High Master Zhuang ran his gaze over Jeong, disgust clear on his face.
“Yes,” High Master Zhuang said, his voice ringing out around the room, and silence dropped like a curtain over everyone within earshot. “Yes, by Evanescing out and leaving his partner behind, Jeong Lee will now be cast out from amongst the Gifted and cut off from his Gift.”
Jeong’s jaw dropped in horror, his privileged and arrogant mask slipping, leaving behind a scared and vulnerable coward.
“But…” Jeong stuttered.
“No,” High Master Zhuang said, cutting short Jeong’s protest. “Mr. Lee, I gave you all a very clear warning at the start of The Five Finals. There is no graver indiscretion than to leave your partner behind. It simply won’t be tolerated.”
High Master Zhuang turned and looked over the other Competitors. “Let this be my final warning to you. Loyalty is treasured above all else. Never leave your partner behind.”
He gestured to four waiting Cleaners to take hold of Jeong. “Drop him somewhere far away, melt iron to his wrists and ankles, sink it into his bones so he may never use his Gift again,” he instructed.
As the Cleaners started to lead away a struggling Jeong, Allyra jumped in front of them.
“Wait!” she shouted. “That can’t be all. He left Chi to die, he shouldn’t be allowed to just walk away.”
“Miss Warden,” High Master Zhuang said gently. “He’s being punished. Do not let vengeance cloud your judgment.”
“You told us that before the Betrayal, anyone who left their partner behind would be sent into the Between, where Revenants would be waiting. Being sent into exile here is far from being a comparable punishment.”
“What would you have me do, Miss Warden?” High Master Zhuang asked, his voice tired.
“I would have you punish him. I would have him suffer the way Chi did,” Allyra answered coldly, her voice even and emotionless. The fury within her had burned itself to embers, leaving her cold but filled with conviction.
“There is an alternative.”
High Master Zhuang’s head shot up at the new voice, and Marcus strolled through the crowd.
“If you want him to be punished in a way other than the one set out by High Master Zhuang, then you’re going to have to do it yourself. At least, it can only be done by one of the remaining Five Finals Competitors,” Marcus explained coolly.
“I don’t think—” High Master Zhuang protested, but Marcus ignored him and cut him short.
“Miss Warden wants to punish Mr. Lee, and I’m simply letting her know that she can,” Marcus said, turning to face Allyra. She felt a familiar shiver of loathing crawl down her spine. She tamped down on it fiercely, because for once, Marcus was offering her something she wanted.
“The alternative punishment is one-on-one combat, but one of the remaining Competitors will have to volunteer for it,” Marcus continued. “If you volunteer, you can punish him all you want, and make him suffer as much pain as you see fit, as long as you’re confident of your ability to beat him. If you do, and choose to allow him to live, he will still have to suffer the same exile as High Master Zhuang has already outlined. But, be warned, if you lose to him, then he gets to live and continue his life as if none of this had ever happened.”
Marcus ran his eyes over the remaining Competitors. “The choice is yours. Would you like to take the risk and punish him further? Or would you simply like to let things lie and allow him to be thrown into exile?”
“Wait,” High Master Zhuang interjected. “Before any of you make your choice, you should also know that losing in this one-on-one combat would mean immediate elimination from The Five Finals.”
Marcus inclined his head, acknowledging the truth of High Master Zhuang’s words.
“Any takers?” Marcus queried casually.
Without hesitation, Allyra stepped forward.
“I’ll volunteer,” she said firmly.
To her surprise, Jason also took a step forward, only half a heartbeat behind her. “And I,” he said, looking at Allyra, his gaze steady but unreadable.
From across the room, Henri tried to sit up in her bed, struggling against Adriana’s hand holding her down. Henri was pale and wan after the ordeal of the Second Final, and she was still attached to a drip, but there was no mistaking the glint of determination shining in her eyes.
But it was Adriana’s voice that rang out. “Count me in,” she said, her hand keeping Henri down.
Marcus’s lips curled up in amusement. “So many volunteers,” he said, turning to Jeong. “Well. Mr. Lee, it seems that the choice lies with you. Choose who you’d like to face in combat.”
Jeong shrugged off the Cleaners’ grip. Like a man realizing he’d just won the lottery, a smile slid back onto his face. He ran his gaze over Jason but quickly moved on, passing over Adriana and her grim determination, written in her still poise. Finally, his eyes landed on Allyra, and his smile spread farther.
“Her,” he said, “I’ll take on Allyra Warden in one-on-one combat.”
“I accept,” Allyra replied, her voice cold and emotionless, even as hate seethed and roiled within her, forming a deep rift between the mask she wore and her true feelings. Deception and subterfuge were like second nature to her now.
“Well then,” Marcus declared, his blithe tone at odds with the tension that hung thick in the room. “Now that’s been decided, I wanted to offer my congratulations to Miss Warden.”
Her name spoken by Marcus was enough to jolt her from staring down Jeong. Marcus waited for her eyes to meet his before continuing. Waited for her to see the slightly mocking smile gracing his lips, for her to read his words as
