“You’re not going to get away with this,” Lorian cried.

“She already did, Lorian,” Helly said.

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

Cyrene smiled. “It’s not my fault that the rules were ambiguous. Nothing said that I couldn’t break my own objects to get points.”

Jerond chuckled and then covered it with a cough. “She has you there, Lorian.”

“In fact,” Helly said, keeping Lorian from speaking, “the rules were purposely left ambiguous for this reason. It means that the person who figures out the loophole is strategic. They can see the unraveling thread and pull it. It’s a characteristic we look for in the Society, Lorian.”

“She cheated. That’s what we’re looking for?”

“She didn’t cheat,” Jerond said.

“We’re going to amend the rules so that you cannot break your own objects to end the game. The first time has to be permissible. If she does it again, then she will be in trouble,” Helly said.

Lorian looked between them. “Fine. If you want to allow this disrespect of the tournament, then so be it.”

He disappeared from the room, and Jerond sighed. “I’ll go talk him down.”

When Jerond was gone, that left Helly alone with Cyrene. “I’m glad it was you who figured it out.”

“You wrote that on purpose?”

“Well, I didn’t write the rules, but I didn’t correct anyone when they agreed they were sound.”

Cyrene laughed. “Clever. You anticipated this?”

“It’s what I would have done.” She shrugged. “A few loopholes are always good for a tournament. It recognizes ingenuity and creativity.”

“I just didn’t want to be humiliated.”

Helly nodded. “We do a lot to spare ourselves pain. It can bring out the best or the worst in people.” She raised her eyebrows and opened the door. “I’m glad that you’ve shown me which one it brings out in you.”

“Thank you, Mistress Helly.”

“Go prepare for your third match.”

“Yes, Mistress Helly.”

Her voice lowered, barely audible. “Try to beat Alura for me, will you?” Helly winked.

Cyrene grinned and nodded. “I’ll try.”

Cyrene understood, in the middle of the night, why they didn’t let anyone leave the premises. Because, if she could have, she would have gone to find Avoca. She would have been out all night instead of sleeping and trying to recover. But she couldn’t sleep anyway. Her mind was tied up on the final match.

She would have to do something pretty remarkable to beat Alura, who had double the points of Cyrene. And she didn’t know how she was going to do it without the trick she’d used against Dean’s team. The look on Dean’s face had been priceless when he realized Cyrene had outsmarted him. He’d seethed all night, and she’d seen him taking it out on the equipment in the training facility before bed.

With a sigh, she threw her leathers back on and left her bedroom. Her feet were nearly soundless as she crept down the hall. She passed the dining area and stepped into the dimly lit training facility. She was surprised to see that Fallon was inside.

His eyes jumped up, and he dropped the bowl of water he’d been holding. It splashed all around him. “Cyrene, what are you doing here?”

“I suppose I could ask you the same thing.”

“You saw the rankings,” he said all nonchalant, as if it didn’t matter to him at all that he was sitting at the bottom.

“I did.”

“I just thought…I’d actually try to train.”

“Bit late, don’t you think?”

“What else can I do?” he asked. “I’m not really cut out for this, but I don’t want to be cut in the first round.”

“Then, you need to fight. You need to do something. You got two hits on my team in the last round. You need to do that again and work on your shield. It’s what keeps getting you hit out.”

“Yeah, okay. I know that.” He coughed and glanced down. “Theoretically.”

She walked across the room and stepped up to him. “You have a great theoretical basis. You’re smart. But you’re going to need more than your brains to win this.” She stripped off her jacket and tossed it on a bench. “Pull your shield up, and let’s get started.”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’re going to train with me?”

“Why not?”

“We’re on…opposite teams.”

“So?” She pulled the water up out of the bowl he’d broken. “I’m not fighting you tomorrow, and I don’t want you to be sent home either. I want you to show those Galanthea goons that brains matter, too. You’re the only ally I have. If my help in training you keeps you here…then let’s do it.”

He shook his head. “You know…I don’t think anyone else would help like this.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not like anyone else.”

“Me either.”

She grinned. “That’s why we’re a pair. Now, come on. I want you to beat Walston tomorrow.”

He pulled his shield up, and Cyrene smiled. Fallon wasn’t Avoca. But training was better than staying up all night, staring into space and stressing. Morning would dawn before she knew it. She hoped they had enough time to make a difference.

She threw the water at his flimsy shield. It splashed into his face.

She tilted her chin up. “Again.”

Training all night and into the morning probably wasn’t her smartest move when she was about to face Alura. But that was what she’d done anyway. She wasn’t in danger of being kicked out of the tournament. And, though she had broken all the objects at once to help herself, she did think of this whole thing as a team endeavor. Just not the team that she’d been assigned. Fallon was part of her team, and she wouldn’t leave him behind any more than Avoca in those mountains.

Cyrene’s match against Alura was first thing in the morning, and she waited impatiently in the training facility for them to be escorted to the arena. To her surprise, Dean approached her.

“Can I help you?” she asked cautiously.

“She’s weak on her left side,” he said softly. “That shoulder has definitely been injured at some point, and she favors it slightly.”

Her eyes widened. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want her to lose.”

“So, you can beat her in the rankings?”

“Do you want her to win?” he demanded.

“No,” she admitted. “But I thought you didn’t want to be allies with me.”

“I didn’t say we were allies.”

“You’re giving me advice about how to beat my opponent.”

He rolled his shoulders back. “I know what you did for Fallon.”

“So?”

“He’s on my team.”

His eyes met hers, and her breath caught. There was…something there. Not quite what had once been, but not the hardened interior either. Something different and new…just like her.

“I know,” she whispered.

“I can repay favors.”

“I didn’t do it for you.”

He grinned at her. “I know.”

“You’re sort of insufferable. You know that, right?”

He shrugged. “You’re not the first person to say it.” He reached out and gripped her shoulder. His long fingers gently dug into her skin. His warm touch reminded her of so many times before when he’d touched her. Her skin heated at the gesture. “Left side. Good luck.”

She nodded mutely.

“Cyrene,” Maxon growled, stomping toward where she stood with Dean, “time to go.”

Dean released her and shot a menacing glare in Maxon’s direction. “You should use her on the field today.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” he blustered, sticking his chest out and trying to appear as tall as Dean.

“If you don’t use her, you’re an idiot. She’s better than a dozen of you, and you know it. You’re just too petty, bitter, and vindictive to do anything about it. So, put your feeble pride on hold and be smart about this.”

Maxon looked like he was going to throw a punch, but Cyrene stepped between them.

“I’m ready. Let’s just go.”

Cyrene pushed Maxon toward the door. He protested briefly, but apparently, his pride was wounded enough to actually make him move.

She glanced back once at Dean and let a wisp of a smile show. She mouthed, Thank you, and then followed Maxon out of the training room.

Lorian stood on Cyrene’s side this time. Clearly, he couldn’t introduce Alura’s team. Favoritism and all that.

But he certainly looked as if he wanted to skin her alive for being in his presence. It would have been unnerving if she wasn’t so concentrated on that door opening.

“Prepare yourselves,” Lorian said with a bite to his voice.

Cyrene turned away from his penetrating stare and then stepped out into the arena with Maxon and Sylas.

“We have to stop her,” Maxon said. She and Sylas both nodded. “Without her, Beric and Kros are incompetent. They’ll crumble.”

“I can take her,” Cyrene told him.

Maxon snorted.

“No way.” Even Sylas was disagreeing.

“If I distract her, you two can work together to get past Beric and Kros.”

To her surprise, Maxon nodded. “Fine. Keep her away from the objects, and we’ll take out the rest.”

A ghost of a smile touched her features. She’d actually gotten them to work with her. Even if one-on-one with Alura would be suicide.

Jerond waited for them at the line. “Due to circumstances in the last match, we have amended the rules. If any competitor breaks one of their own objects, then the points will count for the opposing team’s overall score and result in three points being taken off of the individual’s score. Understand?”

Cyrene grinned. This was a rule made because of her. Pretty special. “Yes.”

Alura sneered at her from the other side of the line. “Thanks for that.”

“Anytime.”

“Wait for the whistle,” Jerond said. He took a few steps backward.

“I’ve been waiting for this day,” Alura said.

“What’s that? The day you’re humiliated? I thought we’d already gone through that song and dance,” Cyrene taunted.

“Payback for that day on the docks.”

“And what would Arelina think?”

Alura narrowed her eyes. “Don’t bring her into this.”

“Oh, right, she hated that you were a bully and literally hid from you in her inn.”

“Shut. Up.”

It was honestly too easy to rile her up. No one must have ever talked to her like this before. Except maybe her father.

The whistle blew. Cyrene’s shield was in place within seconds. She’d spent all night working on a shield with Fallon. Hers was sharp and strong. And it was a good thing because, as expected, Alura launched straight for her. She didn’t have the element of surprise, as she had last time. Alura was clearly the better athlete in this competition. But Cyrene was ready for her.

She deflected Alura’s first blast of rocks. Cyrene had seen her do that in both of the previous matches. She favored earth, and Cyrene could work with that.

Alura sent a sandstorm toward her, but Cyrene pulled water toward her, absorbed the sand into the water, and pushed it back toward Alura. She wasn’t even bothering with a shield, just ducked and rolled out of the way. Then, she careened a blast of fire at Cyrene’s feet.

Cyrene did the opposite of what was expected. She dived into the stream of fire, hitting it with her shield and letting it dissolve. That brought her closer to Alura, who glared at her. Cyrene drew a circle in front of her and then whirled it out until it was a full-blown cyclone. Alura’s eyes widened in alarm. She rushed away from the surge of air Cyrene was pushing toward her. She tried to slow it down or stop it with earth and then water, but each time, it just sucked the element up and made the cyclone bigger. Then, it gripped Alura by the ankle and threw her into its circle.

Cyrene released her magic and dashed for the now-unguarded fire ring. She dragged in water from the pond and doused the ring. The whistle blew, and everyone halted what they were doing.

Alura lay in a heap on the ground a short distance away. She dusted the sand off her leathers, ignoring the laughter of the crowd at the hit.

Cyrene returned to the line. Sylas slapped her shoulder once with a genuine smile on his face. Even Maxon nodded his head at her. She’d taken down Alura once and gotten an object. Maybe she could prove her worth in this arena.

Keeping Alura occupied didn’t seem like it was going to be a problem. After the thing Cyrene had pulled, Alura was after her with a vengeance. Cyrene could see the wild look in her eyes.

“You’re going down,” Alura said, pointing her finger at her.

Cyrene backed up a few steps and pulled up her shield. Alura started hurling everything she had at Cyrene. She fell back, her arm aching from the amount of pressure Alura was sending in her torrent. But Cyrene focused her energy. If she lost her shield, she’d have no way of defending herself.

She couldn’t concentrate on anything going on in the arena. She had no clue if Maxon or Sylas were succeeding in their attempts to thwart Kros and Beric. She could hardly hear the roar of the crowd. All she noticed was the heat on her skin, the pinch of her leathers, the sweat on her forehead, and the look of anger on Alura’s face.

Cyrene recalled the hours of physical training she’d done with Avoca. She knew how to break this assault. She heaved in a breath, pivoted her body, and then sent a blast of water in Alura’s direction. Her aim was wide. She was still adjusting to the use of her magic in this way, and Alura was easily her fastest opponent.

With speed and agility that only a Fae could possess, Alura whipped around, broke past Cyrene’s shield, and sent a giant rock smack dab into her face. Her nose snapped, and blood poured down her lips and chin. She cried out as she fell backward, breaking her fall with her arms.

Disoriented, she nearly missed Alura’s next hit, which was swift and vicious. Pieces of metal were forced together and thrown at Cyrene’s wrists. She rolled just fast enough to miss getting staked to the ground. She’d never seen earth used in that manner before.

“Next time, that won’t miss,” Alura growled. Her metallic armor briefly blinded Cyrene in the bright light.

The boos from the crowd mingled with the cheers. Alura was fighting dirty, and only half of the crowd enjoyed it.

Cyrene wiped her nose and came to a crouch. “Be careful. You might lose your audience.”

“This isn’t about them.”

“Isn’t it?”

Alura snarled at her and blasted Cyrene in the face with air before she could get her shield fully in place. She’d been trying to distract Alura long enough to get her head on straight again. But she clearly had not succeeded.

Cyrene went flying even farther than she’d thrown Alura. And, when she landed, she smacked hard into her own boulder. Her hurt ribs barked in protest. And she thanked the Creator when the whistle blew.

She lay on the ground for a second, staring up at the stars circling her vision. She had to clear this away if she hoped to complete this challenge.

“Hey,” Sylas said, coming to stand over her. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she muttered.

He offered her his hand. She smiled through a wince and took it, letting him help her to her feet.

Maxon was standing next to him. “How you doing?” he asked.

She blinked rapidly. “I’m okay.”

“That last hit was brutal.” He frowned and then turned his attention to Alura. “I can take her next if you want.”

“No,” she said at once. “Just get the last object. Alura and I have unfinished business.”

“She was going to drive stakes into your wrists,” Sylas said in disgust. “Barbaric.”

Cyrene nodded. “That’s a word for it.”

They stood at the line, and Alura looked smug. “Feeling okay?”

Cyrene didn’t respond. She was not feeling okay. But she wasn’t about to tell Alura that. “Let’s just finish this.”

Once the whistle blew, they moved as one. Alura was as set on getting Cyrene as Cyrene was on getting her. Their use of elemental magic was as perfectly in sync as their movements. They left the rest of the game behind. Cyrene’s team had one more object, and Alura’s had two, but this was the only game they were playing. This was the one that mattered.

They moved to a corner of the arena. The objects forgotten. Cyrene with her back to the wall. Alura with all the advantages. But still, Cyrene pressed on. They were both tiring. Using more energy than either had used in any of the previous matches. She just wanted one of the guys to get an object, so they could have a break. But whatever was going on in the rest of the arena never gave them what they wanted.

Cyrene turned and aimed for Alura’s left shoulder. Dean had said that was the weak spot. She gasped when the hit landed, and Alura roared in fury. Her left side was definitely weaker, and if she went for it again, she could win. They were moving at the same time, rushing the other.

A blast of water hit Cyrene in the gut just as she released her own water magic, sending icicles aiming toward Alura’s hurt shoulder. Cyrene collapsed back, and to her relief, Alura went down, too.

They were out.

They were both out.