Page 50 of Edge of Wonder

The crowd roared, and I felt the vibrations under my feet.

“Enough! Keep playing,” I shouted.

But it was too late. He’d woken the beast. A gasp rushed through the throng of people as a vine shot across the field. It swiveled around the leg of the fallen criminal, who was still clutching his chest. The man’s eyes went wide, seconds before the vine dragged him screaming into the side of one of the planters. More vines descended, writhing around his body in a swarm of thick leaves until his cries were abruptly cut off.

A horrified silence stunned the arena.

“We’re all going to die!” the fallen man’s partner cried as pandemonium broke out on the field. A vine whipped him across the back, forcing him to run. He darted through the topiaries, barely staying ahead of the plant chasing him.

“Go, Alice! Take your turn,” I yelled over the screams ricocheting across the field. She hit her ball, ducking as a vine lashed through the air. The ball rolled through the wicket, and she slid in the grass, trying to reach the spot to continue her turn.

Another vine slithered across the turf, aiming for her ankle. I spun, using the spiked end of the mallet as a spear, and rammed it through the thick branch. The spike sank into the dirt, trapping the vine. I ripped the mallet from the ground and twisted the end to tear the vine straight out of the planter. It thrashed on the field, twitching its limbs, then fell still.

“Sebastian, watch your back,” Alice shouted, running towards me. I’d lost sight of the other players whirling to confront the latest onslaught. A vine sliced through my arm. Air hissed through my teeth at the fiery pain. The plant coiled around my bicep, the end twisting higher, trying to reach my neck.

Alice screamed my name and dropped to one knee at the base of the plant. She withdrew her dagger and sawed through the vine until it went limp.

“It’s your turn,” she cried as I ripped away my attacker.

I ran for the green ball, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Blood soaked the grass, dripping from one of the criminals on the second team. He scrambled unsteadily to his feet, reaching a hand toward me, his features contorted in terror.

“Help me—” His cry was silenced when Scarface used his mallet to shove the man into a nest of vines.

“Now there’s only four,” he cackled, dodging a ferocious branch.

I hit my ball, then scanned the field for Alice. Where was she? Panic clutched my throat when I couldn’t find her. In my peripheral vision, Scarface took his turn, then the remaining player.

“Alice!”

No. No. No.I turned in every direction. There were too many topiaries blocking my view of the field. Vines whipped through the air, and the thunder from the onlookers echoed in my ears.

Wait! Over there.My fingers went numb around the mallet, the tool useless when I spotted a swath of blue lying in the grass covered in vines. Time slowed, turning my feet to lead, and my body to stone. Around me, everything blurred, sounds fading.

A branch slashed me across the shoulders, and I went down, landing hard in the grass. Dirt and the metallic scent of blood assailed my senses. The field tilted savagely, my vision wavering from the pain. It was over. We weren’t going to win. I’d failed Alice.

With the vines circling, I rolled onto my back and stared up at the clear blue sky. Blue like Alice’s eternally mischievous gaze. The expanse was almost perfect in its pureness. It wasn’t stained with red. There was no terror, only that pristine, soothing blue.

A scream pierced the air.

Scarface’s partner fell. Now there were only three.Unless that was Alice on the ground…Then there were two. But the count didn’t matter. Soon there would only be one, and I didn’t give a damn what happened to him.

The announcer’s voice blared across the field, and I winced, squeezing my eyes shut.Can’t a man die in peace in this realm?

“This game is a stunner, folks! Look at our royal player go!”

My eyes snapped open.

Alice hurtled over a series of vines, skidding across the grass to reach her ball. Her mallet swung in the air, making contact with a sharp whack. A red blur rolled through a wicket. Kicking off the vines, I dug my fingers into the ground and pulled myself up to my knees as she shot again, this time tapping Scarface’s ball, sending it off course.

“Alice gets another turn!” the announcer cried.

Heart surging in my chest, I watched her race to align herself with the hoop. It was a tough shot, almost impossible at the current angle. But she was good. No, brilliant! I knew she’d make it. Alice didn’t hesitate. She smacked the ball, sending it skittering over the turf. I held my breath as the ball soared through the wicket.

“Alice wins! She can go to the finish platform.” The crowd nearly drowned out the announcer’s voice.

But she didn’t run for the platform. Instead, she searched for me. I struggled to my feet, intending to drag her there myself when a rage-fueled roar cut through the frenzy. “I’ll kill you for that!” Scarface swung his mallet. The blunt end hit Alice on the side. She dropped to her knees in the grass. Red swam in my vision as Scarface flipped the end of his mallet and raised it in the air.

I was already running, hurtling into his body. We crashed to the ground. Fury blinded me to everything except the scum beneath my fist. I elbowed him in the jaw, snapping his head back. The man was dazed, losing consciousness. The vines rustled around us, preparing to claim their next victim.

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