All That Lives Must Die

crossed a few weeks ago had spiked weights that swung back and forth so you’d have to dodge. The chain-link fences had barbed wires woven through them. And higher, there was a sloped bridge of solid ice, dripping in the overcast sky-impossibly slick.

They’d made the course harder.

Eliot jogged up to her, skidded to a halt, and took in the sight.

“This is wrong,” she whispered.

“Very wrong,” he said, and nodded to the far side of the coliseum.

Team Green Dragon had gathered there. They spotted Fiona and Eliot and moved toward them. . a slow trot, and then a faster run.

And just emerging around the opposite side of the jungle gym was Team Wolf. . Donald van Wyck at the head of his pack.

Mr. Ma was nowhere in sight.

“This is not good,” Robert said, joining them.

Jezebel limped up next to Eliot. “As you said. . there was one more part of the test to pass.”

“How can that be?” Sarah asked. She stood with them in a line, facing the other teams. “There can’t be three teams on the field at once.”

Van Wyck called as he approached, “Has to be a mistake, huh? Green Dragon and Wolf matched against Scarab?” His pale face split into a wicked grin, and he turned to the Dragons. “Whatever shall we do about it?”

The Captain of the Dragons was a boy who looked like a weight lifter. “Rules are clear,” he said. “If there’s a Dragon flag, we’re going to get to it-and stop our opposition from getting to theirs.”

Van Wyck halted and turned to the jungle gym.

The Wolf flag unfurled next to the Dragon’s. . and on the opposite corner, the Team Scarab banner appeared, rippling in the wind.

All the joy Fiona had felt a moment ago curdled. She remembered Van Wyck’s promise never to hurt anyone on her team-except in gym class, where violence was encouraged. . and lethal violence allowed.

Jeremy and Mitch trotted up last, joining the rest of Team Scarab on the field.

“We won’t play,” Fiona told them. “They can’t do this.”

“They are doing it,” Jeremy declared, “whether we play or not, dearie.”

Mitch said nothing, but moved to Fiona’s side. A ball of white-blue light appeared and smoldered in his clenched hand.

Fiona’s mind floundered. There were outnumbered, outpowered, about to get pounced on and torn to bits.

Eliot was unfazed. He took out Lady Dawn and set the instrument on his shoulder. “I’m ready to fight,” he told her. “Tell us what to do.”

Eliot’s unwavering confidence snapped Fiona out of her panic.

“Okay,” she told them. “I’ve got a plan-listen.”

Just then, however, Van Wyck took out Mr. Ma’s starting pistol.

If that was supposed to scare Fiona, it wouldn’t. That thing fired only blanks.

But he didn’t point the gun at her; instead, he aimed it into the air and-with the remaining three fingers on his hand-fired.

39. TWO AGAINST ONE

Team Dragon and Team Wolf sprinted toward Eliot and the rest of Team Scarab.

Eliot wasn’t scared. He was ready to fight.

Robert had taught him how to stay cool and not burn through his adrenaline reserves when they’d sparred. He’d also learned when to move quick, strike, and finish an opponent before they knew what hit them.

The other teams spread out and slowed, making sure Team Scarab couldn’t escape.

One worry: Eliot had learned to fight only one-on-one.

How did you protect yourself against sixteen enemies at once? Or protect everyone else on your side?

Especially Jezebel. She looked like she’d already been through one major battle today.

For all Eliot knew, that could be true. Had she crossed some battlefield in Hell just to get to Paxington for midterms? He wished she’d open up and tell him.

Too much thinking. They had to take the initiative-or lose it.

“Fiona?” he whispered. “What’s the plan?”

She tore her gaze from the onrushing teams. She blinked, and her features screwed with intense concentration. “Right-the plan is to get to the jungle gym and our flag.”

Robert whispered, “You’re actually going to play this stupid game?”

“It be the only way,” Jeremy told him. “End the match, and then there’s no fighting allowed.”

“If that’ll stop Dragon and Wolf,” Mitch countered.

“At least on the gym, we’ll have some cover,” Sarah said, panic creeping into her voice.

Amanda’s hands were at her throat, too scared to add an opinion.

Fiona turned to Eliot. “Get us some cover to cross the field.”

Eliot nodded. He understood what she asked of him.

He might hurt the others. Or worse. But Van Wyck was out for their blood. Eliot had to defend himself and his teammates. . whatever that took.

“Leave them to me.” His voice sounded hollow and cold and not his at all.

Eliot tapped his bow on Lady Dawn’s strings, the opening of “The March of the Suicide Queen,” and skipped a third of the way into the piece-where shrieking notes built to a crescendo: the entrance of the cannoneers.

He cast three shadows upon the grass, and through them wheeled forth cannon pushed by crews in mud- spattered blue uniforms with white bandoliers.[39]

Their appearance from nowhere stopped the charging Dragons and Wolves dead in their tracks.

Van Wyck, after only a heartbeat to assess the situation, shouted, “Scatter! Quick! Circle around!”

The cannoneers lit the fuses while they sang:

Keep the powder dry

there’s little more dire

Watch your step, laddie

lest your boots a’mire

Stuff the wad with care

load the grapeshot, squire

Damn the devil back to hell

and let the cannons fire!

Flame and thunder belched from open metal maws.

A girl on Team Dragon motioned as a cannon ball arced toward her. The black iron blurred translucent and passed through her and into the earth.

Elsewhere, though, lawn exploded twice and cratered, and dirt showered into the sky.

Two on Team Wolf were blasted backwards-landed, bounced, and slowly crawled off. . out of the fight for now.

Eliot worried how badly they were injured, but nonetheless played on.

His cannoneers tried in vain to reposition their artillery as the rest of Dragon and Wolf flanked them.

Well, Eliot could change tactics, too.

“Get ready to run,” he whispered to his team.

Only now did he look at his teammates. They watched the other teams, arms raised defensively. . except