Page 97 of The Bonding Games: Part 2

Cool as a cucumber, Tiger replies. Then, Kind of. It looks really freakin’ creepy in here. Why’s it so . . . long?

Tate’s snort echoes through my mind. You know what else is long, Havoc—

Are you seriously thinking about your dick right now? Cooper’s words are incredulous.

My cock’s always thinking about Havoc.

That’s not even—

Shut up, Ezla hisses right as the audience’s chorused word shakes the arena:

“ZERO!”

“Let the Game begin!”

Fuck.

Imbeciles, my Bonded throws at the lot of us, and I honestly can’t blame her. Do you want to die? You must focus.

Sorry, my Havoc.

Hm.

Right, I say, getting us back on track as I warily step forwards, sliding one of my armoury sticks from my back. The raucous din of the crowd is stuffed in a jar at once as I cross the boundary into the maze.

The route to the middle is never simple, but in the way it’s only made of sky-high glossy black taalk, some might consider the contraption so; it’s pretty minimalistic like all other structures in Techta. The top is open, no roof, so we have light to allow us to see by from the Avri brightening the arena as well as the energy on our suits, my dark green Avri illuminating the glinting walls either side of me. But that doesn’t mean we can simply fly out—as well as an invisible barrier of Avri locking us in and blocking out any sounds outside the maze for our concentration, the use of our Avri pads is forbidden in this Game, and the price for breaking that rule has meant no one’s been stupid enough to ever try it . . . not until a few over the years have reached a point of despair and attempted to escape on their jets, only for the Avri up there to singe them, burning them to nothing to have ashes raining down on the arena floor below.

So, Alby, I’ll try to find you first. Tiger, you look for Tate, I continue as I move further down the wide hall before me. Manifesting the Avri in my armoury sticks, I hear a faint flickering sound as a quiver of green-glowing arrows forms over my shoulder.

And me and Vengeance look for each other, Cooper fills in.

I nod even though he can’t see me, slowing when I reach the end of the hall. Has everyone got their first choice to make on their first hall? I ask, flicking my eyes left and right after I cautiously inch closer to the corner and press up against the wall on my right. I’m not risking being so out in the open if there’s someone else nearby already. Twelve opponents are quite a lot to worry about when we have no idea our way around and where on earth other Players are in relation to us.

No. Mine only goes to the left. Alby’s internal voice is full of nervousness and fear, and I hope the curse I want to let out can’t be heard through Ezla’s open mind. He needs to be heading to the right to find me—that’s what we figured out when the Showmaster was going through his usual tedious speech.

When we arrived at the arena this time, we entered in a long line, with a Neutral guard assigned to each of us. We were blindfolded as they took us to our separate maze entrances, which caused a bit of a . . . moment with Tate when his assigned guard first tried to put the fabric over his eyes and he’d exploded, spitting mad and threatening all sorts of outlandish ways someone could harm another human being that I have no idea how he even came up with due to his inability to cope with the fact that his vision of our Bonded would be taken from him for any period of time. He only stopped abruptly when my own guard along with a few others turned their full attention on him, hands moving to their hips where long white weapons called eliminators are always on full display that are designed to knock unruly Players right out. For good. But I think his stopping had more to do with the simple “calm” Ezla sent his way than anything else.

After being split up and taken to our starting positions, my Neutral guard taking my blindfold off before leaving in a practiced walk without a word, I immediately projected the sight before and around me down the bond, scanning my surroundings, the side of the arena stretched out behind me, as inconspicuously as possible; it’s a huge advantage being able to send images down the bond, which is why I’m surer than ever that the Techtis Council is completely oblivious to the skill, and I don’t want to do anything that could possibly tip them off and bring down major consequences on us. Ezla and my brothers did the same as soon as they reached their own destinations, and from there, we’d worked out each of our positions and their relations to each other, figuring out the best course of action from there. Following our Bonded’s lead, we’d decided based on our proximity that Alby and I should try to find each other, then Tiger and Tate, and finally, Cooper and Ezla, as just mentioned.

So it’s really not fucking promising when Alby’s first turn forces him in the opposite direction to me. The closest to his left is Tiger, but we’d deduced that the gap between them was vast, which is what lead to Alby needing to find me rather than my blood brother to begin with.

Do not worry, Puppet. It is a maze, after all. Chin up. We knew this would not be simple.

I can almost hear his gulp from here. But he does ease slightly, calmed as always by Ezla. Yes, Ezla . . .

You’ve got this, Bestie! Tiger sends a moving picture through of him peeking around a glossy black corner and aims at Tate next, You’re this way, right, Tater Tot?

I don’t fuckin’ know. That looks the exact same as all the other halls.

Hmmmm . . .

Letting my curse find everyone this time, I move down the left hall, seeing the end of this one ends on a right angle to point me directly towards the middle of the maze. Please don’t tell me you’ve forgotten where you are in relation to your starting point already, Tiger.

I’m not sure. I just thought I’d keep going left.

And what way did you turn first?

Right.