Allyra didn’t give much away, her voice remained level and only vaguely interested in the subject at hand.
“Don’t neglect defense. Plunging around in that jungle with our flags would be irrational. Find a defensible position.” She shrugged carelessly, “Maybe use the edge of the dome to provide some built in protection. Leave four in defense. Divide the rest into two teams of three to scout the Arena – not to engage with the other team, but to find out what their strategy is. Only take action if we find the Elemental flag first.”
Allyra shrugged again, “Take it or leave it – doesn’t matter to me either way – as long as we win.”
Jason nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off her. He smiled – slow and predatory, then snapped back into the role of leader. “Fine. We’ll take Allyra’s strategy.” He announced brusquely, “Cole, Jamie, Pierre and Lara take the defensive position – “
“No.” Jamie interjected firmly. “I’ll be more effective in offense.” He locked eyes with Jason in a war of wills – neither of them willing to back down.
Eventually Jason looked away. “Fine.” He said, annoyance clear in his voice – as if he had to deal with an unruly child. “Have it your way. Cole, Rosalie, Pierre and Lara take the defensive position.” He held up his hand as Rosalie made to protest. “No, I’m not going to debate this any further. The two scouting teams will be myself, Allyra and Eric in one and Jamie, Ian and Lin in the other.”
Jamie was about to interject again – there was no way he was leaving Allyra with Jason, but she beat him to it. “No.”
“No?” Jason asked, his eyes glittering dangerously. “Didn’t I just say I wasn’t going to debate this any further?”
She smiled, unaffected by his obvious irritation. “Sure – but your poor resource management bothered me enough that I couldn’t stand by silently any more.” She said coolly.
Jamie groaned inwardly. Was she trying to antagonize Jason on purpose?
“Really? Poor resource management? Please do explain.” Jason said, his voice dripping with honeyed sarcasm.
“Eric, Ian and Lin are all Oceanics – agility – these trees are going to be their playground. They should make up one team – make use of the height – after all, no one ever said the Elemental flag was going to be on the ground. That leaves you, me and Jamie on the other team.”
Rosalie couldn’t hold herself back any longer and she jumped in, “If you’re going to team Oceanics together, then I should be on the other scouting team – make it one of Infernos – myself, Jamie and Jason. You – “ Rosalie said, staring down at Allyra, “Should stay behind.”
Allyra smiled nonchalantly, “I’d be happy to – if that’s what you want.” She directed her words at Jason rather than Rosalie – acknowledging him as the leader over Rosalie. She was apparently going out of her way to provoke everyone – he really needed to give her a talking to regarding proper strategy…
An uneasy silence fell over the group as Allyra stopped speaking, everyone waiting to see how Jason would react. His gaze had been fixed on Allyra, even while Rosalie spoke, but she didn’t return his attention. Now that she’d succeeded in antagonizing the most dangerous people on the team, Allyra’s eyes had drifted back over the Arena, apparently disinterested in the rest of the conversation.
Jason allowed the silence to stretch uncomfortably and a couple of people shifted their feet nervously. He seemed to be making up his mind whether to reassert his authority, but Jamie thought it unlikely – Allyra’s argument had been sound and to go against it would only make Jason seem petty and ultimately undermine his position as the unofficial leader of the Gold team.
Jason finally nodded, giving in, but if the dangerous glint in his eye was anything to go by, Allyra had only succeeded in prodding the bear. Jason turned to Rosalie, “You’re still staying behind – we need some fire power in defense. The Oceanics can form one scouting team. Allyra, Jamie and I will form the second.”
Rosalie appeared as if she wanted to protest, but she wilted under Jason’s vicious glare and ultimately nodded. Jason then looked over the whole team, meeting each person’s eyes individually. “Work as a team and give it everything.”
It was unnecessary for him to add that there for be severe consequences for anyone who failed to give their all. The threat was implied and everyone seemed to understand it.
Chapter 27 – Allyra
The jungle was even denser than it had appeared from the outside. Weak light filtered through the canopy giving the ground a pale dappled appearance. Vines dripped from the branches, indistinguishable from a snake and Allyra wondered uncomfortably whether the other team was the only danger lurking in this jungle.
She’d never been a fan of snakes and if she grabbed one instead of a vine – she was pretty sure it would permanently destroy her calm.
The dense vegetation and the trees provided significant cover, but she felt uncomfortably exposed. She was used to big open spaces and the jungle closed in around her, making her feel slightly claustrophobic.
The closeness of the trees reminded her painfully of the Walking Forest. That, combined with the knowledge that anything could hide in this mass of intertwining greenery made her feel jumpy and unsettled. She tried to re-gather her nerves – it had been fun enough goading Jason and Rosalie, but they still had to actually win this thing.
The vegetation was a perfect replica of a jungle, but it lacked the hot humidity of the real thing. Once in it, she was conscious of the unnatural silence that surrounded them. There were no birds singing, no chirp of insects and no rustle of wind through the leaves. The silence was the perfect protection for her, it wrapped around her like a suit of armor. In it, she was literally in her element,
