Deon gives Seth a slight slap on the back and laughs.
“Come, let’s keep moving; otherwise, we would never make it in time for the games.” Zaden says this while continuing to climb the stairs. I fill my lungs as I take a deep breath before continuing down the stairs.
The gap at the top of the mountain was wide open, and thousands of stars peeked through the opening. Bright lights blinded me for a second as we walked through the crack of the mountain. As my vision returned, I saw never-ending seats stacked in rows, mounted against the wall. In the center is a huge round arena where, I guess, the games would take place. Poles with flags were placed around the arena, and each one of them had a different symbol on it. There were four flags in total, each with a symbol of an element. From the books I’ve read in the castle library, the symbols resemble the four element powers there are. Air, water, earth, and fire.
Looking up, I notice this huge VIP seating area carved into the mountain wall. From the looks of it, we are heading up there, and just knowing that we have to climb more steps made my legs go numb all over again. Once we reached the VIP seating area, which is clearly meant for the king because of the throne seating inside,.
"WWhere is the King?” I asked curiously. The guys looked at each other for answers when Deon finally spoke.
“ His Highness is probably still on his way.” He said, worriedness visibly showing on his face. For some reason, I felt worried too. For what reason? I did not know. It is not like I had feelings for him, or did I?
I shake my head, trying to remove that thought from my mind, turning my gaze to the arena. The energy coming from the people in the crowd was overpowering. Some had the Elemental symbols painted on their faces, making it visible which team it is they are rooting for, while others just waved tiny flags. It was so consuming that I didn’t know where to look.
“ Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” Someone spoke loudly over the sound system. The crowd went crazy. I found it strange that they have those things in this world, but then again, they have electricity and magic, so why wouldn’t they have an oddly shaped microphone.
“ Welcome to the three-hundred-and-fourth annual opening of the Elemental Games!” Fireworks went off and glittered in huge star- bursts in the sky. I gaped at the display as it lingered before the sparks descended. But taking a better look, it is actually elementals who threw fireballs into the air, making them explode like fireworks. It is almost the same as my frost balls.
Deon gestures for me to take a seat in the smaller chair next to the kings throne as the speaker continued about sponsors and the people who made all of this possible. This was followed by a small show performed by elementals who danced around and throwing their power at one another and dodging it. After the show, there were more announcements.
“ Now the moment everyone has been waiting for. I am honored to present this year’s teams. The Waterlilies!” A team of elementals with water as their element walks out, each with water in their right hand in the shape of a waterlily. I watch fascinated, wandering how they are able to shape the water into a flower. The players were all fully dressed in blue, clearly resembling the element of water.
The next team, called Rocking Hills, came rolling in above our heads on tumbling dirt from through the opening at the top. I was completely captivated by their technique. It was like they were surfing, but on moving ground. The crowds painted and dressed in brown went wild. Underneath us, brown flags flapped in the wind created by other people who cheered for the wind Elementals.
The Rocking hills came to a halt at the opposite side of the Waterlily team, and the voice introduced all of the players. Another team, this time clothed in white, was introduced as The Windbreakers, and straight after them, a team dressed in red and black , called Firebolt came out to the arena as well.
The announcer’s booming voice introduced the four teams. Once the teams had been introduced, four older men walked out dressed in black. The announcer introduced them as the referees. I cheered along with Seth and everyone else when the teams left the arena. The Waterlilies and the Rocking Hills were the only ones who stayed behind in the arena.
The players each took their places on the field, if you could call it that. There were also two keepers as Zaden explained, each standing Infront of a bell, and we were positioned in the perfect spot as each bell faced us on opposite sides, one of the perks of knowing the king you get the best view. The rest of the players stood in a row in front of the keepers. They looked so small from up here in our private section. One of the referees was chosen as the main ref for this game. The other three stood on the sideline until it was their turn.
When the whistle blew, the water and earth team each divided into their battling positions. I watch intensely, because I have never been to one of these games before, and from the looks of things and the excitement of the crowd, things were about to get interesting.
The main target was a glowing orb centered in the middle of the arena, dangling from the air. When the whistle blew, waves of water and rock builders went flying across the arena. All of them bounced off the invisible shield that protected the crowd and everyone cheered again as one of the guys on the brown team got to the orb first. His goal was to hit the huge bell on the opposite side. He ducked and dived as water came splashing his way, and missed a few water balls, as a ball of water smashed into the ground behind him making the ground muddy and slippery. The crowd hailed and it turned into what I knew as a wave. It was so fun to participate as it came our way.
When the man with the orb realized he was trapped by the water team, he threw the orb through the air to one of his teammates. Seeing an opportunity, someone from the Waterlily team went for it, and grabbed the orb before the other teammate dressed in brown caught it. The crowd dressed in blue jumped up in their seats and yelled with fists hitting in the air.
By the sound of Seth’s rooting, I knew we were rooting for the water team. The player in blue who caught the orb went straight for the brown teams bell. He created a massive wave, riding it to the other end of the field, ducking and diving each blow from the brown team along the way, and with a loud ‘ GONG!’ , he hit the bell with the orb. Everyone I came with tonight whistled and shouted wildly, even Mike who was an earth elemental himself.
After the celebration was over, the players went back to their positions and the whistle blew once again. The Rocking Hills scored next and then The Waterlilies were on fire, scoring three times in a row.
As the game progressed, Deon and the rest of the guys grew silent, looking concerned. I couldn't help but wander if something was wrong.
“ Is everything okay? Did something happen in the game that I might have missed?” I asked. The guys look at one another.
“ His Highness still haven’t arrived yet.” Deon is the first to say.
The crowd all gasped as a fire ball headed for one of the teams dressed in white. It was too late for him to block it and the fire ball struck the player. One of his teammates caught him just in time as he smashed into the invisible shield put up to protect the crowd. I turned my head just in time to catch the scene unraveling in front of us. The teammate who caught the guy hurt by the fire ball took him to the healers section next to the arena.
“ That is why this game is really dangerous. You have to pay attention at all times.” Zaden said, not taking his eyes off the scene happening right below us.