Secrets of the Crown Assassins

41

DAMIEN

I officially despise the Ravens.

I hated them before too, especially after what happened with my mother, but now they were getting annoying in every way possible. I mean, a Blood Battle? Seriously? They have to be joking.

I stared up at the black tower, set to mimic the real opening game of the Blood Battle championship.

How the hell did they hide this entire tower in between the floors? Why didn't the investigators notice a giant gap in the floor plan? Why didn't I notice it?

"We can climb out," Arielle offered. I couldn't see her as she was directly opposite of me, but I could hear her perfectly fine. "The grooves of the lights run all the way up to the ceiling and they're the right size. We can all fit."

"Wait," Xavier said to my left. He took out a knife and threw it at the wall. Before it could even reach its intended target, it sizzled midair, a flash of light glinting off of it as it fell to the ground.

"There's an electric barrier," I concluded. "We can't get to the wall."

"No shit," Phoenix hissed to my right. She was glaring. I threw up my middle finger.

There was a hiss and I looked down at the veiled, endless pit below us. Water spilled in from the walls, gallons flowing down in a never waterfall. Steam rose up from the bubbling water.

Well isn't that wonderful.

"It's boiling water," I shouted to make sure Arielle got the message. Before she could respond, the voice from the speakers returned.

"The Blood Battle will commence in five. Four."

"Wait," Arielle shouted.

"Three."

"What if we don't participate?"

"Two."

"We'll get boiled alive!" I shouted.

"One."

"Run," I shouted. I charged forward, unsure of what else to do. Fortunately, I chose right. I looked over my shoulder to find the tiles falling, one by one, straight into the boiling water. I could hear Arielle cursing from across the room. Xavier and Phoenix were running straight to the black tower at full speed, following my lead.

I launched myself onto the tower, holding onto the uneven ridges in its sides for dear life. Xavier and Phoenix had already done the same. All of a sudden, Arielle appeared above me, swinging around the base of the tower. Of course she managed to get ahead of me despite nearly falling to her death moments earlier.

"Do any of you have ideas for a way out?" she asked. "Or to buy us some time?"

No one answered.

"Then I guess we participate," she said and grumbled under her breath, "I'm going to kill every single Raven I lay my eyes on when we get out of here."

She propelled herself up the tower, reaching another ledge when a portion of the tower pushed out, shoving her off. She shouted and slid down the tower towards the water. At last, she found a ledge to hold onto far below me, only a few feet above the quickly rising boiling water.

"They're keeping the tower accurate to the actual Blood Battles," I announced.

"Except for the part where we actually die," Phoenix hissed.

This is going to be so much fun.

Taking a deep breath, I started my climb up the tower. I searched for footholds and incisions in the side of the uneven tower, climbing further and further up. The boiling water seared below me, fumes drifting through the air, the water rising in waves.