Page 48 of Edge of Wonder

My jaw tightened. That wasn’t much of a consolation at all. Alice was about to be thrust into an arena with desperate criminals. They’d do anything to win, even kill. There were no rules against harming the players. In fact, the crowd expected it. Carnage was all part of the show.

“There is no way I’m trusting Alice with any of those men.”

“Then what do you want to do? We don’t have much time. The challenge is going to start soon.”

I stared back at the arena. There was only one solution that came to mind.Looks like those lessons were going to come in handy, after all. It’s a good thing my mother’s not here to say I told you so.

“Get Alice ready and bring her here. I’ll handle the rest.”

***

A horn sounded, signaling for people to take their seats. I slipped through the tunnel beneath the arena, tracking the prisoners that had been led in through the side entrance. Torches lit the way, and I moved from column to column, staying out of sight of the guards. Mice skittered over the stone floor, running for the shadows as I passed. The air stank of mold and unwashed bodies from the poor ventilation, and I was grateful the challenge grounds would be out in the open air.

Voices echoed from a narrow passage. I paused and peered around the corner, locating the group of men. They were lined up two by two, with the last man at the back by himself. The solitary man was the lanky convict I’d locked eyes with. He didn’t have a partner, which meant he’d been paired with Alice. I rested my hand on the hilt of my dagger and edged toward the end of the tunnel. Hidden in the shadows, I pressed my back against the wall and waited.

Two guards stood in front of an arched doorway, but they weren’t paying any attention to the men. They were eager to get to the main event, already placing bets on who would go down first. The crowd rumbled from above; the vibrations causing dirt to crumble from the low ceiling. Noise would help my cause and muffle any signs of a struggle.

When a second horn pealed, the line moved. I crept behind the last man and pressed the tip of my dagger against his back. My forearm angled under his neck, silenced his startled cry.

The man fought beneath my grip. I tightened my hold, squeezing my arm until he lost consciousness and his jerky movements ceased. Hauling him further down the tunnel, I found an open store room and lowered him to the floor. He wouldn’t be out for long, but it didn’t matter. No one would hear him over the thundering crowd.

I secured the door with a wooden plank and bolted toward the stairs to join the other men.

“Each of you, take a mallet,” a guard shouted as we entered an armory. He pointed to a row of wooden clubs standing upright in a rack.

Keeping my head low, I selected the one closest to me, weighing it in my hands. It looked and felt the same as the mallets I’d used in the past, except this one had a unique feature. At the top of the handle was a six-inch-long spike.

The criminal with a shaved head and a scar running from his eye to his chin, snickered and impaled the air with his spike. He swung the mallet with a sinister look in his eyes, and his partner goaded him on with a dark laugh. My grip tightened on the handle when his gaze tracked to where I stood. His brow arched, acknowledging I wasn’t one of their original five, but he only leered and kept quiet.

“All right, let’s go over the rules.” A guard motioned for us to line up in front of an open archway. “You’re playing six-wicket croquet. We placed you in pairs, except for you on the end—” He pointed toward me, then continued, oblivious or not caring about the switch. “You’ll be paired with the royal player. The game is simple. Use your mallet to hit your colored ball through the hoops in the designated order. You’ll take turns as teams with the royal player going first. You win this round when you get your ball through the farthest hoop and step onto the finish platform. We aren’t tracking points. You just have to make it to the end.”

“Sounds easy enough,” a convict sneered. “What’s the catch?”

The guards glanced at each other with knowing smirks. “Survive round one, and you’ll enter the last part of the challenge. You’ll compete in three obstacles, leading to the winner’s platform. If you’re still alive at the end of both rounds, you’ll earn your freedom. The rest of you will be buried in the pit.”

“And what about the girl?” the scarred man jeered.

“She’s a royal player, but she’s fair game. Just like all of you. Do what you will.”

The man grunted and spun his mallet beneath his hand. His eyes glinted in the torchlight.

“Any other questions?” When no one answered, he jerked his head toward the arched door. “Then follow me onto the field. The game will start once the announcer gives the call.”

I was the last to enter the field. The sun was almost blinding after being inside the dim tunnels. I squinted until my vision settled. Throngs of people filled the seats, their shouts resonating across the court. Swirling topiaries dotted the field, and the green grass was freshly sheared. Six hoops were planted in the ground with the furthest one near a jagged drop-off. Beyond that lay the obstacle course which led through a deep passage of beige stone.

Alice already waited on the starting platform. She gripped her mallet tightly in her fist and a red ball rested near her feet.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as I jogged up onto the raised dais and took my place next to her. I examined my mallet, swinging it to test it out.

“I’m your partner, Alice. They needed another player at the last minute. I volunteered. Simple as that.”

She spoke between her teeth, still trying to form a smile for the crowd. “I don’t need your help. I can handle this on my own.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. I just felt like getting in on the action.” I waved to the people in the stands, sending up a raucous cheer and more than a few voracious whistles.

Alice made a choked sound in the back of her throat. “Silly me. Naturally, you wouldn’t miss an opportunity to attract a few more adoring fans.”

A man in a pleated green suit and shiny black shoes appeared on an overhanging balcony. His white-blond hair gleamed in the sunlight. Waving enthusiastically to the onlookers, he raised a megaphone to his mouth and addressed the crowd.

---