“Nicely done, casters. Let’s move on. Game 2 is Rock Climb Race. This race was created for demon hunters to train and hunt the Takin demons. Those demons are expert climbers. And to keep up with them, you have to practice climbing periodically because your life may depend on it. This Match is timed, but we will not disclose how long you have. Keep climbing until you’ve reached the top. If you're still on the wall when the ending blast sounds, your points will decrease. Please come up to the mark on the ground and make a straight line across. Good luck.” She disappears back to her seat. Looking forward I see an endless wall in height and length. Evan takes my hand and leads me to two white X’s that are marked on the ground, and Lucas and Derek take the two next to us. I look around to see all of the competing casters hurry to find an empty mark. When they're all filled, we ready ourselves for the sound of the blast.
“Meet you at the top, love.” Evan says for last minute encouragement. I'm glad rock climbing was one of the things Dad made Demi and I do at his gym, or I would feel intimidated. But with the mix of the water elixir from the refreshment tables and the excitement of the event, I feel confident and ready to reach the top. The loud burst echoes in the air, and every caster waiting in the line runs forward at dizzying speeds to reach the wall. I'm not far behind Evan. I see him pounce on the wall and expertly climb up. Keeping pace with him is my first goal, the next is reaching the top with him. With a smile on my face, I quickly jump onto the wall. Instead of the fake rocks that most gyms use, the Elders decided to make this as realistic as possible. Jagged rocks stick in and out of the mountain-like wall.
I rapidly search for nooks and crannies to grab a hold of. And at first, I can tell that I'm rusty. But as the time goes by, I get faster and faster. I come up to Lucas and pass him without looking. Not long after, I see Evan racing his way to the top. I push myself harder and quickly come up to his side. Looking over at him and sending a wink his way, I look back up and see that there isn't much of the wall left to climb. With one more push, I move faster past Evan. Just as I touch the top, I see him reach up, too. Together we pull up and sit on the edge of the enormous wall that we just climbed by each other’s side, the first two to make it to the top. He shouts a loud “Woo!” and takes my face in his hands, kissing me with more force than usual, and it takes my breath away. Lucas pops up and shouts just as loud as Evan just did. They high five each other and wait for Derek, who is only seconds behind his brother, repeating the same victory shouts. I stand up and join the guys on the opposite side of the edge.
Evan looks over at me, taking my hand in his. “We jump off, a few feet from the ground you’ll feel a quick shift. The Sisters enchant the last few feet to make it feel like you're in water. Swim in the air to the ground. Once your feet touch the ground, the cast is broken.” With one nod, I take one step off of the wall and free-fall from an unimaginable height with my Anima Partem right by my side.
Chapter 37
The Caster Matches
Day II Part II
As we await the other casters to jump off of the wall, I stand there, trying to regain my equilibrium. My legs feel like mush after that quick and exhilarating climb then falling and swimming back down to the ground. Evan said it was normal for my legs to feel this way for anyone who’s never experienced the swim effect. So with some difficulty, I stand up straight and take hold of Evan’s hand. He looks over at me and realizes my struggle, leading me over to the refreshments table. He hands me a cup of the energy elixir. I gulp it down and instantly feel my bones and my body start to re-energize themselves. After a few moments, I feel invigorated and back to my usual self.
The blast sounds in the air and only half of the casters that are competing are down on the ground. I look up at the big screen, showing the casters that are still in mid-climb on the other side of the wall. More than I expected have not passed this challenge, and I can’t help but be surprised. Apparently, it is clear on my face because Evan places his arms around me. “Don't be so surprised. This is a tough event. I'm honestly surprised at how many did make it over,” he says, as he takes a look around. “But you, Scarlet, made it there first, with me. And I couldn't be prouder of you.” He leans down and gives me a sweet peck on the lips. Ava appears in front of us and snaps her fingers. The casters that were still climbing when the blast went off appeared behind us all that did make it over.
“Impressive,” she says, with a nod of her head. “Game 3, we will be testing your ability to nurse a wound. When you complete nursing one, another will automatically appear. Continue healing as many injuries as you can until the blast goes off. The more injuries you heal, stitch, and bandage correctly, the higher your points will be. Is this understood by everyone?” She asks us. We respond and she continues. “Those of you that have not had a chance to drink the elixir, take this time to do it because the next blast is set to be going off soon.” With that said, she disappears, and the other competing casters race to the tables to grab their boost of energy. Moments later, the sound of the blast goes off, and we all run up to our designated areas. Each location has its own large room. It looks like an operating room you would see in a hospital. There are nine cubicles in this room, and each cubical has a stainless-steel operating table in the middle with the circular overhead lights positioned over it. The cubicle looks sterile, and it’s very chilly. Evan runs over to the right corner, and I follow right behind him. Standing in my own private square, I attempt to prepare myself for what is coming.
One second passes, and my small area is suddenly filled with all kinds of medical tools and kits. The next second passes, and an arm appears on the stainless-steel operating table. This arm looks incredibly realistic and I can’t help but wonder if it is. There are five long gashes going down the arm. It looks like an animal or demon dug deep into the flesh. I hear a caster across the room loudly vomit, as the bloody body part appears on his operating table. I take a deep breath and try to focus on the lacerations before me. I quickly put on latex gloves, grab the gauze, and throw some peroxide on it to clean the skin around the slashes. When I'm satisfied, I grab the miniature butterfly stitch Band-Aids and cover each slit closed. I then grab more gauze and cover the swollen cuts. Finding an Ace bandage, I wrap the wounds. And as soon as I finish, the arm and the blood vanish from the stainless-steel table as if nothing was ever there.
A hand with two broken fingers now takes the place of the arm. I lift the hand and turn it over to see that the middle and index fingers are bent all the way back, almost touching the wrist. I push my latex gloved fingers down on it, and it touches the top of the hand, causing me to quiver from nausea. Taking another deep breath, I hold the two broken fingers together, and I snap them back to their normal position. I grab two wide Popsicle size sticks and place one on the top of the fingers and the other on the bottom. I then find the surgical tape to wrap the sticks with the fingers in the middle. When the hand doesn't disappear, I realize I must be missing something. Trying to think fast, I take the rubber gauze adhesive tape. And I start with the splint I made for the broken fingers, wrap it once, then twice, when finally, the hand disappears.
This time I almost do gag and have to take some more calming breaths, to get my focus back on track. A woman’s head appears in place of the hand. Her face is down on the board with the back of her head facing up. I can see blood running down her gray hair and locate an open gash on the back of her head. Quickly I take surgical scissors to cut off the hair around the wound, taking a few more shaky breaths. I begin with the peroxide, drenching thick gauze with it, covering the injury, and cleaning it thoroughly. I pick up the surgical needle and string. And as I stitch the gash back together, I feel my eyesight fading in and out. I didn't know this kind of stuff grossed me out until now. But then again, I’ve never been in a situation that would place me in a war zone. When I cut the string, the head disappears, as does the blood that came with it. Before anything else could appear, the sound of the blast echoed throughout the arena, and I look back to see
one caster passed out on the floor and another throwing up in a waste basket. Evan leans back and raises his eyebrows. “How many did you do?” He asks me.
“Three,” I say, with slight pride. He raises his hand and waits for me to slap it. “Me too, love. Damn we are good!” He says. I’ve realized he gets extremely ecstatic when we accomplish something together. I smile at his over-enthusiasm and pull him in for a hug. “We both got two,” Derek says, as he leans up against my cubical. We walk out of the other door in the room and find the same refreshment tables set up. We each drain a cup and wait for Ava to announce the next Match, and I am more than happy that this day is going by faster than yesterday’s.
Ava appears in front of the crowd almost instantly. “We have arrived at Game 4! The same maze that you had yesterday is the same maze you will have to get through today. Only this time, the fireballs are not moving, and they are not going to attack you. But they will be there, frozen in place of their last position. The time is cut in half here because you are not defending yourself. Get around the frozen fireballs and make your way through the maze as fast as you can,” she says, as she walks off to the side.
With a flick of her wrist, the blast bursts in the air. The first casters of each location run up to their maze, and I look up to the screen and watch a caster from China crawling under a dozen fireballs. “Will you join me for a moment, please?” Ava asks me in mind speak. I quickly run to stand at her side. “Is everything okay?” I ask with concern in my tone. “Yes, Scarlet. Thank you. I wanted to let you know that I looked into Dimitri's situation, and I was not successful in finding any danger.” she says, with a sad shrug. My hand comes up to her arm, and I rub it softly. “I'm sorry, Ava,” I say, knowing how hard this must be for her. She places her warm hand over mine and gives me her thanks.
“I will see you at the next Match, honey,” she says, before she transports herself to her seat. I could have sworn I saw a lone teardrop escape from her eye. Feeling sad, I walk up to Evan and explain what Ava said. The sounds of the blasts go off in the background, as Evan and I have our own personal conversation about my uncle. He still wants to continue our plan to do our own investigation, which I am definitely up for. Maybe Ava could have missed something in her state of possibly losing Dimitri. We get in such deep conversation that we don't realize how fast the event is going. The blast sounds, and Evan swings his head forward, cursing under his breath before taking off into the maze. He is only a second or two behind the other casters that have just started their run. But I know he’ll overtake them and come out ahead at the other side of the maze.
I watch the screen and see Evan’s the first to run out of the other side. Two more casters walk out, and the blast sounds, indicating the end of their turn. Quickly after, it’s my turn, and I run forward. Since I made rain yesterday, I couldn't really tell where the fireballs were coming from because they dissipated long before reaching me. And now that I see them scattered around the entire maze, I realize how many were being thrown at me. The Elders were really trying to test me. As I run rapidly through the fiery maze, I finally come to the end. And waiting for me is the exact same fireball that was humongous and now impossible to get through. Damn it! Momentarily stumped, I mimic the caster I watched earlier, and I get down on my stomach. And with my arms and legs low, I crawl forward, military style under the fireball and out of the maze. Evan jogs up to me and hands me a cup of the elixir. “Good job, Scar,” he says, supportively. I take my drink and skip the rest of the way, when I feel the boost of energy hit my veins. Ava appears with Belle by her side, sadly needing the extra support.
“Game 5 is Target Drill. Choose your weapon and step up to your hallway of targets. Get through the hallway before the ending blast goes off, and your points will add up with the number of targets that you hit. Once again, form a line across the marks placed on the ground before you.” Simply said, she disappears with Belle. “I feel so sad for her,” I say to Evan’s mind. “I know, love. Me too. Let’s get through the day so we can help them both,” he says, encouragingly.
We run to the area where the weapons are placed, and we all take our pick. Instantly I reach for a set of bow and arrows because they remind me of the Mark on my face. We move quickly to four empty marks so that we can stay together. Although as I look ahead, none of us are actually going to be together. All the way across the field are long and narrow hallways made for each caster competing. From where I stand, I can already see three targets in my direct line of sight.
“Move at a fast jog in this event. Try to get every target you see, but don't stop walking. Just keep moving,” he says, as last-minute advice. When the blast goes off, we all run to our hallways. Just before entering mine, I give a quick glance at Evan, and at the same exact time we both said, “See you on the other side.” Whoa! I step into my bright and narrow hallway. And at first glance I notice the walls are simple and white, and there are targets sticking out of the walls or falling down from the ceiling. But the further I move in, the shadier it gets.
As I jog forward, shooting all of the targets in sight with my never-ending arrows inside my quiver, I watch the white walls turn to brick. I watch the white floor turn to concrete, and I watch the targets get more concealed behind dumpsters, planks, bushes, appliances, and boxes of garbage. I still in my tracks and formulate a plan of my own, as I disregard Evan’s advice about not stopping. Taking the moment to look straight ahead to get a better sense of my surroundings, I see nothing that can help me. And as I look further, I see the bright rectangle that is the exit of the hallway. I notice the closer you get to the end, the darker it gets but the pathway is completely empty. I can continue forward, knowing my path is clear of any hindrance. Let’s go. Move it!
I take an arrow from the quiver, notch it to the stringer on my bow and line it up with the first target I see. Getting back into the motion of shooting and running, I try not to stop anymore. Even as the hallway gets darker and darker, I keep moving my feet. And I know I’ve missed a few targets, but the majority of them definitely have an arrow through its center. I see the doorway at the end, and I attempt to push faster. This time, though, I want to hit every target. So I take one sweep around the last few feet of the hallway, and I see that there are only three visible targets.
In one sweeping motion I grab three of my arrows, and I notch them all up on my stringer, each arrow in a space of my four fingers. I make a full 360-degree turn and, one by one, I lift a finger, letting off the rapid fire of arrows. Just before I exit, I look back, and I see that I hit each target on its mark at the center. With a confident smile, I run out of the confined hallway and into the open arena. Evan is there waiting, already with a cup of the elixir in each of his hands. He looks slightly out of breath but otherwise full of composure. I drop the bow and quiver and attempt to catch my breath, as he hands me a cup that I eagerly take, feeling my bones and muscles revitalize themselves felt so invigorating. “Was I far behind you?” I ask Evan.
He shakes his head, and his curls swing with him. They're slightly moist from the sweat that’s building up, and it reminds me of when we shower together. I instantly feel my cheeks get hot, and he takes my empty cup, tossing it into the trash. He looks at me sideways and tackles me in a bear hug, holding me tight, as he lifts me off of my feet with a gentle kiss. “No, love. I only just walked out and went straight for the drinks. When I turned around, I saw you do that awesome rapid-fire trick with the arrows, and you were out a second later,” he says, with another kiss. Derek and Lucas come out at the exact same time, and Evan sets me down, leading me over to the entrance of the next event. His cousins jog over to us after getting their drinks, quickly inquiring. “Who made it out first?” Derek asks us. “I did but only by a second.” Evan answered with a questioning look. Derek loudly shouts his approval, and Lucas curses under his breath. “Will you two stop betting on us!” Evan says with annoyance. It causes me to smile, but I can see why he’s annoyed.
“Um, no. We will not. I am
up by two G’s, and there are still three Matches left.” Derek answers obnoxiously. “I don't know how he does it. Even with our power sealed, he just keeps picking correctly,” Lucas says, with a shake of his head. The blast sounds in the air, indicating the end of the event, and Ava appears. This time she has Comet in her arms. She snaps her fingers, and the remaining casters that were still in their hallways appeared around us. “Arriving at Game 6, we will test your balance. Stay focused and try not to fall. There are distractions thrown around you to see how well you do under pressure. Take a drink if you haven't already then find an empty board to stand on. Once the blast sounds, the board will slowly begin to shrink. Stay on until the end, and you will get full points. Understood?” She asks us.
We all agree to the rules, as some of us walk up to an empty plank-like board. Evan, his cousins, and I form a small circle, with our boards facing each other. “I bet you 500 bucks Scar’s going to make it to the end.” Derek says to his brother, putting even more pressure on me. “I'm kicking your ass when this day is over.” Evan sends a threat to his cousin. I look around to see casters scattering around to find an empty board. They're hurrying because they know the blast is going to sound any moment.
I watch a caster struggle to find an empty one for himself, and he spots one and takes off running towards it. The blast sounds off, and I watch him jump to the empty board. He just barely gets on. A moment after the blast went off, the ground underneath the boards turned into dark murky water, reminding me of a swampy lake. The caster hangs half in the water and half on his board as he pulls himself up, standing up straight, half drenched. “Focus, love.” Evan’s voice sounds in my head.
I turn toward him with wide eyes and give him a numb nod. He’s right. I need to worry about myself and pay attention to the surroundings around me. My foot moves only a little, and the board wavers with me. I’m glad I have the experience of skateboarding because the training for it prepared me for an event like this. I slightly bend my knees to regain my balance, and the board stops waddling. I straighten my knees and my posture and center my mind. With my eyes closed, I feel the area around me completely still, until I feel the board under my feet slightly shrink.
Winter's Awakening (Light Coven Chronicles Book 1) Page 36
