Contest of Champions

51

The rain has let up when morning dawns, and Veers and I make a meal with the eggs and waffles and pour ourselves cups of coffee. Surprisingly, the food is still hot and everything tastes delicious. I sip slowly at the coffee, allowing the hot liquid to flow over my tongue and burn it, and wait for the caffeine to kick in. My head feels better today and Veers looks better, her skin not as pale as it was yesterday.

"What's the plan for today?" Veers asks as we finish our breakfast.

"End this," I reply. "There are five of us left, Wong, Natasha, Clint, and the two of us. It's almost over. I say we make it so. Let's let today be the last one here."

Veers nods and glances into the canister at the rest of the food. Only the sandwiches remain, enough for us to have two apiece. After tucking those into my pack next to Cassie's stuffed rabbit, filling the two coffee thermoses with the water we collected from the rain and placing those in with the sandwiches, we ensure we have everything and prepare to set out. As Veers steps outside, I pull Peter's token from my belt and shine the image of his mask on the ceiling. The flickering red light pulls a grim smile to my face. "Today," I utter. "Today, I fulfill my oath."

"You coming, Loki?" Veers calls back, and I snap off the light, hiding the token back in my belt.

"Of course." I stride outside, not bothering to close the door as we won't be returning. There will be no need to.

I vow this will be the last day I spend inside this arena.

Wong, Natasha, Clint. Wong, Natasha, Clint. Wong, Natasha, Clint.

Wong will be on his own and Natasha and Clint will still be allied together, or so would be my prediction. Veers and I need to kill all three of them in order to win. They will all be hidden somewhere in this location, with the exception of perhaps Wong. If Veers and I work diligently, we can finish this Contest today and finally leave this arena.

And if worst comes to worst...then at least I will walk away.

The memory of Veers' kiss makes me feel guilty for a moment, then I shove it away. I said it best, myself: there is no place for sentiment in the arena. Helen Cho probably didn't deserve to die, but die she did. I have oaths to keep and I will keep them regardless.

But still...Veers.

Veers and I walk along the river away from the Gauntlet, discussing quietly various ways we can root out the other three contenders. If Wong has jumped through a portal to a different location, we won't be able to find him but we can at least eliminate Clint and Natasha as enemies.

"I can fly, take a look around and scout out," Veers offers now as we continue to walk. "We can get an idea of where everyone is and go from there."

I nod. "All right. But we must remember that they'll be hunting for us. With only five of us left and Clint and Natasha still seeming to be in an alliance, they at least will be looking to get rid of us as well."

"Do they know we're in an alliance?" Veers asks.

"I'm not sure about Wong, but Clint and Natasha know," I say. "Our pack was labeled with both a twelve and an eight. It was quite clear we're together." I wonder if that was the point.

Veers nods and her hands begin to glow with golden light, her fingers clenched into fists. Within moments she's flying into the air, the light trailing behind her as she ascends into the sky. I watch from beside the river, spear in my hand, and resign myself to waiting until she returns.

Wong, Natasha, Clint. Kill them, go home. Come on, Loki, you can do this. Whatever it takes. Wong, Natasha, Clint. Wong, Natasha, Clint. For Peter. For Cassie. Dammit, for Pietro, even. Wong, Natasha, Clint. Wong, Natasha, Clint.