Chapter 41: Final Round

River

Catching Ellie’s eyes from over on the sidelines, River gave her a reassuring smile. She looked so nervous. He couldn’t blame her. The next few minutes were going to determine who she would spend the rest of her life with. That was a lot of importance wrapped into just a relatively short amount of time.

Blade was looking as arrogant as ever, standing across the circle from him, jumping up and down, swinging his arms, trying to stay limber. River didn’t think any of that was necessary. He just needed to focus. There was a good chance Blade was going to find a way to cheat, and he needed to be ready.

Andrew invited them both to step into the circle. River offered Blade his hand, but Blade looked at it and snickered, refusing to shake. “I’m here to win the prize, River,” Blade said. “Not make friends.”

River shook his head, dropping his hand. “She’s not just a prize, you know.”