29. Chapter 28
By the time their exam rolled around on Friday, she’d moved past the blueprint failure, though everyone continued to reassure her.
Each of them wore comfortable clothing again, knowing they were going to be fighting whatever creatures the magic inside created.
She held on to the hope of finding a secret passage, despite the blueprints showing nothing.
Sure, the last letter from “Briar” said she wasn’t ready to know the truth, but she didn’t care.
Nearly two months had gone by since she’d arrived at Arcania, and she was no closer to finding her friend.
“Everybody ready?” Maeve asked as the door to their room opened. They each had two restoration potions and one smoke flask, which she and Liam had made on Sunday, secured in belts around their waists.
Ivy nodded. “Ready.”
Ezra moved next to her, his hand brushing against hers as the cardamom mixed with a dash of mint from his aftershave wrapped around her. “Stay as close as you can to me,” he whispered. “We can use our bond to our advantage in there.”
She already knew to play to that strength, but she didn’t want to lose focus by bickering with him on the obvious.
Instead, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her as she neared the exam room.
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as she neared it.
She had no doubts about anyone’s abilities.
However, she had no idea what creatures they’d be facing.
There could be a damn full-size dragon in there for all she knew.
Ivy took a deep breath in. On her exhale, she took the first step inside.
A boisterous, cheering crowd shattered her eardrums. Her hands snapped to cover them as she gawked at where they had been transported to. Instead of the basic arena at the school, she was now in the center of a grand coliseum.
Giant stone walls circled a large pit designed for ancient warriors.
In each cardinal direction was a large iron gate, and she swore there were glowing red eyes in the depths of the one to the north.
Above the walls were the stands, and every single space was filled with people—cheering, stomping, clapping, and chanting.
All the noise jumbled into a cacophony she couldn’t discern.
Giant pillars, arches, and curved walls all combined at the top of the coliseum to create the arcade circling the entire arena.
A few seconds later, the rest of the group appeared one-by-one, each of them jolting at the difference in sound.
She glanced to her left where a designated area of chairs where members of royalty peered at them, and on the wall below was a wooden board with three Arcania-blue pennant flags sticking out.
One of the royalty clapped their hands twice.
A broad-chested man stepped out from behind the tall chair of the presumed-king and sauntered down the set of steps leading to the flags.
Trumpeters stood on either side of the man, their instruments gleaming in the blistering sun.
They blew their horns, causing a raucous fanfare rattling through the stadium.
“HEAR YE, HEAR YE!” the announcer shouted, holding his hand to the side of his throat, likely using a spell to amplify his voice over the crowd. “TODAY WE WELCOME OUR NEW COMPETITORS FOR THIS YEAR’S TRIAL OF WAR!”
The crowd roared again as the announcer waved his arms to hype up the attendees. When his arms lowered, the people quieted.
“THERE WILL BE THREE ROUNDS OF FIGHTING TO THE DEATH!”
“What?” Liam cried out. “You think we’ll really die in here?”
“Best we don’t find out,” Maeve said.
“IF THE COMPETITORS DEFEAT THEIR OPPONENT, A FLAG WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE BOARD, THUS ENDING THE ROUND. SHOULD ALL THREE FLAGS BE REMOVED, OUR COMPETITORS WILL BECOME OUR NEW CHAMPIONS!”
The crowd bellowed and hollered so loudly that the ground shook beneath their feet. To her right, the heavy clattering of iron chains shuffled around behind the gate. It was almost time.
“FOR OUR FIRST ROUND,” the announcer yelled. “OUR COMPETITORS WILL FACE A FEROCIOUS BEAST, KNOWN THROUGH MYTH AND LEGEND FOR BEING A RUTHLESS WARRIOR. OUR VERY OWN FLAME-HORNED MINOTAUR!”
As the crowd went wild, the gate to the north of the coliseum rose slowly. The iron clanged loudly, bouncing off the walls as the chain pulled. Once the gate had fully opened, the crowd went silent.
A dim orange glow came into view in the depths of the tunnel, growing brighter by the second. The ground vibrated in tune with the heavy steps which could only come from a monstrous beast.
Ivy took careful steps backward, getting as much distance as possible, and stayed close to Ezra. “Anyone have any ideas before this thing comes charging out?”
“Focus on extinguishing the flames,” Maeve said, stepping back as well. “Then it’ll only have its brute strength to rely on.”
“Oh good. It’ll throw us around like rag dolls, but at least we won’t be set on fire first,” Liam groaned.
The footsteps came like rolling thunder.
Flames licked at the stone as the minotaur barreled through.
The monster barged through the opening, stretched to its full size, and fire erupted from its horns, nose, and back in a terrifying show.
Cheers sounded from the crowd, but were dulled by the thudding of her heart against her eardrums.
The beast was at least ten feet taller than Ivy. Its biceps were three times as thick as her abdomen, and its angered gaze fell upon them with only one intention.
Death.
Hooves scraped against the sand. Flame blew from its nostrils with a violent grunt. With a guttural battle cry, the beast charged forward.
“Shit!” A panicked yelp echoed somewhere in the arena. Her friends scattered. Ezra bent forward to pull her out of the way, but she yanked free and fell to the ground with her hands digging deep into the earth.
Sand crystals buried beneath her nails as she called to her magic.
The earth shook violently as she chanted the words of her spell.
Jagged rocks shot up from the ground in the path of the minotaur, sand flying through the sky as the stones rose.
The beast crashed through them like they were pebbles.
The others used the broken bits of earth as ammo to shoot at the beast, the sharp rocks piercing its skin like a simple paper cut.
As the minotaur charged forward, fire streamed from its nostrils.
The flames licked the sand and crawled their way toward them.
“HIDE!” Ivy screamed. They scattered across the arena.
She and Ezra ran toward an alcove to the left.
He pulled her inside until they were in the shadows, and he pressed her flat against the wall.
His arms caged her in, as if his body alone would be enough to protect her should the fire reach them.
Something stabbed at the edges of her magic, and she winced.
A shiver coursed through her as ice crackled beneath her skin.
She turned her head, staring into the dark, and her breath hitched as she spotted a white mask in the distance.
She tugged at his gray sweatshirt. “Ezra.”
The fire erupted in the arena, and the crowd cheered at what must’ve been an amazing display of power from the beast. The flames licked at the entrance, an unbearable heat buffeting them.
She screamed, and Ezra pulled her tighter against him.
The fire illuminated the alcove, revealing a long passageway and the tall, slender body attached to the mask.
A second later, the flames died down, shrouding them in darkness again.
“Ivy, are you okay?” Ezra asked, his hand coming to cup her cheek and pulling her focus to him.
“Yes, but there’s someone else in here with us,” she said, her voice shaking as she turned to look again. “And this goes deeper—”
They were gone, and a stone wall replaced the tunnel. She broke free from his hold and smacked her hands against it. “It was here, I know it,” she cried, slapping the stone again until her hands stung. “Someone watching us an—”
“Ivy,” Ezra said, his voice gentle as he laid a hand on her back. “I believe you. But, we have to get out there and fight. If we don’t, the—”
“No more letters for the cipher.” She turned toward the entrance of the alcove and took a deep breath before marching out to the arena.
Smoke curled around her as they stepped out into the burning sands. Maeve and Liam stepped out of an alcove on the other side, and in the center was the minotaur, grunting as its glare settled on her again.
Ivy knelt to the ground, and Ezra’s hand clutched her shoulder.
Energy coursed through her body as his magic imbued with hers.
She screamed the words of the spell again, calling to the earth for help.
The ground trembled as a rift circled the creature.
Its legs bent as it prepared to leap across the cavernous opening, but before it could jump, a thick wall of rock shot from the rift until it towered above the beast.
Ivy’s arms gave out beneath her. Ezra’s arm wrapped around her back to catch her before she could fall. “That was amazing,” he murmured. “You’re alright?”
She panted, dusting her hands off on her leggings. “Ask me after we beat this thing.”
He smirked, the dimple creasing his cheek, and she smiled back at him before he helped her up. The rock wall trembled as the minotaur thrashed against its enclosure, but it held steady. For now.
“We need water,” Maeve said, her hands on her hips. She squinted at the blazing sun. There wasn’t a single cloud above them.
“No, we don’t,” Liam said, grabbing a handful of sand. The grains trickled through his fingers as he held onto them. “All we need is sand. It’ll snuff the flame out if we can smother the damn thing before the rock gives way.”