Page 109 of These Fractured Bonds

“Then, let’s make sure we’re one of those two groups,” she replied, tightening the sash on the satchel she had been given for the challenge. She thanked her lucky stars she had pushed her magic; it would come in handy. She nodded to everyone as the gong rang, and the gate swung open. It was time.

Thesmellofironhung in the air, coating her nose’s lining in its metallic stench. Spells whizzed by, missing Yareli by mere inches. She held Dre up and stumbled toward the tree line while Erbert and Vanessa cast a shield behind them.

“Hold on,” she grunted, picking up the pace.

While Erbert had cast a first aid spell, Dre’s wound still bled at an alarming rate.

When they first stepped into the arena, there had been a moment of silence before all hell broke loose. No sooner had she taken a couple of steps than spells had bombarded them from both sides. A hastily conjured shield of hers had saved both Erbert and her from a sizzling fireball. She had no time to marvel at how natural it had felt to summon her magic as she was immediately dragged forward by Erbert, another fireball missing them by an inch.

Two groups had pincered them; it was clear they wanted to eliminate them. They had fallen into a defensive position—Dre and Vanessa in the back, wrestling any melee fighters away while Erbert shielded and Yareli used her bow to force the enemy to dodge. All the while working their way backward toward the forest. It had been going well until Dre got hit.

Yareli grunted, dragging Dre into the brush. Once under the cover of the forest, Vanessa switched places with her, and they ran into the trees. Erbert jogged up to them and cast another spell that thankfully stopped Dre’s bleeding. She kept her eyes peeled for any cover, noticing a small outcrop to their right.

“Over here,” she said.

She slipped Dre’s other arm over her again and helped get him under the outcrop. It was barely big enough to fit them underneath, and it wouldn’t last as a shelter, but it would be enough for Erbert to finish patching up Dre.

After settling him on the ground, Vanessa tossed her a rag.

“Clean yourself up. I can’t have you hurting yourself because your hands were slippery.”

Warm blood coated Yareli’s hands, nestling into their crevices and leaving a residue on her. Dampness clung to her shirt where she had held onto Dre. Her stomach roiled.It would dry.

“We’ll move as soon as Dre’s able to,” Vanessa said, rummaging through her pack. “Here’s some iron supplements, Erbert.” She threw him a small container.

He caught it, annoyance scrunching up his round face. “Damn nutcases hit him with an anticoagulant. I’ve healed it now, but if I had known earlier…”

“You couldn’t have known they were throwing the real shit,” Vanessa replied, patting his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. What matters is that he’s alive. How are you feeling, Dre?”

“High as a kite.” He grinned, pointing at his head. Erbert shoved the supplements at him, ordering him to eat them.

Yareli watched the exchange, wondering if they knew each other better than they had shared or if it was a sign of camaraderie born from their lifetime in a military society.

“It felt intentional,” Yareli said.

Erbert busied himself with applying salve on Dre’s side, which no longer missed a chunk of flesh, but it sported a nasty bruise.

Vanessa met Yareli’s gaze. “The gates are set points with set distances between them. An ambush early on is a good opportunity to get rid of opponents.”

Having been assigned after group formation, their gate assignment hadn’t been a secret. That meant two groups had decided they were an easy pick. Was it because of her? She had made it this far, yet none of the challenges so far had involved any combat, so she hadn’t proved anything. She remembered the first group she had tried to join, how they had turned her away. Her team had taken a risk in inviting her.

Vanessa must have guessed what Yareli was thinking, because she said, “It’s not solely because of you. We’re all outcasts.”

Yareli looked up at her, surprised.

“The fear I displayed in the first challenge didn’t go unnoticed.” She pointed at Erbert. “He’s failed twice now, and everyone knows Dre doesn’t have it in him to be in the military.”

“Guilty as charged,” Dre said, waving Erbert away as he sat up. The color had returned to his face, and he no longer looked giddy. “I’m here now because my shit father threatened to kick my mum to the streets. I need this promotion to afford my own place and take my mum with me. Then, I’m going to apply to the engineering school. A big fuck-you to my pops.” Dre stood up. “We’re a bunch of misfits, but that’s exactly why we’ll win. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

It occurred to her that troubled families were a universal phenomenon. Erbert stayed silent, packing his bag and avoiding Yareli’s eyes.

Vanessa whispered, “It’s a touchy subject with him. Don’t take it personally.”

She nodded, and Vanessa clapped her hands. “Alright, misfits, let’s get our heads together to come up with our award-winning strategy.”

Remainingundertheforest’sprotection, they prowled toward the northwest to bring them closer to the center of the arena where the volcano stood. Vanessa had drawn a circle, labeled it one through twelve like a clock, and circled the known positions of the defenders. They knew from previous festivals that the trifecta liked to position themselves in a triangle—one at the twelve o’clock position, another at four, and the final one at eight o’clock. They each brought one lieutenant, positioned at six, ten, and two o’clock.

“Is it too naive to think we can sneak in through the gaps?” Yareli had asked.