27. LINCOLN

There was a momentary hush in the tiers as the spectators waited for the next two combatants to come out. Man, woman, boy, and girl whispered amongst themselves, craning their necks to see if something had happened since they last looked. The smell of fresh fruits, tender meats and delicate pastries wafted through the air as the stadium’s vendors walked up and down the stairs with their wicker baskets, yelling out their prices.

The midday sun was directly above the siblings, warming their necks as they sat in the highest tier: Tier 3. Link was positioned in the second seat from the staircase, Alex in the seat to his right, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. He hoped his sister had her proverbial notepad at the ready, considering she would be fighting the victor of the battle they were about to watch.

Link had to tuck his legs in as a girl with sun-kissed skin squeezed her way past. She was barefoot, had golden eyes, and her hair was in knots all the way down her back. The girl thrust out her arm at Alex and then turned her palm up, uncovering a translucent gemstone the size of a golf ball.

“I-If you would be so kind, ma’am,” the girl stuttered, inching the clear gemstone closer to Alex.

Alex looked just as confused as Link was. She took the stone out of the girl's palm hesitantly. “Err, a gift for me?”

The girl shook her head shyly, glancing down at her toes as she wriggled them. “No, ma’am, it’s a Spiritgem. I want you to infuse it. I-If that’s not too much to ask,” she quickly added on. “It doesn’t take much; it’s only small.”

That’s when Link clicked. These were the rare gems he had heard stories about.

Alex examined the stone in her hands, rolling it around her palm then holding it close to her eyes, squinting. “And how exactly do I light it?”

“Open your Gate,” Link said, “It’s like their version of a temporary autograph.”

The girl nodded her head in agreeance, although Link was certain she had no idea what an “autograph” meant. He had seen Zudane’ infuse one of these stones with her magenta-coloured Mark. She had told him the stone would stay lit for several weeks until the light eventually dimmed. Some of the wealthier would encase the gems in lanterns and use them as an alternative source of light. But how this barefooted girl with ripped and tattered clothing had acquired one of these rare Spiritgems, Link had no clue.

Alex gasped when her glowing lime-green energy swirled into the stone, lighting it like a coloured lightbulb. She was mesmerized, seeming almost reluctant to give it back to the girl.

The girl gently took it from Alex’s palm, her eyes wide, reflecting the bright green glow. She wrapped the Spiritgem cautiously with a layer of torn cloth and held it close to her chest, smiling broadly.

“Just so you know, Daedrox deserved every bit of that beating,” the girl spluttered before she ran away. Her friends, who had waited by the stairs, chased after her in a mad rush.

“Wow, talk about being humbled,” Alex said. “That was so weird.”

“Get used to the fame,” Link said, casting her a sidelong glance. “You’re practically a celebrity now after defeating Daedrox.”

“Oh, stop it,” Alex said irritably.

“Stop what?”

“I know you’re just mocking me.”

“Mocking you?” he said, taken back. “Alex, I’m honestly so proud of you. You defeated the serpent. The serpent. You went up against the one character we’d been agonizing over these past few months, and you made him look like a big seven-foot baby.”

Alex had barely acknowledged he’d spoken. Instead, she chewed her nails as she tilted in her chair to glimpse at the arena. You’d think after wiping out Xavier’s character she would have been on cloud nine—even Link had been getting a good night’s sleep lately. But Alex’s face was as sour as fermented cheese.

“What’s wrong, little sis?” he asked, nudging her thigh with a knee. “Confide in your older brother.”

Alex took a deep breath and then swivelled her head to face him. “OK, yes, I defeated Xavier’s character. But how can I breathe a deep sigh of relief when I know I’m versing Zudane’ in the next round?”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Link said smirking, “Phen could win this match for all you know.”

“Stop trying to lighten the mood,” she said, rolling her eyes skyward.

“Only if you stop trying to dim it.”

Alex poked her tongue at him and then resumed looking nervously out at the arena.

“I honestly feel sick to my stomach thinking about it,” she whimpered. “I’d rather verse Daedrox again than Zudane'; that’s how terrified of her I am.”

Link scoffed at that. Even the thought of Daedrox’s sinister face was enough to keep him up at night.

“Don’t laugh,” Alex said, glaring at him. “You’ve sparred with Zudane’; you of all people know what she’s capable of, Link.”

He had to agree with her there. To say Zudane’ was a difficult match up would be an understatement. She was fierce, had impeccable technique, and she was notorious for analysing her opponents mid-fight and then breaking them down piece by piece.

“Everyone has their weaknesses, Alex,” he said.

Finding Zudane’s was just proving to be rather difficult. She had bested her last three opponents without using a single Spell so Link couldn’t analyse much from those battles. Alex did know a few of her Spiritwielding Spells from their training sessions together, which would prove useful when they faced off. But that being said, Zudane’ knew a handful of Alex’s Waterwielding Spells as well.

Alex’s best bet was to use her Windwielding against Zudane’ and to flaunt her lightning-fast speed. But even then, it would be nowhere near an easy battle. Zudane’ wasn’t the type to yield. She had a determination in her green, cat-like eyes that couldn’t be extinguished.

Link thought once they defeated Xavier’s character it would be smooth sailing. But it turned out they still had some choppy waters to navigate through. There were still some highly skilled students vying for the coveted Golden Gauntlet. In fact, he was versing one the next round.

The four-armed Mhorokai called Talkoon had been an underdog so far in every match. As the golden-skinned species were native to the Kingdom of Meadows, their kind was scarce and often discriminated against in Iralda, or in any of the Kingdom of Mist cities for that matter. Link had watched Talkoon’s last battle closely. The Mhorokai was no pushover. His four arms enabled him to wield four long swords at once with impeccable speed and coordination.

One thing was for certain, Link would have to get as much information from Winstell about Talkoon as he could. Winstell was finally getting back to his normal self. Although his bones hadn’t fully healed yet, he was making a miraculous recovery. Link just wished he could have seen Alex lay the smack-down on Daedrox. When he had relayed the fight to him in the Healer’s Chamber, Winstell had practically smiled like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

The audience suddenly shot out of their chairs as if their seats were hot plates, yelling at the top of their lungs. Link and Alex had no choice but to stand up as well, either that or to watch the back of the people's heads in front of them. As Link rose, he heard a man curse from behind him.

Blame my Dad for the tall genes, buddy, Link thought.

Link looked down into the arena, which was a wide-open glade with two lakes intercepting in the middle, and realized what all the commotion was about. The favourite, Zudane’, had just stepped out.

She was wearing her hair in a single braid draped over her right shoulder, a blunted longsword casually resting on her left. As always, she was dressed in a short robe of canary yellow, tied at the waist by a leather belt. The only armour she wore were two boiled leather vambraces on her forearms, and two plated pauldrons on her shoulders that closely resembled dragon scales. The fierce look in her cat-green eyes, and the confident strut in her step meant nothing but business as she approached the adjudicator in the centre of the arena.

“I just hope Phen comes to his senses and yields before he gets hurt,” Alex said with her fingers stuffed in her mouth.

“You don’t want him to yield,” Link pointed out.

“And why the heck wouldn’t I?” Alex snarled. “It’s either that or Zudane’ gives him a one-way ticket to the Healer’s chamber.”

“We want Phen to last longer than a few minutes,” he answered, craning his neck in the direction of the opposite gate where Phen was supposed to be stepping out. “We need to try and find any weaknesses in Zudane’s game.”

“Zudane’s game?” Alex hissed. “This isn’t basketball, Link. Besides, Zudane’ has no weaknesses.”

Before he could answer her, Link was silenced by the crowd laughing hysterically. It didn’t take him long to find out why. Phenetrest had finally emerged from his gates, wearing a full-bodied suit of silver plate armour—that wasn’t what they were laughing at, though. It was the fact he could barely walk. He was dragging his feet laboriously through the lush grass, his hands out in front of him to maintain his balance.

“What’s he playing at?” Alex said, standing on her tippy toes as she frowned.

“Maybe he thinks the denser his armour, the less he will feel Zudane’s sword strikes,” Link said, shrugging. “Kind of smart if you ask me.”

“No, not that,” Alex said, shaking her head. “Phen doesn’t have a sword.”

She was right. Link hadn’t realized upon first glance, but Phen was weaponless. How bizarre.

Phen floundered towards the centre of the arena, like a toddler trying to walk for the first time. Zudane’ raised her eyebrows sceptically upon his approach. Even the adjudicator seemed caught off guard. Phenetrest’s suit of armour had to weigh close to one hundred pounds. Did he even weigh that much himself?

“Well, at least we know Phen won’t be yielding anytime soon,” Link said. “Zudane’s going to have to break through the armour with her Spiritwielding attacks if she wants him to yield.”

“Phen has a plan,” Alex mumbled.

“What?”

“Phenetrest always has a plan.”

“You’re saying you think he can beat her?” he asked bemusedly.

“No,” Alex chuckled, “of course not. Zudane’ will flatten him like a pancake . . . but he won’t go down without a fight. He’s a strategist, just like you.”

It took Phen a few painstaking minutes before he had finally made it to the other side of the arena and rested a hand on the wall. The match hadn’t even started, and Link doubted he had any energy left after hauling all that weight.

What Phen had done next, though, no one in the whole arena could have possibly foreseen. As the gong reverberated through the arena, he reached into two pouches hanging off his belt and plucked out two teal-coloured shards in each hand. The crowd was deadly silent—until the rips opened, that was.

Screams of panic filled the tiers as two tears in the air emerged on either side of Phen. The pair of swirling portals was big enough to admit giants, and all that could be seen through them was thick clouds of soot-grey fog. A hush fell over the crowd as they watched on nervously, waiting to see what came out from the mysterious rips in the air.

Seconds passed before two ironclad soldiers the size of Mereen jumped out of the tears simultaneously. The ground shook with a muffled thud upon their landing. Some spectators ran full pelt for the stairs, others cowered and squirmed in their chairs.

At first glance, the creatures looked almost identical. They were both wearing a full-bodied suit of rusted plate armour, covered with patches of moss and ivy. They both shared a pair of ominous bright green eyes shining from their gloomy visors. And they both had the same predatorial gait, like a pair of wolves stalking a deer. That deer being Zudane’.

The only thing that separated the two iron-clad monstrosities was the weapons they were wielding. One carried a sinuous greatsword twice the length of its body. The other, a rectangular shield the size of a ping pong table.

Link turned to face Alex. Judging by her dropped jaw she had boarded the same train of thought as he had. Phen was a Summoner.

“He can’t . . . .” Alex sputtered. “You don’t think he’s a Sum—”

“No,” Link said, shaking his head curtly, “he can’t be. There’s no way—”

He was cut short by one of Phen’s soldiers dashing towards Zudane’ with its shoulder cocked back forebodingly. The crowd shrieked as one. Zudane’ scrambled backward as the oversized sword came at her in a vicious arc. The audience sighed in relief as the blade hit nothing but air.

Link’s mind was hula-hooping with questions as he watched on. How could Phen be a Summoner? He was too young. Summoning was one of the hardest branches of magic to learn. It was even up there with Kilaydis’ Mind Seizing in its degree of difficulty. Gold cloaks could only dream of this skill, so how was it an acne-covered teenager could be skilled enough to bring not one, but two inuagi through from the Spiritrealm?

Kilaydis’ brother Rhygma was the first to create the portal to the parallel plane of reality that coexisted alongside the Mortalrealm. After years of deep meditation, he managed to form the first rip to what the Nocerans called the Spiritrealm. Rhygma walked straight through it without hesitation—or so the stories went.

The Spiritrealm was filled with a species called the inuagi: Monstrous, supernatural entities, possessing powers far beyond the standard gold cloak. Rhygma had taught the art of opening portals to the realm to only a select few of his Enchanters. Together, they marched into the Spiritrealm and captured fragments of the inuagi’s souls that dwelt there. The fragmented souls were placed in shards that acted as a homing beacon. All Phen had to do was whip out his shards, open his Gates and delve into the Eternal Source, and the inuagi could channel his power to create a portal from the Spiritrealm to the Mortalrealm.

The inuagi wielding the sword pressed the attack again, closing in on Zudane’, backing her against the arena wall with flurries of cuts and slashes. To Zudane’s credit, she danced, tumbled, and leaped away from every one of the inuagi’s strikes. It was like witnessing a game of whack-a-mole. But how long could she keep it up? The inuagi didn’t seem to be tiring; each cut was as swift and precise as the next. Zudane’, on the other hand, was slowing down, her feet becoming heavier, her breathing more laborious.

Link glanced over at Phen. His visor was raised, and a faint smile played on his lips. He had deceived them all, kept this talent of his close to his chest, only revealing it at the last moment. But why? If he was that powerful why only reveal it three-quarters of a way through the Golden Gauntlet?

As Link watched the battle unfold before him, he noticed the second inuagi hadn’t moved since it had emerged from the rip. The entity stood stoutly in front of Phen, its rectangular shield dug into the ground, almost as if it were guarding him. Had Phen positioned them like this intentionally? Skilled Summoners could communicate telepathically between their inuagi, directing them amid battle.

Alex’s fingernails dug into Link’s arm as the inuagi’s sword came crashing down at Zudane’ from above. She sidestepped nimbly as the blade descended, slicing a portion of her yellow robe before it split the earth beneath her feet. If Zudane’ hadn’t moved in time, that blade would have hacked her in two. Judging by its glistening edge, Link knew it was definitely not blunted.

“Isn’t Summoning banned?” Alex shrieked, her fingernails digging deeper into his bicep. “How come the adjudicator hasn’t called the match off? Disqualified him?”

Before Link could answer her, someone else had responded: Xavier.

“Because Summoning is legit, Lindsay. In fact, there’s not even a mention of it in the Gauntlet’s rule books. See for yourself.”

Link looked to his left. Xavier was sprawled out in the empty chair, his legs crossed with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. “Then again that might be because the branch of magic is as hard to find as an honest man in Congress.”

“What are you doing here?” Link asked, his voice thick with disdain.

But the crowd's shouts of excitement drew his attention away from Xavier. Zudane’ had somehow made it past the inuagi with the greatsword and was now streaming towards Phen and the shielded inuagi. She performed a Chain as she ran and then hurled a sphere of her magenta energy at the left side of Phen. As the shielded inuagi stepped to the side and blocked Zudane’s attack, Zudane’ closed in on Phen’s right. That’s when Link realized her first Spell was a decoy, drawing the inuagi’s attention. Her real focus had been on Phen the whole time.

Zudane’ came at Phen from the right side, her sword flashing, cracking his armour with a barrage of attacks. He staggered backward, casting a smoke-coloured Ward as he retreated. Zudane’s assault didn’t last long. The shielded inuagi had leaped in front of her, driving her backward with his shield. As Zudane’ was retreating, her focus on the shielded inuagi, the inuagi with the greatsword had come from behind.

Zudane’ barely had time to react to the whistling sword coming her way, but somehow, she did. She spun and rolled her shoulder. The sword missed her narrowly, slicing off a chunk of her braid as a memento.

Link was sure Alex’s fingernails had drawn blood as she squeezed his arm anxiously with each slash of the inuagi’s sword.

“Zudane’s good,” Xavier said, nodding in approval. “All her limbs are still intact, which is rather surprising. What do you reckon they’ll do with her remains, though? Dog food? Fertilizer even?”

Xavier’s presence was disturbing Link. Not his presence in general—he was used to that by now—but the timing of it.

“Why are you here?” Link asked again, his eyes never leaving the arena. Zudane’ was still trying to find a way past the sword-wielding inuagi.

“I’m here for the same reason everyone else is,” Xavier said coolly. “I want to see some blood spilled.”

“What’s the real reason?” he pressed. “You haven’t popped up since Alex defeated Daedrox. Too humiliated to show your face, is that it?”

Xavier took the unlit cigarette from his lips and twirled it around his fingers. “Why, oh why, do you always have to question my ulterior motives?” He leaned forwards, scanning the tiers in search of something. “Hey, do you think they sell hot dogs here? Nachos, even?” He licked his lips. “Yeah, I could really go for some nachos right now.”

Link scowled at him.

“Oh, fine,” Xavier said, throwing up his hands. “You got me. I’m here to watch my character kick ass.”

“Your character?” Link snapped automatically. “What do you mean your character?”

Xavier lit his cigarette and took a long puff. He exhaled through the side of his mouth. “Do you want me to spell it out for you? I-apostrophe-M H-E-R-E T-O W-A-T-C-H—”

“But Daedrox was—is your character,” Link corrected. “Alex defeated him.”

Xavier made an abrupt sound like an incorrect game-show buzzer. “Wrong,”

“What do you mean ‘wrong?’” he snarled. “You said—”

“I said Alex will be facing my character soon enough. And she will be, right after my boy Phenetrest mops Zudane’ up.” Xavier chuckled darkly to himself. “Wait, did I say mops? I meant butchers. Yeah, butchers sounds more accurate to what’s about to happen. Going to be very messy, though—like murder-scene messy. So maybe the Healers will need mops afterward? Who knows? Let’s wait and see.” He pretended to chew his nails. “I’m so nervous.”

Alex jerked Link by the arm. “What’s he saying? Is he saying Daedrox wasn’t the serpent? He can’t do that; he can’t—” she stopped mid-sentence.

Zudane’ had rolled between the open legs of the sworded inuagi and was now advancing towards Phen yet again. Instead of casting a decoy Spell this time, she slowed to a jog, and then performed a tranquil, free-flowing Chain that looked oddly familiar. Waterwielding.

The water in the two rivers closest to Phen pulled and pushed. Then as Zudane’ raised both hands, two giant waves arose from both rivers, with crests like capital C’s. They cast shadows on Phen and his shielded inuagi as they homed in.

The crests broke upon the two, smashing them with the power of a herd of galloping horses. Link let out a little squeak of excitement. But as the waters washed around them, he noticed Phen had taken cover behind his protector. His shielded inuagi had dug its shield into the earth and braced itself. Zudane’s Spell had been nothing but a light breeze.

“H-How is Phen the serpent?” Link spluttered. “Did you just make that riddle to throw us off?”

“How dare you,” Xavier said, gasping. “I admit I did sprinkle some red herrings here and there: Alex’s hissing roomie, that big buffoon Daedrox. I even painted a serpent on Lioden’s viol, but your stupid sister was so lovestruck she didn’t even catch on.” He cleared his throat and straightened his tie. “But to answer your question: no, my riddle was a legitimate riddle. I’m not that much of a monster, Hunter. I play by the rules—from time to time,” he added on.

Zudane’ tumbled away from the inuagi with the curved greatsword, her skin glistening with sweat. The sand timer was still half full. She had to yield; either that or she would be hacked into pieces. Phen’s offensive inuagi showed no signs of slowing. In fact, he seemed to be growing impatient by Zudane’s constant evasions. But who could blame her? A one hundred and fifty-pound girl with a blunted sword versus a giant that had to weigh over a ton with a sharpened one?

Zudane’ danced away from the sworded inuagi, managing to create some distance between them. She strung together a Chain and then raised an arm. A giant magenta disc emerged out of thin air. Zudane’ stepped forwards. The powerful disc of pent-up Spirit sped off after Phen and his shielded inuagi. But the attack was slightly off target. The focused Spell struck the entity’s upper shield, sawing the top third of it off cleanly.

Then everything happened at once: a sequence of surreal events that made Link’s chest shudder. The sworded inuagi had caught up with Zudane.’ The entity feinted an attack. Once. Twice. Zudane’ was out of rhythm. She had rolled to the right, expecting the blade to pass overhead horizontally, but as she rose, she found the sinister sword was coming down vertically.

The cruel blade came down on Zudane’s outstretched arm and found her elbow. Metal met flesh. The strike cleaved her arm in two. Scarlet spluttered uncontrollably from the wound, like a bottle of champagne being popped. Zudane’ dropped to her knees, futilely clutching what remained of her blood-splurging arm.

Alex shot up and sprinted towards the tier’s rails. Link’s body blistered with panic as he watched on. This couldn’t be happening. The scene was all too grotesque. All too surreal.

But the inuagi was far from finished. As Zudane’ writhed on the grass in a pool of her blood, her canary yellow robe stained, the sworded entity was loading up for its next attack.

The adjudicator lunged in front of her, casting a sky-blue Ward as the blade came down. Metal rang. The sword bounced off the shield. Gold cloaks jumped down from the tiers, using Windwielding to slow their descent as they landed. They advanced on Phen and his shielded inuagi, hitting him with flurries of Spells, trying to break his concentration. Eventually, as the Spells hit their mark, the two inuagi were banished back to the Spiritrealm, withering away into wisps of teal-coloured smoke.

By then, most of the crowd had either run to the rails to get a better look or had fled to the stairs. Link looked over at Xavier, his mouth half open.

Xavier regarded him with a knowing smile, cigarette dangling from his lips. “I should explain; should I not?” he said, nudging the brim of his fedora hat upward. “You see, Phenetrest’s dad is a high lord, quite a wealthy one at that, but not as rich as Winstell and Lioden’s. Phen’s dad placed a tremendous bet on his son when he was paying two hundred and four gold coins to win the tournament. If Phenetrest wins—which he will—Winstell’s father will be bankrupt.” Xavier waved a hand. “Say bye-bye to the gambling business.”

Xavier picked some lint off his shoulder and flicked it at Link. “I hate to be the one to tell you this—who am I kidding? I’m relishing this—but Phenetrest slithered his way into your group of friends like the slithery serpent he is. He picked Winstell’s brain about each of the opponents he was facing, learned how to project Wards from Zudane’; you even taught him how to swordfight, didn’t you, Hunter? He manipulated all of you to get through the first few rounds without drawing attention. Despicable, I know.”

“And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for,” Xavier said, clearing his throat. “The name Phenetrest was an anagram for “the serpent.” If unmasking Xavier’s character is all you seek, unravel the serpent before things get bleak.” He smirked at Link with a mischievous twinkle in those ice-cold eyes. “A 3.7 GPA and you couldn’t figure that one out? Parents’ money well spent.”

Xavier extinguished his cigarette on the seat next to him.