Chapter 31
Mara
Mara ignored every attempt of Blaine to smile or wave at her.
At least he couldn’t get close enough to her to talk.
That was thanks to Vaelor and even Dugan.
Every time Blaine tried to approach her, the two men would block him.
Once, Dugan lifted Blaine by the back of his biosuit and physically carried him off a distance.
It was the first time she noted that the two men argued with one another. After that, Blaine definitely kept his distance from her. She was grateful because she still didn’t know what to say to him. She wanted to punch him for pushing her on the canyon. But Vaelor took care of that for her.
The betrayal by another human hit her harder than she would have thought. Coming into the games, she knew that she was competing against strangers. But Blaine was starting to feel like a friend. Now the truth was revealed. He wasn’t her friend at all.
Of course, he couldn’t get close enough to offer an apology. But was there any apology that could make up for what he did? She could have been killed. Vaelor could have been killed trying to save her. No, even if he offered an apology, there would be no forgiveness. And that made her sad.
She made her think of something else besides Blaine. Her father had looked pale and weak but his eyes were determined. He was fighting for his life. The least she could do was fight for him and win this game.
Vaelor placed a warm hand on her lower back as they approached bright lights. It was the location of the next challenge. What hell was in store for them now? She took a deep breath and released it.
The GSG technicians ran around telling players where to stand. A smile came to her face as Vaelor handed the packs to another scared technician warning him what would happen if he left the packs unattended. Her male was fierce.
A low rumble echoed across the frozen plain, vibrating through the soles of Mara’s boots. She and the remaining teams turned toward the sound just as a small glacier ahead of them cracked open with a sharp, crystalline snap. Light burst upward, swirling into a towering hologram of the Game Master.
He hovered above the glacier like some smug, omniscient deity, arms spread wide.
“Welcome, competitors—and beloved audience—to the fifth and crucial challenge of the Galactic Survivor Games!”
The hologram audience materialized behind him in a wave of glowing blue silhouettes, cheering, waving banners, and chanting names. Mara spotted one sign flashing TEAM VARA and immediately wished the ice would swallow her whole.
The Game Master continued, voice booming across the ice.
“This is the second to last challenge before the winner-takes-all finale! Only the strongest pairs will survive what comes next.”
Mara felt Vaelor shift beside her, his posture sharpening. Blaine and Dugan stood farther down the line; Blaine smirked like he already knew he’d win. Dugan looked focused. The Slurchan and Rasilian were there but they had taken quite a beating at the last challenge.
The glacier beneath the hologram cracked again, revealing a dark, jagged opening leading into the ice.
The Game Master gestured grandly.
“Challenge Five: The Sub-Glacial Flood Run!”
The hologram zoomed into the tunnel, showing a simulation of water rushing through it.
“As geothermal vents activate, this tunnel will rapidly flood with freezing water. Your task is simple—survive.”
Mara’s stomach tightened.
The Game Master’s grin widened.
“But of course, there’s a twist!”
The hologram split into two images: one player diving into icy water, the other straining to hold open a heavy metal door.
“One partner must dive beneath the sub-glacial water to unlock the exit gate from below. The other must hold the door open from the outside—while the temperature drops and hypothermia sets in.”
Mara’s breath caught. Vaelor’s jaw clenched.
“Only when both tasks are completed will the exit open. Failure to unlock the gate, and you could drown. Fail to hold the door open, and your partner is trapped.”
The hologram audience roared with excitement.
“THIS IS GONNA BE GOOD!”
“WHO’S GONNA FREEZE FIRST?”
Mara swallowed hard. She could already feel the cold seeping into her bones just thinking about it.
The Game Master raised a hand dramatically.
“Competitors—choose wisely which of you dives… and which of you holds the door.”
He paused, letting the tension stretch until Mara’s pulse thudded in her ears.
The hologram audience joined in the countdown.
Mara’s heart hammered.
Vaelor stepped closer, his voice low. “I dive.”
“Vaelor, I’m a strong swimmer. I can dive.”
“It’s too cold for you.”
“But the door looks really thick and heavy. That looks like the easiest task but looks can be deceiving,” she told him.
“Challenge Five begins in…”
“THREE!”
Vaelor considered her words.
“TWO!”
She grabbed his arm. “Vaelor, I can do this.”
“Then do it,” he told her.
“ONE!”
The glacier rumbled beneath them.
“BEGIN!”
The tunnel roared to life as steaming vents erupted, and icy water surged forward like a living beast.
Mara and Vaelor ran.
When they reached the beginning of the tunnel, they both pulled the door back. She had been right. It was extremely heavy. Once open, she looked at Vaelor.
“Be careful,” he told her.
“You too.”
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. Anything could happen and this might be the last time she had the opportunity.
The moment Mara plunged into the tunnel, the cold hit her like a physical blow.
It wasn’t just cold, it was a living thing, a creature with claws that sank into her skin and stole the breath from her lungs.
The water was so clear it looked like liquid glass, but it burned like knives as she kicked forward.
The tunnel walls glowed faintly blue, lit by bioluminescent frost veins that pulsed like veins under skin.
She was halfway through when she felt it.
A shift in the current.
A sudden surge of pressure.
A roar of water behind her.
More water was coming in.
Her heart lurched. That meant Vaelor—
He must be struggling with the door.
If he couldn’t hold it open, the tunnel would fill completely. She would be trapped. He would be freezing. They would both lose.
A spike of fear shot through her, but she forced it down. Panic was a luxury she couldn’t afford.
She pushed harder, kicking until her legs burned. The cold gnawed at her muscles, trying to slow her, trying to claim her. Her fingers were numb, her joints stiffening, but she refused to stop.
Mara thought of her father—teaching her to swim in the reservoirs, telling her she was stronger than she knew.
She thought of the buffalo herd—how she and her father had moved through danger by trusting each other.
Every moment she’d been underestimated, dismissed, pushed aside.
She thought of Vaelor—holding the door, fighting the cold, trusting her to reach the end.
And she used all of it.
Every hard moment.
Every scar.
Every memory that had shaped her.
She kicked harder, slicing through the freezing water like a blade. The tunnel narrowed, the pressure building as the flood chased her. Her lungs screamed for air, but she kept going, refusing to slow, refusing to fail.
Finally—A glint of metal appeared ahead.
The exit gate.
Her chest tightened with relief. She reached it, fingers fumbling over the locking mechanism. Her hands were shaking violently, the cold biting deep, but she forced them to move.
One latch.
Two.
Three.
The gate released with a heavy metallic clang that vibrated through the water.
Mara held onto a dent in the wall, spun around and called out. “Vaelor!”
The tunnel behind her was darker now, the water rising faster, the current stronger. Vaelor released the door and dove in. The strong current pushed him toward her.
As he caught up to her, she kicked off the wall, propelling herself back into the rushing water. He reached out and grabbed her hand, and they both swam through the open exit gate.
They were out!
They were alive!