The Dance of the Keepers

Chapter 44 The Advantage

"Astrid!"

I moaned, my head feeling like a rock band decided to play a concert in it. Faintly my brain registered screams. I struggled to surface from the cloudy recesses of my mind.

"Astrid wake up!"
A voice hissed.

That voice was so familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"For goodness sakes, fight it! It's only sleeping serum!"

Sleeping serum? What in the world... My brain registered more sounds, shouting, a horrible screechy noise echoed somewhere close by.

"Astrid!!"
It was the absolute desperation in the voice that finally got to me.

I️ forced myself to crank my eyes open but was disoriented, my vision blurred and a cacophony of deafening sounds overwhelmed me.

"Jasper? Jasper! What's happening?!"
I nearly shrieked.

My vision cleared and I recognized the arena. Thousands of spectators lined the stands screaming for blood. Way up high I noted television screens with close-ups of the competitors faces flashing across it. My family was watching me. Ranen was watching me. How did I get here? The last thing I remembered was waiting for the Magna Games to start.

"They injected us all with a short lasting sleeping serum, long enough to set up the game. We are chained to a steel pole two feet around and were given a small dose of the elken berry draught."
Jasper explained.

Crap.

"There are five posts each with two of the competitors from each province. The third province competitors are at the starting gate over yonder. When the game begins, they will have to fight their way to the keys on the opposite end of the arena, battling who knows what obstacles the designers have planned. Those who succeed must rescue their teammates, whether that be those from their province or not, and then scale that 40ft pole in the center and press the button on top to win the round. Welcome to the first trial."

I nearly passed out again.

"How do you know all this?"
I managed to ask.

"I awoke just before the others, I have a stronger metabolism than what they gave me credit for, so the serum didn't last as long. I heard them explain the game to the audience."
Jasper explained.

I glanced around us to see the other competitors slowly waking from the serum.

"That gives us an advantage, you knowing the plan."
I grabbed desperately at any straw of hope.

"Astrid, I ran the calculations."
He began.

"I honestly don't want to know how bad our chances are. Now, what do we do to get out of these chains?"

"Nothing, they are indestructible. At least without any wielding abilities."

I growled in frustration.

"I guess we'll just have to wait for..."
My voice trailed off suddenly as I came to a startling realization.

"Oh, lord!  Vienna!"
I cried out.

"Yes, they picked our weakest link."
Jasper said softly, looking pained.

"We're sitting ducks and she's a painted target!"
I let out a roar in frustration.

A horrible buzzer blared and the crowd went wild.

"Jasper there has to be a loophole here! We have to get to Vienna or we're all going to die!"