Allyra and Jason were the only Firsts left in The Five Finals; in fact, the other five pairs were all either Fourths or Fifths. But they were no longer viewed as the weakest pair. Thanks to their latest challenge win, Allyra and Jason were second only to Xolani and François, who had also won their challenge. For the first time, the advantage won from the challenge was significant—they would sit out the first round of combat while the remaining four pairs fought it out.
* * *
Allyra followed Jason up metal stairs, the sound of their footsteps ringing hollowly in her ears. The Third Final was different than others—it was the only one that allowed for an audience. Temporary seating had been erected around the Combat Arena of the Inferno College to accommodate the audience. By all accounts, it was the hottest ticket of the year.
As they came into view, the audience roared their approval. Allyra refused to acknowledge the crowd in any way. Refused to think whether Jamie and Rob might be hidden amongst them. How watching her fight today would only reinforce in their minds the idea that she was truly a monster. She drowned out the cheering of the crowd and did her best to focus her mind on the task ahead.
The seat was cool as she sat down, the metal hard and unforgiving. The bench seating had been built from metal scaffolding, lifting the crowd high above the Arena. It gave the perfect bird’s eye view over the action but made no attempt at comfort. And one glance through the gap between the rows of seating convinced Allyra that no one with even the slightest fear of heights would’ve made it into the audience.
The Inferno College was set on an island formed over a hotspot beneath the Earth’s crust. The island was just one of many that existed in the great expanse of the ocean, created by the Pacific Ring of Fire. It barely broke through the ocean’s surface and was so small that it remained nameless and anonymous. Its magical tenant meant it was unknown to anyone but the Gifted. The Combat Arena below was a testament to the island’s origins. Its dark surface was uneven, where the lava had cooled rapidly as it flowed into the cool ocean water. And the air around them was saturated with the acrid smell of sulfur and ash, mixed in with the brine of the sea.
For the purposes of the Third Final, the lava had been formed into massive columns that dotted over the Arena. The audience above would have a perfect view, but from ground level, the combatants would be fighting in something that resembled a maze.
The first two pairs made their way into the Arena, and the crowd’s cheering reached fever pitch, already baying for blood. This first bout in the Third Final would be fought between Connor and Elisha, the Fifths from the Atmospheric College, and Owen and Eric, the Fourths from the Elemental College. This deep into the competition, neither pair showed any sign of nerves as they readied themselves though Elisha did briefly pull at the iron shackles on her wrists that suggested something of the thoughts running through her mind.
Marcus called for them to start, and immediately, Connor and Elisha darted away, hiding behind the columns. Owen and Eric took a more direct approach, stalking forward toward their prey.
The minutes ticked by, and Connor and Elisha continued to avoid direct confrontation, constantly darting between the columns. It didn’t take long for boredom to overtake the crowd, and soon enough, the cheers had turned to jeers. The crowd screamed with a single voice for the combatants to fight.
“What are they doing?” Jason muttered from beside Allyra. “Avoiding the fight is utterly illogical.”
Allyra shrugged. She couldn’t quite figure out Connor and Elisha’s strategy either. All four combatants were Infernos, so Connor and Elisha didn’t have any more endurance to exploit than Owen and Eric. Hiding among the columns didn’t seem to be a plan based on a sound foundation.
After twenty minutes of fruitless searching, the crowd’s agitation seemed to infect Owen, and he let out a roar of pure frustration. “Come out here and fight! Stop hiding, you cowards!”
A small smile worked its way onto Allyra’s lips. Perhaps Connor and Elisha had the right idea after all. Owen and Eric might be the stronger pair but only if they remained focused and on task. Right now, Owen looked angry enough to explode, certainly too angry to notice Connor perched on the column directly behind him.
Almost faster than the eye could follow, Connor swung from the column and landed a kick directly to the back of Owen’s head. Owen let out a howl of rage and pain. Distracted by the noise, Eric failed to see Elisha sneak up behind him, and she took hold of his neck and slammed his head directly into a column. The cooled lava column was as hard as rock, and in places, it was iridescent like black glass and equally as sharp. Elisha’s aim was perfect, and she drove Eric’s head into a razor-sharp edge. He fell to the ground with blood streaming down his face from a deep cut to the forehead. With the damage done, Connor and Elisha disappeared once more into their game of hide and seek.
Allyra bit back a grin. Owen was more than a little unsettled now and was twisting his neck around trying to see exactly where his opponents were. It was, all in all, a fairly accurate impression of a headless
