Chapter 97
Vanya
The portal spits me out like a stone from a slingshot.
I hit the slope on my ribs and the world tilts: wind, grit, the sharp green smell of wet earth and pine. For a frantic second I'm not sure which way is up. Then my lungs remember to expand and the arena's voice finds me — not through ears but like someone flicked a switch in the air.
“Welcome, welcome, luminous spectators and trembling competitors!” The announcer’s voice blooms around the hills like confetti and brimstone. He’s ridiculous and theatrical and impossibly cheerful. “Round One is a time-based affair — a test of focus, of sight, of ruthless priority. Your charge, dear Alphas: find the one among the army and find the key. You will not be given sympathy, only minutes. Succeed, and you slice a claim into fa
