Okay, so hopefully, a blow wouldn’t kill you, but it didn’t exactly look like it tickled either.
I stared around anxiously, surrounded by my alliance. Juno roared and plunged forward. We had no choice but to follow him, protecting his back and fending off any Mer who dared attack our flank. Starla was in between Dane and me, with Rip and Jaynelle bringing up the rear.
Our familiars were nowhere to be seen as yet. I prayed that Beazil would stay out of the fighting altogether, though I doubted that was realistic.
The crowd roared enthusiastically. Meanwhile, my stomach turned over in abject terror. This last, most bloody Trial happened entirely within the confines of the arena. That might make some Mers feel more secure, but not me. There was nowhere to run or hide. The audience was so close we could touch them, if it weren’t for the Magical force field that protected them and kept us inside.
I flinched as a young Mer bounced off the unseen barrier with a shriek.
Just then, a dark shadow swam over me. An enormous stingray had entered the field. It was followed by a great white shark and other familiars of various sizes. Beazil. I opened my mouth to call him but he saw me first.
He swam toward me without regard for the startled Mers in his path, the stingray at his side. I half expected them to attack each other, but they didn’t. I glanced at Dane and he gave me an odd look. I heard gasps from the other Mers around us. Starla was as white as a sheet.
“Was is it?”
“That’s—”
Dane shook his head and interrupted.
“It’s about to get real.”
“Real?”
“Serious. Stay close.”
Beazil swam directly above me, with the Stingray above Dane.
“He’s huge.”
Dane gave a distracted laugh.
“He’s a she. Her name is Zyrina.” He saw my look of wonder and added, “You never have to fear her.”
I cringed as a mean-looking swordfish appeared above Juno. Behind us, I saw a giant jelly above Jaynelle. Typical. She wasn’t much better than a jelly herself! Still, it was a useful familiar for battle. Its stingers hung down nearly ten meters, floating around her harmlessly. But I knew that if I were to brush them, I would be seriously injured, or worse. Rip’s familiar was a large eel. I was pretty sure it was looking at me. It swam closer and I felt it bump against my head.
“He likes you.”
I reached up to pet it and it curled around my forearm.
“He’s never done that before.”
Rip was grinning at me, which was kind of stupid considering we were in the midst of a battle. He didn’t see the spear barreling toward him from behind.
“Look out!”
I shoved him aside and brought up my daggers, crossing them in front of me to deflect the throw. Then pandemonium broke loose. I saw Dane engaged in hand-to-hand combat with a surly looking Mer in black. Starla was watching his back, her small weapon held at the ready. Above us, our familiars began fighting with other, thankfully less fearsome, familiars.
I saw Beazil take a bite out of a large tuna before I was distracted again. Juno was in the thick of it, tossing Mers this way and that. I shuddered, grateful that he was on our team. I wouldn’t stand a chance against someone of his size, never mind his naturally vicious nature.
He was born for this.
The crowd surrounding us thinned as more and more Mers were frozen in place, then removed by Medic teams wearing white tunics. I saw a few familiars being taken away, including the tuna Beazil had battled and defeated.
Honestly, I wasn’t so sure the tuna was going to make it.
Marcum, the three-eyed Mer, swam past us in the momentary calm, followed by an ancient-looking tortoise. He was being chased by a group of larger Mer, which instantly filled me with righteous indignation.
“Hey, you! Pick on someone your own size!”
I swam out to him without a thought of what I was doing. He shot me a grateful glance as we positioned ourselves back to back, fighting off a group of Mers I recognized. One Mer, in particular, filled me with dread.
Thalia.
“Well, sister, I should thank you for making things so easy for me.”
She sneered as she struck at me, her swords flying. She was covered in gilded armor, with her many weapons looking polished and recently sharpened. Still, I didn’t want to fight her.
“You are more ambitious that I thought, Thalia.”
I wouldn’t let her force me backward, but her attack was vicious and more skilled than I anticipated. I held my ground, slashing and blocking as best I could.
“I’m going to end this now.” Her perfect white teeth flashed in an unfriendly smile. “I want you out of the way.”
My eyes widened at the implication. At least one of her weapons was obviously not spelled. I was sure she thought her mother’s connections would get her out of trouble for breaking the rules. But it wouldn’t matter to me if she landed a killing blow.
I wouldn’t be here to complain about it.
I heard Dane shout in the distance, but the arena was filled with noise—the crowd cheering, Mers screaming in anger or pain, the clash of weapons, and the roars of the familiars.
One mistake. That’s all it took. One moment of distraction. Her sword found its mark, diving deep into my belly. I stared down at the blade sunk into me, too shocked to feel pain. Then Beazil was there, biting into Thalia’s arm.
No, not biting. He tore it clean off.
She screamed in agony, driving yet another blade into Beazil’s eye.
“Noooooo!”
I reached for her, ready to pull the blade from my body and drive it into her black heart. She’d killed my familiar. And she’d done it deliberately.
He twisted grotesquely in the water, his huge body thrashing.
I watched in horror as blood poured from his body. Then Juno was there, lifting his sword. But not to protect me.
He meant to finish what Thalia had started.
I saw a flash of shiny spikes, and Jaynelle was beside me, grabbing my arms and holding me still so Juno could finish me off.
I saw Dane and Rip a moment before the sword came down. Rip shoved Dane aside and thrust himself in front of me. The blade sank into his muscular shoulder, nearly tearing it in half.
One of Jaynelle's spikes pierced me as she, too, screamed, “No!”
She must actually care about him, I thought as consciousness fled. I was bleeding so badly now. And my dear, sweet Beazil was alone, most likely dying.
But I couldn’t help him. I couldn’t do anything. Judging from the rapid rate that blood was leaving my body, we’d be together soon enough anyway.
That’s when I felt myself being lifted. I glanced down, and the stingray was carrying me up and away. She was so large that I felt like I was riding a magical carpet, like one of the stories my father had told me as a child. I reached for Beazil as I passed but the ray was too fast. It was Dane’s familiar. He must have sent her to save me.
But without my own familiar, I wasn’t sure I wanted to live.
And what of Dane and Starla? They were alone now without Beazil or the ray to protect them. Rip and I were gone, betrayed by the other half of our team. I shook my head, trying to tell the ray to stop. Dane’s familiar was swooping toward camp, not in the arena where she was needed.
But I was too weak. Too lightheaded. I doubted I would last another five minutes.
I could barely keep my eyes open as I was delivered to the Med tent by the stingray.
I saw Mers bowing as we landed, which seemed odd. I was gently lifted from the ray. I reached out to stroke her velvety skin. Her eyes were intelligent as I gazed into them.
“Goodbye. And thank you.”
And then I gave in to the darkness.
Chapter 22
Pain. Sadness. Fear.
I tossed and turned in a half-dream state until heavy hands pressed down on me. I felt thick straps placed over my body at intervals, holding my shoulders, middle, and tail to the cot I lay on.
Cot. Med tent. Trials.
Thoughts trickled in, like unwelcome visitors. I was in pain. More pain than I’d ever known.
Not dead then, I thought with a bittersweet sigh.