Chapter 94

I turned the numbers over in my head. Most of the orbs we’d encountered so far had been worth 15 points or more. The poorest had been 5. It seemed that securing any orb would push us over the 50-point threshold we needed to ensure our place in the final. Even an average orb would be enough for Gideon, too, bringing him over the mark. But Lance… Lance’s odds were growing increasingly slim, and my skin prickled at the thought of what he might do with his back against the wall. Desperation had a way of turning people unpredictable—dangerous even. He had already been dangerous and unpredicatable.

I knew Gideon wouldn’t let it go unnoticed. Gideon wanted me gone. That much was obvious, and I suspected he’d align himself with Lance to try and eliminate me, even if only temporarily. But there was no trust between them. Gideon wasn’t foolish enough to rely on an alliance for long—he’d never allow himself to be vulnerable to Lance's manipulations. He knew that if he trusted Lance too much, he risked being expelled from the contest himself.

Our 47 points made us a formidable target. We were too close to securing a spot in the final round for comfort. My hope was that the other two would turn on each other. If I could push them to focus on one another, maybe I could avoid the crosshairs long enough to ensure my team’s safety.

Just as I was mulling over a strategy, the arena shook. A new orb was emerging. Overhead, a monstrous view screen flickered to life, catching both the contestants and the crowd by surprise. The screen was used only on rare occasions, during ceremonies and grand tournaments—when Order in the arena was elevated enough for the technology to function. It had been off for most of the day’s contest; showing the entire field would have spoiled too much of the action if we could’ve just looked up to see where our opponents were.

But now the screen flared into life for a few seconds, long enough to show the lone orb rising from the center of the arena. My gut twisted as I recognized it immediately. This wasn’t just any orb—it was a bumper orb, one of the largest I’d seen. Of course. Of course, it would appear now, when the stakes were highest.

I said, "Fair? Fair, Olaf? Can't you see how they favor Lance? He needed extra time to deposit his flows, and he got it. The only way for him to win now is to pass us and Gideon, and he’d need at least 20 flows to do it. That bastard orb there—" I pointed furiously at the screen, the crowd roaring with excitement at the sight of it. "—it's worth at least that! And there’s just one! One!"

Olaf didn’t respond, his face stony.

I said. “Any orb would have gotten us past the threshold, but no! When we need it most, there’s only one—and it’s placed right in the center forus all to fight over. They’ll work together, lock us out of that orb, and there’s possibly enough flows in it for both of them to pass us.”

Still, Olaf said nothing. His silence only provoked me.

I stepped closer to him. I said. "It was one thing when it was just me being screwed over, but you’re here too. You have a chance to win a Flow for your house. Can’t you see now? Now that it’s hurting you as well? They’ve been tipping the scales, rigging this whole thing against us!"

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Olaf's lips tightened, his massive shoulders tensing. He was bristling, but I couldn't tell if it was at me or at the situation. Had I misjudged him? I wasn’t trying to anger him, but I needed him to see the unfairness, the blatant manipulation. I needed to ignite the fire of indignation in him, turn that stubbornness of his into something that could drive us forward, push us to victory. I needed his strength to break through this web of deceit they’d spun around us.

After a moment, Olaf finally spoke. “What do you want me to do?”

“We fight,” I said. “We don’t let them lock us out of that orb. It’s our only shot.”

Time was everything now.

Three flows. That was all we needed. We didn’t have to secure the whole orb, didn’t need to dominate the field. We just needed those precious few points. A minute at the orb would be plenty, a few moments of connection, then we could break away, letting the others fight for the scraps. If we played it right, we could withdraw and watch the rest unfold, potentially even exploit the chaos to reach 100 points before either of the other teams got to 50. Or simply stack up against Lance to keep him out of the final.

But none of that mattered yet.

Right now, our entire world hinged on those three flows.

Lance and Gideon didn't need just a few points. They had a lot to score. We just needed those little three. But they would be aware of that? Would their competition with each other keep them distracted enough for us to slip in and scoop what we needed? Would they negotiate an agreement, turn their forces to lock us out?

Agreements and strategies took time. My plan was not to give them that time.

We moved like lightning. We abandoned any notion of secrecy. We gave up on cover. We just raced to our goal. Was this what it was like to be a true Griidlord? Rushing across the landscape flanked by teammates? It was an element I had never considered. I quite liked it.

We mounted a hillock together slowed enough to examine the scene. My team slowed behind me.

The orb was huge, as big as a serf farmer's cottage almost. It stood like some colossal egg in a nest of artificial hillocks. The hillocks that rose around it could be cover, allowing to safely secure our orbs. Or they could be a deadly funnel, a death trap waiting to spring.

“Go!”, I barked. This hinged on the other teams not noticing us yet. Unlikely, given the arena’s noise. The sheer audacity of our charge had the common folk screaming . This was either daring brilliance or wreckless foolishness.

The voice spoke, affecting an accent I couldn't recognize. "If it works you're a genius, if it fails you're an idiot."

My plan was unchanged, Zara and Leona had done all the Flow work so far, they were already practiced at it. Olaf and I would stand guard. I swept to the left flank, Olaf to the right, the other two spearing for the orb. But even as I approached the orb I felt movement. I turned, surprising even myself with the ease with which I summoned my level 3 CUT. My searing blade smashed into Gideon’s easily deflecting it.

It was foolish of me not to expect him to act brazenly, that had been his hallmark since the Choosing began. Still, I was more than a match for him. As his blade flailed away from his body I charged my blade toward him, my CUT spearing toward his unprotected torse.

Then my mind exploded as kinetic energy erupted in my side, surprising me, my SHIELD not even pulsing to lessen the blow. In an instant I was sprawled in the dirt, my body convulsing from the shock, the pain.

I looked up, Lance was there, alongside Gideon. They stood side by side, weapons pointed at me.