smiled. “We’ll see.”
“Critical failure imminent,” Odin announced.
The board sputtered.
Eight meters left.
Six.
She edged up beside the Tuann, fighting him for first place.
This time when the board coughed, there were no further sounds. It went silent and still, coasting along at its current speed.
The front of the board started to dip.
"Now, Jin!"
"Why do you always drag me into your crazy schemes?" he snarled as he overrode the safety protocols, causing a chain reaction in the drive chain.
For one endless moment, Kira thought they'd missed their window. Too early and she'd never make the jump. Too soon and she'd face plant directly into the ground, likely breaking her neck and killing her instantly.
There was a whoosh and then a thump as the board exploded. Kira wrapped a ki shield around her feet, using the force to spring forward with one powerful leap.
She barreled headfirst over the finish line, milliseconds before the Tuann.
Kira barely had time to feel victorious before gravity reclaimed her. She plummeted. She had just enough time to think this was going to hurt before she hit, her right shoulder first.
She was right. It did.
Kira rolled and then kept rolling for several seconds before coming to a stop. She lay there, taking stock of her injuries.
If one discounted the ache in ninety percent of her body, she was in surprisingly good shape. No broken bones. No internal injuries.
Score one victory to the Tuann.
"This stuff is even better than we thought." Kira slid up the sleeve of her hoodie, exposing the undershirt she'd worn. The dark gleam of Tuann fabric greeted her. It was a present House Roake had given her when she'd completed her uhva na. It was the only thing she'd managed to bring. She'd been wearing it when Odin and Elena commandeered her ship.
Kira had to admit. She was more than a little impressed with the shirt.
If she'd had this during the war, her life would have been so much more comfortable. Human armor couldn't compete. To replicate the same effects, she'd have needed a full battle suit. It would have been the only thing strong enough to protect her from a crash like this.
"Very nice," Jin quipped. "But I suggest you get moving. That little stunt hasn't gone unnoticed. The mountain and his smaller mountain friends have guessed it’s you and are now on their way. It's time to pop smoke and make yourself scarce."
Kira glanced into the stands.
Graydon caught and held her gaze, a slow smile spreading on his face.
"That's not good," she observed.
As if hearing her, his smile widened.
"No, it's not, and oh look, that's not all. The race officials are also on their way. Probably to disqualify you. Congratulations, the prize for most attention-grabbing landing goes to you."
Kira stood and swept a cocky bow in Jin's direction. "Thank you. I'd like to thank my partner in crime, Jin, for this honor. Without him, none of this would be possible."
Kira could almost feel Jin rolling his metaphorical eyes.
"You deal with the officials," he instructed. "Odin and I will work on delaying your mountain."
"How? And he's not my mountain."
"Pretty sure he wants to be," Jin shot back. "And we'll think of something."
Kira ignored the quagmire in Jin's first statement. The draw between her and Graydon was something she tried very hard not to think about. He was a black hole of magnetism that she could very easily get lost in.
Instead, she faced the sidelines where the rest of the top four racers had already congregated.
Her gaze lifted to the board where the winners were typically announced, only to find it blank.
Jin was right. Kira needed to fix this.
She knocked the dirt off her clothes as she considered her options. Graydon and company would need at least three minutes to free themselves from the chaotic mess the stands had turned into upon Kira's win.
She had the time but barely.
Kira sauntered in the direction of the race officials, ignoring the small stabs of pain as her body protested.
"That racer should be disqualified for reckless endangerment," the man from Zepher was saying as Kira walked up.
"That seems a little extreme," Kira responded.
His expression turned nasty. "You could have killed yourself or us."
"But I didn't."
Nor was anyone except Kira in any real danger.
Ignoring her, he faced the officials again. "This sets a bad precedent for the future. What kind of stunts do you think other racers will try if you let her get away with this?"
"The same kind of stunts they always do?" Kira guessed.
"You can't allow someone to break the