Theo couldn't take his eyes off Zenith. Why was he just standing there, not moving, not saying anything? Theo thought of the state of his armor and felt sick. Was it because Oliver would punish him? But that didn't make sense. Zenith would never let fear of pain stop him from doing the right thing.
"Yeah, this one was pretty disobedient at first," Oliver said with savage delight. "But he's learned better. I'm an Enson. Doesn't matter what familiar, they'll always obey me in the end!"
He tossed his head back and giggled. The horrid noise scraped at Theo's ears, but it didn't hurt half as much as the noxious orange light that flashed from Oliver's hand.
Not a spell, but...Theo squinted. Yes, no mistaking it. That glow came from his ring.
Oliver waved his hand, and Theo sensed the Levia around him deepening. Then, armor clanking, Zenith approached the front of the box. His steps were slow and stiff, almost mechanical.
Once he stopped, Zenith lifted his head. Orange light flashed again. Theo's heart froze.
This light didn't come from Oliver's ring. No, it blazed out of Zenith's eyes, obliterating every trace of blue.
All at once, Theo understood. Zenith hadn't made a choice. Oliver had taken even that from him.
The book slid out of his limp fingers, hitting the floor with a thump. But he barely heard it beneath the violent rhythm of his heartbeat.
As his heart thundered, rage rushed through his body like white-hot lightning. It swept away every trace of fear and doubt and despair, leaving behind only a resolve that blazed hotter than the core of a star.
His body couldn't contain it. So he let it out.
"Oliver Enson!" The raw scream tore from his throat. "I'm going to kill you!"
Oliver lurched, face paling, before lunging forward again and gripping the edge of the box. "Big words, moron! Sir Zenith, take out the trash!"
Armor creaked; a blue cape flashed. Theo watched, utterly stricken, as Zenith jumped down from the box with his sword extended.
It was a sight he'd seen countless times. But the sword had never been aimed at him before.
"Theo!" Ryan tugged on his arm, but Theo couldn't move. The fury had fled, leaving behind only ice-cold desolation. It was no use. He'd never be able to outrun Zenith.
A sudden tide of noise flooded the coliseum. Voices shouting, footsteps thudding. Zenith landed on the row of seats above Theo, so close Theo had no choice but to stare into those horribly glowing eyes.
But they weren't looking back at him. Heart hammering, Theo turned toward the chaos on the coliseum floor.
Prisoners rushed through the open archway, waving swords. Ryllis and Lodo led the charge, Sam, Meg, and Darian right behind them. As they flooded inside, Lyura and the giant bulldog jumped down into the fray while Avia floated above them, readying an arrow of orange light.
Ryan let out a choked, sputtering noise. But his grip on Theo didn't loosen, and he didn't stop stumbling backward. Away from Zenith. When Zenith straightened, alarm seared through Theo – only for the knight to leap past them and dive into the raging battle.
"Zenith," Theo cried without thinking, twisting around to try to find him.
Then someone landed on the step beside him. Small and black-haired, gripping a rapier. Darian.
"Come on," she said, lifting her head. Her eyes pierced Theo, darker and more somber than he had ever seen them. "Let's go."
His mind numb, Theo followed Darian to a shallow alcove in the wall behind the fourth floor seats. He jammed next to Ryan, close enough to inhale his sour sweat with every breath. Unpleasant, but Theo wasn't about to complain.
The sounds of battle echoed in the distance, another world away. Sighing, Darian raked a hand through her hair before looking back at Theo.
"I think I've got a good enough idea what's going on. Oliver has formed a contract with Sir Zenith."
Her tone was calm and matter-of-fact, but Theo burned anyway. "I – I'm sorry," he blurted.
Darian raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because...this is my fault." Clenching his hands into fists, Theo stared down at his shoes. "Oliver captured Zenith because I was careless."
"C'mon, man!" Ryan's snort made Theo jerk his head up. "Don't go around making a martyr of yourself. It's gross."
Anger twisted in Theo's chest. He opened his mouth to protest, but Darian spoke before he could.
"How it happened doesn't matter anymore. We need to deal with the situation as it is. Which means we're going to have to defeat Sir Zenith."
A prickle ran down Theo's spine. Defeat Zenith. He'd known from the moment he had stared into Zenith's glowing orange eyes that it would come down to this, but the prospect still made his heart clench. All this time, he had never imagined fighting against Zenith instead of alongside him.
"I don't think it's gonna be that easy," Ryan said to Darian. "He's pretty strong, you know."
"Of course I know." Darian sounded irritated. "You're talking to someone who's never won a single practice spar against him. But I'm going to fight anyway. It's the least I can do as his liege."
She gripped her rapier tighter, setting her jaw. Seeing her conviction swept a sick wave of shame through Theo. Even on her own, without a contract, she wasn't afraid to fight.
"Let me help," he said. "It may not be much, but I can cast spells on you."
"Hm." Darian shot him a sharp glance. "Actually Theo, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you for a contract."
"What?" He hadn't misheard, had he?
No, Darian's eyes were hard as sapphires, completely serious. Filled with the same resolve he'd seen from her countless times. The resolve she had taught Zenith.
"I'll need all the power I can get if I'm going to stand any chance against him. You don't have a contract right now. So please, lend me your strength."
"But I – " Theo began, dry-mouthed.
"Hey!" Ryan muscled in front of him. "Forgetting about me? I don't have a contract either! And I'm the stronger wizard here!"
"What?" Theo sputtered. That self-centered idiot! "Hey, listen – "
Darian raised her hand, cutting him off, then nodded at Ryan. "All right. Give it a try."
Huh? Theo felt like he'd completely lost track of the plot, if he'd ever had it in the first place. Darian looked serious enough… And he didn't get to think more about it before Ryan shoved him back and sent him stumbling out of the alcove.
"Hey!" Theo yelled. But green light had already flared beneath Ryan's feet, spreading into a circle that encompassed Darian as well. Squinting through the light, Theo made out intricately twisting lines and complex symbols.
For all his bluster, Ryan really was something. Theo wouldn't have been able to pull off such a complicated spell off the top of his head. Ryan seemed to be pouring all his effort into the spell too, hands clenched into fists and shoulders trembling. Green light gleamed off the sweat beading the back of his neck.
His Levia erupted, swallowing him and Darian in a fount of blazing light. Stumbling back, Theo threw an arm in front of his face. Colorful spots danced in his vision.
When the light cleared, Theo blinked at the scene. Ryan had fallen onto his hands and knees, gasping like he'd narrowly escaped drowning. Darian stood above him, calm as ever.
"What the – what the – what the – " Ryan slammed his hands against the floor. "Just what the hell are you? That Levia…."
"I'm Prince Darian of Miria," Darian said simply, then turned toward Theo. "Now that that's out of the way – "
"Hold up!" Still wheezing for breath, Ryan waved his hand. "Let me try again!"
"We don't have time to keep entertaining your ego," Darian snapped. "Theo, lend me your power."
Doubt lashed inside Theo like a snake. "What – what makes you think I can?" After all, even Meg couldn't manage a contract with Darian.
"Yeah, c'mon! That was the strongest of the Crowley contract spells!" Ryan whined. "There's no way you know anything stronger!"
But once again, Darian regarded Theo with that Zenith-like resolve. "I believe you can do it."
"I don't even know any contracts," Theo protested.
"Yes, you do." A slight smile twitched up Darian's lips. "How else did you become Sir Zenith's wizard?"
"Ah – that – " Heat rushed into Theo's face. "That was one of my dream-spells, I'm not supposed to use them…."
"Except in extreme circumstances, right? Well, I'd certainly say this qualifies."
Theo swallowed. She had a point, but if the strongest spell Ryan knew had failed, would his dream-spell be any different?
"Theo." Darian's voice softened. "I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't believe you could do it. You may not understand it, but you have this power within you. Please, use it to help me bring back Sir Zenith. We're his wizard and his liege. We might be the only ones who can."
Her dark eyes pierced him, so intense some cowardly part of Theo longed to cringe away. Instead, he forced himself to meet her gaze head-on. The blood thundered in his ears, but not half as loud as her words.
What other choice did he have? Not because she wouldn't take no for an answer, but because he wanted it just as badly as her.