There it was—the siren call of his freedom from the game. Justin wanted to sit as a wave of dizziness swept over him. He couldn’t think of anything to say beyond a strangled, “Oh.”
He looked at Tina and she smiled.
“It seems like you’re ready,” she said. “Is it time?”
Callie and Dexi were in close-headed conversation. Both seemed upset and Justin turned and moved to the window. He looked out at the city and the bustling streets and heard the arena crowd singing above him. The thought wouldn’t leave him. He could go home. Right now.
“Tina.”
She appeared at his side. “Yes?”
“I may be ready,” he said, “but there are a couple more things I want to do. I’ve tried to get out of here so much that I’ve…I haven’t taken time to say goodbye. If I leave now, I’ll never see Lyle again, or Kural, or…Zaara.” He looked away so she wouldn’t see the flush in his cheeks.
His friend said nothing.
“We agreed to do this as a team, though,” he said. “And I know that if I stay, I’ll make you spend more time here, too.”
“Wait—Justin.” She looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
“If we walk away now,” he said with a grin, “those two won’t ever get what’s coming to them. Fuck a draw—I want a rematch.”
Tina looked at them with wide eyes. “Oh.” Her jaw set. “Let’s do it.”
He turned to look at the Master of Ceremonies. “We’ve decided we’re not satisfied with a draw.”
The Twins both stood. Dexi leaned on Callie but he still managed to look intimidating.
“You don’t want to make enemies of us,” he told them.
“Oh, please,” Justin said. “If you only want people to applaud everything you do, start a reality TV show or something.”
“Huh?” the man asked.
He shook his head. “My point is this—they didn’t win. It was a bad setup and things went sideways. Tayr lost fair and square, but neither we nor the Twins won. A draw? That’s a shitty ending to all of this. Do you think that crowd will go home happy? No. They’re here to see if the Twins finally get taken down a peg or two, and a draw isn’t the way to do that.” He stepped closer to Jaco. “We want a rematch. Us and the Twins.”
The official stared at him. “I…allowing teams to appeal decisions would be a very unwise strategy.”
“Uh-huh. But you’re not, are you? No one won, you said so yourself. Your rules allowed deadly damage and you stopped the match before either team could win. You denied those people out there a winner. If you want to make this right, you’ll give them one.”
The Master of Ceremonies looked from one team to the other. “This is highly irregular.”
“You don’t say,” Tina said dryly. “Look, you’re the MC so you literally make the rules. Let’s do it again and this time, you do your part right.”
“What does that mean?” Callie hissed. “Do you want them to give you an advantage?”
“Last time, it seems like they gave you an advantage,” she said. “No magic wielders on Tayr, one on our team, and two on yours? So be grateful we’re not asking for a forfeit from you for your lack of control—or your attempted murder.”
Justin stared at the Master of Ceremonies, who swayed worriedly, his frown intense.
At last, the man nodded. “I will announce it. Come with me.” He looked at all of them and made a small gesture. Magical barriers sprang up around the two teams and faded to invisibility, and his magic bar went grey again. “Not that I don’t trust you,” the official said with a raised eyebrow.
The four contestants and Jaco appeared on the dais to the sudden sound of cheering. The man waited while people scrambled to their seats and crowded the railing.
“A unique situation has come to pass,” the Master of Ceremonies said. “Each team had one player incapacitated—and, in the interests of our contestants, we paused the match to allow Justin, of Sephith’s Bane, to be revived by our chief healer.”
“Liar,” Tina muttered.
“As the match was halted and no clear winner had been declared, we have decided to stage a rematch between these two teams,” he continued. “This will be the conclusion of Season Twelve and will feature treasures from before the founding of Insea.”
He raised his hands and the crowd cheered, and he was still smiling when he turned to the contestants.
“Rest,” he told them. “Seek out healers of your own, if you can. I anticipate