The Arena (17 page)

She leaped into the air, placing her hand gently on the top of the wall for balance as she tried to vault over it. That was when I sprung my trap, closing the solid stone around her hand before she could lift it from the wall again. I watched as her momentum carried her forward until her wrist caught the full force of her body, slamming her violently back into the stone wall. I was sure I had heard something pop, probably her wrist. She was hanging limply against the wall, about a foot off of the ground.

I doubted that a single injury would keep her from lashing out at me as I approached, so I did so with extreme caution, making sure my shield was in place. Sure enough, she arched her body, managing to arc a violent kick toward my head. I pulled back and the kick missed. It was hard not to, even though my shield would have deflected the kick easily. I continued forward until I was just out of reach for any kind of normal attack. I could see the pain in her eyes as she hung limply against the wall, one hand completely encased in the stone.

“Do you yield?” I tried to ask the question without aggravating her more, but as soon as I finished asking, she lashed out again. This time I didn’t pull back, and her foot slammed into my shield, making me move back a step. She was still trying to fight her way out of this using brute strength, and it wasn’t going to work. She kicked out again, this time with a growl, and her foot bounced harmlessly away. I moved closer to her, keeping my eyes firmly planted on hers. The pain and rage I saw in her eyes made me want to end it quickly.

She started screaming. “I’d never yield to a no-talent, no-friends piece of shit like you!”

Her words touched upon my greatest fears from when I started attending the academy, but I had friends now, and obviously enough talent to beat her. I wondered if she was trying to get me monologuing to buy herself time to break free. I decided it was time to end the fight—and I was tired of hearing her swear at me. I commanded the rock to continue wrapping around her until her entire body was encased in stone.

I removed just enough of the stone from her head so that I could see her eyes and she could speak, before asking her again, “Do you yield?”

I watched as the rage continued to build in her eyes. She wasn’t lying when she said that she wouldn’t yield. I used my gift to start tightening the stone around her, crushing the air from her lungs. I watched her face with an eyebrow raised, just waiting for her to say the words that I needed to hear to end the match. Finally, the stone was so tight around her that I knew she couldn’t breathe. Still, I waited to hear the words spring from her lips. She impressed me by not giving in. With the air being crushed from her lungs, she finally passed out. As soon as I saw the consciousness leave her eyes, I let the spell go, leaving her lying limply on the sandy arena floor.

I rushed over to make sure she had started breathing and that her mouth wasn’t covered in sand. One of the officiators from our match gently moved me to the side while laying hands on her. She started breathing again right away. Slowly she rose to her feet, leaning heavily against the man who healed her.

She met my eye and mouthed, “Good match.”

Nodding my head in acceptance, I replied, “You fought well; maybe we can spar some time.”

Grace only shrugged as the official helped her out of the arena. While I watched her exit, I was still trying to get a handle on the realization that I had strangled her into unconsciousness and she had thanked me for it. The official who had met me outside of my room grabbed my hand and lifted it into the air, signaling my victory to the arena. Her words echoed around the stone walls. “Jackson Fairfield is the winner, by knockout of his opponent Grace Park. Both combatants have brought glory to the Ascended!”

I wanted to feel like a monster for almost choking a woman to death. I wondered how I could have hurt one of our own just for a personal gain. Would I become the kind of person who killed someone just to achieve a goal, or would I only take a life to save another?

I wasn’t sure yet who I would become, but in this moment, I couldn’t get the cheers out of my head. They rained down upon me as if they came from the heavens themselves. In this moment, all of the students and Ascended were cheering for me, for what I had accomplished today. It felt good—really, really good. It would be a shame not to give them what they wanted in return. I raised a fist to the sky as a smile spread across my face. The cheers doubled in intensity. Maybe I had found my true calling, a place where I belonged more than anywhere else. I wish I could say I was still thinking about what I had done to win, but in truth, I was just enjoying the moment.

M
y escort led
me from the arena. After winding our way through a small maze of subterranean tunnels, we emerged back into the blinding sunlight. I scanned the seating area for Marcus and April but couldn’t find them. I decided that I would head up to my room for a quick shower before coming back to watch the matches.

Stripping out of the black tunic, I headed directly for the shower. The hot water massaged away the remaining tension in my muscles. I still couldn’t believe that I had won my first match in the arena. I knew that I had gotten lucky with an overconfident opponent, and that would not happen again. I hoped when I finally lost, I wouldn’t end up in as much pain as Grace had. Shoving that thought aside, I finished up my shower. All I wanted to do now was get back out to the arena and watch Marcus and April in their fights.

Dressing quickly in some loose-fitting workout clothes, I headed toward the door. The second set of matches was wrapping up, and the third set of the day was about to get started. April and Marcus would be fighting in the third round, but thankfully not against each other. I headed a little higher up in the stands so I could watch both of them at the same time. It was kind of freeing to be above the throng of people below me. Everyone at the academy, including all our new arrivals, must have been out watching the matches today.

I noticed a lithe figure emerging from the crowd and making her way up to where I was sitting. Britta was always something that would brighten my day. Today was no exception. She made her way up the stands toward me, and I took in the full scope of her beauty. Raven-black hair, eyes that had a slight tilt to them, speaking of Middle Eastern heritage, and a body that would make anyone jealous. Not to mention a light-hearted and easygoing personality.

She sat down next to me and leaned in so our shoulders were touching. “Nice match today, Jackson.”

I knew from looking at the large tournament board that she had also fought during the first round and won. I gently pressed back against her shoulder. “You, too.” That was me, so smooth.
You, too
. Yep, that was the best I could do.

“So, are you looking forward to watching your friends fight right now?”

“I’m not sure I would say looking forward to it, but I want to watch them win.”

“They both have pretty tough matches. What should I be looking for when I watch them?”

I couldn’t believe that Britta was sitting here with me and wanted to talk about my friends. That was more than I had expected from her. She always had a smoking hot flirty side, but now I was starting to see more.

I let a smile spread across my face. “Well, they both have different styles. Marcus is all about magic; he can cast faster and better spells than I have seen from anyone else at the academy. The only way to beat him is to find a way to close the distance and turn it into a physical battle. That won’t be easy with his talent at keeping people away from him. I think his battle will be a little more fun to watch.”

“What about April?”

“She is the exact opposite end of the spectrum. April likes to solve everything with her fists. The magic she likes to use is all about defense and deflecting attacks so she can close the distance to her opponent. I can tell you from personal experience, when she does, it hurts.”

“Is that the only kind of personal experience you have with her?” Britta asked casually, but I could hear a little bit of hope in her voice.

I had wondered when she was going to ask about April’s relationship with me. I was happy with the way she did it; it came off as open-ended. I could say as little or as much as I wanted to in response. I had the feeling she was waiting on a more serious answer, trying to confirm my status as single. “April and I are just really great friends; she is like the sister I never had.” Granted; she would have been the kind of sister who routinely kicked the crap out of me, but hey, I had never had one of those either.

I could see some relief cross Britta’s face. “So you guys aren’t together.”

This time I got out a little chuckle. “No, we aren’t together.”

“So when are you going to man up and ask me out?” She leaned into my shoulder again.

Her physical presence against my arm really made me lose focus. She was so pretty, and I had no idea why she would be interested in me. “I’d love to go out with you sometime, Britta. Do we ever get to leave for personal activities? I’m just not sure how all of this stuff works, especially now that we are here.”

“Me either, but we have to be able to get out sometime. We can’t live our entire lives at the arena. That would just be crazy. That doesn’t mean we can’t get together before then; maybe we could curl up on the couch and watch a movie.”

“I think that would be awesome!” Since I’d joined the academy, all I had been focused on was not making too many mistakes. I’d started so far behind the curve that I knew I had to put all my focus into training. “When the tournament is over, I think we both deserve a little down time. I can’t think of anyone else I would rather spend it with.”

“Then it’s a date.”

“It sure is.”

I was spared from ruining the moment by the fighters for the third round marching out onto the sand. It wouldn’t be long now before my friends started to fight. It was going to be hard to keep my eye on both matches, but I would try my best. I didn’t want to miss a moment of my friends’ battles in the arena.

With Britta nestled against my shoulder, I watched the arena floor as Adam’s voice carried across the arena. “Fight.”

April sprinted directly at her opponent. Her course never deviated as she deflected the hasty casts of her challenger. Her talent for deflecting attacks was an art form. She used her magic to move them just enough that she wouldn’t have to slow down or change direction. The ground to the sides of her was scattered with the signs of her passing. Scorch marks and craters littered the arena floor in her wake. Her first offensive spell shattered her foe’s shield, and before I could blink, she had her arms and legs wrapped around her opponent. It was like watching a snake catch a mouse and squeeze it to death. As her opponent struggled for breath, April was relentless in her attack. Finally, the referee signaled the end of the match. April had won her first match in less than two minutes.

Britta cheered with me as I jumped to my feet, clapping. Her enthusiasm was contagious. I felt the excitement of the fights rush through me. April was walking off the arena floor now, and I turned my attention back to Marcus’s fight.

Marcus’s fight was as different from April’s as it could get. He was standing back, using his magic to counter his opponent’s spells while gauging his strength. Fire was countered with ice, bees with wasps, and huge thrown boulders were shattered in midair. Marcus then cast one of his favorite spells. I liked to call it
scatter
. It was the one spell he was trying to teach me that I just hadn’t been able to master.

The half of the arena where Marcus had been standing was now filled with six different versions of himself. It was impossible to tell which one was actually him; they all ran around waving their arms in the air, causing a huge distraction.

Britta started shouting next to me. “That’s amazing!” She was bouncing up and down with excitement. I found it hard to tear my gaze away from her bouncing form. Hey, I never said I was a man of higher principles. Of course, I had seen this spell so many times when we practiced together that the novelty of it had worn off. Taking a moment to enjoy something as wonderful as a bouncing Britta was not only understandable but completely warranted. I knew the end would be coming quickly for Marcus’s opponent, so I reluctantly turned my gaze back to the match.

All six Marcuses started running in different directions, arms still waving crazily about as if he was in a panic. The distraction the extra movement caused always helped to make it harder to tell which of the duplicates was actually him. Marcus’s opposition went on the attack, casting six ice balls simultaneously and sending them at each of the targets. It showed his skill as a caster, to be able to actively track so many targets at once. I felt Britta tense next to me as each target was hit and vanished in a puff of smoke.

The other man looked wildly around Marcus’s half of the ring, trying to figure out where he could possibly be hiding. I watched with amazement as Marcus stepped out of thin air behind his opponent. He gently tapped the other fighter on the back of the head. That single touch sent his opponent slumping to the ground, unconscious. The arena erupted in cheers at his display and control of his magic. Britta and I were holding each other, jumping up and down and screaming. I was happy that both of my friends had won; I was even happier to be holding Britta in my arms for the first time.

Britta and I headed back toward the dorms. Exhaustion threatened to pull me down before we made it back. I had spent the last night so amped up, thinking about the day to come, that I hadn’t gotten much sleep. I could tell Britta was suffering from the same kind of sleep deprivation that I was. I gave her a huge hug in the hallway. Before I could turn away, she gave me a little kiss on the cheek. She turned without saying a word and walked slowly away. I held a hand up to my cheek, shocked about the kiss. I had spent my senior year of high school as a social pariah. It had been a long time since I had a kiss, even one on the cheek.

Two of the most talented kids at the academy were my best friends. If I was lucky enough to keep learning from both of them, I would find my place here. To my great surprise, I also had a girl who liked me. My experiences with women hadn’t been so great or extensive before now, so I wasn’t sure exactly what to do. The good news was that Britta seemed to know exactly what she wanted, and I was happy to follow her lead. It was crazy to think just a few months ago I was working at the copy store with Alby and hoping I could get out of town. Now I was using magic and would one day fight to make the world a safer place.

I turned on the oven and pulled a huge dish of pasta out of the fridge. The kitchen had been stocked while I had been in the arena fighting. I was happy someone had taken the time to sneak something so delicious into my fridge. While the pasta was heating, Sarge appeared at my door again. We repeated the same ritual as the night before, and I was left with a new scroll and uniform for the match tomorrow.

I was surprised to see that my opponent for the next day was Ted. I thought he had left the school before we came to our new campus. My understanding was that he had been called home by his parents, due to their decision to stand with the Council. I could have sworn April had told me something about seeing his girlfriend crying because she had decided to stay. I guess it really didn’t matter now; the match was set and I finally had a chance to shut him up without getting in trouble. Instead of feeling awkward about fighting someone, I was looking forward to putting Ted out of commission. This match would let me show off my abilities without me feeling any of the fear or concern that I had while facing Grace. I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but for Ted, I’d make an exception.

I ate my pasta in silence, wondering how my dad had felt during these matches. Had he been as nervous as I was? Did he have friends to support him through the ups and downs? Was there a woman in his life yet? Maybe my mom? All of these thoughts rattled through my head, drowning out the nervousness I was feeling. I knew Ted wouldn’t hold back. He was probably going to try and inflict as much pain as he could. Tomorrow I could be leaving the arena seriously injured. This was the time to finally let go of my feelings. It was going to be me or him, and I wanted to come out on top.

I crawled into bed and hoped for a dreamless sleep.