I let him go. He leaves the void, hurtling to the floor below. I stay in my position and watch as he cracks open when his body hits the half-wall encasing the lifts. I project myself outside next to the statue. The building vanishes, as does all the other props around me, and I’m back on the battle floor. I collapse from the loss of blood.
“Congratulations, Max,” a female voice calls out from hidden speakers. “We will now transport you to the medical office for evaluation.”
The room spins as I close my eyes and wait to be teleported.
Sixteen
When I open my eyes, Matron Kaniz is standing at the foot of my bed, a large smile on her face. Obviously she’s pleased with my victory, though I’m not. I murdered Drake. Dropped him out of the void so he would hit the bottom. His death plays over and over in my head. Part of me regrets it, but not all of me.
I’m turning into one of them. I’m starting to think everyone else’s life means nothing and can be easily dismissed or taken.
“That was quite a showdown you had with Drake,” Matron Kaniz says, slowly walking up alongside my bed. “I didn’t think you had it in you to kill that way. Matron Violet was not too happy Drake died the way he did. I think she’ll order the other Rapids to target you.”
“What else is new?” I mumble.
“You’ll be released tomorrow and sent back to the unit. The second round will begin in a couple of days, allowing you to get some rest.”
“What’s the format for the second round?”
She smiles, holding her lips tightly together. “You know I can’t tell you that.” She steps towards the door, but stops before leaving. “How did you strip Drake of his weapons? It appeared as if you touched them.”
“They were stuck in my arms,” I lie. “He must not have had a good grip on them when I looped.”
She seems to buy my answer and leaves. I lift up my arms, looking at the heavy bandages they’re encased in. More scars to add to the collection. I plop my head back down on the pillow and close my eyes. My stunt with the Deer Horn knives was a risky move. I’ll need to be more careful if I try that again. Who knows what the Keepers will do if they realize the Patrician have modified me.
I don’t get much rest. The nurses come in every couple of hours to change my bandages. I only catch glimpses of the injuries, and they look as bad as they feel. The one along my side is giving the nurses the most trouble. It doesn’t want to heal on its own, so they wind up stitching it. I’m not sure why they didn’t do that to begin with, as the doctors in the Outer Limits would’ve done that first. At least, that’s what they did when the Aedox were done with us. I’m pumped full of medication before I can leave. The nurses hand me a clean pair of clothes. I’m almost done dressing when my door opens, but it’s not Matron Kaniz, it’s Matron Ancilla from the Dead Mark unit.
“Hello, Max,” she says from the doorway. “Matron Kaniz has been called away to see the Keepers, so I will be escorting you to the lift back to your unit.”
Matron Ancilla is an inch taller than me and with blonde hair so white that it bleaches out her already extremely pale complexion. She looks a little nervous to be down here, but covers it up when she sees that I’ve noticed. I put my shoes on, comb my hair with my fingers, and join her in the hallway. We walk the length of the corridor, then exit out the door that’ll take us down another long hallway to the lifts. The area is poorly lit, with only sporadic patches of light. The air is cool and the hallway feels more like a large chamber by the way our footsteps echo around us.
“Max,” Matron Ancilla says, grabbing my arm suddenly and pulling me to a stop. She turns me to face her. “Be careful that you don’t show the Keepers your ability to grasp the other players’ weapons.”
My mouth falls open, but I can’t speak.
“The Patrician are counting on you getting to the event without incident. What you did with Drake was too risky. Another trick like that and they’ll catch on.”
“What makes the Patrician think I’m going to the event to help them? They mutilated my hands for their own purposes. That’s no reason for me to support them.”
“So what did you do?” Her voice rises to an alarming level.
I pull down the left side of my shirt, showing her the dragon.
“You joined the Dracken? But why?”
“I have my own reasons.” I start walking again.
She has to hurry to catch up to me. “Does this have anything to do with your parents? If so, Max, then you don’t know the truth. You don’t know what we’re up against.”
“Then tell me!” I shout at her. I stop so abruptly, she almost runs into me.
“I can’t.”
“Then don’t trust me,” I say angrily.
I’m tired of being kept in the dark by everyone. I’ve made up my mind that I’m not fighting for anyone but myself. I’m not going to be a puppet for either side. I won’t protect anyone but myself. Getting to the event is my only goal. I have a feeling a lot will be revealed during that time, since everyone is alluding to my need to be there.
I step out the door, cross over to the lift, and go back to my unit. Frey and Addie are waiting for
