The Tapiq flyer came from the central area of the arena, announcing news that Solis and his companions couldn’t quite wrap their heads around. He had just spoken with Telsan regarding the team switch and was now conferring with Lane and Liam. He looked down at the young boy now, the only one with him after Liam chickened out and turned down their offer. It was a gamble, letting him know about their potential switch, but then he would know anyway if they up and disappeared.

“Well, kid? Guess there’s only one thing to do now.”

“Find the armory?”

“No! Head on over there.” Solis pointed through the gate. “Come on.” He waited for Telsan’s signal, then tugged the ten-year-old through the gate.

“Finally doing it?” Telsan asked, at the same time as his Ornis companion, Tissan, said:

“What happened to the third guy?”

Solis glanced at his Snowborn companion. “Well, he kind of chickened out. I didn’t really want to let him in on it, but he was going to find out soon, anyway. We’ll tell you what our message said, though, and also . . . we’ve got some news from our side.”

He began to relate what he’d heard about Erika and the finders of the weapons cache.

“So that’s what all that hubbub was over there,” Telsan mused. “I wonder . . .” He glanced to his right, beak pointing back toward their main keep.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Tissan interrupted. “What was this about your new rule?”

“Oh. You see . . . it’s the same one at both keeps, apparently. A team member can change sides.”

“Oh, for squawking out loud! Really?” Tissan reached up and ruffled the feathers at the top of his head in a gesture of annoyance.

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Solis snorted. “No, ours had two: You can’t remain on enemy territory for more than ten minutes at a time or you’ll get kicked out of the game, and . . . there’s a third relic per side that can be brought back to the opposing side for a win.”

“And of course,” Lane chimed in, “that ten minute thing would only get you if you hadn’t changed sides first. Speaking of, we just say it? Don’t have to shout it or anything?”

Telsan shook his beak.

“We want to switch to the southwest team,” Lane and Solis said almost in unison.

“And we accept,” Telsan finished. “There. Should be good.”

A twitch, like a small rumbled, passed through the ground, like the island visibly reacting to the change of rules, and the boys could tell it had worked.

Phoenix sighed, casting about once more to see if anyone was having more luck than she. Their elementalist group had found one more rule [which is?], but she wanted to find more. One had already gotten threatened by a winged Filian loyal and slinked back to the castle like a good boy. Phoenix had watched—rather, listened—without doing anything, because there was nothing she could do. She and around half of the other elementalists who’d been stationed at the castle were off looking for messages right now, trying to get some kind of upper hand on Filian.

Suddenly, she turned, hearing wingbeats. White wings lowered two bodies to the ground, one held in the other’s arms. Wait . . . “Solis!?” She tried to keep her voice down, but her shock got the better of her.

The mop-haired boy grinned. “Thought I spied your red getup over here. It’s not easy to hide,” he added, seeing her expression.

“I’m trying to,” she grumbled. “But what in the . . .”

Telsan alighted beside her friend. “Hey, Phoenix. Did you guys all fly the coop?”

The glare returned, pointed his way. “We’re out being useful for the team. No sense in all the elementalists up there just . . . never mind. We found a couple rules. You guys?”

Telsan grinned. “I think we’re making headway.”

After a cursory exchange of information, they were interrupted by elementalists Chester and Frill, who excitedly announced a new finding. Looking over their shoulders furtively for Filian’s flyers, the group followed them to a stairwell tucked underneath what looked like the crumbling corner of an abandoned fortress. Phoenix had to constantly remind herself that this entire arena was made from scratch a mere hour ago, as the design was amazingly . . . real. The stairwell led to a long room outfitted with racks upon racks of . . . weapons.

It was an armory.