The Unbreakable Vow

Chapter 30- Last task

Another year had flown by in a hazy blur. This one was quicker though because of the tournament, so much had occurred. Exams were cancelled for the champions which only added the cherry to the top of a hectic year. The final task date came out and I was ready for it to be over.

I did not receive any information about the task and decided I felt prepared to go against the task without preparation.

My confidence dragged me all the way to the finish line.

It was the day of the task and the judges took us out of our lessons.

"I can't believe it's the final task," Theo said as we walked out of the castle and to an unknown location.
"It's gone quick" I sighed.
"I wonder what this one will be."

We all came back into the stadium, where we did our first task and gathered in the tents.

"Wonder why we've come back here," Daniel said.
"For some reason, you always end up where you started. A perfect circular end" Andreas replied.

The waiting was tense. The same familiar noise of students laughing, talking and joking came from outside the tent.

That's where my family was waiting to see me finish the task. Where Giselle and Valerie were. I wondered if they were proud. I had done this for her after all. I wanted to please Giselle and show her I cared about women just as much as she did. That we deserved the right to be treated equally. I was going to win if it was the last thing I would do. For her.

There was no cannon this time, no order to leave. Mr Tuffin pushed us out and we exited together.

In a flash, deja vu hit me. I remembered the manticore chasing after me all over the stadium and finally being able to extract his venom after performing one of the most illegal curses. I still couldn't believe I got away with that. I remembered the exhilaration of the crowd cheering, whooping, and screaming.

However, the stadium was empty now and had no obvious task that needed to be completed. The excited spectators sat in their seats along the sidelines, waiting in anticipation.

"What's going on? What is our task?" Theo hissed me.

"CHAMPIONS!" Tuffin roared.
We all jumped back.
"Are you ready for the final task?!"
The crowd screamed, we all stood together and I held my breath.

"This final task will test you to your absolute limits! You are to duel one another! The last one standing is the winner!"

The spectators were silenced in horror.

"We have to kill each other?!" I asked.
"You may begin!" He called, ignoring my question.

We all stood as still as statues, each holding our wands tightly.

"Who's going to strike first?" I thought.

But even after a couple of minutes none of us moved.

"We're all in agreement that we're not doing this right?" Andreas said.
"We have to, we have to see the games through," Daniel replied, darting his eyes around frantically.
"Surely they don't want us to kill each other, just hurt. Yes?" Theo said.
"Yes," I said, feeling my voice shake.
"Use stunning spells then, we should be fine if no-one acts too rash."
"Agreed," We all said in unison.

We all held our wands, pointing them at one another.
"Three. Two. One-" Andreas said slowly.

A flash of multicolored light shot at all angles and a shout of voices echoed around the stands.

"Bombarda!" I heard myself shout and soil erupted from the earth in front of Daniel, knocking him out of the way of another light.

I felt my body swerve away from a blood-red light and fall to the graveled ground. It scrapped its knife teeth over my knee and cut into my robes.

I heard Theo shriek in pain and Andreas and Daniel both grunted.

Hurriedly, I got to my feet and waited for the puffs of smoke to clear. But it didn't, another light shot at me.

I heard the boys laughing as I tried to make my way over to them.

"Where are they?" I thought, feeling hazy from the smoke.

The laughing went silent and now there were only mumbles. A green light shot.

"I thought we said stunning spells only!" I yelled, feeling fear shoot up inside me.

"THEO COME BACK HERE!" I heard Andreas say.
"What's happening down there?!" Tuffin shouted.
I heard the crowd shriek.

I raced through the smoke, feeling it blindly.

A bang and another light shot at me.
"Purple" I recalled.
I managed just to duck before it hit me. Then another and another. Bang, bang, bang!

"THEODORE!" I yelled.

Still blind to my surroundings, I began running.

Soon I tripped. A mouthful of gravel entered my bloody mouth.
"Yuck!" I spat.
Blood splattered the ground with a squelch.

I turned to see Daniel's body lying headfirst on the ground.

"Daniel?!" I shrieked.

I fumbled to my feet and ran over to him.

His cheeks were swollen and bruised with purple lumps. Blood gushed from his mouth.

"Hey! Hey! Are you okay?!" I asked, turning his heavy body over.

He began to choke up blood, coughing, and spluttering.

"Daniel!"

I felt tears and blood merge and drip down my face onto his torn clothes. My hands shook as I searched for my wand, which I had lost in the fall.

My ears had temporarily become deaf when I realized there was an ear-splitting noise of a shriek. Was it Andreas' or Theo's? I couldn't tell with the cries of the crowd and the smoke muffling the noise.

Blasts after blasts sounded as I tried to find my wand.

"Come on," I thought, angrily "Daniel could be dead for all you know and it'll be your fault!"

There was a hiss, a groan, a grunt, and then a thud. More smoke plummeted over me like waves, which only made it harder to find my wand.

"MARIA! MARIA! HELPPPP!" I heard a muffled voice scream at me, Theo's.
"THEO! WHERE ARE YOU?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" I shrieked back.
"MARIAA!" He shrieked "AHHHHH! MARIA PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME! DON'T LET ME DIE! MARIA! HE'S GOING TO KILL ME! HE'S MAD!"
"Avada-!" I heard Andreas begin.
"NO!" I screamed.
Stumbling to my feet, I ran and ran.
"MARIA!" He cried, sobbing through his screams.
"THEO, PLEASE ANDREAS STOP!"

I ran for so long that my legs ached in pain. They shook from my feet to thighs. I still hadn't found my wand, what was I going to do?

Finally, the smoke cleared and I spotted Andreas on top of Theo, crushing him. His wand was raised like he was ready to stab him with a knife.

"ANDREAS!" I yelled.
"Ka-" he said, ignoring me.
"NO!" I screamed again.

Before I realized what I was doing I began sprinting at them with all my might.
"Da-"
I wasn't going to make it. I wasn't going to make it.
"STOP! PLEASE!" I begged "PLEASE!"
I felt my body cry with pain and anger. Every muscle tensed. Tears streamed from my eyes. My lungs begged for mercy as I took sharp, rapid breaths. Every inch of me ached. Every inch of me wanted to die.

Then, I slipped on my wand and fell onto the cold, hard floor, knocking myself out.

I blinked weirdly. My sight was blurred. My ears were ringing. Warm, metallic blood oozed from my body. My wand was right in front of me... I just didn't have the strength to grab it.

"Vra!" Andreas finished and all I saw was a huge flash of green light.
"NO!" I screamed from the pit of my stomach.

My heart felt like it had been torn out of my chest, the crowd screamed in terror, people cried, and rushed to the scene. I couldn't hold on any longer and felt myself give in to the sweet relief of a drowsy sleep.