Mage War

Chapter Thirty-Two: Cheating

Alyx ducked, the sword swinging where her head had just been. This was her third and final match of the day. Lunch had finished just ten minutes ago. Alyx was the sixth match since, all of the matches having lasted only about a minute. She was fighting a Magefell Guard. Yue didn’t know who she was, but she was evidently strong. Maybe even strong enough to be in the Vanguard. She and Alyx had been fighting violently for almost a minute now, and they were almost equally matched.

Alyx was slightly better, though.

As Alyx swung her sword as hard as she could, the Guard positioned her sword to block it. Sweat beaded on Alyx’s face as she forced the sword down. The Guard struggled as Alyx’s might pushed on her. Alyx was very strong, that was true, but Yue didn’t know if she’d be able to take the Guard down that way.

“Alyx, you’ve got this,” Aster whispered. “Come on!”

“She can’t hear you,” Yue pointed out. “Not with you whispering like that.”

Aster glared. “She doesn’t like noise. Plus, she tells me she knows when we cheer her on, even if she can’t hear it.” Yue rolled her eyes.

The crowd was very attentive this game. This was the Guard’s second game, and she had won it. Since Alyx had won both of hers so far, this meant that one of them would lose their first game here, and the audience loved it. The cheers and claps when something interesting happened were deafening. It was nice to know that everyone appreciated their talent, at least for now.

There was still no sign of the murderer or the Cult, but Yue wasn’t too concerned about that. She assumed the Cult wouldn’t try anything until the third day, and the murderer definitely wouldn’t try anything in broad daylight.

Still, she had to be careful. The Cult was unpredictable.

The crowd cheered and Yue watched as Alyx was finally able to bring her sword down, slicing on the Guard’s chest, slicing through the armor.

The slight blood on the armor announced Alyx as the winner.

“The whispers worked,” Aster told Yue.

Yue just smiled.

— — —

“The Captain wants us to meet some people,” Kol told Yue, walking up to her.

“Who?” Yue wondered.

“You’ll see,” Kol responded. “Follow me.”

He walked away, leaving Yue to stand up quickly and rush after him. As they walked up the stands, some people beamed at her or congratulated her for her wins. She waved and smiled at them all, causing Kol to roll his eyes.

“Don’t let it get to your head,” He said.

“You’ve won yours as well, right?” She asked.

“Only played one so far,” Kol replied. “But I’m playing a second soon. I saw your fight with Gunnar. You did really well, although some would call it luck.” His eyes twinkled. Yue shrugged.

“If I had to go again with him, I’m not sure I’d win,” She told him. “I’ve never fought anyone like him.”

“Comes with being Snjornan, I guess. Ah, here we are.” Kol pointed to a room built into the top stands. Yue paled.

“You’re joking, right? That’s where the Royals stay!”

Kol smiled. “Yup. We’re going to meet them.”

“A little warning would’ve been nice,” Yue groaned.

“I gave you one,” Kol shrugged. “You just didn’t know it was. Now come on. We have to do this before my game.”

Yue took a deep breath as Kol opened the glass door. When they went into the massive room, Yue gasped.

The room was furnished with silk and leather, clearly made for important people. This room was more expensive than Yue’s entire salary for a decade.

But it wasn’t the room that made her gasp.

It was the royals. They were really here!

One came forward to meet him. He was a simple man, no crown on his head, but a posture of authority. Yue and Kol bowed.

“No, no, none of that, please!” The man told them. “I am King Aeson from Arcadia.”

“It’s a pleasure, your majesty,” Yue curtsied as best she could. The king smiled.

“You must be Kol and Yue. The Wolf told me you were coming. I watched your fights. You were wonderful. It was a joy.”

“Thank you,” Yue flushed. “I’m honored by your praise, your majesty.”

“No formalities, please,” King Aeson told them. “And call me Aeson. King is slightly weird.”

“Yes, your…Aeson,” Kol told him. “It really is an honor to meet you. We must meet the other Royals, though.”

“Of course, of course. How cruel of me!” Aeson grinned. “Here, let me introduce you. This is Quan, Khan of Aleumdaun Seom.”

Yue bowed as the Khan looked at her. He was dressed in gold and purple, black cape flowing from behind him. His long hair was held by a headpiece in the top leading to a ponytail. He looked like the definition of a king. Powerful, stern, mighty, yet just.

After a minute, the Khan nodded, and Yue stood up.

“Yue Zhang. You are originally from Aleumdaun Seom. Is that right?” Yue nodded, and the Khan smiled slightly. “I expect you to win then, if none of my subjects win first. You are always welcome in our land.”

“Thank you, great Khan,” She said.

“Who is this?” A female voice asked from behind her.

“Ah, Queen Ingrid,” Aeson said. “This is Kol and Yue, two of the greatest Warriors of Magefell.”

Yue turned to find the Queen of Galacia staring at her. She wasn’t glaring, but her look was…icy was the way to say it. She was wearing very light clothing, clearly unused to the warmth here.

“It is an honor, your majesty,” Yue curtsied. Kol repeated her.

“Hmmm, yes,” Queen Ingrid told them. “I have heard much about you both. I would hate for you to disappoint me.”

Yue bristled. “We won’t.”

“Well, I’ve got a show to watch,” Queen Ingrid told them, sitting down in her spot. Yue looked at Kol uncertainly.

“Feel free to stay here,” Aeson told them. “I would love to chat with both of you.”

“I have to go,” Kol said regretfully. “My match is coming up.”

“Ah, yes! Good. You should go then.”

Kol waved bye at Yue and left.

“Sit,” Aeson told her. “Sit.” It was phrased more like a plea than a command.

“I’d heard that the Arcadian Royal Family was very informal, but this is not what I expected.” Yue said.

“Yes, it does surprise most people when they meet us,” Aeson laughed. “But if you were a queen, I’m sure you would want to have a normal life as well.”

“I’m not sure your life is completely normal, your majesty.”

“What have I said?” He told her sternly. “Call me Aeson. And yes, it isn’t 100% normal, but it is as close as I can get while ruling a kingdom.”

“I guess that’s true,” Yue admitted.

“How long have you been part of the Vanguard now?” Aeson asked.

“Two or three years now,” Yue responded. “It’s my dream job.”

“Yes, you’re very talented,” Aeson said. “It really was a joy watching you perform. Would you consider yourself the best in the Vanguard?”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Yue answered. “Kol is better than me.”

“Really? You think so? I think you’ve been performing better than anyone else! Oh, look, there’s Kol now.” Aeson crossed his legs and looked down to where Kol was expertly handling another soldier. “Oh, that’s actually one of my soldiers. His name is Rubio. He’s good, but he still has a lot to learn. Pity he’s already forty, you know?”

“How’s Arcadia doing in the tournament?” Yue asked him.

“Not great,” Aeson admitted sadly. “I would’ve loved to bring others from there. Jin, Torr, Jade, Mena, Deria. They’re better than most of these here. Problem is we’re facing a threat there, and we need to keep the most elite here.” Yue wasn’t sure if he was giving excuses or not, but she didn’t want to prod too much. She was curious, though.

“If you don’t mind the question, what kind of threat?”

“I’m not sure,” Aeson said. “Some sort of animal. Wolves, I think. Whatever it is, it poses a big danger. My wife, Maeve, is taking care of it.”

“You sure you don’t need to be there?” Yue asked.

“It’s not a Royal Family if there is no family,” Aeson laughed. “Don’t worry. They’ll be fine. If they need me, they’ll call.”

“Okay,” Yue nodded. “So what’s Arcadia like? I’ve never been.”

“Oh look, Kol won,” Aeson smiled. “I don’t know if I’m happy or pissed. Arcadia is great. It’s my home, you know. If you ever went, I’m sure you’d say it felt like home.”

Yue had heard that Arcadia was like that, but she doubted it. It couldn’t be as good as Magefell, right?

“Well, I should probably get going,” She told Aeson. “I am a participant in this tournament after all.”

“Right. It was great to meet you, Yue.” Aeson’s voice was sincere, kind.

“Likewise,” Yue responded. “Likewise.”

— — —

“Still no Zade?” Yue asked Xander. He shook his head. “I’m getting worried about him.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Xander replied. “But if you want, I’ll look into it.”

“No, it’s okay,” Yue responded. “Neena’s on now, right?”

“Yup. Ooh, looks like it started.” Yue spun her head around. Neena was taking on a woman clearly from Aleumdaun Seom.

The woman took the offensive while Neena stayed mostly on the defensive, struggling to reach the taller woman.

As they fought, Yue turned to Xander.

“Any word from the Cult?”

“Not yet,” Xander responded. “You’d know if there had been. Plus, I wouldn't be here.”

“I know,” Yue bit her lip. “Still nervous, though.”

Xander kissed her somewhat still swollen lips. “Don’t be. Everything will be fine.”

Yue nodded and watched as Neena was knocked down by the other woman.

“GO, NEENA!” She yelled. It was too late. The woman sliced, scoring a hit on Neena’s arm, blood seeping from the shallow wound.

“Damn! That’s the first one of us who lost a game,” Xander cursed.

“The Vanguard is doing really well, though,” Yue said. “One elimination so far is pretty good.”

“That’s true,” Xander admitted. “Do you know when your next match is?”

“In like an hour,” Yue told him. It was about three in the afternoon now. “I’ll have four in all, according to the Wolf. I’m gonna win them all, obviously.”

“Did you hear?” Xander asked her. “You’re one of the top five favorites.”

“Wow! Really?” Yue smiled. “That’s amazing. I didn’t expect that.”

“After Gunnar, you definitely deserve it.”

Neena walked over to them dejectedly.

“I lost,” She told them when they waved at her.

“I know,” Yue responded. “But you’ve only lost one. You can still win the tournament.”

“I shouldn’t have slipped,” Neena grimaced. “It was a bad mistake.”

“It’ll be fine, Neena,” Xander winked. “I didn’t even make the tournament. You’re in the top fifty warriors in the Vanguard.”

“You’re right,” Neena grinned. “I’ll win the next one.”

“That’s the spirit.”

“Yiro’s gonna fight now,” Alyx told them. She had been talking to Aster until a minute ago. “It should be fun. She’s up against another Arcadian. He seems really good. I actually don’t think she’s gonna win.”

“You’re not serious, right?” Yue responded. “She’s not going to lose this. Yiro’s too good. Plus, Aeson told me they didn’t bring in the best Arcadian soldiers.”

“Who’s Aeson?” Xander asked.

“The king of Arcadia,” Yue replied off-handedly.

“You met the king of Arcadia?” Alyx shrieked.

“Yeah,” Yue responded. “He’s a great guy.”

Alyx sputtered. “That’s… crazy. Anyway, that doesn’t matter. He’s just making that up because he doesn’t want to seem weak.”

“I doubt it,” Yue shrugged. “But I guess it could be true.”

“YUE!” A voice called to her from behind. “I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.” Sharply, Yue turned to find Eva shouting after her.

“What is it, Eva?” Yue asked.

Eva bit her lip. “Can we talk in private?”

“Fine,” Yue sighed. “Let’s move then.” She led Eva to the foyer of the theater. There were many people here, but it would be really hard to eavesdrop on them.

“I think Yiro is going to cheat,” Eva blurted out.

“I thought you disliked snitching,” Yue said.

“Yes, except Yiro could kill the other soldier!” Eva exclaimed.

“You can’t be serious. Yiro wouldn’t go that far.” Yue told her incredulously. “Yiro isn’t like that.”

“You don’t know Yiro. You have to do something.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Yue told her. “Thank you.” Eva grimaced and scurried away.

Yue didn’t know if she believed that Yiro was cheating, but she didn’t think Eva would purposefully mislead her either. She had to keep an eye on Yiro, at least until this match ended.

She walked back outside to find the match almost over, and, surprisingly, Yiro was losing. Yiro was on the ground, and the Arcadian was charging towards her. So Eva must’ve been wrong.

That’s when the unexpected happened. As soon as the Arcadian reached Yiro, she stuck out her fist, almost imperceptibly. The most surprising part was that she missed, yet the Arcadian still stumbled back. As soon as he fell, Yiro raised her sword and stabbed him where she’d almost hit him. He bled there now, but Yue was sure she’d seen blood there already.

From Yue’s perspective on the foyer, it was clear foul play had happened. No one else would have noticed, though, sadly. Yiro had cheated, and no one would think otherwise.

The Cult had done exactly what they’d intended.

Yue felt sick.

And, apparently, so did the Arcadian. He fell to the ground moaning, frothing at the mouth. Yiro rushed to his aid, and soon he stopped moving, although he was still breathing.

Yue growled. She needed to do something about the Cult. If only she could find them.

— — —

It was time for Yue’s third fight. She was fighting someone from the Vanguard this time, surprisingly.

Before the fight, a familiar face came to see her.

“Hey, Yue,” Joanne said. “How are you enjoying the tournament?”

“It’s great,” Yue smiled. “I’m having a lot of fun. I’m pretty confident in myself right now. Did you win your bouts?” She knew Joanne had won at least one of them, but she didn’t know about the rest.

“I lost once,” Joanne scowled. “I still have one more game to play, though, to salvage some dignity. I saw what happened with Gunnar. You were incredible! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Thanks,” Yue flushed. “It’s good to see you.”

“Likewise,” The other girl responded. “Good luck with Wen. And I forgive you for throwing me in jail.”

Yue nodded to her.

“PLEASE WELCOME TO THE RING YUE ZHANG AND WEN RENNALD!” The Wolf’s voice boomed.

“Oh, got to go,” Yue said. “I’ll see you later.”

Walking to the ring, she saw Wen. Wen was a big woman, in her thirties, and Yue found her familiar. She’d never talked to her though.

As soon as she entered the ring, a thunderous applause and roar echoed throughout the crowd. Yue waved and smiled at them.

“You know the drill already,” The Wolf whispered to them. Yue couldn’t help but feel slightly apprehensive. Would Wen cheat like Yiro? She doubted it, but at this point, she didn’t know anything about the Cult. She felt paranoid, but she needed to stay strong.

“THE MATCH COMMENCES IN THREE…”

Unsheathe your sword.

“TWO!”

Deep breath in.

“ONE!”

Glare at Wen.

“BEGIN!”

Yue rushed at Wen, intent on gaining the upper hand immediately. She assumed Wen would prefer the offensive, so if she got a nudge early on, it would really help.

Yue was wrong.

Wen was clearly used to being on defense, as she clearly showed when Yue lunged for her. Wen side-stepped lithely. She didn’t have a shield. As far as Yue had seen, only a dozen or so participants use them. It was hard to use in situations like this. Gunnar was obviously adept at it but not many were. Shields were heavy, not good for a quick fight; at least, not for most people.

Yue shook her head. She was distracted. Wen was in the Vanguard; she would easily take advantage of something like that. Yue needed to focus.

Wen feinted left, gauging Yue’s reaction. Yue, of course, stepped back, allowing for the feint. Smiling, Wen lunged at Yue’s left, and as soon as Yue blocked it, changed her stance and swung right.

Thankfully, Yue expected this. Moving her sword, she reached for Wen’s side. The sword scraping her armor caused Wen to gasp.

“How…” Wen wondered. Yue grinned. Wen narrowed her eyes, and rushed at Yue, who was forced to retreat under the hail of attacks.

Yue ducked and slid to the ground, feigning. Wen, assuming Yue had tripped on the ground, charged on her, and Yue swept her legs out from under her. As Wen fell to the ground hard, Yue scraped her sword over Wen’s forehead.

“I win again,” Yue smiled. Wen groaned.

“AND THE WINNER IS YUE ZHANG!”

And the crowd goes wild. Yue kept her smile up as the crowd showered praises on her.

Three wins.

Zero losses.

This was a good start to the tournament. Just as long as no more cheating happened.

“Good job,” Neena said to her as she got back. “You just eliminated Wen.”

“Oof,” Yue replied. “That’s tough. How many people have been eliminated now?”

“A little over fifty, although a lot have lost one already,” Aster replied, turning towards her. “Think about it. We’re all in the top two-hundred warriors in the world.”

Yue couldn’t help but smile again. Aster was right.

They’d done great so far.

All she was missing was Zade.

Where the hell was he?

“I’m going to step out and get some air,” She told her friends.

“Are you okay?” Alyx asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You know we’re already outside, right?” Aster pointed out. Yue shot her a withering glare.

“I’ll be right back,” She said.

She began to descend the steps towards the foyer. There, she was met with adoring fans.

“Oh gods,” One girl shrieked. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. “It’s you! Hi, Miss Zhang.”

“Please, call me Yue,” Yue replied. “What’s your name?”

“Polynesia, Yue,” She replied. “Most of my friends call me Sia.”

“I have a friend called Polynesia,” Yue responded. “It’s good to meet you, Sia.”

Sia shrieked again. “AHHHH! No one is going to believe you’re my friend.”

Yue winked. “Come over and see me sometime. I have to go now, though.”

“Of course. Of course,” Sia responded. “Oh my Gods. It’s really you.”

Getting away from Sia, and flushing from ear to ear, Yue ran into another of her fans.

“You’re Yue, right?” The man asked. “I see all your fights. I’m betting you’ll win the entire thing.”

“Thank you,” Yue responded. “I’m sorry, I’m just in a hurry. It’s good to see you, though, Mr…”

“Cole,” the man responded. “It was great to meet you too.”

Yue pushed herself through the dozen or so people waiting to meet her. As soon as she passed the stadium, though, she was alone.

Finally. Alone to think.

She was starting to really worry about Zade. he said he would be here to watch her fight. Obviously, she didn’t need him here, but Zade was her friend. It wasn’t like him at all.

Once again, Xavier’s worry began to eat at her. It really seemed like he’d tried something. But wouldn’t one of his friends come to tell her?

This wasn’t normal, that much was obvious. Everything had just seemed to fall apart for Zade after Astil’s death. Yue wished she could see him more, even if just to encourage him.

Right now, she just wanted to know he was alright. She was also nervous that the worry from Zade’s disappearance would affect her performance, but obviously, that came second.

Without Zade watching, though, they had one less pair of eyes on the Cult. They needed every resource they could find. This was not good. She needed Zade.

Someone began to run from the hill to the Arena. She squinted her eyes, but couldn’t place the figure. It was a man, clearly, and he looked like he was having an emergency of some sort. The man ran faster than Yue could believe, and she could tell he was coming here. What for?

As the man came closer, Yue began to recognize him. He was familiar. She was sure she’d seen him before, but she couldn’t remember well.

Then it hit her.

It was Th’ul. He was still far away, but his face was unmistakable. Yue’s heart dropped. What was he doing here?

Yue waited patiently as he got closer. Eventually, he went past her and kept running.

“TH’UL!” She yelled. He stopped and looked back.

“Oh, it’s you,” Th’ul said. “Well, I came here to bring you some bad news.”

“Oh no,” Yue groaned. “What happened to Zade?”

“He’s alive, but just barely. He also has a chance of Burning,” He said.

“What happened?” Yue growled.

“We don’t know,” Th’ul responded. “We found him in the Dragon Head. That’s where Astil died. Anyway, Xavier found Zade half-dead on the ground cradling Astil’s corpse. We barely got him to the hospital in time. It wasn’t pretty. We still don’t know if he’ll live or not.”

“Damn!” Yue exclaimed. “I was worried about him. Thank you for coming.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come before,” Th’ul said. “How is the tournament going? Nothing suspicious?”

Yue didn’t know if she could trust him, but, right now, she wanted someone to talk to who lived in Zenyth. Plus, Zade trusted him. As much as she hated to admit it, that did mean something.

“A girl cheated, and I’m pretty sure the Cult made her,” Yue said. “Otherwise, everything’s fine.”

“Explain the cheating.”

Yue did, and at the end Th’ul nodded.

“Yeah, that sounds off. Clearly, the Cult wants the Vanguard to win. But why?” He wondered.

“You know, that’s an excellent question,” Yue responded. “I’m not sure. Why would they want the Vanguard to be the winners?”

“I’m betting whatever the reason is, it’s also the same reason that they won’t do anything until the last day.”

Yue nodded. “That makes sense. Are you going to stay here?”

“I can’t,” Th’ul shook his head. “I have a lot to do. But if anything happens, get someone to Zenyth. I’ll be willing to help. I wasn’t a great friend to Zade. I need to change that.”

Yue narrowed her eyes. He sounded genuine, and if he was then she was happy. But at the same time, he could just be faking it all.

“Why’d you do it?” Yue asked. “Tricking Zade into getting hurt.”

“I didn’t…” Th’ul paused. “Oh, you mean that. I don’t know. I made a horrible decision. I’ve said this before. I thought he wouldn’t do it if I told him the reason, and I…acted harshly. It didn’t work.”

“That doesn’t excuse what you did!” Yue exclaimed.

“Of course it doesn’t,” Th’ul responded. “I’ve been trying to help Zade since, but I’m not the best person out there. I’ve always been forced to live in shades of gray, Yue. To me, not everything is in black and white. Sometimes you have to make decisions that seem off. I make mistakes, but I know that in the end, that choice has shaped Zade’s life, and for the better. You might not have seen it, but that moment changed him. He became stronger. Yes, I made a mistake. I know I can’t be excused. But it did work out. In the end, sometimes, the past must be forgotten.”

“That sounds like an excuse,” Yue growled.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Th’ul said, chuckling. “I’m sorry, Yue. I hope you can forgive me one day. I wish you good luck. I promise that I’m on your side.”

“I really hope you are too,” Yue told him. “I forgive you. Just… don’t do anything like this again.”

“I won’t, Yue,” Th’ul said. “And…thank you. For giving me another chance.”

Yue nodded. As Th’ul turned to leave, Yue’s mind swam.

Zade was hurt. There was nothing she could do about it, of course, but she still felt horrible.

Xavier had been right. She should’ve font to help Zade.

She felt she’d made a mistake just like Th’ul.

Now she knew how he felt. That’s the only reason she could forgive him.

“Don’t die, Zade,” She prayed. “Please don’t die.”

— — —

It was mid-afternoon and it was time for Yue’s final game. There would be many games afterward, but this was Yue’s final one for the day.

Thankfully, it seemed like another easy one.

This time, she was fighting someone from Aleumdaun Seom. The man had already lost once, and Yue was looking to eliminate him.

She was excited for the opportunity.

But at the same time, thoughts of Zade got in the way,

She was scared for him. He was in danger, and she could do nothing to help. Yue hated the thought. But she still couldn’t change it.

She’d told her friends, and they’d reacted about as well as she had.

At least they understood why he’d gone now.

“PLEASE WELCOME TO THE RING YUE ZHANG AND LAOTEO GONG!” The Wolf announced. Yue hadn’t been able to talk to him at all, him being busy with the tournament, but she desperately needed to tell him a lot, especially about Yiro, although she doubted he’d do anything about it.

He still needed to know.

Yue and Laoteo walked onto the stage together, leading to an already familiar cheer from the crowd. Alyx had told her that she was one of the top three favorites now, and she was more than proud of that accomplishment.

She’d already passed day one. Yue just needed one last win to guarantee her undefeated-ness for round two.

“You know how it goes,” The Wolf told them. “Keep it a clean fight.” He winked at Yue. “THIS MATCH BEGINS IN THREE…TWO…ONE…”

It’s time.

“BEGIN!”

Taoteo struck. Somehow, he’d reached Yue immediately, faster than Yue could see. She fell backwards.

What the hell?

She wasn’t bleeding, but whatever had just happened disoriented her. She didn’t know how Taoteo had done what he did, and apparently neither did Taoteo. A roar of outrage rose from the crowd, and Taoteo reacted bewilderedly.

“I’m sorry,” He told Yue. “I don’t know how that happened.”

“Just keep fighting,” Yue responded. She looked at the Wolf and nodded. Strangely, he looked distracted but he turned towards her and nodded back.

Taoteo looked uncertainly at her. “You sure?”

“Yes,” Yue responded. “Let’s go.” She rushed at Taoteo, and he swung, parrying her thrust. Clearly recognizing her skill, he backed away from her, maintaining his defensive stance. Yue let him wander, gathering her breath still. Looking around, she wondered what happened, but right now she didn’t have time to wonder.

She had to beat Taoteo.

Yue rushed at him. As soon as he saw her, he paused to swing, lowering his sword slowly.

Suddenly, Yue felt a pain in her leg. Taoteo removed the sword quickly from where it had embedded itself slightly. He screamed in shock.

Yue grimaced, clutching her leg. Taoteo had been almost ten feet away. He couldn’t have run that fast.

Something was off.

But she was bleeding.

The crowd was booing in outrage.

“I don’t know what happened,” Tomato shrieked at the Wolf, who shook him roughly.

“You must have cheated, “ The Wolf said. “What happened isn’t possible. You injured one of my people. You are disqualified.”

“You must believe me, Yue!” Taoteo screamed. “I didn’t do it.”

Yue didn’t want to believe him. But she had to. She had seen the look on his face. Unless he was the greatest actor in the world, he was just as shocked as she was.

“I believe you,” She screamed, and the crowd gasped, then shut up. “I believe you, Taoteo. But the fact stands that you won unfairly.”

“You’re right,” The Wolf told her. “He must be disqualified.”

Yue sighed, knowing it had to happen. He had won illegitimately, and rules were rules. The Khan would be disappointed and angry.

“I DECLARE THE WINNER TO BE YUE ZHANG!” The Wolf exclaimed, and the crowd roared again. They still seemed supportive, but she was sure that now there would be a few more people that would hate her.

Yue’s first suspicion was that the Cult did this. Of course. They were behind everything, right? But she couldn’t be sure. It could just as easily have been anyone else.

Looking at Taoteo, she felt pity in her stomach. He looked dejected, sad. Yue was pretty sure she saw tears in his eyes. It hurt her to see that, especially because it wasn’t his fault.

“I’m sorry,” Yue whispered to him.

“It’s okay,” Taoteo responded, tone telling her it was anything but. “I wouldn’t have beat you anyway.”

Yue grimaced, but it was true.

Still. Whoever did this had ruined this, causing tension in the tournament. Was it the murderer? If so, then it really had been the Cult. She looked around wildly, accusing everyone in the stands of doing something.

“THE NEXT MATCH STARTS IN FIFTEEN MINUTES AS WE DISCUSS WHAT HAPPENED HERE!” The Wolf told the silent crowd. The tension could be cut with a knife.

The Captain looked at Yue, concerned. She waved it away. Taoteo hadn’t stabbed very far, thankfully, and she would barely have even a bruise.

It still hurt, though. Now she had an injury in her leg, and a slightly swollen face.

The tournament could only get better.

As she began to walk back to the stands, words rang in her mind.

This was a reminder for you. Stop looking for us. Do not try to find us anymore. You will not find a murderer. If you keep going, we will kill you. This was just a taste. Win the tournament for us, but do not do anything else. We’re watching.

Yue gasped. It had been the Cult. It seemed like they knew everything.

The words echoing in her mind, she sat back down.

Everything was a lot more complicated now.