Chapter 48
Forty-eight
Set in motion, I swim, my limbs gliding through water as if it were air.
I maintain a position low to the ground, my eyes continuously scanning the ground for the door in the floor that matches my slab.
That’s when I hear it—a muffled “thud”. Disrupted sand lingers above the ground next to a disintegrating ruin.
Lenny has his arms around someone’s back, pulling and punching.
What in all the galaxies is he doing? His body moves slightly, allowing me a look at who he is attacking. Solene.
Solene, who is currently fighting with Aria over the moonstone shard she is clinging to with all her might.
Somehow, she has found a trident and is acting like she is the fucking queen of Aquatica.
Not on my watch. I wind my arms in stroke after stroke, swimming with all my might to reach them.
Lenny pulls Solene’s hair, which causes Solene to turn her wrath onto him.
Solene grips her trident with both hands, aiming straight for Lenny’s chest. My temper flares like a storm rising in my chest.
Reeling my legs in, knees bent. I kick with as much force as I can muster underwater into Solene’s side, causing her to lose her stabby accessory.
Aria drops her moonstone piece and swims to Lenny, trying to escape the fray.
Solene’s eyes light with rage as she dives for the trident, snatching it up and thrusting the speared end at my chest. The pronged weapon collides with the stone tucked safely away in my swimsuit.
What are the fucking odds? This slab saved my life.
The ends of the trident bend immediately on impact.
The water has eroded the metal, making it more pliable.
I take advantage of my opening, using my legs to push off of Solene and create distance.
Hands scrambling, I find the discarded moonstone piece and wrap my fingers around the middle.
She lunges for me again, but this time I’m ready.
I shove the shard forward, right into her eye.
She immediately brings her hands to her face, kicking frantically—deep red leaking between her fingers, dissipating in the water between us.
Lenny and Aria have swum further away but hesitantly watch the two of us. I motion for them to leave, realizing I need air soon myself. I don’t even care about the second shard; I just need to get the fuck away from Solene.
I’m halfway to the surface when her hands wrap around my legs.
She tugs me down effortlessly, the weightlessness of the water working to her advantage.
Solene now wields a stone slab. Does she have an endless assortment of weapons at her disposal?
She slams the chunk of rock into the side of my head, landing a hefty blow.
I see stars. Disoriented, I try to swim upwards once more.
Solene grips me from behind, her arm circling my throat.
Frantic, I reach behind me, feeling the moonstone lodged in her eyeball, and yank.
I have momentary relief before Solene returns.
How high is this woman’s pain tolerance?
I’m dangerously close to hitting my oxygen limit, feeling weaker by the moment.
Making matters worse, Solene increases her hold on my throat.
My body reacts, and I inhale through my nose, instantly beginning to choke on water.
My vision is fading. Is this really how I go?
Taunting me, I can make out the faint symbol of the waning crescent moon on the surface below me, matching my slab.
I was so close. Solene’s hold loosens, but it’s too late. I’m fading fast. I’m sorry, Leo.
Leo… Leo? Leo, who is suddenly in front of me. Where did he come from? Am I still lucid? I reach out to touch his face, but the world dissolves into obscurity.
I’m going to vomit. Scratch that—I am vomiting. Endless water pours out of me, stinging my eyes and nose. When I’m certain there’s nothing left, I cough violently as my back is soothingly rubbed.
“Leo,” I croak.
“You’re okay.”
I wipe my eyes, realizing we’re in a cavernous air bubble. We’re still in the game. Does this nightmare never end? “You saved me.”
“I told you, I will destroy anyone who dares to touch you.” He cups my cheek.
“Solene…”
Leo shakes his head. “She’s gone.” Did he… did he kill her? Leo must see the fright on my face. “Not right now; save it for later.”
Compartmentalizing, I nod, checking my pockets and my chest. My dagger, moonstone, and slab are all safe. The moonstone piece that was disgustingly lodged in Solene’s eye lies on a rock ledge. “Take it,” I nod to the piece.
“No, it’s yours.”
“Bu—”
The fifteen-minute warning horn sounds. Shit. Has it been two hours already? “Take this and get out of here. You have a nasty cut on the side of your head. Get that seen as soon as you’re back on the surface.”
“Do you have a slab? Do you need help?”
He pats the pocket of his swimsuit. “Don’t worry about me. Let’s get out of here. Are you ready? We have little time remaining.”
“Yes, I think I saw where I needed to go right before I passed out.”
“Perfect, that’s right below us. Let’s go.” He shoves the second shard of moonstone into my hands before diving back under. I swallow another wave of nausea and follow suit.
Leo lingers as I brush off grains of sand from the stone door lodged in the ground.
I take my slab, lay it on the matching symbol, and push.
The stone slides into place before clicking.
Instantly, the symbol spins, and sand kicks up around me.
Light spills through the cracks that form as the door moves aside.
Leo squeezes my hand before swimming away, hopefully towards his door. A pull moves me towards mine, which has become a swirling vortex of spinning water. I’m sucked in. A squeezing sensation has me closing my eyes tightly and holding my breath before I’m dropped onto solid ground.
The sudden light of the arena blinds me.
I squint, shielding my eyes, counting the other six competitors.
Solene is gone. He killed her, my mind prompts repeatedly.
A portal opens beside me, dropping Leo onto his hands and knees.
He has a moonstone shard—how did he find one within minutes of leaving me?
I drop to my knees, another round of vomit forcing itself out of me. Leo killed her, but he saved my life. I’m alive, and I’m now tied to win this entire thing.