Chapter 41
Mara
No sooner had they returned to their camp than their visors chimed with the sharp, metallic tone of an incoming message from the Game Master. The holographic text flashed across her display:
CHALLENGE SIX LOCATION UPLOADED.
FINAL CHALLENGE TO FOLLOW.
Her stomach tightened. There was no time to process what had happened with Blaine. No time to talk. No time to breathe.
Vaelor immediately covered the fire, his movements sharp and efficient. Mara helped pack the bedding and tent, her fingers still trembling from the adrenaline crash. She kept glancing at him—at the way he scanned the shadows, at the way his jaw clenched every time the wind shifted.
He was on edge.
More than on edge—he was coiled, ready to strike.
She couldn’t blame him. She would probably have nightmares for months after this. But something else gnawed at her. His silence. His tension. The way he kept rubbing his chest over his heart, as if something inside him hurt.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly.
He didn’t look at her. “How can you ask me that when you have been attacked over and over, then abducted and tied up?”
“I’m here,” she said gently. “A little bruised, but alive. And still fighting.”
“You shouldn’t have to fight,” he snapped. “You should be cared for, protected, given whatever you desire without bruises.”
His anger wasn’t directed at her—but it still hit her like a slap. She stopped walking, forcing him to stop too.
“Life isn’t easy for anyone,” she said, heat rising in her voice. “There’s pain and disappointment. But the point is to keep going despite whatever is thrown at you.”
He turned toward her slowly.
The look in his eyes—haunted, hollow, full of guilt—made her chest ache.
“I failed you,” he whispered.
“What?”
“I failed you like I failed my father. I failed my people. I failed.”
Her heart cracked. She reached up and touched his cheek, forcing him to meet her gaze.
“You’ve trusted me,” she said softly. “You listened when I had ideas. You kept me warm. You saved me from the toxins. You risked your life to protect me from the ice beasts. You kept me going on that bridge when I could barely stand. You did not fail me.”
“Anyone would have done those things,” he muttered.
She shook her head. “Would you have fought to protect anyone else the way you did for me?”
His silence was answer enough.
“No,” he said finally.
“Because you care for me. Right?”
He hesitated. She knew she was pushing him at the worst possible moment—right before another challenge—but she needed to know. Needed to hear it.
“Yes,” he said quietly.
Warmth spread through her chest. She leaned against him, letting her forehead rest against his chest. “I feel the same for you. I know it complicates things, but I can’t help how I feel.”
His voice was barely a whisper. “How do you feel?”
She looked up at him. “I’m falling in love with you. I know it’s fast. But it’s true.”
He cupped her face and kissed her softly—slow, reverent, full of emotion he didn’t know how to express with words.
“I feel the same,” he murmured.
Relief and joy surged through her, bright and fierce.
“Then let’s go beat Blaine’s ass and win this thing so we can get the hell off this ice-cicle planet.”
Vaelor actually laughed—a deep, warm sound that eased some of the tension in his shoulders. “Agreed.”
She kissed him again—longer, deeper—before they resumed walking.
It took them an hour to reach the location for the next challenge. The area was buzzing with activity. Technicians scurried around, adjusting equipment, checking sensors, and avoiding eye contact with the competitors as if afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
The moment they spotted Blaine, Vaelor stiffened. His entire body went rigid, muscles coiling like a predator ready to pounce. He took a step forward, eyes narrowing.
Mara grabbed his arm. “We’re close to ending this. Don’t let him get to you.”
He inhaled deeply, chest rising and falling with controlled effort. After a moment, he nodded. She released him only when she felt the tension ease slightly.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s see what the Game Master has planned for us now.”
They checked their bags with a trembling technician—poor guy looked like he expected Vaelor to snap his neck—and stepped into the red circle marked on the ice.
Blaine stood across from them, half his face covered with a bandage. His one good eye glared at them with pure hatred.
Mara felt Vaelor tense beside her again, but she squeezed his hand. He stayed still.
Blue lights shot upward from a massive ice boulder, forming the holographic projection of the Game Master. The audience holograms erupted in cheers.
“Welcome all to Challenge Six: The Pulse Labyrinth!”
The crowd roared.
“We have two formidable teams left,” the Game Master continued. “Mara and Vaelor—our showmance. And Blaine and Dugan.”
Mara rolled her eyes. Vaelor muttered something under his breath that sounded very un-Crytharian.
“Competitors,” the Game Master said, “you and your partner have been biometrically tethered since the beginning of the Games. Your heartbeats, stress levels, and neural responses are linked. But until now, you haven’t had to rely on your tether.”
The audience leaned forward.
“The time has come to show just how well you have bonded.”
Mara’s pulse quickened.
“Before you is an ice labyrinth. It responds to your bond. Distrust your partner, and the walls will close. Lie, and the floor will crack. Panic, and the ice will turn against you.”
The labyrinth shimmered into view—towering walls of translucent ice, shifting and twisting like a living creature.
“Only those who have learned true trust will find the safe path. Fail to sync with your partner… and the labyrinth will consume you.”
Mara swallowed hard.
Vaelor’s hand found hers.
“Players get ready,” the Game Master said. “Three. Two. One. Begin!”
The labyrinth opened.
The challenge began.