Chapter 16
OPHELIA
The morning of Galen’s Gauntlet, I find myself bending over a bush, throwing up.
I might be slightly nervous.
“This is normal!” Niko calls out encouragingly. “Lots of top competitors get nauseous right before a competition. Let it all out!”
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about having allies, especially when one is a well-known grump.
But Jack and Niko have been awesome these past few weeks.
We relocated my daily swimming lessons to the MacNamara dock since it was much larger than the library one and turned them into swim lesson/strategy sessions.
If Broderick was bothered by our sexy times getting postponed due to an audience, he kept his opinions to himself. Also, he spent most nights in the Airstream with me, making up for lost time.
In addition to coming up with plans for dealing with potential Gauntlet obstacles, I also used the time with Owen, Niko, and Jack to instill the knowledge that not all men are looking to hurt or imprison me.
My father and the sorcerer were outliers. Not the norm.
Though Niko did make it clear that our alliance lasted until the final task at the latest. There could only be one winner, and he intended for that to be him.
When I asked what his motivation was, the kappa explained to me that in addition to the prestige of the title and the cash prize, there were perks around town. Bonus prizes. And there was a particular complimentary service he had his eye on.
Back when I was fashioning my glass gifts, I’d stopped by the IT department at Ramla, where Jack worked, and asked him what his friend liked.
He’d simply said, “A wolf.”
Not wanting to push, I had taken that and run with it. I hadn’t understood it at the time, but when I was reviewing the prize list, I saw that there was a year of free haircuts offered by Veronica, who also happened to be the alpha of the werewolf pack that had moved into town last year.
Could it be that Niko has a crush on a certain werewolf?
I figure if we become close enough friends, one day, I’ll find out.
When I asked Jack why he wanted to win, the werewolf shrugged and grumbled, “I don’t.”
Which I took to mean, the guy entered this competition with the sole intent of helping his best friend reach the finish line first.
After that, his grumpiness lost most of its intimidation factor.
But now, I’m plenty terrified as we make our way to the starting line.
What if I forget how to swim?
What if I’m too weak for this?
What if I’m better off hiding away?
Those self-deprecating thoughts batter at my brain, trying to overwhelm me with self-doubt and set off a panic attack.
“Here.” Jack hands me a water bottle. “Rinse and spit.”
At this point, I welcome the simple directions. Easy steps to follow. I slosh the water around in my mouth to get rid of the acidic taste of my sick.
“I’m going to hold you guys back,” I confess. “You can leave me behind. I won’t blame you.”
Jack gives me a hard look, and Niko scoffs.
“No way. We’re allies. We agreed that as long as we’re in sight of one another, we help each other. All the way till the end. You won’t get rid of us that easy.” The kappa offers me a kind grin.
It takes me a moment to realize this warm, comforting feeling of connection must be friendship.
It’s nice. Hopefully, I don’t die in this magical competition before I get a chance to make more of them.
The three of us head toward the mouth of the inlet, where we were instructed to line up by noon. If you’re late, then you’ve already lost. As we weave through a stand of trees, I pick out an almost-indistinguishable shimmer in the air.
“Wards,” Niko explains when he notices the direction of my gaze. “Not a wall. We can walk through them. Ame said we should brace ourselves.”
“For what?”
A moment later, I know.
Once we pass through the magical barrier, noise fills the air. A massive crowd stretches along the banks. Everyone cheers so loud that I expect the ground to start shaking. Somehow, above the cacophony, I hear my name.
A certain red-haired witch jogs up to me, a supportive smile on his face. Broderick scoops me into a hug, but the moment I realize his mouth is heading toward mine, I slap a hand over my lips, getting a kiss on my knuckles instead. His brows dip in the center.
“I’m sorry.” He sets me down as his uncertain expression deepens. “I didn’t mean—”
“I threw up!” I blurt from behind my fingers. “You can’t kiss me until I thoroughly brush my teeth.”
Broderick fully frowns now, though he doesn’t retreat from me anymore. “You’re sick?”
“Just nervous.”
“You’re going to do great,” Niko announces as he sidles up to us. “Come on, teammate. Time to line up.”
It’s almost noon, and on a stretch of floating docks, a decent number of other competitors wait for the start of Galen’s Gauntlet.
“He’s right.” Broderick speaks the words against my hair before pressing a kiss against my tight braid. “I’ll be watching from the sidelines. Cheering for you the whole time even if you can’t see me.” He steps back, his hands braced on my shoulders. “You can do this, firebird.”
The nerves don’t disappear, but they become easier to ignore in the glow of Broderick’s confidence.
“I can do this,” I agree, then step out of his hold and head for the starting line.
Niko and Jack flank me, and we end up on our own floating platform.
The mythics around us look vaguely familiar. I see a lot of people I recognize from collecting recycling all over town. But I realize now how rarely I talk to anyone. Not even to offer my name. I still give in to the learned instinct to curl into myself.
But not anymore.
Today, there’s nowhere to hide.
A siren soars overhead, the midday sun glinting off the bright white feathers that cover the wings stretching from her shoulder blades. The sight of her flying freely briefly stuns me.
Then, she calls out to the competitors, “Ready yourselves!”
I shake my head and refocus, following Niko’s and Jack’s lead as they line up at the edge of the dock. Just as doubt tries to overwhelm my mind, a horn blares from the shore.
There’s no turning back.
The signal is still ringing off the trees when I jump—feetfirst—into the water.
Other mythics stopped by our training sessions to help prepare Niko, Jack, and me for the competition. Our coaches included all the Shelly witches and the MacNamaras. Someone mentioned that obstacles could come at you immediately or there could be a calm before the storm.
When I come up for air, treading water, then pushing myself forward in an ungainly head-above-the-water freestyle with nothing stopping me, I assume we have a moment to get our bearings.
But then I hear the cursing. And when I glance around, I spy giant chunks of white that must have been hidden under a glamour a moment ago. And that’s when I realize that the fire in my chest is steadily burning, not from excitement for the race, but to keep my body temperature regulated.
The water is freezing.
I pause and tread water, searching in front, then behind me for my teammates.
I assumed they’d be far ahead of me and I’d have to try to catch up.
But I spot Niko not far from the dock, his lips fading to blue, his jaw quaking.
Jack has his friend by the arm, pulling him forward, but the wolf doesn’t seem to be doing too well himself.
I can help them.
The realization is euphoric. Every moment they spent with me training for this, I thought of myself as a charity case. What help could I be to a powerful werewolf and a water mythic?
But neither of them has fire in their veins like I do.
In this, I am the powerful one.
I swim back to them as fast as I can, reaching the two mythics quicker because Jack is still managing some forward momentum.
“Give me your hands,” I shout above the roar of the crowd.
Both men listen without question, slipping their frigid fingers into mine. With a gentle internal push, I guide the heat from my body into theirs—a skill I wasn’t even aware I had—and watch with joy as their faces regain a healthy color.
“Thank the gods,” Niko groans. “ I knew Jack-olia was a good idea.”
“Let’s go.”
The wolf doesn’t have any use for hanging around to chat. And I find I don’t either. My thoughts of weakness and unworthiness are gone. I’m ready to start competing.
The three of us arrow back into the competition, dodging other competitors going stiff from the cold.
Any other day, I would stop out of concern, but Owen informed me that the Gauntlet wasn’t meant to be deadly.
If a competitor goes down past the point of recovery, they’re removed from the course and taken care of by the on-call healing witch.
As we weave through miniature icebergs, the water slowly loses its frigid edge.
“Get ready!” Niko calls out. “Something new could pop up at any moment—ah!” The kappa’s head disappears.
“Niko!” Jack dives forward, then lets out a curse as he’s sucked into whatever grabbed his friend.
I consider trying to swim another way, but a current is drawing me forward, and I’m not a strong enough swimmer to get out of it. There’s a tug on my body, a drop of my stomach, and then I’m falling over a waterfall I didn’t realize was in front of me.
Oddly, the cascade of water and even my scream as I plummet into the pool below is silent.
The sound of the world around me suddenly switches off in the middle of my yell.
I resurface noiselessly, spluttering water until I can breathe again.
A small corner of my brain is proud because only a little bit of the liquid went up my nose.
Then, I forget about my improved swimming ability when something knocks into my leg.
Something very large.