Eight of Hearts: The Vision - Book 2

Chapter 12

Even though they had made it through the first round, Jonas knew it was only by the skin of their teeth. That Tobias had managed to squeak by with his last-second arrival was nothing short of a miracle. A second later, and he would have been too late; any earlier though, and he would have been tossed out of the safe zone just like Adriana had. And of course if he hadn't had the power to manipulate his personal gravity, he never would have made it at all. The whole experience had left a bad taste in Jonas's mouth.

James didn't share his concerns. "A win is a win," he had told Jonas when he tried to talk about it. "There's no sense worrying about the last round when the next one is coming up tomorrow."

But Jonas had to worry about it. Everything he had learned about the tournament in the first round was coming together to paint a very ugly picture about their chances moving forward. He had managed to get by with just some bruises, but Adriana had a broken leg and had to sit the next round out. Isaac hadn't been any help at all, and in fact had slept straight through dinner, despite several attempts to rouse him. Shyla had been forced to babysit him the whole time, though he was convinced she didn't plan on helping anyway. Flora had been completely useless, and James had been more worried about other teams than victory. He was so determined to play the good guy that he had stayed behind, jeopardizing their chances of success.

He had kept his silence during dinner, but now that they were back in the barracks, he needed to have a serious talk with James. Currently, Adriana was going over her food James had brought back, making sure everything she had asked for was there. She sat in her bed, propped up by several pillows with her splinted leg elevated as she questioned each dish.

"No burgers?! No steak?! Not even a pork chop?! What kind of restaurant is this?!" she lamented as she looked over the selection of plates James was struggling to keep ahold of with Bryce's help.

"Oh, it's not all that bad!" James said with a strained smile. "This pie is very good! It's something called...'keech' or something."

"It's 'quiche lorraine'," Bryce corrected. "It's an egg custard dish with ham and spinach and other stuff." Even as he said it, Jonas could tell Bryce was distracted, probably the same concerns that Jonas had.

"They said they only do steak for the big celebration feast at the end," James added, trying to soothe her obvious irritation. "Beef is a rare commodity here, but they've got lots of dessert options!"

"First no beer, now no beef; I'll be glad to be out of this place," Adriana said as she snatched the quiche from James.

"That should be sooner, rather than later," Jonas cut in. "James, I think we shouldn't take any more risks here. I know how Circé is able to host this tournament without losing money." He glanced at Adriana before continuing, "Chad Rayner is the reigning champion, but his team is hosted by Circé herself."

"What does that mean?" Bryce asked, nearly dropping a precariously balanced crème brûlée as he spun around to face Jonas.

"It means that if Chad wins, the company keeps the contracts," Jonas answered. "That's how she keeps everyone in her employ."

"That's ridiculous," James said, waving his hand dismissively. "What's to stop Chad's team from working with another team to throw the tournament and win their freedom?"

"Money? Fame? Pride? There are plenty of reasons," Jonas answered.

"That doesn't change our situation," James countered. "Our goal is still the same: we just have to win the tournament."

"We were almost wiped out in the first round, James." Jonas felt the heat rising to his face as he spoke, but he lowered his voice as he tried to reason with him. "It's not just Chad we have to worry about; Gilberto Tavros is also part of the problem."