Twist of Fate

Chapter 27: One Down

A/N: Sorry for any mistakes. I just wanted to get it over with. And the awkward ending too...

"The winner is," the Instructor announced, "Team Five."

My eyes widened. How? Was the last remaining member of Team Two taken out? Or was their flag captured? What had happened? I doubted Issa, as the one protecting the flag, had anything to do with it. Unless the last member of Team Two had gone to him, leaving his flag unprotected and up for grabs. No, they weren't so foolish or desperate as that so the deciding battle for our match hadn't occurred there. It had to have been at Team Two's flag. That was the only possibility. Either Kei or Velero had taken out the final member of the team or had taken their flag. Perhaps they did it together. Regardless of how, that was definitely where one of them was.

As I thought, the stone in my pocket grew cold again and I glanced up to see the Arrowsman, Meric, coming in my direction. I almost smiled, he had perfect timing.

I stepped towards him as he landed on the branch I was on. "Take me to your flag."

Meric blinked at the request, though it was more of a demand. "What? Why-"

"I'll take you."

I almost jumped off the branch in surprise as a head of long ebony curls popped out of the trees from above. "Coel? What are you doing up there?"

He was hanging upside down from another branch and smiling down at us. "Oh, nothing of concern." He twisted and fell from the branch, landing on ours in a graceful crouch. "Would you like for me to escort you to our flag, my lady?"

I looked at him. "Eh-"

"What were you doing out there?" Meric interrupted rudely. "You couldn't even distract a little girl until the match was over? You were just playing around again, weren't you?"

I scowled at being called 'little girl' again. "Hey-"

"You couldn't distract my lady either, now could you? She even saved your life, if I saw correctly." Coel responded, still smiling pleasantly. A blush spread across Meric's face and he opened his mouth but Coel spoke first. "Now stop acting like a child and get over it. The match is already over, take your loss with grace. As the losers, we should at least do as the winners ask."

Meric began to protest but stopped. "Fine," he muttered, almost sulking. "Let's go to the flag. "

Coel's smile widened and he turned back to me. "Follow me if you will, my lady."

Coel and Meric took off and leapt easily through the trees. I followed them silently, wondering how exactly the end had come. It was only a minute later that I saw exactly what had happened. Before we were even at the scene, a heavy metallic scent permeated the trees around us and was growing heavier by the second. I recognized it instantly. It was the scent of blood. A lot of it.

Coel quickened his pace and we soon stopped above the worst scene I'd seen in this world so far. I felt my blood race through me as I widened my eyes to take the scene fully. There was nearly no mist at all, so I had no trouble seeing Kei kneel next to Velero. I inhaled sharply in alarm as I saw a long cut in Velero's uniform and a pool of blood beside him. Blood was everywhere, splashed all over the trees and ground, dyeing the gorgeous scenery around us in red.

I shifted my gaze to see another man beside them. It was the Strategist of Team Two, I assumed, and he appeared to be unconscious, covered in almost as much blood as Velero. My eyes narrowed in understanding. So that was how he had won, Velero had rendered the last member incapable of continuing the battle.