Partisan - Book II

The Gauntlet

"Day three," Ruben's voice booms as he enters the courtyard. He looks far more coherent than the night before and his teeth tear off a huge portion of pastry. "This task will test a culmination of abilities shown in the previous two days. It will also test the most important skill of all: teamwork."

Moving to the center of the yard, he begins to toss a strip of cloth to each participant.

"You have all been assigned equally balanced teams of three," he tells them. "Each team will have at least two Skills and, as you can see, each team member will come from a different kingdom."

Rahul catches his light green arm band and grins at the dark-haired Solveig girl, who also holds a green band in hand. Kali, a black band clutched between her fingers, grumbles, casting a disparaging look at Caj and one of Beinsho's Beast-callers, who both stand beside her with identical cloths.

"Your task is simple," Ruben continues as he throws a periwinkle-colored one at Allayria, who snatches it out of the air. To her utter lack of surprise but complete disappointment, he tosses the next periwinkle band to Lei. "There are two items for each team hidden around the arena. You must collect them using your talents, nerve, and most importantly: wits. Whichever team returns both items and all three teammates to the courtyard first wins."

He pauses.

"This task is designed for teamwork. I caution you all to think critically about how to combine all of your talents to yield quicker results."

He throws a gold arm band to Tara, who receives a friendly pat on the back from the similarly adorned Hiran. The next armband Ruben pulls is the last periwinkle one and Allayria watches as he tosses it to...

Finn.

Allayria finds herself automatically making eye contact with Lei, who, after a moment of looking similarly appalled, sighs, as if to say: It's not as if we were trying to win anyway.

"Of course," Ruben adds, handing a soft, lilac band to Fae, "what is a competition without a prize?"

He tosses the last arm band—a scarlet one—to Peter before walking over to the box. "I expect you all to work very hard to make the best impression possible, but consider this an additional incentive."

He Skills the box off the ground with a flourish, revealing a wheel of soft, creamy white cheese sitting, round and perfect, on the mat underneath.

The others look around in bafflement, some letting out barks of laughter, but Allayria's eyes meet Ruben's.

You never meant for me to just coast through this one, she thinks, watching the sly smile quirk on his lips, the challenge in his eyes.

"We're winning," she tells her teammates. Lei wheels around, brow furrowed against this shift in plan, but Finn nods sagely.

"Keep your eyes sharp, everyone," Ruben advises. "You may begin in three, two, one—"

Allayria tears through the underbrush at the sound of Ruben's whistle, her teammates following.

"Allayria," Lei warns, "we need to stop and come up with a plan."

She doesn't pay him any attention, racing along the path as she hears other teams follow on other trails. She rounds a thick trunk, leaping over a downed log, only to suddenly duck with a crinkling crack of her neck, the flying punt of stone missing the top of her head by a fingers-width. She hears Lei Skill the thing apart and glances up from the beneath shelter of her hands, pressed tightly over the back of her head, to see another stone shooting up from the manufactured hole in the tree trunk across the way, readying itself for fire.