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SUMMER
The course looked like an adult jungle gym and appeared to fill the equivalent of a football field. It covered the entire island, weaving this way, then that. Squinting, I tried to see a way through.
“Can we walk around it first?” I asked. Mapping out a course might be the best option.
“That is not possible,” Burmoot said, though his voice held a touch of kindness. Seeing the monitors hovering, watching, he stiffened his spine. “Your time is almost up. You must start now. Follow the markings, and you will know which way to travel.”
“What about Tumbles?” I asked. “He can’t do this.” I worried about him being harmed while we competed. This desert was a dangerous place.
“I will watch over him,” Burmoot said. “He will wait for you at the end of the course, assuming you make it.” He said the last bit lightly, but I swore I heard an odd edge to his voice, almost as if he was concerned.
He didn’t like us, did he? This was a job for him, nothing else. Sure, he’d behaved in a friendly manner, but that could be his way. He wouldn’t do anything to make this easy for us or ensure we succeeded, not with the rest of the Universal Council watching.
“All right.” Stooping down, I patted Tumbles. He stared up at me and whimpered, but I got the feeling he understood we had to go on without him. As I straightened, he rolled away from us, taking a narrow path around the perimeter of the course.
“See?” Burmoot said with a bright smile. “He will wait there. Trust me, I will ensure he comes to no harm.”
Unsure, I fidgeted, gnawing on my lower lip
Burmoot dipped his head forward. “I will guard him as if he was my own youngling.”
“Do you have children?” I asked.
“Only one.”
“Who is watching that child for you today, your mate?” It shouldn’t matter. I had no idea why I was pressing this; the questions kept popping out. Maybe I did like him a bit. We’d hopefully finish the game soon and leave. After that, I’d never see him again. He’d been . . . a friend, I suppose. A guide during a challenging time. A friend.
“Truly,” he said. “He will be safe.”
I looked to Adone, who watched Burmoot. His head was tilted as if he, too, was trying to figure this guy out.
Reassured, I joined Adone, leaning against his side.
“Where do we start?” he asked. His gaze kept flitting from Burmoot to the enormous structure.
“That ramp,” Burmoot said, pointing.
I noted the pale purple dot on the wooden slope and looked beyond it, seeking the next dot. There it was, on the other side of a rope stretched across an open area. Below, something squirmed on the sand. Would what waited there kill me if I fell into the pit?
Don’t fall, and I wouldn’t find out, I guess.
Adone took my hand, and we hurried to the steep ramp, rushing up to the top. We stopped at a small wooden platform about twenty feet in the air.
I couldn’t see much of the course because they’d put up barriers here and there to keep us from strategizing how best to cross an area before we got there. Platforms like the one we stood on peppered the course, however, so we could rest between each section of the challenge.
“Dangle from the rope or walk along the top?” I asked, studying the fifteen feet or so we had to cross. “Or fly.”
“No flying is permitted,” Burmoot said. He leaned close and lowered his voice. “I’m sorry. The Universal Council is quite strict about this rule. If you use your wings, Adone, you will be disqualified, and the Game will be over.”
“All right,” he said, rocking back on his heels. He stooped and tugged on the rope, and it didn’t move. “There’s nothing to hold onto as we cross. I think walking would prove a challenge.”
Which was the point. I sat and swung my legs off the side of the platform, taking care not to look at the ground. I wasn’t going to fall, so it didn’t matter what waited down there. The clicking of claws and harsh chitters? I could ignore that too.
“I’ll go first,” I said. I eased onto the rope and let myself drop so my legs were hooked around the rope and I could cling to it near my head. I slowly started moving across, dangling.
Adone watched. “You are doing well. Not far now.”
It was nice to have the encouragement because I’d stupidly looked down and noted the ground swarmed with alien-appearing lizards with long fangs and multiple clawed limbs. I doubted they were friendly lizards.
