I started swooping back towards my island, and I was soon joined by Jake. I noticed that he had a bloody nose, and I remembered seeing him battling with another mage earlier. I assumed he had received it from him. Soon all three teams were gathered on our island. As I settled down, Harley leaned across, her eyes dark. "Those darn Rainers double-crossed us." I blinked at her. "What do you mean?" "Didn't you see? Near the end of the game they stole all three of the astroids. If they win, I swear-'"
"Well done, teams! You have all done very well, and I have to say, I am quite impressed with all of your results, however, it is time to announce the winning team." The teams all exchanged excited glances, and I felt sweat gathering on my forehead. Were we really going to win? Did we at least have a chance? "So, the winners are..." "You don't have to say it. We know we won. After all, we took all of the astroids so that's plus three thousand points to us," Lotti interrupted the man. Her team cheered and waved their hands in the air, but the man glared at them. "; quiet, you didn't win." The Rainers fell silent in surprise, and we all started listening intently. If they weren't the winners, then it was between us and the Jurdens. "The winners are, the Jurdens. Congratulations!" The Jurdens all whooped and grinned at each other as they fazed out along with the stranger. The rest of us just stared at each other in shock. We, didn't win? "Then Daryl died for nothing," Harley said and crumpled to the ground. Everyone gazed at their feet. We hadn't won the games. We had missed the last chance we would ever get to go home. Now we would never see our families again, and we would never be able to prove our innocence to the Masters cancel.
Then someone fazed in. Catrin and I glanced at the man, before quickly looking away. Another stranger. Best not interact with this one. Then the man cleared his throat. "So Jurdens, Fly-Aways, I see that you have lost Zaiden's little game?" Now we all looked at him. How did this guy know our team names? Even more, how did he know about the games and more importantly, the name of the host of these games? "Who are you?" one of the Jurdens asked. The man smiled coldly. "I am Alvin Timecrest, also known as the first human to inhabit Alyncia. You may have lost this battle, but you haven't lost all of them. Join me, and you can get revenge on all Alyncians for what they did to you."