my chest before pressing it into the ground to propel me backward at an angle.

  My pursuers’ yelps as they collided were drowned out by the roar of the crowd. I ignored it all as I circled back toward the rising and falling platforms of doom. I didn’t know how much I had left in the tank for endless running; I needed to regroup, and I hoped no one was nuts enough to follow me.

  One platform was at ground level when I approached, and I leapt on it. The plywood kicked up splinters beneath my feet. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.

  Before I could reconsider and leap off, my platform shot upward. I crouched low, reaching for either side of the wooden floor and hoping I wouldn’t tumble off the edge when everything stopped moving.

  My stomach jolted upward into my chest as the board reached its zenith and came to an abrupt stop. I swallowed bile as I surveyed my surroundings. I had to be at least thirty feet up in the air, well above most things in the stadium. Even the noise of the crowd didn’t seem to lift this high. On the ground, I spotte
d a red shirt sparring with a guard in a gold pinny. A member of the blue team was scaling a wall on the opposite side of the field. The two who had been after me were back on their feet, but they had aimed their ire to one another.

  I turned toward the scaffolding, half expecting Thor to be climbing up it. But I didn’t spot him anywhere. The flag still stood about twenty feet above me, flapping in the breeze, oblivious to the chaos it engendered.

  My platform quivered. It was going to drop, and I wasn’t sure how I’d fare in the fall. I doubted I would break any bones, but my sudden reappearance might be enough for my former pursuers to join forces to take me down.

  I peered over the edge of the floor and spotted another on its way up to meet me. Gulping, I steeled myself. I had one shot at this.

  Although I was expecting it, the drop still caught me off guard. A scream ripped from my throat as the board I stood on careened toward the ground. I kept my eyes on the next one over as it sprang into the air.

  Too late I calculated the distance. Ten feet, easy. I couldn’t jump that. But what other option did I have?

  Sucking in a deep breath, I darted to the edge of the platform and leapt. My heart stuttered in my chest as I sailed through the air. The ground seemed to tilt and spin below me. There was no way I would make it. I wasn’t fast enough. The second platform sped upward quicker than I expected, rising above my head. I was going to miss.

  A strong hand caught my left wrist, and I reached up with my right hand to grab onto my savior. The rising floor jolted to a stop, and my rescuer used the loss of momentum to his advantage, yanking me upward and setting my feet on a solid surface.

  I blinked up at the person who grabbed me. “Thor?”

  His lips curved in the most genuine smile I’d ever glimpsed on his face. “Looked like you needed the assist.”

  With effort, I closed my dropped jaw. “Where did you even come from?”

  He shrugged. “I saw you up here and figured I should join you.” He lifted his chin toward the scene on the ground. “While everyone else is busy, how about we finish this?”