“That will be difficult with your sword.” Sadie nodded to the weapon in Aran’s hand.
Aran nodded, unease chipping away at her determination. “We’ll try our best. If we have to fight the ungodly, then we will. You will not die here.”
Sadie smiled sadly.
Aran’s unease became outright horror.
They both jolted as an infected woman standing a few feet away screamed something at them. It sounded like a swear word, but her accent made it impossible to decipher.
Aran slowly raised her sword higher.
“Where do you think we are?” Sadie asked as she grabbed Aran’s hand and squeezed. “It feels familiar somehow.”
Aran looked up at the high ceilings, then her eyes lingered on the portrait-covered walls.
In the strategy room, I held my breath as I waited. “Please say the location aloud. Please say it aloud. Please say it aloud,” I sent down our connection fervently.
Sun god bless Sadie and her ridiculous need to ask questions.
This was it.
My only hope.
I could feel Aran’s brain processing patterns and connections at a familiar lightning speed. For all her faults, Aran wasn’t an idiot. She had more brains than the rest of the other champions combined.
Now it was their only hope.
Sweat dripped down the side of my face, and my chest pounded so hard against my sternum that I felt lightheaded.
Aran whispered, “The floor sounded hollow. The heat. The portraits.”
“What?” Sadie asked with confusion.
“We’re in the basement of where we first battled,” Aran said with horror as she wiped at her brow.
Feet shuffled, and there was an ominous rustle as infected brandished their enchanted swords. The dimly lit room glowed blue.
“They’re moving closer.” Sadie’s hand trembled in Aran’s grip.
Aran squeezed her hand. “I’ll try to fly.” She went to pull her hand away, but Sadie wouldn’t release her.
“No.” Sadie’s voice was uncharacteristically serious. “We both know you can’t fly. Don’t waste your energy.”
Frustration welled up inside Aran, and she bit down on her pipe, jaw grinding with frustration.
“I might not be able to shift”—Sadie’s voice darkened—“but I’m not useless.” Her eyes glowed bright as she grabbed the shaft of Aran’s enchanted sword with her bare hand.
An infected screamed and threw itself at them, the crowd charging as one.
Sadie pushed Aran behind her with surprising strength as she flung her blood at the faces of the charging infected. Blood dripped into their open mouths and eyes.
“Defend us!” Sadie roared.
The three closest infected turned with their swords drawn, and they clashed with the charging crowd.
I pulled out of the connection.
The strategy room was too bright, and it was eerily quiet compared to the screams of the infected and clangs of enchanted swords.
I was slumped over the table.
Ears ringing with faraway battle sounds.
Eyes wide and unseeing.
I was paralyzed, unable to function.
I slammed my palm against the table, then pinched my hand with all my strength—the pain helped me focus.
As I looked around, my thoughts went a million miles a minute as I went through possibilities and plans.
I knew their location, which meant I could get help for them.
The problem was all the soldiers were in battle halfway across the realm.
I frantically grabbed my crutches and moved across the room, almost falling on my face a few times in my haste. Yanking open the RJE drawer, I desperately checked the remaining devices.
There were about a dozen, all with different coordinates. They were programmed for Elite Academy, the third battle location, the second battle location, and the first battle location.
I searched desperately, but those were the only locations.
Through gritted teeth, I screamed.
The one I needed was missing—there was no RJE device for the current battle, they’d taken them all. I had no way to alert any soldiers.
Not bothering with crutches, I hopped the few feet over to the shelves of binders and started tearing them off the shelves.
I couldn’t find where they’d put the coordinates.
Curse the sun god. Curse the constant incompetence in the realms. Could nothing go right today?
I threw a binder across the room with frustration, then followed its trajectory with my body back toward the open drawer.
I grabbed one of the RJE devices labeled “Elite Academy” and activated it.
Crack.
Reality shifted.