‘Lead the way.’
The three boys hopped between several low platforms as they made their way towards the tower. Halfway to their destination, the platforms were replaced by a long series of poles suspended from pairs of parallel chains. Within seconds they were swinging from bar to bar in rapid succession, gradually climbing higher. Titus reached the tower first, and Annev watched as Therin swung to the final chain-bar. The lithe acolyte swung back and forth, building up momentum before launching himself towards a platform built into the tower’s exposed scaffolding. Near the end of a graceful arc, Therin tucked his legs, tumbled into the structure, and sprang to his feet. He rushed back to the opening a moment later, his face flushed with excitement.
‘Come on!’ he shouted to Annev, panting for breath.
Annev rocked back and forth then launched himself onto Therin’s previous perch, caught the last bar and used his momentum to wind up for a final leap. As he did, a dark figure appeared at the top of the tower, casting a long shadow down its length.
‘Yes, do hurry up,’ the speaker called. ‘We’re tired of waiting for you.’
Five other figures joined the shadow at the edge of the tower, their individual forms becoming one dark mass. Annev squinted up and saw Jasper, Kellor, Janson, Brinden and Kenton. At the heart of the group, with a smug look on his face, was Fyn.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Annev released his bar and tumbled into the tower just as the laughter died down.
‘Hey, Annev!’ Fyn hollered. ‘Kenton says if we threw you off this tower, that black stuff would keep you from breaking your legs. I say we test it, though. See if your legs heal as fast as your wrist.’
Titus looked at Annev, a mixture of awe and fear stamped across his face. ‘Did you fight Fyn … outside a class?’
Annev shrugged.
Titus’s mouth hung open. ‘But … you’re not dead.’
Fyn leaned menacingly over the top of the scaffold wall and caught a glimpse of Titus in the bowels of the tower.
‘What about you? Want a flying lesson?’
Titus cringed and shrank deeper into the tower.
‘Hey, Fyn!’ Therin called back, his eyes searching for an obvious route to the top of the tower. ‘If Kenton’s so sure no one will get hurt, you should chuck him over the edge!’
Fyn laughed. ‘Maybe I will, if I get bored waiting for you!’ The other boys – excepting Kenton – joined in the laughter, but Fyn wasn’t finished. ‘I want to see Annev first, though,’ he continued. ‘That cheeky bastard stole my red glove! Real fancy one, with birds on it!’
Jasper and Kellor roared at this, and Annev heard the distinctive sound of Brinden snicker-snorting. Titus frowned.
‘What’s he talking about?’
‘Nothing,’ Annev said, glad he’d chosen to wear Sodar’s patchwork glove for the competition.
‘So,’ Therin said, unafraid to ask the obvious. ‘What do we do now?’
Titus looked around then shook his head. ‘I figured there’d be some way to climb the tower. With them at the top, though …’ Titus shrugged. ‘What should we do, Annev?’
Annev surveyed the innards of the scaffolding tower. Giving up wasn’t an option.
‘We’ve got to be clever if we want to win,’ Annev said, ‘so what do we know? It’s three against six, and we have to get up there if we’re to reach the scissor-field. Or is there another way?’
Titus surveyed the field around them but finally shook his head.
Annev was silent, thinking. Magic light filtered between the thin cracks of the tower’s planks, revealing the shadows of the boys above them. Annev stared intently at the ceiling, and then a smile spread across his face.
‘What if we dropped the floor out from under them?’
Therin immediately liked the suggestion.
‘How?’
Annev studied the ceiling and walls. ‘The masters reuse a lot of this wood each Testing Day. It’s built to come apart really easily. We could use that.’
Therin nodded more vigorously. ‘Yeah. I’ll take a look.’ He turned, jabbed his fingers into the gaps between the boards of the tower walls, and began climbing.
Annev watched the boy scale the wall, a second idea forming in his head. ‘Titus, can you show me where that ramp disappeared to? If we can figure out when it’ll come back, maybe we can reach it from down here and avoid Fyn altogether.’
Titus nodded enthusiastically and led Annev to an opening on the eastern side of the tower. The suspended bars they had used were still swinging and beyond them a platform steadily rose and fell.
‘Where was it?’ Annev asked. ‘Do you see it now?’
Titus shook his head. ‘I think it’s attached to that track down there.’ Titus pointed at a wide metal track, raised just above the surface of the black goo. ‘I didn’t get a good look at it, but it’s long.’
‘That doesn’t help much.’
‘I mean it’s really long. Even though it was on the opposite side of the tower, I could see it slanting out of the top. Then, when it started to move away, it flipped down and folded in half.’
Annev pursed his lips and tried to recall the glimpse of the arena he had stolen before Ather had knocked him back to join the other boys. There had been something sticking out of the tower, but it hadn’t come from the top. It had jutted from the middle, straight as a knife blade.
Annev smiled.
‘I don’t think we’ll need to climb to the top,’ he said. ‘We might need to climb to the northern side to get to the ramp, but we should be able to board it before it reaches as far as the top.’
‘So we won’t have to fight Fyn and the other avatars!’ Titus was visibly relieved.
‘We may, if they see us clinging to the side of the tower. We’ll have to time it …’
Annev trailed off as he noticed the new figure standing on the viewing platform. In contrast to Ather’s crimson tunic and Tosan’s red and black robes, the young woman wore a dark green dress and her hair hung loose around her shoulders.
‘Myjun,’ Annev whispered, suddenly oblivious of everything else around him.
She stood between Ather and Tosan, clearly searching for something or someone. When she glimpsed Annev, she brazenly waved to him, then stopped, glancing at her father, but Tosan’s attention was elsewhere.
Annev leaned out to return Myjun’s wave.
She’s watching the test, he thought, excited. Then his heart dropped into his stomach. Of course she’s watching. She wants to see if I finally earn my title …
‘Blood and bones,’ he swore.
‘What?’ Titus said, poking his head out of the tower. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing, I just—’ Annev broke off again as he saw Myjun beckoning to him. Tosan noticed this time, though, and Myjun hid her intent by casually bringing her hand to her mouth, forcing a yawn.
What does she mean …?
‘Annev! Hey!’ Therin snapped his fingers in front of Annev’s face.
Annev blinked, registering that Therin had returned. He squinted at Myjun once more then forced himself to focus, letting the question go.
‘Sorry. Got distracted.’