their people trying to flank. They’re quick. I’m not sure where the third one is…oh, yep. She’s hanging back behind the left flank. Man, if they can pick the Twins off…”
“That would be good,” Justin agreed. “So, what did you find for weapons?”
“Fist weapons, a short sword, and a battle-ax with a water potion.” She sounded deeply satisfied. “We may be trying a totally crazy thing, but at least I’m well-armed for it.”
“It’s not crazy,” he muttered. “Also, what’s going on out there?”
“They’re…wait, where are the Twins?” She sounded panicked and scanned hastily behind their hideout. “Shit, shit, shit, where did they—”
“What?” She looked where he gestured and her eyes widened. “Oh, no. Oh, Tayr…”
Tayr was still gaining ground, but the Twins must have known their opponents were there all along. Using the rocky ground and the constant dips and swells as a cover, they had hunkered down and hid to allow their opponents to pass them. Now, the Twins were the ones to creep up from behind, while the Tayr members slowed and began to inch through the mist. They were close enough that even Justin could see them clearly.
He readied a fireball as he watched. He had a unique opportunity in that everyone he could see was someone he wanted to strike. Tayr seemed to have realized what was happening. They spun to look around, while the Twins used every opportunity to close the distance.
When the spell came, it was strong—a gust of wind that knocked all three members of the other team from their feet.
“Well, fuck,” Justin said. “I should have known the Twins would have magic. Who are these guys?”
“If it helps,” Tina pointed out, “they’re probably saying the same about you, what with you coming out of nowhere to get to the final of the tournament.”
“That does help, thank you.”
Unfortunately, any thoughts of a boost disappeared when the Twins fell on their opponents without mercy. Armed with daggers, they clearly excelled at close range. Callie’s style was completely different from Tina’s, her strokes shorter and sharper compared to his teammate’s swells and powerful movements, but they were equally beautiful in motion. The woman made short work of her first opponent and turned to face the one Justin had fought yesterday who carried the battle ax.
Dexi had eliminated the third member of Tayr with a rush of water that tumbled her with the force of its undertow. She was now encased in shimmering blue and water dripped from her.
The woman he had fought knew she had no chance, but she clearly did not want to surrender. She feinted left and whirled to throw her battle-ax with power that didn’t surprise Justin at all—not after seeing her ease with the weapon the other day.
The throw was true. Dexi had to dive sideways to avoid it, and with the magic-user taken out of commission, she hurled herself at his partner. The two grappled and the stronger woman tried to disarm Callie and get her into a chokehold. Her window of opportunity slipped away with every second as the man had begun to haul himself up.
Justin seized his chance. He scrambled onto one of the rocks and lunged forward to hurl a fireball at Dexi. In his haste, however, he had forgotten how slick the ground was. His boot slipped and the shot went wild. The man whirled and launched a gust of wind at him. It knocked him down, and Callie took advantage of her opponent’s distraction to choke the other woman.
“Tayr is out of the match!” the Master of Ceremonies called to the sound of groans.
“Justin!” Tina darted her glance from him to their adversaries. “Justin, are you okay?”
“Yes.” He groaned and forced himself to stand. There was no time to waste feeling sorry for himself. The Twins would be there in a moment. He shook himself out, tried to remember his grandfather’s stories of marching for days through the forests, and told himself he could sleep when he was dead. “I’m ready. I—”
“Look out!” She flung herself over him as another gust of wind rattled overhead. Unnaturally strong, it swirled around them and began to pick hit points off them both.
“Back into cover!” he called. They held each other up as they limped to their shelter.
The wind couldn’t reach them there. It whistled angrily around the stones before it faded. A moment later, a fireball rocketed at the opening from which they’d watched. The friends ducked