A maze of scaffolding surrounds me beneath the battle-zone. I feel naked without Excalibur on my head, but I can't take any chances so I put her in my backpack for safekeeping.
"Are you ready?" Headmaster Hayes asks.
"Always," I reply. But for this...no, not really. Not ever.
"Luke?" he asks.
Luke is sitting down on a folding chair and nods his demonic skull head. Maledict's skeleton skin is the stuff of nightmares—sunken eye sockets, vacant nose cavity, muscular skeletal structure, and dragon wings. The terrifying creature is the leader of Hellcat Squadron on DOOM.
But for all I know, the devil's under that skin.
Because even sitting down, Luke looks larger than life. The truth is Luke almost forfeited just to avoid Headmaster Hayes—after what he did to his roommate and Preston and me and who knows how many other PCs. But nothing can seem amiss for our plan to work. So I'm grateful his skin includes a mask, even if the dramatic effect makes me extra jittery. I'm bouncing from foot to foot in a bundle of nerves because Luke can beat me on his worst day.
And today he's mad—sooo mad!
"Merlin, you don't have to do this," Headmaster Hayes says after reviewing all the rules.
"You're wrong—and you of all people should know better," I say, grabbing the metal rung and stepping onto the ladder. "Life isn't about quitting." And then I quote the SAS motto, "Who dares wins!"
His taught face scrunches up in surprise, but I don't hang around for him to respond. Up the ladder I go. Rung after rung until I'm climbing through the trap door in the center of the platform—like a gladiator rising from the dark pit. A loud whoop rings out from Gauntlet PCs as I emerge from the deep.
And I'm in awe.
A surge of energy ripples through me. I'm surrounded—everywhere I look. PCs in skins, parents, friends, teachers, staff...everyone is here to watch me die. The arena is packed and live video games stream on the jumbotrons wrapping around the upper banister. I don't know where to focus my attention as I slowly turn in place, taking in every angle of the spectacle.
Another round of cheers ring out as Luke appears.
Only he knows what to do and raises his bony wings out wide, playing to the crowd. He's a natural—the battle-zone is made for him. And I swallow—the kind that doesn't go down. Because Luke is huge in his skeleton skin.
Why is he so big!!!
And not just from the massive wings—he seems so much...taller! Luke picks up his battle stick and twirls the padded PVC rod between bony hands. I hope he remembers I'm a skeleton-in-training—beneath my wizard's skin. Because I'm shocked at how heavy the stick is with puffy, dense foam sown tightly around three quarters of the length of each side.
No twirling for me.
All of DOOM chants, "Killers will entomb! Killers will entomb!"
"Luke—take it easy on me," I plead.
He doesn't respond. His battle stick spins faster in his hands. I walk backward—step for step—with Luke as he circles around me. Sweaty hands barely hold grip. My head is dizzy from all that spinning closing in on me...
Nooo!
The padded white and red blur hurls toward me—from spinning to swinging in one fluid motion. The battle stick slams into my side and knocks me to the floor. My breath catches as I scramble to my feet. But I have no weapon. Or wizard's hat.
YOU ARE READING
Merlin's Curse
Science Fiction[8X FEATURED] Merlin is the greatest-eleven-year-old nerd the world doesn't know because his name has cursed him--he's all parts nerd and zero parts magic and all he wants is to be cool. When Merlin hacks a new encryption code designed to protect on...
