Page 11

CHAPTER 11

The cheers of the crowd in the absolutely massive amphitheater were deafening, and I wasn’t even on the field yet!

I waited with the rest of the European contingent in one of the back rooms. We were to wait until the professional-looking attendants who had been assigned to us gave us the signal to enter the bowl.

Those of us from Blackthorn Academy huddled together, as were the rest of the schools. The exception were the dragon polo players, many of whom had faced off against their now-teammates on the field, and were therefore comfortable enough to breach the distance between us.

Within our school group, my friends and I made up the core. I bit my lip nervously and fiddled with the headpiece that would broadcast my events once we entered the amphitheater. It was a neat piece of magic; connected with the database of Olympians and tied to the person’s genetics, it was able to link each Olympian’s events to their headpiece.

“I hope I’m capable of doing this,” I voiced my worries to my friends.

“Of course you are,” Aiden said encouragingly.

“I may not have known you for very long,” Pierre added, “but I have yet to see you falter at a challenge.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” I muttered.

“Europe, you must enter,” said the attendant nearest us.

We lined up in a scraggly sort of group and filed out of the room, through the narrow hallway, and out onto the field in the center of the amphitheater.

I couldn’t hear the loudspeaker announcing us, but I knew they were listing off our schools, countries, and names. Everywhere I looked in the stands, people were waving brightly colored flags, flashing lights, and screaming at the top of their lungs.

I had never felt so terrified in my life.

I held Aiden’s hand tightly as we walked the circuit of the bowl, following after the attendant waving the European flag as an escort. In the distance ahead of us, I could see the tail end of the Asian group.

“What do you think?” Aiden asked.

“I feel so tiny. I had no idea there were so many magical people in the world.”

He laughed. “Silly. I meant for your events.”

I blinked at him, startled that I had forgotten about that in my amazement. I glanced over my head to read my events: accuracy, flying, and charms.

“Flying?” I hissed. “I didn’t put my name down for that!”

Aiden looked proud of himself. “I did. You’ll love it, I promise.”

“It had better not be on dragonback,” I growled.

He looked surprised. “You already know how to do it. You’ll have no trouble at all.”

I took a deep breath, letting my annoyance fade away. “I wish you hadn’t done that, but you’re right. I do know how to fly, at least.”

“They wouldn’t have assigned you to an event that you couldn’t do,” Clarissa said, linking our arms. “You’ll be great.”

I wasn’t as confident, but tried to believe in my friends’ belief in me.

The cacophony increased as the next contingent was announced; North America.

The noise was so loud, it felt like it was pressing down on me.

Pierre tapped his ears. “If it’s bothering you, mute it,” he said.

I shook my head at myself. Despite having been doing spells on my own for years, I still forgot sometimes that I had the capability.

The instant the spell took effect, I breathed a sigh of relief. I could still hear the crowd, but it was as if they were much quieter. “That’s so much better,” I said.

“Great idea, Pierre,” Aiden said, clapping him on the shoulder.

I could still hear my friends properly, which was comforting. It seemed like the spell only affected noise above a certain decibel. I couldn’t hear the announcer either.

The European contingent had caught up to the Asian one in the center of the amphitheater.

“We wait here for everyone else, and then the spectacle will begin. After that, the first event will take place,” our escort said.

“What is the first event?” I asked.

He consulted a tablet. “Accuracy.”

My stomach flipped. That was one of mine.

Aiden squeezed my hand. “You’ll be amazing. Clarissa will be with you.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. I would know at least one of my teammates.

There were only two more contingents called; Oceania and South America.

I wondered if the mer we had met were included in the Oceania contingent, or if they weren’t involved in the Olympics at all. Most of the events were surface-based. That felt exclusionary, but I wasn’t sure what could be changed.

We waited patiently as the last Olympian joined us and a trumpet sounded.

The audience quieted, as much as thousands of people could.

I removed my mute spell so I could hear the announcer.

“Welcome to the two-hundred and fifty-third Magical Olympics!” the announcer cried, and whoops and cheers met the proclamation.

“I guess the Greeks got the idea from us,” I whispered to Aiden.

He smothered a laugh with a hand. “I think they took a few things from their own culture, too. I highly doubt we suggested that they compete naked.”

I shrugged. “We might have. It depends on who suggested it. It could have started as a funny joke.”

He nodded solemnly. “I can imagine that high jumping in particular would have been amusing to watch with all those dicks flopping around.”

“Was that one of the original sports at the Olympics?” I mused.

Aiden shrugged. “Who knows.”

The announcer had continued while we chatted, and I’d missed a few things. I struggled to draw my attention back to him.

“—international magical cooperation. The countries from each contingent will be competing together, the ones with the highest rankings moving on to compete against the other groups. The finals will have a minimum of six competitors. We have seen ties happen, and those competitors will each have a chance at gold.”

My stomach tightened. “I’ll be competing against Clarissa first? I thought we were teammates?”

Clarissa took my free hand. “Some of the events are group events. We’ll be together then.”

“If they match us up,” I worried aloud.

“You’re stressing for no reason,” Bruce joined the conversation. “You don’t know how things are done yet, and neither does anyone else. The committee is different every Olympics, and only fourth year students at accredited academies are allowed to compete, so all the competitors are brand new as well. Breathe. Everyone’s in the same boat.”

I saw the sense in that and managed to calm down considerably.

“—enjoy the entertainment!”

Silent fireworks exploded overhead, shaping into one design after another. I realized that they weren’t actually fireworks, but magical drones controlled by a magic user on the ground. They danced in the air, showing the origin of the Magical Olympics and the events that had been present since the beginning. Flying was one of them, and I felt a thrill of pride that I would be competing in one of the original events. Glittery magic swirled around the drones, erasing each image before the drones made the next one.

A map of the world showed up next, the countries colored by their flag. It zoomed in on Mexico, on Hermosilla on the West coast, and showed an overhead view of the amphitheater where we were standing.

Hermosilla was the standard opening ceremony location, thanks to the five-point nexus it was on and the relative isolation. No humans would accidentally wander into the opening ceremonies, like they would if it was located in one of the European nexus points.

The zooming in continued until a flare rippled through the drones, quickly vanishing until there was no light at all.

A spark appeared in the top corner of the stands, bouncing slowly down the stairs. I sharpened my vision with a quick spell, only to see a person holding a torch high overhead.

Suddenly, another person zoomed down from the sky on a broom, and lit their torch from the one on the ground.

My gaze followed the newcomer as they flew in loops in the sky. Another flier swooped in, looking like they were going to crash, but they barely brushed, only enough to light the new torch.

Two more fliers came in, and then four more, exponentially growing until it seemed as though they couldn’t fly without bumping into someone else’s broom. The choreography was full of thrilling near-misses and death-defying stunts.

At last, the fliers all gathered in the middle, their bodies extinguishing the torch light from the ground. One flier burst from the top, their torch still lit, and the others flew away, dark specks in the night sky. The lone flier swooped slowly down, taking their time and covering every inch of space with their movements.

A cry went up from the far side of the amphitheater, and I whipped my head around to see what had happened.

A magical wave was building at one end of the bowl, large and menacing. The solo flier was hovering mid-air opposite it, the torch glittering bravely.

They charged at each other, the wave cresting and crashing down well above our heads, racing to extinguish the torch. The flier cast a bubble charm at the last second, safely making it through the wave with the torch still lit.

A wild cheer rose up from everyone, audience and competitors included.

My heart was racing, but I couldn’t tell if it was from excitement or nervousness.

The flier proceeded to the massive torch permanently set in the ground. When they got closer, they paused, doubling back to hover in place again.

I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see what they were looking at.

“There are three sandstorm tornadoes blocking the way,” Aiden whispered.

As soon as he said it, they stretched up until everyone could see them. The winds were whipping, people’s hair blowing in the breeze.

The flier created a magical bow, placed the torch like an arrow, and launched it directly at the middle tornado, and the main torch behind it.

A collective gasp resounded in the amphitheater. I held my breath, crossing my fingers. It felt like time slowed down as the torch flew through the air... And then it struck the tornado in a perfect hit.

The tornado exploded, and the torch continued on, right into the center of the larger torch.

There was silence for a moment, the other two tornadoes vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Darkness reigned.

A flicker of fire, and then the large torch burst into life, signaling the start of the Magical Olympics.

Cheers erupted once more.

I was impressed by the theatrics of the event. I hadn’t really considered how useful magic could be in creative pursuits. It was something I was eagerly looking forward to exploring with Aiden after graduation.

The announcer came on once more, without the crackle of non-magical electronics. “Would the contestants for accuracy please report to the north end of the facility? Everyone else, let the competitors through before you find your seats.”

Despite the announcer’s warning, everyone started moving at once.

Clarissa grabbed my hand and started trying to push through the crowd.

“There’s no way,” I said, biting off a grunt when I was shoulder-checked by a mountain of a man.

“Siobhan!” Aiden called, already in the distance. “Good luck!”

I waved to show I’d heard him, and then refocused on Clarissa’s broad back. Someone stepped on my foot. “Ow!” I grumbled. “This is ridiculous. We’re going to take the high road.”

“Do you have winged shoes?” Clarissa asked.

“Oh, no. It’s a hovering charm. Cast it on your shoes, and then we can walk in the air over everyone’s heads.” I showed her the charm, which she got on the first try, and we quickly rose into the air.

Several people clapped for us as we walked overhead, and we could hear cheering from the audience.

“We’re arriving in style,” Clarissa whispered to me, bending over so her voice wouldn’t carry.

I chuckled. “Just don’t do this when you’re wearing a skirt.”

Clarissa winked at me. “It all depends on how fast you move.”

I giggled behind my hand. “I suppose you could always cast invisibility first.”

“Now you’ve got it.”

We reached the north of the amphitheater and joined our fellow competitors. There were more than I expected, but then I remembered that we were competing against our teammates before the finals.

I meekly removed the hovering charm, landing in front of one of the people in charge, who raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

The other person was splitting people into their preliminary groups. Clarissa and I were directed to join the Europeans, and by the time the field had emptied behind us, we were ready to start.

“This event is all about the accuracy of a thrown spell,” the announcer said. “Any spell will do, but we recommend the use of a color dart. The closer you are to the center of the target, the higher your score will be. Each competitor will receive four chances. The first wave shall begin!”

The African contingent were first, spread out across the field, their targets twenty feet away. I had the distinct impression I was in a Robin Hood movie.

There was no swish of air or thwip of bowstrings. The contestants didn’t need to all go at the same time. The colors shot across the distance between their fingers and the targets in a riot of rainbow colors.

“What color are you going to choose?” Clarissa asked, distracting me.

“Green,” I said. “I’m representing Ireland.”

She nodded. “I’m going to use yellow, for the fire beasts.”

“Nice.”

Asia was up next. The African hopefuls moved off to the side to receive their scores.

We were next. I swallowed anxiously.

Are we supposed to analyze our competitors to find their weaknesses? We’re not competing directly against them. I may not even make it to the next round.

There was a girl wearing a Turkish flag on her back in front of me. She stood in a relaxed position, one hand in her pocket, the other aiming directly at the target. She didn’t even take the time to shift her aim, firing off four shots in quick succession.

From where I was standing, they looked like a perfect bullseye. I swallowed hard.

How am I supposed to compete against people like her?

It was our turn, and I stepped up to the firing line. I took a deep breath and blotted out all distractions. The roar of the crowd became a distant hum, and the people on either side of me vanished as I focused all my attention on the target in front of me. My scalp prickled and I sent a dart of magic from the tip of my finger at the target. The trail of green began to vanish before I sent off my second shot. I took a deep breath between each turn, making sure I was steady before firing.

I had no idea how I’d done by the end. My cluster of darts looked good, but so did Clarissa’s and the man’s on the other side of me. I followed the others off the field to receive my score.

The North American contingent took our place. About halfway through their turn, a number popped up on my headpiece.

“Is that our rank?” I asked Clarissa, pointing up at it.

“I think it’s our score,” she said. “They won’t put our ranks up until everyone has competed, so the competitors who went first don’t have an advantage.”

I nodded my acceptance and glanced nervously around at the rest of the Europeans. Everyone that I could see had numbers, all of which were lower than mine and Clarissa’s. Hopefully, that meant we’d done well.

After all the contestants had competed, there was a moment of silence, broken by the crowd cheering as the competitors who would move on to the finals were broadcasted to the entire arena.

The number on my headpiece glowed green at the same time as the European names were announced, and I stared at it, confused.

“We’re competing in the finals!” Clarissa said, grabbing my shoulder and shaking it.

“We are?” I said, surprised.

“I wonder how far away the targets will be this time.”

“Will the eliminated competitors please find places in the stands,” the announcer said. “The rest of you, find your positions around the arena.”

The European flag lit up halfway across the field, and Clarissa and I headed over to it along with eight others.

Once everyone was in position, the announcer started speaking again. “Each team has ten members. Your targets are the other teams. You may move in any way you see fit. Your spells must be non-lethal. If you injure another player, your entire contingent will be disqualified from the event. If you kill another player, your contingent will be disqualified from the entire Olympics. Your time starts in five... Four...”

My eyes widened. “ We’re the targets?” I hissed.

“So are they,” Clarissa grinned. “This will be fun.” She grabbed my elbow. “They didn’t say anything about other spells being used.”

“Is that allowed?” I asked, glancing around for an attendant.

She shrugged. “No time to figure it out.”

The announcer called the start, and immediately, three color darts headed our way.

I squeaked, cast invisibility on myself, and dropped to the grass.

Seven more darts collided high over my head, my instincts to stay low proving right on the money. Everyone had seen Clarissa and I walking on air earlier. Of course they’d assume I only knew one trick.

I took a moment to breathe and try to figure out my next steps while I transferred my invisibility spell to my hair elastic. We had been banned from wearing any jewelry in case of damages, and my ring finger felt naked without the family ring for the first time in a long time. However, people with long hair had the advantage of using hair elastics, and thus we had an object to attach our spells to.

Several others had turned invisible as well, I noticed, so I cast a spell on my eyes to see invisibility magic.

It wasn’t a common spell. Professor Reynolds had helped me build it for my term project last year when I had pointed out that it would be easier to search for specific dangerous kinds of magic rather than general magic, especially within the academy.

The only problem with the spell was that it dulled my vision for everything else.

About ten people flared to life where there had been nothing.

I got to my feet and started running toward the closest one. I’d have only one shot, and it had to be while I was moving, because as soon as I used magic, the color dart would indicate where I had been standing.

I took aim, fired, and immediately changed direction before I could see whether I had connected with my target. Several other darts exploded where I had been standing.

I moved on to the next person, repeating the process, until there weren’t any invisible people on the field.

Other than myself.

I wanted to remove the spell, since now it was hampering my vision instead of helping, and looked around the field of battle to make sure I was in the clear.

A stray dart headed directly for me, and I jumped to the side, only for it to curve back around and head for me once more.

“Shit,” I hissed.

A homing dart.

I didn’t know how the caster had done it. Tied to invisibility, I assumed, so I dropped the spell, and the dart fizzled out.

But now I was visible to everyone else, and multiple people cast their darts in my direction at once.

I squeaked again and cast incorporeal on my body. The darts passed harmlessly through me, but there was no way for me to cast spells on other people in this form, so I couldn’t stay this way.

Removing the spell and casting invisibility once more, I ran to the side of the amphitheater while I considered my next tactic.

If I shrank, I could target anyone who ran by me, but I’d be limiting myself only to a few people.

However...

A thought occurred to me.

I cast a target spell on people with a higher heart rate, readied the dart spell, and then cast multiply. I focused on each person I could see and let the spell fly.

Twelve competitors went down in one go, just before the buzzer rang, signaling the end of the event.

“Would the finalists please go to the center of the field while we tabulate the scores,” the announcer said,

By the time everyone reached the center, the announcer was speaking again. “Surprising nobody after that performance, third place is awarded to North America, second place Asia, and first place goes to Europe!”