Training for Legends

Chapter 10 - Frost

I'm sorry I didn't post over the weekend, so I'm going to post a few extra chapters today. 

Frost headed down to breakfast, skipping down the stairs. Sitting down, Naia by her side, the protest members clustered around them. Since all of them had started planning it, all of those heroes and villains became one group, instead of being divided as usual. The rules being changed made no difference, and that detail made Frost's heart sing with joy.

Miss Ashley tapped her spoon against her cereal bowl to get the room's attention. She looked pleasurably amused as she addressed the school at large.

"Good morning, everyone. I hope that you are well-rested. I have some very, very exciting news to announce. While it may please some of you, it may frighten or disturb others; believe me when I say that no harm will come to you during this event. We wouldn't be participating in it otherwise." She gave a small tinkling laugh.

Frost turned to Naia. "What is she talking about?" she asked.

Naia shrugged.

"It's my pleasure to announce that the Jewel of Glory tournament will be taking place this year!" Ms. Ashley's voice practically dripped with excitement as her eyes twinkled merrily.

Naia turned to Frost with an expression of utmost horror on her face. Frost was drawing a blank, but other people around the room were looking either scared or excited.

"She's joking, isn't she?" Naia said. "Frost, please tell me she's joking." There was an air of desperation in Naia's voice that Frost had never heard there before.

Frost didn't know how to reply, but she didn't have to.

"What's that?" Ember called out to the front, but she looked like she already knew.

Miss Ashley smiled simperingly at her. "Well, there was once a jewel called the Jewel of Glory, and it will give eternal glory to the ones who earn it in a fight to the death."

"A fight to the death!?" Sakura practically yelled. Everyone turned to look at her and she stared at her lap. Frost placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Yes, a fight to the death, Miss Appalachian." Ms. Ashley glared at Sakura before continuing, ignoring the whispers that were growing to a roar in the cafeteria. "Don't worry, now! If you die, you will simply be brought back to life by my staff and I. So we will be putting you all in teams of ten randomly selected students according to year, and you will fight until you reach the center of the maze, where we have the jewel. As an added twist, others who were not chosen may sneak in and join any team they wish to join."

Being brought back to life? Death?

Frost abruptly stood and pulled on the cloak next to her with shaking hands. In her head, she made a mental list of all the ways they could die.

Killed by someone else.

Traps.

Monsters.

Oh, what kinds of things can there be? Why is this happening? Why do I have to be in the running? What is Ms. Ashley playing at? Thoughts raced through Frost's mind as she buckled her cloak swiftly. She should be brave and strong; she had trained hours over the summer. Yet, she was scared. Terribly scared, like the weak and puny villain she was. At a different moment, she would tell herself to be disgusted at her weakness, but everything else blurred in the face of her terrible fear.

A braver person would sit down and comfort others, but Frost was too afraid. She was about to run from the room in a blind panic, when she remembered Naia and held on to the familiar anchor of her friend. Her breathing stuttered, then returned to its normal pace, like the steady beat of a heart.