Chapter 49- Dexsia Greentree
Dussel looks at my newly gifted sword and roars, rushing at me like that hippopotamus in the river. I dodge his attack, then manage to slash him across the back, making him stumble. He whips around, and comes after me again; I back up into the deeper snow, away from the Cornucopia and its neatly packed entrance. Maybe I can get him to trip and fall and them I can stab him.
I meet his blade with mine again, my arms straining against his power. I'm strong, but he's much stronger than I am. Behind him I can see that Calypso has her trident again, and she's coming. Velvet's cannon goes, and it turns out I never needed to kill my allies; someone else did it for me.
Calypso stabs Dussel in the back again; the snow is red with blood; wherever I look the ground is crimson. I can tell that Dussel is weakening; as my arms are about to give out, I sweep his legs out from under him with a kick. He hits the snow like a stone, his sword falling away from him. Dussel has been disarmed.
Smiling, I stand above him, looking him in the eyes. "Any last words, Dussel?" I say sweetly, then drive my blade into his heart.
The cannon fires and I pull my blade back out, the tip red and dripping. I look at Calypso, wondering what to do next. Do I need to kill her now? This alliance isn't going to last much longer. Is there even an alliance?
"Kouza's still out there," she says simply, and I understand that to mean, Until the big crazy boy is dead, we shouldn't kill each other. Sounds fair to me.
"Let's get a fire going," I say, kicking Dussel's lifeless body.
Calypso looks over at Velvet, lying in crimson snow. "He really went out lamely, didn't he? His father isn't going to be too happy about that."
"Right, his father was a victor, wasn't he?" I say, going to find the matches.
"Yeah, Garnet Dusksand, apparently. I remember from Treasure telling us."
"She was a moron," I say, and we both half laugh. It's not even noon and most of our alliance is dead, as well as most of the other tributes in the arena.
"Last day today?" I ask, striking a match and putting it on the sand fire that we got at the beginning of the Games.
"Today or tomorrow. We can wait. It might take Kouza a little to get over here."
"Is it just us three in the arena?" I ask.
"I think four, but I don't know who the fourth is."
"We can figure it out tonight when the faces show up," I say, rubbing my hands over the steadily growing flames. It's not as cold as it was earlier, but still freezing. The arena has been completely transformed from a sandy and hot desert to a frozen wasteland.
"Wasn't expecting snow," Calypso says, coming to sit by me around the fire. Last night Velvet and Treasure were beside us, roasting marshmallows and laughing. Now they're dead and we're the only ones left.
"Yeah, that wasn't really on my radar when I went to bed last night," I say. I'm keeping my new sword by my side at all times now, not that I wasn't already. Things can change in a matter of moments now.
I jump when I see something outside, but it turns out to just be a hovercraft, picking up first Velvet, then Dussel. It's funny how they looked similar but so different at the same time. Velvet was tall and broad, and blonde, while Dussel was tall and broad and dark haired. I also don't think either of them were very bright.
"So, what now?" I ask Calypso. Her face is calm and quite expressionless. I can't tell if she wants to kill me now or later, which makes me nervous. Neither of us is leaving the Cornucopia and the only fire within miles, though.
"Are there any marshmallows left?" she asks. I reach behind me and search around for the bag the marshmallows came in last night.
"Yeah, a couple," I say, handing them to her. She finds one of the sticks and puts a fluffy square over the flames.
"Maybe Kouza likes marshmallows," she says. I nod.
I wonder when he'll get here.
In the meantime, Calypso and I eat roasted marshmallows and wait for the sun to finish its journey across the sky.