Chapter 10

The morning of the MagiShift game dawned much sooner than Violet hoped it would. Yet she found herself trudging to Coach Vargas' office in the misty morning light, sleepy and already irritated.

Setting up while everyone else was at breakfast was bad enough, but the arrival of the players made her miss the solitude. Most didn't pay her much mind. Trey was the only one who greeted her properly, though she had to give it to the purple-haired freshman and sunny-faced boy who shared her complexion. They, at least, acknowledged her while she dragged the heavy coolers to their spots.

And then there was Leona.

When he'd made her the water boy, she'd assumed that was the end of the insult. She, of course, was wrong. Leona had her at his beck and call from the moment he dragged his tail onto the pitch. The game hadn't even started and already he'd made her refill his bottle twice. There she stood now, watching the water glisten in the sun as it poured in. It was too good for him, she thought. What she should do is throw in a fistful of dirt.

"Parker!"

Violet jumped, afraid for a second that someone read her mind. "Yes, captain?"

Leona towered over her, arms crossed and tail swaying steadily from side to side. The glower she was used to was gone, replaced by something far worse: a troublemaking smirk that could give Ace a run for his money.

"I'm thirsty," the dorm head drawled.

"It's coming," Violet turned back to the cooler. She couldn't trust herself to keep calm if she looked at him.

"You're taking forever."

Her friend's faces flickered in Violet's mind, phantoms of the night before. They nagged her to keep her mouth shut, keep her head down, keep her composure. To keep from saying, "Then do it yourself, next time."

Leona's tail stopped moving in the corner of her vision. She flinched. Oops. She'd said that last bit out loud.

"Wanna run that by me again?"
Violet tightened her grip on the water bottle. She would do her job; she would shrink herself away. She released the spigot with a pop! and twisted water bottle shut tight.

"Your drink." Violet fought with everything she had not to shove it into his chest. He took his time plucking the water from her outstretched hand and taking a long, healthy drink.

"Warm, but it'll do." He stretched, then, ears twitching like a lazy housecat. They shifted again at the shriek of Coach Vargas' whistle. Time for huddle. Still, he took the time to peg Violet with a look and say, "Remember your place, herbivore."

He sauntered away with her gaze trained on his back. Her eyes dropped to a basket of rags at her feet. She just had to play along. One day of biting her tongue, then she'd have nothing to do with MagiShift ever again.

Violet made it two steps before a hand landed on her shoulder. She jumped back, realizing too late it was only Trey. He didn't seem to notice, but his face was sober, "Hey. Remember what we said last night."

'We' was a lot of people. It was mainly Riddle who gave her a solid lecture that spanned most of dinner. He made many points, but there was one he kept returning to over and over: keep your head down and do your job.

She wanted to argue. Leona was putting her through the ringer and this was just the start. It would be a hell of a lot easier to follow their advice if he wasn't such a—

Trey's eyes seemed to droop, almost pleading. He was concerned and Violet knew, just knew that he'd carry that onto the field if she didn't at least try. That wasn't fair to him.

"Fine," she frowned.

"You can do it," Trey said.

He left without another word. At least one of them thought so.

Sweat tickled Leona's neck where his ponytail began. The balls of his feet dug into midfield earth, gripping the ground in anticipation for the first play. Three paces away stood prim figures in uniforms so white they looked like summer clouds. The Royal Sword Academy team.

Leona snarled.

His brother's old team.

He clenched his jaw, tightened his fists, and counted back the seconds.

10

9

8

Games against RSA were rare, but they were personal. Exhibition or no, this match was no exception.

7

6

5

His feline senses were in overdrive. He could see and hear and smell everything.

Sunlight. Heartbeats. Sweat.

Nerves.

4

3

2

He revved his magic. Energy crackled at his fingers.

1

Blood roiling in his ears muffled the starting whistle.

Magic flashed, the disk flew.

He lunged.

Violet refused to watch Leona snatch the disk. He didn't need any more of an audience fawning over his every move. She had much better, more important things to focus on. Yes, she was too busy to watch him throw a pass to the offense, and utterly unimpressed at how fast he did it. The bleachers above her erupted into cheers as Trey bolted through RSA's ranks, turned, and caught a flawless throw.

If she were paying attention, she'd say Night Raven was a force to be reckoned with. Each player displayed a ferocity that rivaled Leona himself. Every movement was precise, controlled. Not a blast of magic wasted. Even their starting flyer, that sunny-face boy, was an ace at shielding. Not as graceful a flyer as the first year, but fast.

But she had absolutely no interest, thank you very much.

"No, no, no!" someone on the bench next to her cried, "Not Kalim!"

Violet stopped pretending and faced the game. Their flyer, Kalim, had stopped flying. Instead he hovered in place with the disk between his hands. Like someone flipped a switch, the team's rhythm was gone. They locked up. Half the players abandoned their spots and clamored for the disk, calling for Kalim to throw it "Over here! Over here!"

Violet's chest tightened as his head swiveled this way and that, trying to decide which of his teammates to listen to.

Jack, she wanted to scream, watching the impossibly ripped and wolf-eared student wave his arms. He was standing farthest from the knot of players, only a quarter-field away from RSA's goal. Give it to Jack!

Kalim didn't. Instead he aimed it at a player directly below him. One of the RSA boys intercepted, then threw it at their own flyer. Three maneuvers later and the visitors scored the first goal.

Coach Vargas slapped a palm to his forehead. The stands above them groaned. The purple-haired first year dropped a swear that did not match his doll-like appearance.

"TIME OUT!"

The team had barely formed a huddle when Coach Vargas cried, "What the hell was that?"

"Sorry, coach," Kalim said, his hand brushing the back of his neck. "Got a little flustered, y'know?"

Vargas was not amused, "Well, un-fluster. And the rest of you! Don't. Break. Formation."

"Yes, coach!"

He waved the team off without a word. Frustration sealed away his ability to bark any more orders. As they ambled back to the field, Violet turned to Coach Vargas.

"Aren't you gonna switch Kalim out?"

The coach ran a hand through his hair. She half expected him to snap at her the way he always did. When he didn't, she knew something was wrong, "We can't."

Violet blinked, "We can't?"

Coach Vargas muttered, "Not until halftime. It's the rules."

Halftime. They had to wait until halftime to make substitutions. Violet closed her eyes. Why would Leona make Kalim the starting flyer, then?

"Damn Crowley."

Her eyebrows shot to her hairline. She didn't know what he meant by that, but she did know she wasn't supposed to hear it. With that, she suppressed a wince, turned on her heel, and trudged back to the bench.

They lost four more goals in the hour it took to reach halftime, three of which were Kalim's fault. No matter how hard they tried to keep the disk away from him, nor how he avoided it, RSA figured their best strategy was to guide it to him no matter what.

She gave up trying to ignore the game, not that she had much choice. This was like watching a train wreck. Though the first half wasn't a total loss, Violet still cringed seeing the score boasted at 5-2. She wasn't alone based on the way a vein in Vargas's temple throbbed.

Though watching the mess on the field was hard enough, she had a worse sight playing on the bench next to her. The purple-haired freshmen was in agony. His leg bounced up and down like a jackhammer as he tracked Kalim through the skies, leaning along as if that would change the course of the older boy's broom.

"C'mon," he mumbled in what sounded like a southern accent, "yer left. Lean to yer— aw, c'mon."

She was quick to produce chilled water bottles and towels to each of the players that trudged back. Even Leona accepted his without complaint. Granted, he still snatched them both from her hand. "Epel!"

Like he'd been pricked by a needle, the first year sprang up. He landed at Leona's side faster than Violet could blink.

His doe eyes brightened with the order to get his broom. He was going in.

"We might actually have a chance now," Violet heard Ruggie say as Kalim took Epel's spot on the bench. The school breathed a collective sigh of relief when the freshman joined the line up. She was no exception, of course. To his credit Kalim didn't look heartbroken to be pulled, nor bitter. She felt a little bad for him if she were being honest, but not enough to wish he were still in the game.

Epel, on the other hand, was in the moment. His maneuvers were second to none, swooping through the air while managing to keep himself within bounds at every turn. He helped them gain three goals, blocking RSA from snatching the disk or making openings for Leona to sail through at a moment's notice. The team's mojo was back, quickly gaining and sustaining until they were neck and neck.

"They're amazing!" Kalim turned to her. "Don't you think?"

They scored again, whipping the stands into another frenzy. Violet had to yell, "They are!"

Now this was a game, Violet thought. What she'd witnessed before was a massacre. A slow, messy slaughter. She was quite frankly impressed with the way they managed to turn it all around.

"Great seven!" Kalim laughed, "We're really killing it! I think –"

He cut himself off, spotting something. The next second he sprang to his feet, crying, "Behind you! Block behind you!"

Sure enough, Epel weaved out of the way in time to avoid an attack from behind. He dropped the disk Leona below.

Kalim collapsed to his seat, heaving a breath and smiling at Violet. She let her own lips lift in a surprised grin.

"Nice instincts," she said.

"Hey, thanks!"
The stands behind her erupted into a fresh cheer as Ruggie intercepted a tricky throw. He slung it over to Trey who broke through RSA's defenses like tissue paper. The goal was in sight, just a few more feet and they'd tie.

His feet thud thud thudded against the grass, drowned out by the frenzied spectators. A blast of magic whizzed by his left ear, but he dodged it. His pace barely slowed. He was fifteen feet away.

Ten.

Eight.

He readied his magic for a throw—

The impact hit Trey out of nowhere. His magic flickered. He hit the ground, glasses tumbling off his nose. Trey didn't notice.

Crack!

The sound was sharp in his skull. Red-hot pain shot up his leg.

He screamed.

Violet's blood froze.

The game ground to a halt. The referee, coach Vargas, and someone Violet figured was a medic sprinted onto the field. A rumble of whispers replaced the screams from a moment before.

"Oh no," Kalim breathed. All three adults were huddled over Trey's crumpled form. Minutes passed and the medic whipped out a magic pen. He summoned a stretcher. This couldn't be good.

"What's going on?" Kalim jogged up to another player Violet didn't know. She followed.

"His leg," the player said, "They think its broken."

Oh, no. No! Not Trey. Of all the players for this to happen to, he deserved it the least. Not after all the help he'd given her. He was one of a handful of decent guys in all of Night Raven. The injustice of it lit a spark of hatred in Violet's belly.

RSA truly was the worst.

The team assembled at the sidelines, watching Trey get carted away in near silence until he and the medic disappeared. Violet glanced up at the stands. Riddle was hurrying out of his seat.

"What now?" Violet didn't catch who asked the question.

Coach Vargas didn't answer, but gestured over to Leona. "Your call, Kingscholar."

All eyes fell to Leona but he didn't meet a single gaze. He was too busy glowering at the floor. They were in a bind. Like it or not, Trey was one of the best offensive players they had, the other being Jack based on his hulking form alone. Violet looked to the players on the bench. Mostly first and second years, not that their age mattered. But the possibility of having another ace in a hole among them was… low. They might have to rethink their entire strategy.

At long last Leona's glower fell away. He faced the rest of the team but something was wrong. His blazing green eyes were different. Dulled. The calculating essence was gone.

"Tch, what a pain," he rolled his eyes. He made a vague gesture towards the bench. "You. Get in there."

One of the students pointed to himself, unsure if Leona meant him. Violet wasn't sure either.

"Me?" the student asked.

"Yeah, get in." Leona didn't even have the will to sound properly annoyed.

"B-but that's not my position," the student said.

"Don't care. Just get in," Leona pointed at the boy next to him. "You, too. I'm done."

Violet couldn't believe what she was seeing. He'd given up.

"Are you crazy?" Ruggie's ears perked up. "We'll get dragged without you!"

Leona didn't dignify that with a response, choosing to slump on the bench instead.

She hated how right Ruggie was. With Leona and Trey both out, their odds at winning were in steep decline. Even Jack, powerful and strong as he was, couldn't carry the team. RSA knew what made him tick by now, and they worked to stop him short whenever they could. As for Epel, his freedom was effected by the new players. They weren't Leona, they couldn't keep the formation as loose as he liked, inhibiting his movement and ability to help.

A map of the field unfurled itself in her mind. She could place the players relative to where they ran in plays. Their last few scores overlapped in flashes, keying in on the moves that sealed their victory. Ruggie's interception had a lot to do with it, as did Epel. They might have a shot if they combined the two.

A plan began took shape, the beginnings of a formation that had potential. Trey once said flyers weren't ideal for scoring, but at the time he hadn't seen Epel play. If they changed their plays and adjusted them to their strengths, to something RSA wouldn't expect…

Keep your head down and do your job.

Do your job. Keep your head down.

Riddle's advice played on a loop in Violet's head. He was right. Forget about the game, keep the water bottles filled and let things play out as they will.

Except she couldn't forget. Not with Trey injured and the people who did it poised to win. She couldn't let that happen. And there she was with a solid plan, or the makings of one. Something vital was missing, but she didn't know what. Ruggie had the ground agility, Epel covered the skies… but they needed cover. Defense, especially from behind.

Violet blinked. Hold on, Kalim. Ditzy, happy-go-lucky Kalim. Bad at flying Kalim.

Good at shielding Kalim.

The final piece clicked into place. She sprang to her feet, clutching her hat to her head. She had an idea, a crazy wonderful idea she knew RSA would never see coming.

She bolted to Leona's side, forgetting about the rest of the team as she cried, "Put Kalim in the game!"

A chorus of protests sounded off around her. Leona curled his nose, shook his head, "You're outta your mind, frosh."

Violet's words came out faster than her thoughts, "Maybe. But—"

He cut her off with a fierce snarl. The tips of his teeth shone in the sun, brimming with threats. Even his ears curved backwards. His tail began swaying back and forth. "You don't know when to shut up, do you, herbivore?"

He hit her with a look of pure disdain. Her anger from Trey's injury mixed with memories of tryouts, stale and hot. She tried to tell herself she didn't care, to screw the team and the game and everyone in it, but dammit, after what happened to Trey she'd be sick if RSA won.

"Look," she began, deeper in her voice than she ever went. "I'm on your side, here."

He huffed a single, mirthless chuckle, "You?"

"Just listen."

Leona didn't answer beyond a growl. Progress, Violet thought, no matter how small.

Violet launched into her plan right then and there. They would keep Epel in the sky, that much wasn't changing. But instead of letting Ruggie free roam for interceptions, they'd station him in front of Epel. He'd run interference, pass the disk to Epel when the time was right so he could score. As for Kalim, he'd be on the ground at Epel's rear flank. His only job would be to shield the flyer as they went. The rest of the team, especially Jack, would serve as distractions.

"It could work," Ruggie of all people said, "and if we use Jack for interceptions once in a while…"

The housewarden grunted in displeasure, but the fight was leaving him. He looked to coach Vargas like he was half-heartedly searching for something. The coach met his eye.

"Your call, captain."

Leona rolled his eyes, "Whatever. What's it matter, anyway?"

Violet tried to sound more confident in her head. She was right about this. It would work.

It had to.

Nerves tingled at her fingers. Confusion sounded from the stands above the bench. Now it was her leg bouncing in the dirt.

The disk was in play. Jack managed to snatch it from the jump, plowing forward a few steps before launching the disk away. Ruggie captured it and kept it close as he bobbed and weaved through the opposition. Kalim took up the rear, shielding the occasional player that tried getting him. All the while Epel flew lower than usual, keeping pace with Ruggie.

A Royal Sword player appeared in front of Ruggie ten yards from the goal. It was enough. Ruggie sent it flying towards Epel, sidestepped the player and regained his place in formation. Epel dove and tossed the disk into the goal by hand.

Leona shot to his feet.

"Holy shi—" The crowd drowned Leona out. The stupid herbivore managed to make himself useful after all. He cast a disbelieving look to the boy next to him. No. This was a fluke. This wouldn't keep working, there was no way.

Until it did.

The next play saw Ruggie intercept a throw from RSA. Instead of running with the disk, Epel flew astride him long enough to take it and return to the sky, scoring another goal a minute later. He didn't drop the disk once.

Night Raven and RSA were tied once again.

The time on the clock was running low. They'd have time for just one more play.

Both teams met at the starting line once again.

Gooseflesh danced along Violet's arms, up her neck, and down her back in rivers of shivers. What was taking the ref so long?

Relief did not come with the starting whistle, and her nerves only worsened when it was RSA who got hold of the disk. He was a bigger player with powerful legs. Three heartbeats and he was already halfway to a goal.

Crap, crap, crap. She felt her hope slipping away with each footfall.

Until.

Until.

For such a big guy, Jack had the reflexes of an adder. He dove in front of the player, magic pen ready for a steal. The RSA player was a second too slow. He tried to throw the disk away, but Jack's magic caught hold and launched it down the field.

Night Raven's stands went feral as Trey's replacement caught it, then threw it at Ruggie.

Or, he meant to. Both Epel and another player dove to save the errant throw. Neither of them made it.

Instead, a beam of dark red power surrounded the disk and pulled it towards Kalim.

The half-empty water bottle in Violet's hand crackled in her grip.

Kalim was in possession. On the ground. Like before, he froze, even as five RSA players sprinted at him from all directions. He tried to move forwards, back, but their rivals had every direction covered.

Leona swore.

Night Raven was done. They were finished. RSA was primed to steal that disk, and with most players following the action, they had no real chance at stealing it back.

A shadow passed overhead. Kalim had enough time to look up. On instinct, his magic shot the disk into the sky just in time for Epel to scoop it up.

He flew faster than Violet had ever seen, doubling back to keep formation twice while the RSA flyer went for an interception. Both raced towards the goal. The stands were screaming again, cheering and yelling so loud Violet couldn't hear own thoughts.

The RSA flyer reached the point between Epel and the goal.

He stopped. Epel didn't.

Instead, Epel killed his magic, clutched the disk to his chest and looped upside down around the flyer. He restarted his magic while he was still facing the ground, enough to launch the disk one final time.

Epel went right-side up as it sailed through the goal.

A bell clanged twice as the ref called "TIME!"

The game was over. Night Raven had won.

What happened next was a blur of cheering and running and jumping and more cheering. Violet caught a glimpse of Leona shaking the RSA captain's hand. Kalim rushed over and clapped her shoulders as she joined in with whoops of her own. Someone levitated one of the coolers and spilled it on Epel in celebration.

The air of excitement was infectious. This. This was the best part of sports, magical or otherwise. And this is precisely what Violet needed. Two weeks' worth of bad moods shattered by the joy of winning, finally winning something other than hangman.

Somewhere in the chaos, Kalim climbed atop a bench and declared "Party at Savanaclaw!"

The rest of the team cast a glance at their captain. He chuckled once, crossed his arms and said, "Sure. Why the hell not?"

A fresh round of celebration started at Leona's approval, everyone too caught up in their revelry to control themselves. They crushed together, holding Violet hostage in their wake as friends from the bleachers trickled down to join in. Bodies got closer. Violet tensed. She had to go.

Turning on her heels, she squeezed through the biggest openings she could find. She hunched her shoulders, hugged herself to slide between students. The edge of the crowd was in sight. One more maneuver and she'd—

Violet stumbled forward as something knocked the bill of her hat. The back slid forward low enough to cover her eyes, taking the braids underneath with it. Her hand flew up, plastering the cap on her head before it could slip off. As soon as she was steady, she slid the cap back just enough to see. She whirled around.

Nobody was paying her any mind.

She almost sighed in relief when something tickled the back of her neck.

Her braid.

Violet's hand flew to the spot where she felt her hair. It was only the end of one, thank God. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she tucked the braid back under the brim. She waited a second. Two. But no one so much as looked her way.

She was safe.

Time to go, she said to herself. She'd had enough excitement for one day. Picking up the now empty coolers, she trudged away.

Mis-matched eyes followed the so-called water boy long after everyone else disappeared from the pitch. From his place in the bleachers, Jade's lips lifted at one corner. Ideas raced through his brain as he picked apart the… thing that just happened. A trick of the light? Perhaps. Or was it a glimpse of some hidden truth? Either way, Azul would want to hear about what Jade saw.

Or, didn't see.

Jade chuckled to himself as he made his way to the Mostro Lounge. His brother's 'Shrimpy' was an odd one indeed. Such a loner, and with odd habits. And that hat…

A shame if it were to fall off.