For a moment, Zoey forgot to breathe.
The ground shook. It was like watching a scene from the movie Gladiator, but instead of great half-naked warriors lunging across the grounds, beasts from the gates of Hell had been unleashed upon them.
She could see two giant wolf creatures with glowing red eyes and fur that looked more like spikes than hair, enormous spiders the size of lions, winged beasts with the heads of women and the bodies of bats, and a legion of humanoid skeletons.
It was a savage, brutal army. Zoey understood why Gigor had said that no one had ever survived the games. How could two kids, an old man, and a sick and fragile woman defeat such foes?
“This reminds me of a dream I had once,” noted Simon. His sword shook in his hand as he shifted his weight from side to side as though he was about to hit a tennis ball with it.
Zoey kept her eyes on the advancing threat. “What happened in the dream?”
“I died.”
Zoey glared at Simon. “Nice.”
Simon shrugged. “What? I’m just saying . . . forget it. It was a stupid thing to say, sorry.”
“Just—”
Zoey suddenly was really worried about Simon. The spell still hadn’t worn off. His face seemed to have more wrinkles than before, and he was losing more hair. Was he still aging? He caught her staring at him, and she looked away. “Just try to stay alive, okay?”
“What? More alive than in this body,” Simon pointed to himself. “I’m already running on used fuel. But don’t worry, I might be an old fogey, but I still have a few good moves left in me—hopefully.”
“Get ready and stay together!” Tristan’s voice sounded over the savage cries and shrieks from the avalanche of beasts tumbling towards them.
They had nowhere to go. There was no escaping. Their DSMs didn’t work. They would have to fight. How could they defeat such a brutal force? They were going to die . . . .
“Zoey,” said Elizabeth suddenly, and Zoey turned towards her mother. “I—” she paused as though she wasn’t sure whether or not to say what was on her mind. “Be careful.”
Zoey reached out and squeezed her mother’s hand. “I will. We’re getting out of here, mom, I promise.”
Her mother’s eyes filled with tears, and her own eyes burned. She turned quickly away, not wanting her mother to see her cry. She glanced over at the platform. Mrs. Dupont was smiling so much that Zoey thought she might swallow her own head. She was leaning forward in her chair like she was watching her favorite live theatre performance. She was thrilled they were about to die.
Zoey breathed in all her anger and let it fill her with energy. If she was going to die, then she’d go down fighting. If Mrs. Dupont wanted to see a show, then a show Zoey was going to give her.
The army of skeletons moved to the right side of the stadium and waited like they were the reinforcements, should things go in Zoey’s favor.
The wolves reached them first. The two great beasts snarled and shrieked, and their red eyes gleamed with hatred and hunger.
“If anyone here believes in some God, it’s time to pray,” said Simon behind her.
Elizabeth planted herself. “Let them come.”
She brandished her sword, looking braver and stronger than Zoey had first anticipated, and it filled her with more confidence.
The wolves were so close that Zoey could smell their putrid fur. She raised her sword.
“Here! Come over here!” Tristan leaped forward and away from the group. His skin shone blue as he waved his daggers like baseball bats.
“Tristan, what are you doing?” shouted Zoey. But she knew he was taking on the biggest beasts so that the rest of them wouldn’t have to. She loved him for it.
The wolves howled angrily and went straight for Tristan.
A rust-colored wolf leaped towards his neck. But Tristan was ready.
The wolf dove for him, but he moved, got behind it, and wrapped an arm around its neck. He held it struggling against him while he struck with his blade, but the other wolf leaped onto his back. Tristan cried out in pain but didn’t let go. He twisted his body and managed to kick the second beast off. With spit flying from its maw, it spun and reared. Three spikes rose on its back and shot straight at him. He swung his left arm and blocked two, but the third pierced his shoulder. His knees buckled. Miraculously, he remained standing.
Zoey moved towards him.
“NO! STAY BACK!” howled Tristan, and Zoey froze mid-step.
Still hanging on to the first wolf, Tristan whirled around.
The black wolf lunged again.
Tristan swung his blade in an upward arc, and the creature spun through the air and hit the ground with a nasty thud. Its severed head fell away from its body and landed in a puddle of blackened blood.
He let go of the red wolf, and it crumbled to the ground.
Zoey thought she could hear the crowd booing, but she didn’t have time to dwell on that.
“SCORE!” shouted Simon defiantly to the crowd.
“Two to zero for us! Better reorganize those bets. We’re winning this!”
For a second she thought Simon was about to do a happy dance, but he taunted the crowd with his sword instead.
Tristan staggered and pulled out the black spike still lodged in his shoulder. Blood seeped out from the deep wound, but he didn’t even flinch.
He hurried back to the group, and just as Zoey started to ask him if he was okay, the crowd cheered loudly.
She felt a sudden gust of wind and looked up.
Winged creatures with fangs for teeth and stingers in their scorpion tails hovered above them. Their deeply sunken yellow eyes and heavy brows made them look as if they were grimacing with a cunning intelligence.
“Watch out for their poison tails!” cried Zoey.
She stood shoulder to shoulder with her mother and Simon.
The creatures shrieked and dove.
Zoey realized that they were going for Simon and her mother because they looked old and weak. As one of the creature’s talons neared her mother’s throat, Zoey swung her sword and cut the beast’s hands. The creature shrieked, and with a great beat of its wings it flew back out of reach.
Tristan knew that Simon and Elizabeth were the targets, too, and he rushed to Simon’s side. He struck one of the creatures with great whacks, while Simon kept his own and stabbed the third creature as it tried to get in closer.
“Take that, stinker!” said Simon as he poked it again, feeling more confident with every blow. “Don’t suppose you’ve ever heard of soap? You smell like cat pee.”
The creature sneered and lashed out its tail. Simon’s feet were torn from under him. He went sprawling and lost his sword.
The creature’s eyes widened in delight.
“You’re mine now, human!” It flapped its wings and lashed its stinger towards Simon’s chest like a venomous snake.
Zoey sprung into the air and kicked the stinger out of the way, just as it nicked Simon’s jacket.
“Simon get back!” she cried and pulled him to his feet behind her. He picked up his sword and backed away.
Tristan fought the other winged beast with great strokes of his sword, and the creature shrieked angrily as it couldn’t get near him.
Zoey heard a great flap of wings and felt searing pain in her shoulders as she was thrown into the air. She hit the ground hard and had the wind knocked of her. She wiped the blood from her mouth and nose as she struggled to regain her breath. Her eyes watered from the burning vinegar stench of the beast that still lingered around her. By a miracle she still held on to her sword. She struggled to her feet and turned again to face the hovering beast.
“We are going to kill you, agent!” hissed the bat-like female creature with a high-pitched voice that sounded like screeching tires.
“You cannot win. No one wins. Why don’t you give up? I will give you a quick death.” It sneered.
“I promise,” it said in mock sincerity.
“Who said anything about giving up?” spat Zoey. She turned her blade in her hand. “I’m not afraid of you. Maybe you’re afraid of me?”
The creature grinned. Its tail slashed eagerly behind it and then its vein-ridden face darkened. “You humans are so stupid, you don’t even know when you’re beaten.”
“We’re not beaten, not yet,” said Zoey through gritted teeth as she tried to anticipate the creature’s next move.
Tristan had the other creature pinned to the ground. He was winning.
“Well, that suits me fine,” laughed the creature. “I’m starving. Human blood is the sweetest.”
The creature shrieked again and dived tail first towards Zoey.
Zoey ducked, spun around, and blocked the stinger with the edge of her blade. She cried out as the force of the hit sent stinging pain up her arm, but she kept moving. If she stopped now she was dead. She turned around, panting, trying to catch her breath.
The creature’s grin was gone. It came at her again with greater determination, swinging its tail like a whip. Zoey dived and rolled, and the stinger missing her completely. She kicked out at the creature’s chest, but before she knew it, its giant claws had ripped into her back. She was thrown into the air again, and lights exploded behind her eyes when she hit the ground.
She rolled over, ready this time, as the beast wrapped its hands around her neck and squeezed. She raised her sword and plunged it into the back of the creature’s skull.
The effect was instantaneous. The beast fell dead on top of her.
Zoey gagged at the stench, heaved the creature off her, and staggered to her feet.
She heard a gag from behind. The creature whose hands she had severed had its feet wrapped around her mother’s throat.
Zoey gave a roar and charged. The creature’s thin, deadly stinger flashed out. Instinctively, she went down and rolled. The beast’s tail slashed above her head and missed her by inches. Not knowing what possessed her, she stomped on the tail and pinned it down. Then she brought her sword down with all her strength and severed the stinger.
The creature wailed and sent Elizabeth sprawling unconscious to the dirt. It thrashed in the air, waving its bloody stumps where its hand used to be and swinging its stinger-less tail ineffectually.
But still it stretched its black lips into an evil smile.
“You might have taken my hands and stinger, but I’m still going to kill you,” it threatened. “You can’t escape. You’re all going to die.”
It moved its talons towards Zoey’s neck with lightning speed. It clawed its way through Zoey’s shield and sent her scuttling back as it howled and hissed angrily.
The beast soared at Zoey again, but she waited until the last minute and then jumped up and slashed with her sword. The creature gasped and faltered.
Zoey grabbed it, flipped it on its back, and stepped on its neck. The beast squirmed like a fish, but Zoey pushed down harder. Without hesitating, she thrust the tip of her blade into the creature’s skull. Its head drooped to the side.
When Zoey looked up, the last of the bat creatures lay dead at Tristan’s feet. And to her immense relief, her mother stood next to Simon. She still looked frail and in need of a doctor, but she smiled at her.
“SPIDERS!” roared Simon suddenly, pointing behind her.
“Zoey, watch out!” Tristan leaped towards her, but it was too late.
A giant spider with eight glowing red eyes and mandibles the size of machetes leaped at her and pinned her down. Her sword fell from her hand.
It reared its hairy head, and shot its mandibles forward. But Zoey turned her head to the side just in time, and the creature’s mandibles brushed against her ear. She was aware of Tristan’s voice, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying.
The spider bit down at her again, and she caught the mandibles with her bare hands. It was like trying to keep giant scissors from cutting off her neck. She was yanked and pulled as the spider tried to break free from her hold. Zoey knew the thing would chomp off her head if she let go, and she really needed her head.
Just as her hands slipped and the spider’s mandibles reached her neck, the spider’s head fell onto Zoey’s chest. A hot yellow liquid flowed over her, and Tristan appeared above her. With a great heave, he rolled the spider’s dead body off her and pulled her to her feet.
“You owe me for that,” he said as he pulled his dagger from the beast’s body. He was covered in yellow slime, too.
“I’m thinking when we get out of here we can go to dinner and a movie or something?”
Zoey grabbed her sword and smiled in spite of herself.
Another spider leaped at her. She ducked and impaled it with her sword. It collapsed to the ground on its back.
“You mean like a real date?”
Tristan slashed the legs off the fallen spider. “Yeah, a real date.”
Zoey felt invincible, like she could do anything.
Elizabeth screamed. “Zoey, get back! Get back!”
Zoey hated normal-sized spiders, and she hated these giant ones even more. It was time to get rid of the spiders once and for all. She planted her feet and readied herself.
The spider screeched and leaped.
Zoey jerked away sideways and stabbed her weapon into one of its eight eyes, pushing it until she heard a satisfying crunch. The spider went limp and then it crumbled at her feet.
Zoey wiped the yellow, sticky ooze from her face and looked around. All the spiders were dead.
She looked to the platform, and to her surprise Gigor took a great gulp from his goblet and smiled at her. But Mrs. Dupont was not smiling.
Tristan moved beside her. His shirt was red with blood from the wound on his shoulder.
He caught her looking and said, “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s a lot of blood, Tristan.” Although Zoey didn’t know how much blood a normal person could lose without suffering the effects, she knew the amount on his shirt was bad.
Tristan shrugged. “It’s nothing, really, just a scratch.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing,” insisted Zoey.
“We did it,” said Simon happily and high-fived Elizabeth. “We actually did it! We’re going home! We’re going home!”
Simon’s good cheer and the smiles on everyone’s faces caused Zoey to relax for a moment. She could almost smell the fresh baked bread in Aria’s kitchen.
But just when they thought that their victory was near, the army of skeletons marched towards them.