By the time Daimona made it to where she had seen the big ball of light, it was already starting to dissipate in the sky. Underneath the scattering feathers, however, the whole forest seemed to be catching fire. Kell was in the middle of recovering to his feet as Daimona approached. From above, Zia remained steady in the air, throwing down bolts of fire at some unknown target ahead.

  “Kell!!” Daimona shouted, rushing towards him to help him. His face lit up, eyes wide with relief as they fell on her.

  “Daimona,” he said, urgently clasping her hands. “Your timing couldn’t be any better. I need your help.”

  “Ah, good,” a voice called from across the woods. Daimona squinted into the distance, barely making out Judith’s green scarf fluttering in the wind next to her. Her long rifle rested elegantly over her shoulder. “Another member of Squad 46.”

  Zia grunted as she threw another bolt. It halted in the air before Judith, disintegrating into an array of sparks as it made contact with a warbling green force field. The shield vanished from sight as Judith snapped her fingers.

  “I don’t get it,” Daimona said. “I thought we were supposed to save you!”

  “That’s very sweet of you,” Judith replied gently. “But unfortunately, your mission is to save your sergeant from me. Beat me, and I’ll tell you where Pultz is waiting for you. Once he’s tagged by your captain, you pass the trial. Does that make sense?”

  “Plenty,” Daimona growled enthusiastically.

  “Excellent,” Judith said, raising her rifle. “Let’s continue, then.”

  Daimona rolled forward, dodging the first shot. The bullet left behind a trail of green, ribbon-like smoke in the air. Daimona sprang up, ready to sprint to Judith’s position, but found herself caught in the gust caused by the bullet. The wind pushed Daimona back on her heels. It created a wall, she realized, one she couldn’t break through by force alone.

  From behind, Kell cried out, and Daimona looked back just in time to see him picked up by the wind. Zia caught him, carrying him from under his arms. Her hands burst into bright blue flames. Daimona watched in horror as Kell’s body was engulfed by the fire.

  “What do you think you’re doing?!” Daimona screamed. Zia’s lifeless face stared back at her indifferently.

  “Helping,” she said simply. Zia dropped Kell’s helpless body a few feet above the ground. To Daimona’s surprise, the flames went out just as his feet made contact, and Kell was standing before her in perfect condition. He seemed brighter now, a new vigor overtaking his form as he clenched his fists.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, reassuring Daimona with a wide grin. “That’s her specialty.”

  “We trust her?” Daimona asked. Zia had already flown forward, avoiding the onslaught of wind-shots from Judith.

  “We do for now,” Kell answered calmly. Part of Daimona wanted to take Zia down-- just in case, she thought, just in case the bandaged girl got any funny ideas like cursing them at the last minute or taking the glory for herself. But she knew there wasn’t time for that. Bash’s whistling was getting closer, and more confident by the minute. If she found Judith before they found Pultz, the trial would be lost, and all of her big talk to Will about bringing the mud would be for nothing. She couldn’t let that happen.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “We need to pull Judith away from here,” Daimona said. “I’ll draw her back, and beat her somewhere that’ll make it harder for Bash to find.”

  “But how? We can’t even get close to her!”

  “We’ll just have to make her get closer to us, then.” Daimona turned, taking a deep breath before slamming both fists in the ground before them. The dirt gave beneath the impact, flying up in great chunks and forming a short shelf in the ground. She pried up a hefty pile and launched it at Judith.

  Judith shot the mound. It exploded from the force, causing dirt the rain down from above. It landed in heaps on her shield, slowly sliding down the front. Judith awkwardly readjusted her aim, and Daimona could see the frustration on the sergeant’s polite face as she threw another splintering pile in Judith’s direction.

  “That’s genius,” Kell gasped. Quickly, he reached out and clapped a hand on Daimona’s shoulder. The center of his palm scorched her skin for a moment, and when he pulled away, a small black mark was etched into her flesh. A burning sensation overtook her, as though every muscle in her body was suddenly sent into overdrive.

  “I’ll find Will,” he said. “I’m amping you up with the last of what I’ve got. Can you handle this on your own?”

  “Wouldn’t tell you if I couldn’t,” Daimona beamed. Kell smiled sheepishly at her, before sprinting off into the night. Turning her attention back to Judith, she could feel her eyes hyperfocusing on the sergeant’s form. She had become aware of every breath, every slight movement her enemy made. Judith stepped forward, tossing aside her dirtied shield with a perplexed look.

  Zia dove down. Her wings blazed, crackling as she swooped low to swipe at Judith with her hands. A nub of light was sticking from Judith’s chest, just like the bolt Zia had pulled from Daimona during the relay. Gauntlet outstretched, Zia’s fingers grazed the end of the bolt.

  Before she could pull it free, however, a single, ear-splitting shot rounded off. Zia’s wings flickered out instantly, her unconscious body hitting the ground with a painful thud. Judith quirked an eyebrow at Daimona.

  “Just you?”

  “Just me.”

  “Good,” Judith said approvingly. “I could do with some easy target practice.”

  Jumping backwards, Daimona pounded her feet into the dirt, using her full weight to upheave more of the land from under her. Effortlessly, she kicked more of it at Judith, propelling herself backwards into the forest. Judith chased her slowly, keeping her rifle aimed vigilantly forward.

  Daimona listened to the sound of her feet as she landed against the ground. She listened to the rise and fall of each breath, noting every heartbeat. She evaded each of Judith’s precise shots keenly, and once they were far, far away from where they had started, Daimona let her mouth hang open.

  She had mimicked plenty of voices before. She had picked up Cowell and Will’s easily, the low bravado of military men easy enough to imitate. Norok’s had been child’s play, and even the dozens of facilitators they had known growing up came like instinct to her. But what left Daimona’s mouth wasn’t a voice at all. It was the sound of her, the sound of her running and panting, diverging the left and ducking into the bushes.

  Drawn to the sound, Judith made her way towards the spot Daimona had set. Daimona clicked her tongue against her teeth, creating the sound of a snapping twig.

  “Caught you,” Judith said proudly, firing off into the bushes. Daimona leapt at her from behind, knocking Judith down and landing a devastating blow to the back of her head.

  Daimona grinned wildly down at her capture. Judith thrashed violently below her, trying to shove Daimona off, but Daimona grabbed her by the throat and slammed her head back into the ground. Judith finally stopped, giving a defeated sigh.

  “That was pretty impressive,” she conceded.

  “I thought so too,” Daimona replied proudly. “Now tell me where Pultz is--”

  A pale hand started Daimona, reaching past to tap Judith’s forehead. Whirling behind, Daimona was met with the sight of Bash.

  “Sergeant Judith, you’ve been retrieved,” Bash announced softly. There was no stutter to her tone, no uncertainty in her brimming eyes. All Daimona could do was sit in complete and utter shock as the siren immediately sounded.