by David Meyer
Clearing my head again, I churned up a couple of emotions. My wrist shifted and my wand started to move.
As Instinctia washed through me, I popped up and took aim at the Freshmen base. “Elertfa Lokwhan,” I said.
A thin auburn light left my wand. I ducked quickly, dodging a torrent of attacks. Perking my ears, I listened hard. The telltale “oof”—courtesy of Felicia—came a moment later. A grin creased my face.
Chalk one up for the staffers.
Other staffers, hidden in deep cover, rose up. They fired off spells, then quickly ducked down again. The students attacked us with extra intensity for a few seconds. Then they slowed up to take stock of the situation.
Look at our flag, I thought. It’s right there. Right out in the open. All you have to do is grab it.
I rose up for a quick peek. The other teams were still tightly clustered around their bases. They looked tense and more than a bit uncertain.
“There he is,” Sya screamed.
Ducking, I dodged another wave of spells. As expected, the teams had banded together to crush us. But only one of them could take our flag. So, which team wanted the honors?
“We’ve got them pinned down,” Calvin shouted. “Who wants to get the staffer flag? How about you, Porter?”
“No, thanks,” he called out, his voice tight and stiff.
“What’s the matter?” Calvin’s tone turned mocking. “Scared?”
Porter didn’t respond. A big part of me hoped that meant he’d taken the bait, that he was descending the bleachers. But I knew better. He was far too savvy to expose himself that way.
“You guys are such wimps.” The voice belonged to Carl Isku, the de-facto leader of the Seniors. “I’ll get it.”
Pulse racing, I stood up. Carl and a dozen other seniors were hiking down the stairs. He had his wand aimed in my direction. His companions had their wands at the ready as well, prepared to fight back if one of the other teams took a potshot at them.
Lowering my gaze, I caught sight of two broken tables leaning up against the wall. I grinned. Carl thought he had us beat. He was about to find out how wrong he was.
I threw myself to the ground, evading yet another volley of magic. Impatiently, I counted to twenty, just enough time for them to finish descending the steps. Then I stood up. All eyes were on Carl. He’d reached the wall, only to find a broken table in his way. Scowling, he stooped down to push it aside.
An emerald glow appeared, seemingly from the ground itself. Carl’s head jolted backward. His body sagged and he collapsed in a heap.
And then Dorph was on his feet, waving his wand and spitting out spells. Four seniors went down immediately. The others spun toward Dorph. For a moment, it looked like he was in trouble. But then Jenny shrugged off a table of her own. Rising up, she issued a pair of spells. They hit home and two more seniors crashed into the bleachers. Dorph and Jenny continued to cast spells and in a matter of moments, the rest of Carl’s group had been eliminated.
Other seniors, seven of them, rushed forward. They waved their wands and a bunch of spells zoomed toward Dorph and Jenny. The staffers crouched next to the wall and the spells passed overhead without incident. Meanwhile, the Sophomores and Juniors took advantage of the situation. Swarming forward, they pinned down the Seniors. A flurry of spells followed, with the Seniors taking the brunt of them.
Piper’s plan was working better than any of us could’ve expected. The other teams may have had the high ground, which she called the crest. But thanks to the wall, they didn’t have the havoc crest. That is, they didn’t have unimpeded eyesight or a clear line of fire.
With this in mind, she’d instructed Nico and a few others to grab items from the HMQ. They were to sneak to the wall and, while the other teams were plotting their strategies, cover themselves with the items. Then they would wait, wands at the ready.
The Seniors continued to wilt under heavy fire. Then Gordon made his move. During the commotion, he’d silently crawled through the bleachers, then climbed on top of the Seniors’ luxury box. Now, he leapt to the ground. Blasting Kylie Davis with a Genphor spell, he ripped the flag right off of a seat. Then he hightailed it back to his base.
In less than fifteen minutes, the Seniors were eliminated. Meanwhile, the other teams were involved in close-quarter fighting, taking heavy casualties in the process. Only us staffers remained relatively unscathed.
I crept outside the locker cave. Sliding out from under a boat, Piper hustled over to join me. Pressing our backs together, we took stock of the fighting. “Looks good so far,” I said. “What now?”
She grinned. “We let them destroy each other.”
Kell and the Juniors began to bombard the Sophomores and Freshmen with long-distance magic. Most of the spells were wild, but enough hit pay dirt to take out the last of the Sophomores.
Meanwhile, Porter, Sya, and Royce Miller hurried down a few rows. Porter lifted his wand and aimed it at the far end of the field.
“What’s he doing? It’s almost as if …” Piper stiffened up. “Jenny, get out of there!”
Jenny, still ducked down behind the wall, heard the warning. Confused, she stood up. But before she could run, a chestnut blaze struck her legs. And then she was on her back, rolling and screaming.
We’d known this was a risk. Our fellow staffers, hunkered behind the walls and hidden amongst debris, were relatively safe from frontal assaults. But they had no rear defenses.
“Staffers,” she shouted. “Back to the flag.”
Nico, Leandra, Fyla, and others rose up, shedding crates, tables, boxes, blankets, and other items. But Porter, Sya, and Royce were ready for them. Fyla and Leandra quickly succumbed to their spells. And just like that, our numbers began to fall.
Leaving cover, Nico and Jeff ran alongside the wall. Jeff took the offensive, lobbing spells at everyone in sight. Nico played defense, using spells to negate incoming streaks of light. Taking no chances, Porter and his friends ducked behind some seats.
With Piper and I providing cover spells, Nico and Jeff rallied the other staffers. They raced back to the HMQ. Circling our flag, they took whatever cover they could find.
Up in the bleachers, Kell and the Juniors were starting to hunker down. Casting a glimpse at the Freshmen, I saw only a few people at their base, all in defensive postures. Shifting my gaze, I noticed shadows moving through the bleachers at all levels and in all directions. The Freshmen, I realized, were staking out positions for the inevitable battle with the Juniors.
For the moment, both teams had seemingly forgotten about us. Which was just fine by me. Catching my breath, I put my brain to work. Potential tactics and strategies whirled in my head and I realized just how badly I wanted to win. Sure, it was just a game. But it was something else, too.
Us staffers suffered untold daily indignities. Not only did we serve an unappreciative student body, but we also acted as their magical punching bags. As such, we didn’t get many chances to celebrate as a team, to feel like winners. A victory tonight, in Havoc Flag, would change that.
Up in the bleachers, the Juniors spotted the incoming Freshmen and laid down a thick barrage of spells. Hannah, Sya, Gordon, and many others fell under the onslaught. Porter retreated to his base and tried to organize a counter-attack. But the Juniors overran them in no time.
I inhaled a sharp breath. The Freshmen had fallen much faster than I’d expected. One moment, they were in close combat. The next, the Juniors were taking the Freshmen flag back to their base.
“The Freshmen are eliminated,” Boltstar called out. “The Juniors and Staffers are our final teams.” Curiously enough, he said ‘Staffers’ with more than a little respect.
Muscles tensed, I waited for the Juniors to cluster up and celebrate their near-victory. It had to be a sweet win for Kell, seeing as how Porter was his most formidable challenger.
But true to form, he was all-business. Ducking down, he began shouting out instructions. “Mike and London, you’re with me. You thr
ee, go that way. Defenders, I want you to work your way toward the field. Make sure to keep our flag in sight though.” He paused to take a breath. “Now, spread out. I want people on every level and with plenty of space between them.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. Frowning, I watched the Juniors break into three separate units. The units split up and spread out. They quickly surrounded the field and began to bombard us with attacks.
Piper’s face turned anxious. “What do we do?”
“Head for the lockers,” I called out, my heart sinking as I realized I was playing right into Kell’s hands.
Dorph raced out from behind cover. A well-placed spell hit his back and he fell hard, smacking against the ground.
Piper and I slid into the makeshift locker cave. As Nico, Jax, and the remaining staffers hurried toward us, a variety of attacks went airborne. One spell wrenched Nico’s leg and he collapsed to the turf. Jax took a hit to the side, stumbled, and fell on his face. Others bit the dust as well. Soon, Piper and I were the only staffers left.
I stayed at the cave entrance long enough to make sure no one was seriously hurt. Then I ducked out of sight.
“Kell’s got us pinned down,” I said. “My guess is that he’ll go for the flag rather than take us out. So, we have to keep up our offense.”
“What’s the point?” Leaning against a locker, she slid to the ground.
“We can still win this thing,” I said. “We just have to—”
“It’s only a game,” she reminded me.
Spells began to cascade against the lockers. Metal banged loudly and the acrid smell of smoke filled my nostrils.
“We made it this far,” I said.
“And that’s great. But there must be at least a dozen of them to just the two of us.” She gave me a pointed look. “And we need to stay healthy if we want to have any hope of defeating Boltstar.”
“Hey, Wolf,” Kell shouted. “I’ve got your flag. What are you going to do about it?”
I glanced at Piper. She stared back at me.
“You’re not even going to try?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It’s not worth it.”
Kell lifted his voice a few decibels. “Ahh, so you’re a coward,” he shouted. “That’s what I figured.”
I wasn’t stupid. I knew he was goading me. If I kept my head down, he’d take our flag back to his base. If I stood up, I’d get blasted from all sides. It was a lose-lose situation. But maybe it didn’t have to be that way. Maybe I could still find a way to win this thing without ending up in the clinic.
Rising to full-height, I rammed my shoulder into a locker. As it tipped over, I shifted my wand. A tall kid, dark-haired and wearing glasses, was right in front of me. Caught off-guard, he froze.
That was all I needed. My emotions and wand movements came together in an instant. Instinctia took over and I blasted the kid with Elertfa.
The locker hit earth and I leapt over it. Running fast, I zig-zagged, then ran behind a maze of debris. Spells sped my way. Tables exploded. A cabinet splintered and cracked. Stacked metal crates came tumbling down.
“You four take him out,” Kell shouted as he headed for the bleachers. “Everyone else with me.”
I dove behind an antique chest. Spells slammed into it, slowly reducing it to smithereens. Peeking out, I saw Piper huddled within the now-broken locker cave. Farther back, Kell raced toward the bleachers, the other juniors in tow.
I can use Herd Crash, I realized. I can take them all down at once.
There was just one problem.
Piper.
She was in the line of fire, her arms wrapped over her head. Given the nature of Herd Crash, as well as my inexperience with using it, there was more than a decent chance I’d wind up hitting her.
Kell paused at the wall. Looking over his shoulder, he shot me the worst kind of smile. An extra-cocky grin that made my lip curl and my heart burn with intense anger.
I forced my emotions into place. My wand flicked through a series of movements. Instinctia welled up within me. It tugged at my feelings, my wand, my lips. But I fought back, denying its warm embrace. As it faded away, my wand began to move. The words that left my mouth were entirely my own.
“Herd Crash,” I whispered softly so no one else would hear it.
Multiple jets of auburn raced forward. As per usual, I kept my wand moving, making it look like I’d just gotten off a series of quick Elertfas.
Fiery light crashed into the Juniors. Some got hit on the back, others got slammed in the stomach. Regardless, they went flying and I do mean flying. Best of all was Kell. He was climbing over the wall at the time. At the last second, he turned to look at me, only to get smacked in the noggin. The impact drove him off his perch and he crashed into the seats.
Silence settled over the arena. Twisting my head, I looked at Boltstar, wondering if he’d make me go get the flags before calling the game.
“The Juniors are eliminated,” he said slowly, as if still processing it. “Staffers win.”
I lifted my arms in victory. Madkey students glowered at me while the staffers raced onto the field.
“Wow,” Dorph said, staring at the carnage in disbelief. “How’d you do that?”
Before I could reply, Nico, Fyla, Jax, Jenny, and a bunch of others swarmed around me. I felt myself lifted off of my feet and hoisted into the air.
“Piper?” Leandra scanned the HMQ. “Where are you? Can you hear me?”
“Over … here.” The tiny voice was filled with agony.
My heart froze. Turning my gaze, I saw the cave had collapsed in a heap, a victim of the Herd Crash. Piper lay underneath a locker, her face twisted to the side, her jaw clenched in pain.
Twisting violently, I climbed down from my perch. Leandra and Jax lifted the fallen locker and I pulled Piper to safety. She had a huge welt on her forehead and blood on her shoulder. Her eyes were dazed, too.
“Impressive, Mr. Wolf.” Boltstar’s eyes flicked from me, to Piper, then back to me again. “Very impressive.”
It was a compliment, a real one. Competing emotions tugged at my heart strings. She was my friend and deserved more from me. Way more. And yet, Boltstar’s words rang loudly in my ears, replaying themselves over and over again. He was pleased with me, not just for winning but for sacrificing Piper to do it.
I felt terrible for hurting her. And I knew better than to care what he thought of me. But I couldn’t help it.
Like it or not, I was bursting with pride.
Chapter 42
“Oh ho!” Tad lowered his memory mirror as the floating tray rose into the celestarium. “And just in time, too. I’m so hungry I was thinking about eating this remembra.”
“It’s probably healthier than doughcream,” Leandra quipped as she followed me into the large room. She was acting normal, at least for her. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Piper.
Piper was clearly mad at me. And really, who could blame her? That welt on her forehead was no accident. Part of me wanted to apologize. But the bigger part of me thought it best to wait for her to cool down.
Complicating things was the palpable frustration within our little group. Diligently, Piper had spied on Boltstar’s inner circle. She’d developed ambush points, easily accessible via Shadow Madkey. We’d also created a general plan of attack. First, we’d distract the target. Then Tad would cast Hibernuction, putting the magician to sleep. I’d cast Vanista, effectively hiding the slumbering person from view. Afterward, we’d move on to the next target. It seemed manageable and we were chomping at the bit to get started. Unfortunately, we still needed a good distraction. Something to keep them occupied while Tad cast his sleeping curse. And try as we might, we had yet to come up with a workable solution.
Entering the giant room, I walked to the windows. Outside, large snowflakes fell gently from the sky. There were so many of them, they effectively blotted out the landscape.
Hungrily, Tad gazed upon his sandwich. Or rather, a
t the ingredients strewn about the tray. The main course consisted of a soft sesame seed roll, ample amounts of fresh roast turkey, bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, and sweet pickles. Condiments included jars of mayonnaise, mustard, and Thousand Island dressing as well as tiny salt and pepper shakers. Uncooked french fries, a bowl of cheese sauce, and utensils completed the tray.
“Sandwich, please,” he said. “And make it sloppy.”
Small, heatless sparks flew outward. Then the roll flopped open. The jars emptied their condiments onto the bread and a knife went to work spreading them out. The turkey, bacon, cheese, lettuce, and pickles drifted into place. Finally, the sub closed over and pressed down, just enough to offer a good grip without squeezing out the condiments.
“French fries, too,” he added. “Crispy and drippy, please.”
The french fries and bowl of cheese sauce emitted heatless sparks as well. The bowl lifted a few inches off of the tray and dumped its contents onto the fries.
My stomach growled. Not because I was hungry, but because everything smelled so darn good.
Tad licked his lips. “Thanks.”
The sparks pulsed for a second as if to say, You’re welcome. Then they vanished.
As he ate his sandwich, Leandra and I took seats at the table. Piper, meanwhile, remained standing.
“How is it?” I asked.
“Awesome,” he mumbled between chews.
I grinned. “I guess Structuralism has its perks.”
“No doubt,” he replied, stuffing a wad of cheese fries into his mouth. “But Chaotic magicians could make this quicker and with far less manpower.”
“Maybe.” Leandra watched him eat for a moment. “There’s no way to know for sure.”
“Actually, I do know. My buddy Teresa’s got a gift for cooking spells. She could whip up a meal like this before you could say, ‘Please.’”
The contrast between Chaotic magic and Structuralism brought up another question that had been on my mind as of late. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. What does a Chaotic school look like?”
