Chapter 15 #3
My heart threatens to stop when I finally take in the bruise blooming over his eye and the split lip. Gods, how does he do this? Something passes between us, my worry for him bringing a small smile to his lips just before he refocuses in time for the horn to signal the start of the match.
Anders springs into action, retrieving both balls from the bunker in a swift movement, quickly sprinting back towards Cole and Orion, who look like they’re using every ounce of energy just to remain standing.
Anders dives into the ice water ring, swimming for the obstacle ring when one of Wildwood’s players lunges forward, tackling Cole from behind just as Anders pulls himself from the water.
There’s a collective gasp in the crowd, all of us holding our breath as the arena falls silent, watching and waiting for Cole to resurface.
Moments stretch into what feels like minutes, each building the anxiety in the air.
Anders dives back into the water when Cole doesn’t resurface, diving deep and disappearing from sight.
I can feel Aolyn’s reassuring grip on my right hand, clutching me tightly.
Ciara’s hand anchors me around the waist as we wait, our breaths becoming shallower every second.
It’s a small eternity before Anders resurfaces; his expression is a mixture of urgency and worry. He’s clutching an unconscious Cole in his arms, and time seems to freeze as I gasp, the world around me blurring as I fight a flurry of tears.
“Please be alright,” I whisper to myself, repeating the prayer over and over. I may not be close with Cole, but I care about him. A single tear brims, tracking down my cheek.
Orion and Anders pull Cole from the water, laying him on the shore. The game is paused as the medical bridge extends slowly toward the center of the arena.
Anders kneels beside Cole, his fingers probing for a pulse. A moment later, he slaps Cole’s face, urging him to wake up as his eyes grow frantic. A stream of crimson spills across Cole’s forehead from a deep gash, making my heart plummet and sending a chill through me.
Finally, the bridge connects with a resonant thud, and in an instant, the healers rush forward, bags and a stretcher being thrown to the ground as they drop down beside Anders.
Around me, I hear the cacophony of outrage erupting from the other team while our spectators cheer, but I can’t seem to pull my eyes from the brothers on the field.
As Cole is carefully lifted to the bridge, his position is replaced with a woman. Next to the blood and chaos, she looks too fragile. I want to scream for the game to stop—to beg for the game to be called—but my concern won’t make a difference.
Ciara squeezes me, pulling my frozen body to my seat while she declares something about the player being thrown from the game as if that will help my frayed nerves.
“What the hell?” Tate growls, throwing his arm forward and gesturing toward the female player. “They’re putting Katerina out there?”
I quickly glance at him, noting the tightness in his jaw and the fury in his eyes. Aolyn remains quiet, wrapping her hands around her waist in worry, as Kamden shrugs, falling back into his seat with a nervous sigh.
With a point docked from Wildwood, we now lead 26–25.
Anders raises his stick like he did at the start of the game, but this time, he bellows, “For Cole!” just before he dives back into the water.
Kalli takes the lead, guiding Anders through the maze of obstacles.
Meanwhile, Katerina and Orion are behind him.
Kalli swiftly scales a tree, disappearing among the thick branches. Anders follows her up, while Katerina and Orion push forward toward the ring of bladefish. My leg bounces nervously, my heart racing—for Cole, for Anders, for the entire team.
A few tense moments stretch out before I finally spot Anders perched on a branch above the fourth ring, his stick gripped tightly in one hand as he clings to the branch overhead with the other.
From my vantage point, only a few home-team sections have a clear view of him.
My stomach tightens at the thought of him falling.
I try to remind myself it’s only water, but still…
Below, on the fifth ring near the goals, Orion and Katerina fight to inch the groundball closer to the goal, but their attempts seem more of a distraction than anything. Katerina dances on her feet, dodging the massive defenders and running them in circles.
“Is that allowed?” Kamden asks Aolyn, his eyes wide, as Anders leans further out from his perch. Anders angles his stick, preparing to throw, but the distance across the water seems impossible, not even taking into account that he’s balancing thirty feet above the surface.
“Not sure,” Aolyn replies, her voice a low whisper as she waits.
Anders hesitates, and the whole section seems to hold its breath as he swings the stick, roaring as he releases. The AerBall springs free from the net, launching into the air and silencing the arena as it soars over the water.