Chapter 21 Elodie #2
I gape in surprise. Out of everyone I could have asked for, it would have been him. Impressed, I find myself paying more attention as Rikard clears his throat. “Tonight you will enjoy The Capture War,” he declares as everyone waits with bated breath to understand what that means.
Trying to recall the game from previous books is more complicated than I anticipated, since I’ve read so many, but my thoughts do settle on the images I remember. However, the title is nonexistent in my brain.
“Each institute will take to the Fortress of War with one goal in mind, to capture the flag.” Excitement buzzes in the air, the game seemingly straightforward, but my gut twists instead of rejoicing with everyone else.
“There are thirteen flags placed around the fortress, one for each institute. You must find yours and bring it back through the entry point to win. A flare of your institute’s color will go off when someone finds their corresponding flag, and a second when it is placed upon its designated spoke,” he explains, as a row of ten golden spokes appear in front of the projection.
“Now, let the countdown begin,” Cordelia sings, and the five of them disappear, quickly replaced by a clock ticking down from five minutes.
The energy is electric, but the churning in my gut only gets worse.
Each institute huddles closer, and my attention zeroes in on Professor Grimm as he rocks back on his heels before us.
“It’s a great honor for me to be your professor for these games, but I must express great caution when you enter the fortress. Things are never as simple as they seem. Any questions?” he asks, and I clear my throat.
“Yes, I, uh, well, how are all thirteen institutes participating when some are currently derelict?”
Murmurs echo around me as though some hadn’t considered the fact, and the way Grimm winces tells me the answer isn’t a good one.
“When some do not ascend from The Vale, they are able to participate under their prior institute in an attempt to claim victory.”
“And victory equals freedom,” I breathe, and he nods, referring to citizens of The Vale who are yet to escape The Sanctum’s grasp.
“Exactly that. So, don’t underestimate them; it seems they have more to fight for than you,” he states, brushing his hands over his waistcoat.
Before another word can be spoken, a shrill siren blares through the air and everyone immediately moves into action, taking off toward the fortress with speed. Ocean unlinks her arm from mine and we move, side by side, following the sea of students.
I’m almost at the entry point when a hand lands on my shoulder. Startled, I peer behind me to find Thorne. He doesn’t say a word, just thrusts something against my chest and takes off inside.
My feet continue to carry me over the threshold as I look down to see what it is.
Gloves.
I gulp. I haven’t worn them since I came back, or was returned, whichever way I look at it, but now is probably the time to take extra precaution. I should thank him, but he’s already gone, lost among the swarm of people around me.
A shiver runs down my spine when the walls of the fort hold me captive, and it takes great effort to breathe as I gape at the tall stone walls and cool air that surrounds me.
Passageways run in every direction, some up a flight or two of stairs, coiling around and around.
I don’t know where to turn, but when Ocean moves to the left, I follow after her.
A few turns and the crowd around us is much smaller, and I can think a little more for myself, all while my gaze darts from left to right, seeking a purple flag.
“Up or down?” Ocean asks when we reach a staircase at the end of the hall, and I blank, desperate to know the correct answer.
“Down.”
I startle, turning in the direction of the sound to find Rion a step behind me. He winks, unfazed by the stunned expression on my face. If Ocean notices, she doesn’t mention it either as she takes his answer and hurries down the stairs two at a time.
If these damn games aren’t the death of me, then I think these guys just might be.
The light grows weaker the deeper underground we go. The walkway is only outlined by a sparse row of lights dotting the walls. Taking a big gulp, I struggle to calm the tremble in my hands as I stare off into the bleakness, only for Rion to make me jolt from behind.
“There’s one here, I think,” he states, and I whirl around to see Ocean right at my side as the three of us squint in the darkness at the soft fabric blowing in a breeze that shouldn’t exist.
“What color is it?” Ocean asks, but I can’t tell, and it seems they can’t either.
“It just looks dark,” Rion states, reaching for it without a care, but I grab his arm before he can touch it. At the same time, a boom echoes in the distance, confirming a flare has been set off.
“That could have been us already,” I murmur, hating how we're going below ground level so we can’t see, and Rion grimaces.
“Maybe, but I think the odds are going to be stacked against Institute Thirteen. There’s no way in Hell that was us so early on,” he admits, and I wince.
That sounds accurate, but before I can say a word, he eliminates the rest of the distance to the flag before us, curling his free hand around the pole.
The world stills in that moment. Hope flickers for half a second before it’s zapped from my soul.
Rion’s entire body goes rigid, stiff and tight, like stone, before he vibrates with an audible zing of electricity that tingles under my fingertips.
Lurching back, I gasp, the sound lost in Ocean’s cry as Rion slumps to the floor.
“Oh my God,” I yell, dropping to my knees beside him. Cupping his face in the dim light, I stroke my thumb across his cheek. “Rion? Rion!”
Panic flickers through me as Ocean gasps. “The flag is black,” she murmurs, making me frown as I glance between the offending object and the injured man before me.
“Black? But there is no black institute,” I blurt, and her jaw falls slack.
“Professor Grimm said to be careful, that things aren’t always as they seem.”
“Which, in this case, could mean we don’t know which flag is ours or not until it’s too late,” I reply, blinking down at Rion as he groans. It’s a slight noise, but I’m flooded with relief as I glare at the flag like it’s going to make a difference.
“This is insane. Is he going to be okay?” Ocean asks, worry gnawing at her just as much as it is me, and I gulp, unsure how to answer when the wolf in question does it for me.
“I’m good. I’m just going to need a minute,” he admits as another flare pops off in the distance.
“Is it worth heading back upstairs to see if we’ve been saved from this madness yet?” Ocean offers, and I shrug, unsure.
“The issue is, there are clearly flags down here,” I admit, eyeing the hallway again. “And we seem to be the only ones down here so far. Besides, if what Rion said about Institute Thirteen is true, then we’re going to find it somewhere less obvious than this.”
Now that he’s said it, I know it to be true. Why would they want to offer freedom to murderers?
Dammit.
Wiping a hand down my face, I sigh as my gaze settles on Rion.
“Let’s make it down the hall and head up from there,” he offers, and I nod as he holds his palm up for me to take.
Surprisingly, he gets to his feet easily enough, and the three of us make our way down the dimly lit hallway, coming across nothing as we make it to the other end, where a second staircase awaits.
Climbing to the top, the noise grows louder as a few more pops go off.
I rush outside, staring up into the night sky to find a permanent red and yellow glow, with a small flash of green and blue as if the latter two haven’t made it back to the spokes yet.
No purple.
“We need to keep looking,” I state, turning to Rion and Ocean, who nod in agreement. “Maybe we need to split up,” I offer, instantly earning a look of disdain from Ocean as Rion shakes his head.
“After watching Rion like that, I don’t think so,” Ocean insists, and my chest tightens, agreeing with her thought process, but the worry of not making it is growing stronger.
Reluctantly, I nod in agreement and the three of us head around the outside grounds where another staircase leads higher. Instead of taking it, we stay on the ground level as a flare goes off, strengthening the blue color in the air and confirming their victory.
Dammit. I need to be keeping count.
Biting back a groan of frustration, I try to remain focused when I spy a flickering in the wind nestled among a thick smattering of trees. Darting toward it, I hear both Rion and Ocean call out my name in an attempt to stop me, but my fingers wrap around the pole before they get a chance to.
Heat trails over me from head to toe, stealing my breath as I hit the ground. Screams echo around me as my throat burns and I roll across the grass beneath me, desperate to put the fire out. My vision grows spotty as my movements fall weaker, and I blink up at the painted sky.
“Elodie, what the hell?” Rion snarls, blocking my view, and in my weakened state, I smile up at him despite the pain rippling through my limbs.
“What the fuck was that?” Ocean barks, eyes wide as fear tightens her facial features.
“I don’t think it’s ours,” I rasp, and she scoffs.
“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock,” she retorts. If I could glare at her, I would, but I’m in too much pain to make it happen. “I meant, what happened to you?” she clarifies as I try to even out my breathing, the pain slowly subsiding but nowhere near fast enough.
“Fire.”
Her eyebrows gather in confusion. “There wasn’t any fire.”
“She must have felt the heat as if there was one. These flags are fucking insane,” Rion grunts, stroking my hair back off my face as I let my eyelids fall closed for just a second.
Flares whoosh in the air and I groan.
“We need to find our flag,” I mutter, aching from head to toe, but the sudden discomfort of the gloves on my hands is overwhelming, and I have to fight with myself to keep them on.
“It doesn’t look like we have to,” Ocean breathes, and my eyes dart open to follow her line of sight.
Right there, in the night’s sky, is a faint blossoming of purple. Someone found it. Someone actually freaking found it. Disbelief intertwined with relief flickers through me as I gape in awe, quickly remembering that they need to get it to the spoke for it to count.
I groan as I try to lift myself to my feet, but Rion quickly hauls me in the air, cradling me against his chest as he carries me toward the entry point of the fort. Ocean is right beside us, and she squeals with excitement.
“It’s Thorne, he’s got it,” she shouts, and I manage to catch a glance of the tormented shadow fae as he strides off in the distance with a flash of purple in his hands.
A few short breaths later, and another flare takes off, cementing the thick purple color alongside the other victors.
We did it. We freaking made it. With one step closer to ascension, hope blossoms inside of me and I feel like I’m floating.
“Oh, get ready to celebrate, bestie. We’re having a good time at The Hut tonight,” Ocean sings, ecstatic, while I feel like I could pass out.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to retract my agreement from earlier, but the pit that instantly forms in my stomach prevents the words from forming in my mouth.
I need to shake the pain off, and alcohol might just be the answer.
Rion grins down at me with a knowing smile before he brings his lips to my ear. “No more avoiding me now. I’ll see you there, Petal.”