Page 21 of Ironhold, Trial Three

I look around at the other gladiators, wondering who I will be partnering with. If I am put in there with Rowan, Alaric or perhaps Vesper, then it seems likely the challenge will be a cooperative one, both of us up against whatever creatures they send. If I get Vex… then I’m sure it will be a fight to the death.

But Vex goes up first, along with Alaric, and to my surprise the two of them stand back-to-back, facing outwards, ready for any threats. The bout begins, and creatures seem to flow from the flames around the platform. I can feel them the way I feelother beasts, but these seem to be formed almost purely from fire. Alaric and Vex slash at them, cutting them down one after another. When a sword cuts through them, they seemed to burst apart in a flare of fire that makes the crowd gasp.

As Alaric and Vex fight against the elementals, the platform starts to spin slowly, making the footing underneath them less certain. It takes a moment for me to realize it, but the platform is also shrinking, contracting with every rotation so that Vex and Alaric have less space in which to fight against the elementals. Thankfully, since they are back-to-back, it doesn't seem to make any difference. They fight against the elementals, cutting them down in a seemingly ceaseless display of fire bursts as the creatures break apart. I can see the sand running out of a great timer, the last few grains falling from one bulb into the other. A gong sounds as they do so, and the flames die down, the fire elementals dissipating.

Vex and Alaric walk back across the bridge to cheers from the crowd. Alaric rubs at a few small burns. Vex’s cloak is charred. Otherwise, they seem unharmed. The two of them are not natural comrades in arms, but they seem to have worked out that in this challenge it is better to work together.

“The first two gladiators have survived,” the emperor says. “Let us see if the next two can do as well.”

He gestures to Lord Darius and the flames spring up again, the platform slowly rotating out to its full width.

“Lyra, Malira, step forward!” the emperor commands.

I walk across the bridge, clutching my weapons tightly.

"If we work together we can do this," I whisper across at her as we cross the bridge. "I know we fought in the maze, but there's no reason to do it here."

Malira doesn’t answer, but simply moves smoothly onto the platform. I move on to it as well, trying to find my footing, to understand how I will need to shift my balance. In here the heatof the flames is intense, enough to make me sweat even before the challenge has begun. Malira is standing across from me, her wound from yesterday sealed by the healers, her massive sword held ready. There is enough hatred in her eyes that I know what she will do next.

I see the great sand timer turning over, ready to start this bout. The gong sounds again, the reverberations of it carrying around the arena. Even before they have faded, Malira throws herself forward into an attack aimed straight at me.

Chapter Fourteen

Because I know the first attack is coming, I manage to avoid it, circling around the perimeter of the platform, swinging my weighted chain low at Maliria’s legs. She changes direction with impossible grace, leaping over the chain and charging at me once again.

I dodge this attack as well, not wanting to get caught up in a lengthy exchange of blows where the massive size and weight of her sword can batter against my defenses. It isn't how I've been trained to fight anyway. All of my training has focused on hitting and moving, trying to keep at a distance from my opponent, trying to confuse them and eventually find an opening.

“We don't have to fight like this,” I call out to her, in case it will do any good.

“But it's the quickest way to victory,” she shoots back. “I kill you and this challenge is over.”

She punctuates that by thrusting at me with her blade, taking a quick step to her left and then slashing in the moment afterwards. I dodge, but the sword still scores a line of blood across my stomach. The armor for the Champions Trials may be heavier than for the usual games, but it is still gladiatorial armor. It protects vital areas but leaves enough uncovered that the crowd is going to get the blood it craves.

I slash at Malira with the curved blade on the end of the chain, making her hesitate, and that's enough to let me gain some distance again. The crowd roars at the first sight of blood, and we keep going.

The first of the fire elementals detaches itself from the flames around the platform, it comes in and I wonder for a second if I might be able to take control of it. But its mind is an empty thing. I realize this is a construct more than a beast, not a natural thingat all. I thrust my spear home into it instead, and it bursts apart in a wash of flames that feels as hot as if I had been standing out in the sun all day without respite.

Malira uses the distraction to attack me again, moving quickly, so that I am forced to just defend, without any time in which to attack in return. I take a step and almost find myself toppling from the edge of the platform. It continues to shrink by the moment as I catch my balance and keep moving.

The crowd seems to be growing impatient now, jeering as I dodge.

“Fight!” a voice screams out.

“Kill her!”

I don't know if they mean that I should kill Malira or that she should kill me. I don't think it matters much to the person shouting it.

There are fewer elementals than in the fight that featured Vex and Alaric. It's obvious that Lord Darius, or whoever is summoning them, does so only to try to keep the action going. If I stray too far from Malira, or if I play defense for too long, one leaps out of the flames at me, but mostly it's just the two of us on the platform, surrounded by the flames.

There are no beasts here for me to summon. I have already established that I cannot control the elementals, and trying to call the shadow cat would take more power than I have, even if there were any shadows here for it to work with. The circle of flames seems to dispel any meaningful shadows for it to step through.

I reach out for a bird above, borrowing some of its sight. That will at least tell me if anything is coming up behind me and let me know where I am in relation to the edge of the platform. I duck under a sweep of Malira's blade, and I borrow more than just sight. A flicker of grace and agility flows into me, letting me avoid more of the attacks.

I dare a glance at the sand timer, trying to judge how long I have to survive here. I try to remind myself that doing so is the only objective here. If I can defend long enough, if I can just survive, then that is as good as if I defeat Malira. I keep parrying her blows, swinging my chain to keep her at bay, jabbing with my spear, trying to make sure she never has an opportunity to land a lethal attack.

Maybe if the platform were not shrinking, I might be able to do it. As it is, it seems as if there is forever still to go in the bout. My heart is hammering in my chest. My skin is pouring with sweat, so that even the haft of my spear feels slick with it and it is hard to keep a strong grip. I'm forced closer and closer to Malira.

The crowd shouts louder now, as if sensing that I am running out of places to run.

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