I resolved to go find Ciruss after that. I fixed up my bandages and packed the rest of my things but left behind anything I felt I wouldn't need. It was mostly things that could slow me down, like my sleeping bag and the raft. I didn't plan on being here when the water rose in the morning.
I didn't have a lot of food still with me, but it would be enough to manage. All I really had to do now was get going. Luckily the water was just beginning to sink, and it looked safe enough to float down.
On the dried floor of the arena, I wondered where to go next. Yesterday was a lot of wandering, trying to figure where everyone was. I doubted Ciruss would be in the same spot I left him. He was too smart for that. That meant it was about time to get walking.
It felt like I had already been wandering for hours, and yet there was still no sign of Ciruss. How big could this arena be? Was it possible we were heading in opposite directions, each trying to find one another.
That was no doubt boring to watch.
Without thinking, I stepped over a puddle forming in a crevasse of the arena. Before I knew it, more and more water seemed to be appearing out of nowhere. In fact, it was getting higher and higher the farther I went. When I glanced behind me, that was when it hit me.
The arena was filling up again.
In a panic, I secured my items and got ready to swim up with the water. This made no sense. It was still pitch black out, probably the middle of the night. The fires hadn't even gone out yet. What were the Gamemakers trying to do here?
The waves felt much more aggressive than the last time I had swam up. Did I just have a foggy memory of it? No, no, this was definitely more violent. Each wave threatened to pull me under, weighing me down. With a broken rib, it wasn't easy to breath, either.
I kept checking the pillars around me, wondering when the water was going to stop. It hit the usual point, but the water kept pouring in. I kept struggling to swim.
Finally it stopped, less than half a foot above the pillars. I let myself float a moment in the waves. They continued to thrash, but they were much less violent now. I could distinctively feel myself being pulled inwards, like it was high tide. I was very far from my original point.
This all seemed to be some sort of scheme on behalf of the Gamemakers. I wouldn't be surprised if I ran into Ciruss very soon.
As I remained in the water, pondering how I could use this new element to my advantage, I noticed the fires were gradually decreasing. Except, not all of them. Seemingly random pillars were now out, while others were as hot as ever. I looked at them all, trying to find a pattern. As far as I could see, there wasn't one.
I had to paddle even farther along their wavy path to get to a safe pillar. The fire felt so close when I was up on its level. Very hot, even though I was soaking wet. My bandages were falling off, and water managed to get into all of my open wounds. I seemed to be in even less of a position to fight than before.
Where oh where was Ciruss? There was no way he made it out of that without some difficulty. The way the water moved, it was clear the waves were pushing towards one location.
I realized the only way to find Ciruss was to follow its path. It was the only clear indication I had of where he was or where he would end up. Going against most of my better judgment, I returned to the water, swimming away from fiery pillars and stopping on safe ones when my ribs hurt too badly to continue.
I swam forward, but the only time I made any realized progress was when the waves, instead of pushing me in one direction, juggled me back and forth in front of one pillar.
Getting on to the pillar, I did another check for Ciruss. Again, he was nowhere to be seen. Where was he hiding? Was it possible he was still trying to avoid me?
It was probably for the best. Being in the water for so long messed up any preparations I had made to fight. My weapons weren't even drawn. My rib bandages were coming undone and likely would be far less effective since they were soaking wet. Trying to fix this, I adjusted the bandages as best I could and got out Emmit's trident. For now, I slipped my knife into the waistband of my shorts. The location was easy enough to access in most situations.
Another wave of tiredness hit me, and even waiting around felt like too much effort. How were the people of the Capitol not sick of this by now? Was this singular battle really all they were waiting for?
With no other options, I waited. I knew at some point a body would have to come floating by. What would I do when Ciruss did get here? Kill him as soon as possible, hopefully.
The fires still blazed around me, far too close for comfort. I wondered if they would come in handy at any point. Maybe Ciruss would just set me on fire. That was an interesting way to die, to say the least.
My thoughts continued to swirl, but everything came to a halt when I saw a figure standing a few pillars away. My vision of the boy was blurring through flames, so I couldn't be sure I was really seeing it. I assumed it was real when he bent down and leaped back into the waves.
Emmit's trident in my hand, I stood rigid. I aimed it at the water, unsure of what I expected to happen. I felt like I was trying to catch a fish. Remain still until it comes to the surface. And then...
There was a splash behind me. With no one to watch my back, I hadn't expected my enemy to take a different route. Unsure of how much time I had, I ducked, arms protecting my head. Hunched in a ball, I waited.
Instead of a knife flying over my head, or even at me, there was only laughter. Slowly rising to my feet, I turned and faced my enemy. He was throwing his head back, laughing at me.
Ciruss did not look how I remembered him. Even seeing him from afar at the feast, he looked better than he did now. Hair still wet, darker than before, sticking up at every angle. His eyes were hollow, like he hadn't slept in weeks. It wouldn't surprise me if he really hadn't.
Even his clothes were dirty and ripped. His hands, carrying a sword, were shaking, but maybe that was a result of his laughter. I wondered what happened to him. Emmit hadn't spoken of him like this at all. I was sure he would've mentioned it.
Maybe this was what happened when everyone you really loved was killed.
Maybe you laugh at their murdered as you plan to get your revenge. Maybe you start to act suicidal and don't take an open shot when you have one.
I guess he knew and I didn't.
Whatever might've been going through his head, it was cut off very quickly. He stopped laughing, and his gaze instantly became much sharper. I tried to match the look, but I was filled was a sudden sense of unease. It felt like nothing was in my favor. How would I ever win?
And yet I was so close, had made it so far. How could I afford not to try when one person was standing in the way of me and going home?
So I did what I had to, having Emmit's trident ready. Neither of us willing to make the first move, we were squared off.
I felt like one of the announcers, running off our statistics. I was 130 pounds, probably less than that by now. He was probably close to 175, all tight packed muscle. We were both trained, but so were many others that were dead. He clearly had more training with his weapon than I did. Tridents were still hard to use, in my opinion.
It seemed obvious that this was the time to attack. I took two cautionary steps back, and when Ciruss moved to replace the ground between us, I sent my weight forward again.
I suppose if I hit him on my first try, there wouldn't be much of a fight. Luckily, this arena had taught me nothing if not how to be agile. I forced myself not to fall or even trip and remained a safe distance from the ever ferocious waters.
Ciruss didn't laugh this time. He swung his sword at me hard, but I maneuvered the trident to block it. The sword returned to Ciruss's side for only a second. It then came again from another angle.
This time I held the trident in two hands, one at its top and one at its base. It clashed with the sword again. Ciruss let them grind against each other, forcing his sword closer to my chest. I held my ground, using the trident as a shield. As the pieces of metal grinded together, I willed my hands to keep up their grip.
We stayed this way for another minute until Ciruss let his weight fall away from me. He seemed to be thinking of a new strategy.
All I could think was that this was it.
Be smart, Noah! I screamed to myself.
By the next attack, I misjudged slightly and the sword scraped my waist. A trail of blood escaped the wound, and I jumped back at the sight.
The sword came at me again. My brain stopped completely my feet simply trying to escape. What could I do?
Try not falling off the pillar!
It took my foot nearly slipping for me to realize how close I was to the edge. Heart beating in my ears, I took a look down and then up.
Ciruss rose his sword high over his head. I hardly registered the smug look in his eye as I threw myself off the pillar. I hit the water instantly and let myself sink under. Ice cold waves hit me on all sides. I dove deeper into them, desperate to escape. I imagined Ciruss staring down in confusion. Or maybe he was getting ready to pounce on me.
I was close enough to the pillar to kick off of it. I used this to my advantage and swam away from where Ciruss was no doubt waiting. Moments later, I heard a splash behind me.
I forced myself to propel through the water even faster, but the trident in my hand slowed me down a considerable amount. Still, I was either on an adrenline rush or going into shock. I could hardly feel the movements of my limbs, pushing on. The pain that haunted my chest had subsided. I kept going until I was underneath a secure pillar.
Pulling myself up the few inches between the surface and the pillar, I got to safety and looked down. Deeper in the water, Ciruss's murky silhouette was coming straight at me.
Instead of letting him circle me and have a repeat of our stand off at the other pillar, I aimed my trident at him as he floated up. I jabbed for Ciruss, but in my reach, it didn't quite hit him. He managed to see it coming and maneuver around it. He tried to go around me, but I aimed at him again. Another quick dodge.
Again and again I threw the trident forward, eventually not even trying to hit him. I allowed myself to catch my breath, wondering when Ciruss would decide he needed to do the same. His options were either me or drowning.
Sure enough, he dodged the trident one final time and then pushed his body to the surface as quickly as possible. As soon as he gasped for air, I hit bone.
The hit went directly in his right shoulder. In between breathes, he let out a cry of pain. Before he could sink back underwater, I grabbed the trident back, jerking him with me for a moment.
A trail of blood could be seen coming right from Ciruss. It was murky mixed with the water, but the audience would definitely know what it was. For some reason, this made me very satisfied. It looked like I was winning.
He was back up quickly. He gripped his shoulder and stayed back. I dove into the water, leaving the trident behind.
I kept my eyes open as I swam closer and closer to Ciruss. It appeared that he was swimming away from me, or at least trying to. He kicked quite feebly, using one arm to paddle.
I swam towards him, grabbing his still kicking foot when I could. I tugged it hard down. Ciruss' face immediately leveled with mine. Blood from his shoulder trickled around us as he looked at me with nothing less than surprise. Maybe he knew how to fight out there, but underwater and injured, it was my advantage.
I went for his neck, hoping that his moment of unsureness would let me overtake him. I only just got a grip on him when he wedged his legs between my body and his and kicked me farther down.
Grabbing hold of each others' arms, we rolled around for a while, each trying to gain something on the other. Nails were digging into my forearms, hard enough to break skin but not for me to loosen up.
Once I believed I was turning blue, I let go of Ciruss' arms, and he didn't have the sense to keep hold of me. I floated back to the surface, sure that he would need to follow me. I took several necessary breaths before ducking under to see where Ciruss went. He too was close to the surface but too far from me. How long do you think you can run for?
The currents were in his favor. He could easily float to a farther pillar, but he was still bleeding a path for me. From the looks of it, he had lost a lot of blood. He was probably getting lightheaded by now. I studied as he pulled himself onto a pillar, planning to follow.
Still a distance away, I watched Ciruss dig through a bag. His bag, that he had put here for safekeeping earlier. We must have floated all the way back to his stuff, him completely knowing what he was doing. I had let him lead me here, and now he was pulling a sword out of the bag. He was armed and all I had was my extra knife.
"Stay down there!" Ciruss yelled at me. I was forced to listen as his sword was waved in my direction. I was slowly running out of plans, since stabbing him and drowning him both failed. What else could I do but go along with what he said?
We remained like that, him towering over while I tread water, for a few moments. I saw Ciruss was starting to shake slightly. I myself could feel the cold water seeping into my skin. His flashed around the arena, refusing to remain on any one object. We stayed like that, neither of us having any idea what came next. Neither of us knowing how this ended.
Apparently some greater force did have that knowledge. I realized before Ciruss that smoke started coming up from his behind him. Just feet from where he was standing, the pillar was smoking. And then, as if someone dropped a match on gasoline, the center shot into flames.
Ciruss took two steps forward and launched his body straight off the pillar, no longer fearing me nearly as much as he was fearing getting burnt. If he hadn't been in such a panic, he probably would've thought to hit me as he dove off. Instead, he accidentally scratched my thigh and kept swimming.
In the confusion, the knife I had ready was lost. I dove under the water again and found it falling a few feet under. I followed it, knowing there was a good chance I wasn't getting out of here without it.
Little did I know going in to get it would also lessen my chances.
Just above me, the surface of the water broke. It meant Ciruss was done being defensive and came after me.
I managed to ignore the screaming in the back of my head. I went down even deeper, getting closer and closer to my prize. If I just reached a little farther.
Gotcha!
As my grip tightened around the knife, someone else's grip tightened around my ankle. Ciruss yanked me full force back up. He held onto until he reached the surface and I was a foot below. Then he took hold of my shoulders and brought me up the rest of the way.
He forced my body way over, but all I saw was water as I tried to paddle out of his grip. I didn't stop until my back was rammed into something large and hard.
I recognized the heat on the back of neck. Flames, close ones. Ciruss had me pinned against a pillar and tried to force me into it. My wriggling greatly intensified as my gut filled with utter panic, but Ciruss was clearly stronger. The heat on my neck spread to my shoulders, and soon I could smell something burning.
Is that my hair?!
I pressed my eyes shut, wondering if there was still time to put up a fight. Whether or not I wanted to, my body made the decision. Panic mode set in, and so I did my best to hit something. The heat was getting so bad I wanted to scream. Every inch of my skin could feel it, every piece of me wanted out. Smoke was coming up all around me and all I was sure of is that I had to get out of here.
Just when I believed I was going to black out and it was really over this time, I felt my foot hit body. His grip loosened ever so slightly, so I repeated the motion as hard as I could. This time, his hands shot away from me.
I scrambled back into the water, never so happy to be nearly drowning. I was too busy thinking about my rage to remember to swim. When the water came up to neck and then beyond, I managed to paddle. Nearby, Ciruss gripped his shoulder, which spilled a new trail of blood. So that's what I kicked. Nice.
Feeling no mercy, I readied the knife I had retrieved. Seeing me coming, he scrambled to get ready. I launched myself as far out of the water as gravity would let him and ended up on top of Ciruss, my knife headed straight for his neck.
Although his fingers curled around my wrist in a feeble attempt to stop me, my weapon still hit its destination. Blood gushed everywhere--on him, on me, in the water. I didn't let that stop me from taking my knife to him again.
I came at his neck again and again, more times than I was willing to count. He had stopped fighting me early on, but it hadn't slowed my rage. Blood came pouring down his chin out of his mouth. He was being tugged out of my grip from the coming waves, but that only made me even angrier.
And then, a cannon sounded, snapping me out of all my sadistic thoughts.
I let Ciruss' lifeless body leave my grip as I tried to get a hold of what had just happened. It was over. He was dead.
Although instinct still wanted me to go back and get the knife so I was ready for the next battle, there were no more. This was it. The final kill, the final cannon.
Unsure of exactly what happened next, I allowed myself a moment to breath. I headed over to one of the safe pillars, still trying to get over the fact that there was no one left to fight.
Getting ready for wherever it was I went after this, I stood up on my pillar and stared at the sky.