19
"I wish we could see what was happening." I breathed out the words; I don't know if Royal heard me, my voice was empty like a reed in the wind. My stomach curled into a tiny ball of ice. The bowls of flames around us seemed to grow hotter, I could feel sweat on my face. The combination of ice in my gut and heat on my skin made me want to retch all over the level ground of the cruel circle.
"Well," Wendiga said, "we shall know soon who is the winner."
"How?" I asked, my voice sharp.
“Soon the liquid flame will begin to run down the mountainside.”
My knees buckled, and I dropped to the ground, only Royal's hands kept me from falling flat on my face. The world swam before my eyes, threatening to turn black. I felt bile rise in my throat and choked it down. What have I done? How could
