“Come on, Grace!” Jaxon shouts, and then we’re running right along with Gwen. I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing as Gwen dives headfirst into a portal, but I’m beginning to figure out that’s part of the challenge, and the strategy, of the game.
Especially with the portals involved, no one knows exactly what’s going to happen next, and the players who are the best at thinking on their feet are the ones who have the best shot of getting something done.
With that thought in mind, I stop running so fast and instead concentrate on watching as much of the field as I can, waiting for Gwen to pop back out of the portal.
She finally does, about halfway down the field from where the rest of us have managed to run. The ball is starting to glow red-hot, though, and I know she’s going to need to get rid of it soon.
Eden figures it out, too, because she swoops down and grabs the ball in her talons. But her thirty seconds as a dragon are almost up, so she drops it to Flint, who rockets down the field with it.
But one of their witches casts a spell that binds his wings to his body, and he starts freefalling toward the earth. Macy counteracts the spell with a flick of her wand and some words I can’t hear. Then snatches the ball away from him and takes off toward the goal line.
Rafael fades straight for her and I hold my breath, because I know she doesn’t have a chance.
Jaxon must know, too, because he fades to her in what feels like the blink of an eye. She tosses him the ball, and then he takes off fading the short distance to the goal line. He’s so close, I think he’s going to make it. But then Rafael comes out of nowhere and slams into him so hard that they both go flying…and so does the ball, straight into the air.
Flint, Eden, and the two dragons on the other team go racing for the ball, but it looks like they’re on as big of a collision course as the vampires were. Which means I might have a chance to swoop in and steal it.
I shift into my gargoyle form before I even finish the thought and take off flying. On the sidelines, I can hear Hudson shouting for me, but I don’t have time to pay attention to that. Not when the four dragons are closing in on the ball like their lives depend on it. I only have thirty seconds of flight available, and I’m determined to reach the comet with a few seconds to spare.
Suddenly, Flint and Eden both disappear into two camouflaged midair tunnels—which leaves me the only one on the team with any chance of retrieving the ball. I lay on the speed, and since the other team’s dragons make the mistake of thinking the threat is gone now that Flint and Eden have disappeared, I swoop in from behind and underneath them and steal the ball right out from in front of their noses…and claws.
I get a swipe across my wing for my trouble, but there are perks that come with being made of stone. And while it sets me off-kilter, I manage to recover.
Part of me wants to make a run for the goal line, but I know that when it comes to speed, I’m no match for two dragons. So I swoop toward the ground and drop the ball into Xavier’s waiting hands.
He takes off with it, but it isn’t long before the vampires are on him, so he moves toward Jaxon, who has gotten back to his feet, and tosses the ball straight into his waiting hands.
Rafael makes a lunge for him, but Jaxon avoids him and fades his way straight to the goal line.
The whole match is over in less than two minutes, and no one is more surprised than I am that I actually played an important part in helping us win.
Once I’m down on the ground, Macy throws her arms around my shoulders and shouts, “One down, three to go.”
“Three to go,” I echo, grinning from ear to ear. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all…
76
From Jock to
Cock-a-Doodle-Doo
The rest of the day passes in a blur of excitement and anxiety, exhaustion and adrenaline rushes.
Our second match takes more than twenty-five minutes and nearly destroys us, while our third match is even