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Not even from them.
* * *
Now with two sets of uniforms piled high in the locker room and a fresh set of shorts and a t-shirt on, I exhale. Nothing I do is going to alleviate the nerves consuming me. This is so far from anything I’ve had to handle before, even in Shadowmoor, reminding me that I’m nothing but a Void masquerading as one of the powerful.
I may have faced dangers back home, but never sirens or whatever else might exist here. I’m out of my element and I’m not embarrassed to admit that, but the sinking feeling that I’m simply waiting for my execution is all I can think about.
Leila links her arm through mine as we head out of the locker room. The space is quieter and less busy than it was on Monday, and that reality seems to be weighing heavy on everyone’s shoulders.
“Are you okay?” she asks, eyes filled with concern, and I offer her a tight smile in response, unable to piece together the right words.
She accepts my silence as the Bishops come into view, waiting for us as they have every day. Brax, Creed, and I are the final ones waiting to face the Gauntlet, but the impassive looks on their faces would make you think they weren’t about to do something crazy.
They take their usual formation around us, Eldon up front, Brax behind, Zane at my right, and Creed on the other side of Leila. They stay like that until we enter the arena, just like every other day, except Eldon and Brax switch places when we take our seats. There’s no need to shuffle anyone out of their spots, though. With the casualties we’ve faced, there’s more space than there was.
A projection flickers above the dome and Professor Barton appears like clockwork. “Good morning, Silvercrest. I hope you are all basking in your victory or prepared to face the Gauntlet today. For all those who prove triumphant, the gala will commence this evening. This is a regal event, so if you haven’t paid a visit to the on-site seamstress, I highly recommend that you do so after today’s events. I look forward to seeing my Gauntlet champions then. Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”
“Follow the sun, destroy the shadows, and survive another dawn.”
A regal event? Shit, I’m almost glad I’m dying today. Although, the Bishops dressed in suits is a sight I’ll regret not seeing.
Before I can get sucked too far into my thoughts, the professor pulls out her scroll and calls the next name. Thankfully, I’m not first, but it doesn’t end well for the girl who starts. I recognize her as one of Genie’s friends, and that fact is confirmed when she dies at the hands of her siren and Genie starts to sob uncontrollably.
I can’t decide if she’s genuinely hurt or vying for attention, but I refrain from judging since I made a spectacle of running to Zane yesterday.
The announcing professor glances down at her sheets and my breath catches in my lungs. “Creed Wylder.”
Fuck.
I turn to my left, watching him rise to his feet. He rolls his shoulders back and glances in my direction, nodding slightly in acknowledgment before he trudges down the steps.
Did I want him to kiss me like the others did? Am I disappointed? I’m not sure, but worry for his safety claws at me. Maybe I should have gone before all of them so I didn’t have to deal with this crippling anxiety.
Zane laces his fingers with mine and draws my hand into his lap, but I don’t pull my gaze from Creed as he speaks with the professor before stepping into the pit.
I know when we went on the trip to the outpost, Creed joined the psychic group, which doesn’t help my stress, but he enters the siren’s lair with unwavering confidence.
My heart hammers in my chest, waiting for the siren’s song to begin, and the second it does, I clamp my hands to my ears, too scared to blink as I watch Creed climb the boulders.
“What the fuck is he doing?” I mutter to no one, panic taking over as he does what everyone else who has failed before him did.
He’s climbing the furthest boulders from where the pool sits but, surely, that won’t make a difference. The higher ground has worked for no one.
The water starts to rise and, to my surprise, Creed is almost to the top. The moment he reaches the highest point, he turns back to look at the water, his eyes scanning for the siren. My eyes narrow as I do the same and it takes a moment for me to see her.
Blue hair, blue tail. She’s blending in with the water, which is making her harder to locate. Alarm rattles through me but I spot the moment he sees her. Creed crouches down as the water level rises, faster this time, like it’s seeking him out. All at once, the siren’s melody stops and the water halts its ascent.
I’m on the edge of my seat, hands falling from my ears to my mouth as I wait with bated breath for what may follow. Waves start to form in the water, lapping at the barrier separating the pit from the observers, and it quickly becomes apparent that it’s because the siren is thrashing around beneath the surface. An almighty scream crackles through the air as the siren rises from the water, her face contorted with teeth protruding, ready to attack.
The second she’s out of the water, it evaporates into a small pool again as she starts snapping at her own tail. My gaze flicks between the siren and Creed. He looks deep in thought, his hands twisting slightly as the siren repeatedly attacks herself, and the spectators gasp as blood splatters against the iridescent wall.
“That’s sadistic as fuck,” Eldon states as the lifeless siren flops to the sand in a heap of blood and gore.
“It can be whatever he wants if it means he survives,” I murmur, still in shock as Creed climbs down from the boulder. Claps and cheers erupt and I join in, rising to my feet even though I’m still confused by what the fuck just happened.
Creed pays no mind to anyone as he takes the steps two at a time to rejoin us. Blood coats his bare arms and legs and people try to give him a wide berth as he passes. Leila jumps from her seat before he can sit down, clambering over Zane and me to sit on his other side, leaving the spot free beside me.
“Hey.” He drops into the seat and, before I think about it, I launch myself at him.
