A Wicked Game [The Crown Saga II] (Under Editing)

Soul of the Inferno

Their loose sleeves made it easy to move, and the gloves were probably just as protective as the thick soles of their green boots. Everything made sense in relation to their element and their familiar environment.

"Stop staring at your fellow suitors, Wildcard," Master Cadoc said, his voice low as he whacked the back of my head. "Focus. The opening act will begin soon."

"My apologies, Master Cadoc," I said, ignoring the throbbing pain.

Master Cadoc was a superior teacher but much more unpolished and brutal than Art. He lacked the same patience as Art, but he never pushed us further beyond our limits than absolutely necessary the way Art did. He never sought to purposely humiliate us in front of the cameras—at least not since our first lecture when he paired me up with Alia.

"Water, initiate the show," Master Cadoc suddenly shouted, turning away from me to signal Piper and the other Water Iridis to approach the curtain.

"And now, for the moment you have all been waiting for—"

I stopped to listen to Arawn's voice, greeting the guests and introducing us. Then I heard him speak the cue.

The curtains pulled back, and the sound of water rushing through the air made the crowd gasp. Then, the wave of water picked up the remaining Water Iridis to carry them forward. I scarcely saw the tide crystallize into ice before the curtains fell back in place again to hide the rest of us again.

I knew this routine by heart, so it wasn't foreign to me what currently transpired before the eyes of the guests, although I couldn't see it. However, it didn't stop my nerves from spiking and my stomach from turning in dread.

The Storm Fans felt sharper to hold in my hands than usual. Thankfully, Art had spent the past weeks teaching me to wield them to an acceptable degree; however, I still preferred the staff over these complicated leaves, even though it remained a training weapon.

"Fire!" Master Cadoc shouted just before the curtains were drawn back again, allowing the Fire Iridis to pass through.

An icy shiver crept down my spine as the talons of panic deepened their grip on my flesh.

I'd never performed in front of others who expected nothing short of perfection. I was the Wildcard. I hadn't earned my spot here. In their eyes, I'd been lucky, and more than anyone, I needed to prove why I still deserved to be here. There was no room for mistakes.

"You'll be fine, Will," Calla whispered behind me, placing a calming hand on my shoulder. "We've been practicing the routine for weeks now, and you didn't miss a single step during the practice yesterday. Trust your instincts, and you'll be fine."

I covered her hand with mine as Art's voice echoed in my head from when he first handed me the tuning fork. I'd lost myself back then amid the continuous defeats and doubts overwhelming me in tormenting waves as tall as the royal turret. However, after realizing that most of my misfortunes hadn't been mine to cause alone, I'd found new strength in my quest to obtain control.

"Air!"

That was our cue.

The curtains swung aside as we unfolded our Storm Fans, and I followed Elle on our way to the floor of the Battle Arena.

The sea of flames obstructed our view of the tribunes, but that was on purpose. The Fire Iridis had prepared a big entrance scene for us, and all we needed now was to deprive the wall of its dominion.

We all ran to our designated spots and prepared our blades, waiting for Elle's signal. And there it was.

I took a deep breath and held it in before we jumped two steps ahead, our blades carrying the winds to extinguish the sea of inferno fire.