Chapter Forty: The Winner

I look up at my friends. All of them are sad, shocked. Clearly, they did not expect my story.

I embrace Yue and whisper again.

“I think I’m ready to let go now.”

I sob on her shoulder, my friends coming in for a hug too, Skai standing off to the side awkwardly.

We kneel there for as long as we dare, but eventually we have to break off.

“Thank you for listening,” I tell them.

“Zade, I…” Yue trails off. “That’s horrible. I didn’t know any of this!”

“I didn’t want to tell anyone,” I shrug. “It’s not exactly my highest moment.”

“We understand your pain,” Xavier tells me. “Even if we don’t completely feel it ourselves.”

I nod in gratitude and stand up, wiping my tears.

“Well, the tournament is almost over. We wouldn’t want to miss it, right?”

“Are you feeling okay?” Yue asks.

Once again, I nod. “I’m fine.”

And that’s the truth. Telling them what has haunted me for months has been a relief, and I feel slightly refreshed now. I know that now I can deal with my demons, now that I have my friends.

I’ve finally truly done what Angela told me.

— — —

There are just seven people left in the tournament. I only know Yue, Gunnar, Jabari, and Alyx. Yue tells me that one of her friends called Kol is still in too.

Yue, Alyx, and Kol are the last Vanguard members left. Gunnar is the only Snjornin, and Jabari is the last Mremban, Kol eliminating the other. There is also one Seoman left, and one Arcadian.

The tournament is coming to an end soon.

As I watch Kol and Alyx heading off to fight, I take a moment to appreciate the time I had here. I’ve really enjoyed it, and it’s been a stressful yet a healing time. I feel happy I got that chance to come here.

Of course, the worst is yet to come.

I shouldn’t think about that, though. Not yet.

Kol and Alyx square off, and the Wolf announces the beginning of the fight.

“Who will win?” I ask Yue.

“Definitely Kol,” Yue responds. “It’s shocking that Alyx even got this far, but Kol deserves it. He’s been going very strong, stronger than Alyx.”

From a quick glance to the ring, I could see that she was right. Kol was already forcing Alyx on the defensive. He swung expertly at her, and, although an expert too, she just wasn’t on the same level as him-

The two forgotten facts of sparring are this: One, the game usually ends within the first thirty seconds. While some of the more expertly handled battles last longer, most end quickly. The second is that a strong start almost always leads to a win. Of course there are exceptions to the rule—I’ve seen Yue break it herself—but in general, that is how it works.

And this match is no exception to either rule.

The more Kol sees his advantage, the stronger he gets. And the more Alyx sees her loss, the more desperate she gets, and in her case, like so many others, that makes her worse. Kol forces her into a corner, and defeat enters Alyx’s eyes.

The quick scrape of Kol’s sword on Alyx’s leg ends it.

Twenty-six seconds.

Alyx has been eliminated, and there are just six contestants left.

Because of how popular Yue is, she will still have to fight thrice. If she wins her next match, she will still have another match before the finals.

The next match, though, is between Gunnar and the Arcadian.

It’s a quick match, a brutal one. The Arcadian ends with a broken arm and a tearful face.

Yue is next. Her fight is against the Seoman. They square off in the ring, and I can tell yue is calm and collected, while the other is jittery, unfocused.

“THE MATCH BEGINS IN THREE…TWO…ONE…BEGIN!”

This match doesn’t break any of the rules either. Yue gets an early rush, throwing the Seoman off-balance, although he quickly recovers. He attempts to force her a little on the defensive, but she refuses to be goaded. She swings her sword around in a clumsy manner, and my eyes narrow.

Why would she make such a big mistake? She was probably going to lose because of that.

But, no. As the Seoman took advantage of her mistake, she smiled and just mildly scraped her sword over his hand. He yelled and dropped his sword.

The thin well of blood erupting from his hand proclaimed the Sterkona the victor once again.

And so the tournament goes.

— — —

There are just four participants left. The mood is set for a wonderful battle.

Yue had told me that she was supposed to have less matches today than the others, but I guess her fame as the Sterkona has changed that. People want to see her win. She could’ve skipped her first two matches of the day, but they had kept the audience’s attention, and that was important for the tournament.

Captain Wolf announces the semi-final matches just before the break for lunch.

First, Kol will fight Jabari. Then will be the rematch: Gunnar versus Yue.

Yue had been surprised to hear she would be having to reface Gunnar, but she was nonetheless prepared for it.

As we leave the stands to get some food from the eternally stocked bar, I strike up conversation with her.

“So, do you think you’ll win the tournament?”

Yue nodded. “I think so. Everyone has already lost one game. I’ve beat Gunnar before. If Kol beats Jabari—I admit that’s far-fetched—then I know how to fight him and I’ll win. If I have to face Jabari, well, I’ll just come up with a better strategy. The crowd still cheers for me, and that’s always a mood booster.”

“I see,” I respond. “I’m excited to watch the last matches. They’re sure to be incredible. Personally, I do think Jabari will win, though.”

“He’s the worst person who could win,” Neena jumps in. “Kol has always been nice and sweet, and so are Yue and Gunnar. How Gunnar can be sweet what with his size I’ll never understand. But Jabari, he’s just arrogant and self-centered, never caring about his opponent. I don’t like him. I really hope he loses.”

“I don’t like him either,” I shrug. “But this tournament isn’t about who is sweet. It’s about who fights better, And currently, Jabari is the one fighting better.”

“The Mrembans were a surprisingly great team,” Yue says. “I honestly thought they’d have at least one more in the semi-finals.”

“Two Vanguard Warriors is incredible, though,” Aster breathes. “The Wolf is positively beaming about it. Look at him.”

Yue stared at where Aster was pointing and she held in a chuckle. The Wolf was downing a pint, his smile wide, and his laughter loud.

“I don’t think it’s just the Vanguard making him like that,” She said. “He shouldn’t be drinking like that, though. He still has to referee the next matches.”

“Ah, lay off,” Aster told her. “Let him have his fun.”

The break is over too quickly. Soon, we’re sent back to the stands to watch the first of the semi-final matches.

As the Wolf calls Jabari and Kol to the stage, I examine them. Jabari, as always, keeps a murderous glare about him and an arrogant posture. The way he walks tells me that he knows he’ll win. Or at least, he thinks he knows.

Kol, on the other hand, is clearly not arrogant. Although he doesn’t look too nervous, he’s assessing Jabari, trying to find a slight limp, or a preferred side. Kol is watchful, knowing he could lose, while Jabari is careless, confident in his win.

Unfortunately, I know Jabari is the stronger of them. A lot of times, experts are arrogant for a reason. Most likely, Jabari is this way because he is the best, at least in his country. He has reason to be arrogant, as annoying as that is. Hopefully, Kol humbles him.

“BEGIN!”

Jabari swings his massive sword at Kol. Bringing his sword up to deflect it, Kol grunts as the force of Jabari’s sword impacts him. He takes a few steps back, but maintains his ground, pushing hard on his sword. Jabari forces harder, then lets go suddenly, and Kol trips forwards. With a smile, the Mremban thrust again, intending to cleave Kol’s head from his shoulders. With a desperate parry, Kol screams in anger.

The Mremban’s sword breaks his.

He falls to the ground in defeat as Jabari spits on the ground. Kol, understanding he cannot win, bows his head to allow the Mremban to scrape him. He doesn’t surrender vocally, but his actions speak louder.

Jabari has other plans.

He swings down hard, harder than he should. Kol, staring death in the face, panics, backing away.

“I was down!” I hear him yell. “You could’ve just sliced me a little.”

Jabari roars and swings at Kol again. It’s become a fight for survival, one that Kol is losing.

I look at Captain Wolf, pleading for him to do something. His face is impassive, stony. Kol has not officially surrendered, so Jabari hasn’t broken any rules yet.

Kol finally understands his position.

“I SURRENDER!” He screams. “DO YOU HEAR THAT, JABARI? YOU WIN! I SURRENDER!”

Jabari pauses for a second, then growls, and attacks with a new ferocity. Kol is on his feet now, doing anything he can to escape his opponent’s wrath.

The Wolf finally decides to step in.

“Jabari, stop! Unless you want to get eliminated, this ends here.”

The Wolf grabs Jabari from behind, and the man struggles, but acquiesces.

The crowd is in shock, terror as they see Jabari slump softly. Kol sighs in relief, thanks his captain, and leaves the ring. There is no defeat in his eyes, just relief that he is alive.

“I DECLARE THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH TO BE…JABARI…”

The string of boos erupting from the crowd drowns out Jabari’s last name. The Mremban growls at the audience.

“I WILL KILL MY FiNAL OPPONENT!” He yells. “THAT IS A PROMISE!”

“Well, I guess you’re in trouble, Yue,” Th’ul chuckles wryly.

“Yup,” Yue gulps. “I guess I am.”

— — —

Yue has five minutes to prepare for her match with Gunnar. When hse comes out, her gaze is steely, ready for her opponent. Gunnar himself looks the same as Yue, although much taller, muscles bulging more.

The Wolf calls them up to the ring. The crowd has recovered from the past fight, and they're cheering for this rematch, one they’ve wanted to see since the beginning.

To me, this rematch will be better than the finals. I’ll be invested in the finals because I don’t want to see Yue or Gunnar die, but I’ll be invested in this one because I genuinely wonder who’ll win.

I have my money on Yue, but it’s not assured yet.

The Wolf speaks softly with both of them, probably spooked because of Jabari. The two participants nod and move to their own corners.

I notice that Gunnar isn’t wearing a shield. I don’t know if this is because he was forbidden from using one or because he’s being more respectful to Yue, but whatever the reason, I’m happy about it. His shield was very dangerous.

“THE MATCH COMMENCES IN THREE…TWO…ONE…BEGIN!”

Gunnar and Jabari have the same strategy. It’s just to attack. Attack as hard as they can. While Jabari incorporates more strategy to his attacks, both of them rush in blindly most of the time.

This time is no exception.

Yue, of course, is ready. She’s been watching most, if not all, of his matches. She’s faced him before, so she knows how he fights. Of course, that doesn’t guarantee a win, seeing as Gunnar has been watching her too.

But at least he is somewhat predictable for her now.

She doesn’t face his attack head-on. Yue knows that is a bad idea. He is stronger than her, bigger than her. What she has on him is speed. She is lither. She immediately takes advantage of that, spinning behind him as he rushes her, striking at him herself. Gunnar, in an impressive display of speed, moves around and in the last moment parries her thrust.

She grunts as his parry forces her back.

Gunnar advances once again on her, and, for the second time, she dodges. Out of all the matches, this one is the one most like a dance. Although Gunnar is a brute, and not too elegant, it’s mesmerizing to watch their steps as Gunnar advances and Yue retreats or side-steps. The movements seem predictable until I try to predict them. Then I realize how careful both participants are. Gunnar’s swings aren’t random and blind: they’re calculated and focused. Yue’s steps aren’t always the same: Gunnar’s swings decide for her where and how she must turn.

Thus far, Yue has barely used her sword. It might as well be sheathed. At this rate, the match will come down to who tires first, which is an issue if they enter the finals that way. Jabari won’t tolerate a tired opponent.

Yue and Gunnar do not look tired, tho, as the dance of the ring continues. Gunnar in particular seems like he could continue this for days.

Eventually, things have to give. And in this one, it comes in the form of Yue’s break. Instead of stepping, she turns to meet the lunge.

It is a mistake, yes. Yue knows that if Gunnar keeps the strike up she could easily be disarmed. What she was counting on was her unpredictability.

And thankfully, she was right. Gunnar’s swing isn’t as powerful as he could’ve swung it, and so when Yue blocks it, she forces him back a step.

Gunnar starts in shock, but Yue doesn’t give him time to recover.

And so, the tables are turned.

Yue attacks with ferocity, and Gunnar only doesn’t reciprocate because he’s taken aback. Once he recovers, he evens the playing field. He doesn’t have the time now to put all of his power in each of his lunges, but he can retaliate with his own strikes that are still powerful.

For another minute, they fight nose-to-nose, close enough to touch. The audience is rapt and so am I. I’ve lost track of time, of the Cult, of my own life and depression.

Everything hangs on this moment.

With a grunt, Yue swings hard at his torso. Gunna parries it and lunges. Yue sidesteps and points at Gunnar’s arm. With a questioning look, Gunnat stares at his arm, and his eyes widen.

Yue knew she wouldn’t strike his torso, so she was counting on his parry. She had sliced a little skin on his arm.

Gunnar is bleeding, and that could only mean one thing.

Yue is in the finals.

“I DECLARE THE WINNER TO BE YUE ZHANG!” The Wolf declares. “THE FINALS WILL OCCUR IN FIFTEEN MINUTES TO ALLOW THE PARTICIPANTS TO REST FOR A LITTLE!”

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Gunnar hangs his head in shame, but Yue goes over to comfort him.

The tournament is almost over.

— — —

Jabari taunts Yue in the foyer, but Yue ignores him, instead spending her time with us.

“You’ve got this, Yue,” Neena tells her. “You’re the best fighter.”

Jabari yells something crude at her and Yue grits her teeth.

“Oh, I will win,” Yue responds. “Even if just to humble him.”

“That’s the spirit,” Alyx laughs. “He’s insufferable.”

“That he is,” Yue agrees. “But that’s how it goes. Xander, any news?”

Xander smiled at her. “Nothing. They’ve gone silent.”

“I don’t think that’s a good thing,” Aster tells him.

Xander shrugs. “I’m just happy to have a little rest now.”

“Maybe they’ve given up on you,” Yue says.

“Not a chance,” Xander replies. “I’m too valuable to them. I have connections to the only people working to stop them.”

“Don’t forget about High Mage Aegon.”

“Him too,” Xander replies. “But he has ties to us as well. So technically, I’m valuable for that too. I’m guessing ties to a High Mage would be important for the Cult.”

“That they would,” Th’ul tells him.

I feel dread in my gut. This is really happening. Any moment soon, the Cult will bring about some sort of destruction. I’m not ready for it, but who is?

All I know is that I’ll do whatever it takes to protect the ones I love.

— — —

High Mage Aegon comes to meet me right before the match starts.

“May I sit next to you?” He asks nervously. “We all know what is coming. We need to stick together.”

“Yes, please,” I respond. “Thank you.”

“No worries,” He says. “This is as much for advantage as it is for protection. We wouldn’t want to lose each other in the chaos.”

“What if this is all a trick?” I ask the High Mage. “What if they’re just bluffing to worry us?”

“What would that do?” High Mahe Aegon asks. “No, they have a purpose to everything they do. That wouldn’t serve any special purpose. I do not think this is a ruse. We shall see.”

We travel to the stands, where I turn to Skai.

“You were checking on Sia, right?” I ask.

She nods. “She’s fine.”

“I don’t like where she is,” I admit. “We need someone watching over her, to remove her from there if need be.”

“I’ll go,” Th’ul volunteers. “I have my magic, so I’ll do better than any of you.”

The High Mage smiles. “That’s a good idea. You should go.”

Th’ul bows and walks away.

“I feel like we haven’t done everything we could,” I say.

“It’s just nervousness,” High Mage Aegon tells me. “Just enjoy the last match.”

“I CALL TO THE RING YUE ZHANG, THE STERKONA, AND JABARI KOLO!”

“Good luck,” I tell Yue. She spins and smiles at me, then kisses Xander.

When she reaches the ring, Jabari is already there. He roared at her and cracks his knuckles. The Wolf calls them over and begins to speak roughly with them. Clearly, he doesn’t want anyone to get injured or dead, specifically Yue. If Jabari gets the chance, though, I’m sure he’ll take it.

“THE MATCH COMMENCES IN THREE…”

— — —

Yue couldn’t describe to anyone what she was feeling at that moment. It was nervousness, excitement, fear: an amalgamation of everything she’d ever felt in her life.

“TWO…”

Breath, Yue, she told herself. Let yourself breathe. Calm down. She closed her eyes and half-unsheathed her sword.

“ONE…”

Opening her eyes, she unsheathed her sword completely and stanced herself. The dragon’s kiss. One of the most difficult stances, but, if performed right, one of the most dangerous to the opponent. It was a deceptive stance, one that looked defensive, but could quickly turn offensive. Yue rarely used it, as it could be unpredictable, and she sometimes failed it, but she needed to take the risk.

“BEGIN!”

The time had come. The final match had begun.

As expected, the first thing Jabari did was try to decapitate her. Yue backflipped to the corner, and when Jabari moved in, she slid under his legs. Standing up, she brought her elbow down on his back. He grunted but otherwise didn’t move, spinning around and coming for another swing.

Yue had saved the best for last. It was time to take advantage of that.

His next swing sent her moving out of the way, but before he could change his directory, she was already behind him, slicing him. The sword swept off his armor, not quite scraping past it, but it was enough to anger Jabari, who backhanded her roughly.

She went flying, and with a sickening crunch, she landed a few feet away.

Her sword was on the ground next to her. She just barely couldn’t reach it. She needed to regroup but she couldn’t breathe.

Jabari, of course, showed no mercy. He came at her for the killing blow, and Yue was sure Jabari was playing to the death. Trying feebly to grab her sword, she finally got a hold of it.

She just barely flashed her sword up in time to catch his. But Jabari brought his sword more down on hers, and Yue was forced to place her left hand on her sword, being careful not to cut herself.

With a grunt, she let go of the pressure on her sword, and rolled out of the way, Jabari’s sword landing where she had just been.

For the next thirty seconds, the Mremban and her exchanged blows, none overpowering the other. Jabari was still stronger, but Yue had evened the playing field.

She thrust at Jabari, and just when he began to parry, she flung her sword. Not at him, though. Catching her sword with her other hand, she thrust again, with a scream.

It slid smoothly into the man’s chest, not entering the heart but enough to injure him. Even though he’d tried to kill her even when she was done—just like he did with Kol—she didn’t want to do the same for him. She just wanted to hurt him.

Just like she really wanted to hurt the murderers. Whoever they were.

Jabari stumbled to the ground, then fainted. Yue, grimacing, slid her sword out of the big man’s chest. A spurt of blood followed.

The crowd applauded like never before. Not only was she the winner in their eyes, but also she was their favorite, and she had beaten the most unpopular man in the entire tournament.

“I DECLARE THE WINNER OF THE MAGEFELL TOURNAMENT TO BE YUE ZHANG!” The Wolf roared. “AND THERE YOU HAVE IT! THE VANGUARD HAS WON! THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING! CONGRATULATIONS TO YUE ZHANG FOR DOING WHAT NO ONE ELSE COULD! WE WILL HOLD OUR AWARD CEREMONY IN TEN MINUTES.”

Suddenly, the sky grew dark. Clouds rolled in, obscuring the sun. Lighting and thunder erupted from the heavens. Yue’s heart sunk. This was it.

“DO YOU SEE?” An ominous voice rose from the sky. It was kind, yet demanding. A voice that must be heard, that needed all her attention. “DO YOU SEE WHAT THE VANGUARD HAS DONE?

“WE COMMAND THE VANGUARD! THE VANGUARD IS OUR ARMY! AND THEY ARE THE GREATEST ARMY OF ALL TIME!

“SEE WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED! WITH OUR GOD ON OUR SIDE, WE HAVE DONE THE IMPOSSIBLE. WE ARE IN CONTROL.

“BUT YOU DO NOT SEEM To KNOW IT YET. YOU DO NOT WORSHIP OR GOD. THE GOD OF DEATH.

“DAUTHA!”

The pronunciation of his name sent chills down Yue’s spine. She heard a few gasps from the crowd and some mumbles of confusion. Catching eyes with Zade, she noticed how scared he looked.

She didn’t understand yet what was happening, but she knew she would soon.

“SOME OF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD HIS NAME, I CAN TELL! THAT IS NOT GOOD! YOU SEE, ONE DAY SOON, HE WILL COME. HE WILL COME HERE TO RULE THE WORLD.

“THERE SHALL BE A HIERARCHY. OF COURSE, MOST OF YOU DO NOT KNOW THIS.

“I AM HERE TODAY TO GIVE YOU A TASTE OF WHAT IS TO COME: TODAY, YOU SHALL LEARN DAUTHA’S TRUE POWER. DO NOT RUN. YOU WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES IF YOU DO.”

Jabari’s unconscious body started to float in the air.

“SEE WHAT WE CAN DO!”

Jabaris’ clothes fell off. Then his skin began to unravel. First from his head, then the rest of his body. Yue retched as she saw all the blood falling down on her, and Jabaris’ mangled body floating in the air.

Jabari had woken up as his torture was commencing and even in his death throes, he struggled.

After his skin fell to the ground, his muscles and intestines were left. They fell off him like a waterfall, some landing only inches from Yue. What was left of him was a skeleton with pulis moving wildly in fear. Somehow, Jabari was still alive, even without a heart, and he screamed in pain.

Finally, his skeleton burst apart into millions of pieces. The remains fell to the ground at Yue's feet.

Yue vomited, spilling her bile all over Jabari, or what was left of him.

“THIS IS BUT A TASTE OF OUR POWER!” The voice continued. “JABARI DID NOT LIKE US, AND SO HE WAS PUNISHED. THERE ARE OTHERS WHO DO NOT LIKE US. FEAST YOUR EYES ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STADIUM PLEASE.”

The crowd watched in rapt horror as they prepared for another gruesome show of domination.

“SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE THAT DO NOT KNOW HIM.”

About a fourth of the stands exploded, an entire section. They were then, and then there were the flames.

About ten thousand dead, just like that. There was no blood, no gore, but still they had all died. People from many different nations, some participants in the tournament, maybe even a Vanguard member or two.

They were just gone, probably never even feeling anything.

Everyone panicked then. They began to run desperately to the exits, rushing each other, running over each other. Yue saw her friends standing by, more walking than rushing. Yue ran to them.

“We have to leave.” She said.

“We have to get as many innocents out as we can,” High Mage Aegon replied.

“I WOULDN’T LEAVE IF I WERE YOU.”

The person closest to the exit exploded. The crowd screamed in fear.

“WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING? YOU ARE NOT DEAD! IF YOU LISTEN, YOU SHALL NOT DIE TODAY. PROBABLY.”

A man rushed to the foyer, but his torso popped before he could do anything. The closest people watched in horror as the blood spilled on them.

“ANYONE ELSE?” When no one moved, he continued. “YOU ARE ALL LISTENING NOW, EH?” The voice chuckled. “DO YOU NOW SEE THE POWER WE HAVE BECAUSE OF OUR GOD?”

“We need to see how the royals are,” High Mage Aegon told Yue. Yue nodded and rushed off.

There, she found Kol, Yiro, and Captain Wolf.

“Need help?” She asked.

“Not for now,” the Wolf responded. “Take care of the civilians. Be careful.”

“Always.”

“EVERYONE WILL BOW TO DAUTHA!” The voice said. Yue joined her friends again.

“What can we do?” She asked.

“Nothing, for now.” High Mage Aegon responded. “For now, the Cult is in control.”

“BUT DAUTHA IS NOT CRUEL. HE GIVES EVERYONE A CHANCE TO SEE HIS MIGHT! AND BECAUSE HE IS SO NICE, HE WILL GIVE EVERYONE HERE A CHANCE TO LIVE!”

Gasps erupted from the crowd. Yue didn’t know exactly what he meant, but whatever it was, people would die.

“AFTER I FINISH SPEAKING, YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES TO LEAVE THE ARENA! AFTER THAT, KABOOM!”

Immediately, hundreds of people ran towards the exit.

“TSK!TSK!TSK!” The voice said. “I WASN’T FINISHED SPEAKING!” The people running fell to the ground, convulsing. Soon they were still.

Even more people killed at the hands of the cult. Too many to count.

“NOW, ARE YOU READY? WELL, LET THE RUNNING BEGIN!”

High Mage Aegon stared at them, “Unfortunately, I cannot get all the civilians to safety. Thankfully, I can help you.” He disappeared and so did Zade. A few moments later Skai did too. After that was Xavier. Her friends disappeared one by one.

The last one was Yue. The last thing she saw before she was gone was the royals exiting the foyer.

She felt a strange creeping sensation through her skin, then it was gone and she was standing on the grass about a hundred feet from the arena. Many were rushing from the arena. To Yue’s relief, the royals were past. Turning to her right, she found all her friends, including Th’ul and Sia. Except for one, but her mind was too muddled to remember who was gone.

“What happens now?” Th’ul asked.

“I’m not sure,” High Mage Aegon replied. “We wait for the three minutes to be up.”

Hundreds, thousands poured out of the arena wildly, screaming in fear and pain. Some were already heading to Magefell, others to the forest.

The fear was palpable. Yue had it herself. The power the Cult had was unlike anything she’d ever seen. How were they supposed to compare to it?

“TIME’S UP!”

The humans in the arena trying to exit were frozen in place then thrown back in.

No one else came out.

Even though many had escaped, yue guessed that there were still at least ten thousand spectators in there, maybe even fifteen.

She was helpless as she watched what happened next.

First the arena exploded. The howling wolf erupted in flames, and the shrieks of the people inside brought Yue to tears. The arena crumbled into itself, trapping many people and killing others. Those who had escaped but were too close to the arena were thrown down by the explosion.

They did not get up.

Yue assumed that most of the people in the arena had died. But there had to be some that were alive. Some could still be saved—

The remains of the arena started to descend. Somehow, the stadium seemed to be dipping underground. More screams came from the arena, covered up by dirt.

A choked gasp came from next to Yue. Yue looked at Neena as she cried, and hugged her.

“We can’t help them,” Neena wailed. “We can’t do anything!”

The stadium continued to dip underground until finally it was gone.

Yue and her friends tentatively got near it. All that was left now of the arena was a depression in the ground filled with dirt. There was no one alive. Either they had been killed in the explosion, or the collapse, or they were trapped, suffocating underground.

The Cult had killed half or more of the men in the arena. At least twenty-five thousand killed just like that.

The cruelty was astounding. How could someone do something like that? Those were innocent people killed. They didn’t deserve it.

“AH, SO NOW YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO DO NOT OBEY!” The voice said. Yue knew she could never find who the voice belonged to. Whoever it was was nowhere near.

“BUT I AM NOT DONE. THERE IS STILL ONE MAJOR PROOF OF OUR POWER. SOME OF YOU MAY DIE. SOME WILL LIVE. DO NOT MOVE.”

Suddenly, everyone froze. Yue tried to move herself, but it didn’t work. Someone had put magic on her.

The only thing she could move was her eyes. She looked around at her friends. Neena was the most scared of all, but each looked fearful. Sia, still on her hospital bed, was crying, in fear or sadness, Yue couldn’t be sure.

“NOW, I WILL LET YOU ALL MOVE, BUT IF ANYONE LEAVES, THEN MAGEFELL’S BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS.”

What is he talking about?

“I AM ABOUT TO UNLEASH CREATURES ON YOU. THEY WILL TRY TO KILL YOU. YOU MAY TRY TO DEFEND YOURSELVES. YOU WILL NOT ALL DIE. THE CREATURES WILL STAY IN THIS FIELD ON ONE CONDITION: NOT ONE OF YOU MAY LEAVE IT! IF EVEN ONE OF YOU TRIES TO LEAVE, THE ER’LHITAhN AND THE L’LORIAN WILL ATTACK MAGEFELL, AND CONSEQUENTLY THE WORLD. IS THAT CLEAR?”

Yue’s head moved in an involuntary bobbing motion.

“GOOD! NOW YOU MAY MOVE.”

The pressure on Yue was released. She looked around. The people were paralyzed in fear. No one dared move, not out of selfishness, but in hope of living.

“NOW! LET THE GAMES BEGIN!”

A rumbling noise came from the depression on the ground where the Arena had been. Yue stumbles back, rushing away from the cavity. From the rustling noise next to her, she assumed her friends had done the same thing too.

A scream split the earth and everything turned black.

“I CAN’T SEE!” Yue heard. “I CAN’T SEE ANYTHING!”

Light came back. Everything was the same, except for one tiny detail: the cavity was glowing blue. There was something ancient about that glow, something magical.

Another ragged scream split the air, but this one came from the depression.

Suddenly, bodies began to climb out of the hole. Not human bodies, monster ones.

These must be the Er’lhitahn and the L’lorian.

One of the monsters—Yue mentally named them the Er’lhitahn, although she wasn’t sure why—was reptilian, its head wide and shark teeth sticking out. It had two scaly, gangly arms and walked on its hind legs. It was thin, but still clearly powerful. It stood up to seven feet on its hind legs. It looked like something out of Yue’s worst nightmare.

It grabbed a man and ripped him in half growling, chomping down on the corpse.

The second monster, somehow, was worse. The L’lorian were not like the Er’lhitahn at all. Firstly, they had fur on their bodies, more mammalian than reptilian. They still had sharp teeth and a long snout, but they were thicker than the Er’lihtahn and their muscles bulged. They crawled on the ground on all fours instead of walking on it like the Er’lihtahn. The scariest part of them, though, was its wings.

Its wings were massive. At least six feet each in span, they had no fur, but the skin was thick.

One of them flew high then crashed down into a group of five women, tearing them to shreds as quickly as a rabbit ran. The women screamed as they were torn apart and eaten. The L’Lorian rose up, blood smeared on its snout and roared.

The other L’lorian joined in. So did the Er’lihtahn.

There were still more monsters rising from the pit. Excavating themselves from the cavity, they began to assemble themselves together like an army, preparing to rush.

The first L’Lorian and Er’lihtahn joined the others.

There had to be thousands of the monsters there.

“SEE WHAT DAUTHA CONTROLS! LOOK AT ALL HE CAN DO! WORSHIP DAUTHA AS YOU DIE AND HE JUST MIGHT SPARE YOU.”

The monsters began to grow restless as if they couldn’t move, couldn’t attack. Yue and her friends kept backing up, hoping to put as much distance as they could between the monsters and them.

“KINDRED…” The voice said, referring to the monsters. “I RELEASE YOU. THE MATCH COMMENCES IN THREE…”

Yue looked around at the terrified, paralyzed crowd.

This was what the Cult had intended this whole time. No matter what yue had envisioned, this was worse. This was horrible. Thousands had died, and thousands more would die before the Cult was satisfied.

“TWO…”

Yue moved her face to where the Wolf was with the royals. They were rapt in calm, but Yue could tell they were very nervous.

The Cult would never kill the royals, right?

“ONE…”

Yue stared in horror at the monsters. They roared at the people, their fangs glistening, their eyes red with rage. Neena gripped her more tightly.

Suddenly, she looked around realizing something.

She knew who was missing.

Xander.

She looked accusingly at Zade. “Where is he?”

Zade looked at her guiltily. “I’m sorry. He left right when your match started. The Cult, they were messing with his head, and he just couldn’t bear it. They were beginning to influence him. They were preparing to get him to kill you. Yue, he made the right decision.”

“How can you know that?” Yue screamed. “How could you let him? We need him now!”

“He’s protecting you!”

“How is this protection?” Yue asked. “He’s running away.”

“Yue,” Alyx whispered to her. “You know he had too. He would be trying to kill us if he didn’t.”

“What if he died?” Yue wondered. “Alyx, what if he was killed when the stadium exploded?”

“He wasn’t here. He was gone. Don’t worry about him, he’ll be okay. Right now, we need to worry about the L’Lorian and the Er’lhitahn.”

Yue nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m just nervous.”

She unsheathed her sword, and heard her friends do the same. She was ready to face them. After this was over, she’d give Xander a talking to. Until then, she had a lot of work to do.

She narrowed her eyes.

“BEGIN!”

The monsters charged.

The crowd panicked.