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ADONE
With Summer in my arms, I bolted, aiming for the shadowy structure I saw far in the distance.
“Hurry,” Burmoot said, appearing beside us. He floated along as I ran. “I held them off for as long as I could. I wanted you to rest. However, the Universal Council...”
One of the monitors flew in close, injecting itself between us and Burmoot.
“Never mind,” Burmoot said. His voice grew sharp. “You are losing time, Adone and Summer. The day progresses rapidly, and you are nowhere near to completing your task.” Lifting a finger, he placed it over his lips.
He did not want us revealing he was helping us. I didn’t know why, but I was grateful. There was something about him that drew me, though that made no sense. I felt no affinity for a member of the Universal Council. He would manipulate the power he held and use it against me, even if he hadn’t done so already.
Still, my hearts were warming to him.
I didn’t like feeling gratitude for anyone administering this Game, but Burmoot felt different for some reason. He was almost an ally, assuming we dared trust him. This could just be another trick. We’d start to believe he was being honest, and he’d turn around and bite us.
Summer watched me, not the monitors or Burmoot, and her belief I could do this kept me going. I ran faster, harder, and soon, an enormous structure sitting on a sandy island appeared ahead of us. Water flowed around the set-up, and a bridge spanned this side of the—
“Is that a river?” Summer asked, stunned. She rubbed her eyes, then widened them as she looked.
“I believe so.”
She leaned sideways to look behind us. “Keep going.” Her voice shook, and her wide eyes met mine. “I mean, I know you are, but still. Don’t stop! We’ll make it. You can do it.”
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing ahead, but I heeded her warning and ran faster.
“Is that . . . It looks like something from a TV show I heard of back on Earth, Ninja Warrior.” She shook her head. “We need to run an obstacle course?”
“That is correct,” Burmoot said. “It will provide the challenge you need.”
I soared down the final hill, sparing a glance behind us that showed me the creatures were only a few leaps away. I could almost feel their hot breath on my back.
At the base of the hill, I flew across the open stretch and onto the bridge. By the time I’d crossed the broad wooden surface, the beasts had reached the desert side. The tick I leapt off it and onto the island, the bridge lifted, preventing the beasts from following. They paced, snorting and grinding their hooves into the sand, clearly irritated. A few rushed the barrier, slamming their horns against it.
“Will they swim across the river?” Summer asked as I lowered her to her feet.
She put Tumbles down. He kept his fur stiff, gazing up at us.
“The beasts do not like water,” Burmoot said. “They fear what swims there.”
Summer shuddered. “How can there be water in the middle of the desert?”
“It was created by the dome’s computers,” Burmoot said. He strode backward and swept his arm out. “Behold, your next challenge. If you can both complete the course before sunset, you will be rewarded with a rest period before you take on the final event.”
“Can we help each other?” I asked, studying the course. I could see a way through it, but it wasn’t going to be easy. This was where me being bigger gave me an advantage, but my tiny mate would find it difficult to complete this solely on her own.
“For this, yes, you may help each other,” Burmoot said. “But you both will need to complete the course and make it to the end.”
“I assume if we don’t complete each part of the course, we’re out?” Summer asked.
“Dead, my dear,” he said as the monitors zipped in close enough to record our reaction to his pronouncement. “If you fail or skip any part of the course, you will be exterminated.”
