All That Lives Must Die - Eric Nylund [111]
Amanda bounced on the field last, looking better than she ever had, her hair pinned up, and her face freshly scrubbed . . . deflating only a little at the sight of the newly configured gym structure.
The boys then walked out.
Mitch was first. His eyes instantly found Fiona and lit with delight. Fiona smiled back. She was looking forward to their rain-checked coffee study date (if they ever got a break in their schedules).
Jeremy jogged onto the grass after him. He mistook Fiona’s smile for him and waved to her.
What a jerk. He probably thought she liked him.
Robert was right behind Jeremy and took no notice of her.
Eliot came out last. He stopped and studied the new gym structure. He looked a little scared, as he had that first day. She hoped he was up for this.
She didn’t understand her brother. She never had, really, but this was a different level of not understanding. How could he fend off an army of shadow creatures almost single-handedly with Lady Dawn . . . be so heroic one moment . . . and then at times like now seem like her little brother, nerdy, vulnerable, so . . . Eliot?
They gathered in a loose circle.
“First things first,” Jeremy said. “We need a Team Captain. We can’t ignore it.” He puffed out his chest, tried—and didn’t entirely fail—to look dashing.
Fiona rolled her eyes. “Do we really need to go through this? We have a new jungle gym to figure out before the match starts.”
Mitch shrugged. “We lost the first time because we had no leadership.”
“We could pick a captain randomly,” Eliot suggested. “Roll dice. That’d be fair.”
Sarah scoffed. “We choose based on qualifications. I suggest the Lady Jezebel. She is the strongest amongst us, no?”
“Not today.” Jezebel rubbed her elbow. She cast a warning glance at them all. “There’s been . . . trouble at home.”
“Trouble” like the war she’d mentioned before between her clan and Mephistopheles? How did the Infernal even get to Paxington from Hell with a war going on? Certainly not the way she and Eliot had: the Gates of Perdition and the Elysium Fields—it would take her half the day to get to school.
Fiona almost asked how hurt she was, and if she was up for gym today—then stopped. It was probably an act to get Eliot’s sympathy. That’d be a very Infernal thing to do.
“I suggest Fiona,” Jezebel said.
Fiona blinked, surprised. “What? Me? Why?”
Jezebel assessed her in a slightly less than condescending manner. “You are now the strongest here. You think clearly in battle. And there is no fear in your heart.”
“She gets my vote,” Eliot chimed in.
Eliot and Fiona hadn’t been on the best of terms lately, so for him to so openly support her (even though being Captain was the last thing Fiona wanted) meant a lot to her.
“Mine, too!” Amanda added.
“I agree,” Mitch said. “Fiona can think on her feet.”
“Why not?” Robert added, and kicked the sod.
Fiona wanted to say thanks to Robert, but things had been so strange between them lately. So awkward. She simply nodded at him, unable to say anything.
With a sigh, Jeremy said, “Very well, Fiona it be for this match. But should we lose, we revisit who’s Captain.”
Fiona held up her hands. “Hey, I didn’t say I wanted to be Captain.”
Eliot pointed to the top of the gym structure. “Has anyone noticed those?”
Two flags had unfurled on opposite top corners of the jungle gym. One was their golden scarab on a black background. The other was white with a red leaping wolf.
“Team Wolf,” Jezebel whispered.
“That be trouble,” Jeremy added. “Wolf won their last match with very aggressive tactics. Some say they cheat.”
“We’ve taken the liberty of learning a bit about the other teams,” Sarah said. “Wolf wastes no time eliminating their weakest opponents.” She cast a quick look at Amanda and Eliot, then to Fiona and said, “And immediately target their enemy’s Captain.”
Fiona was about