Like the first event, the event area had been cleared of all items. Emory made a puzzled look as she stared harder at the field because there seemed to be a thin film surrounding it in the air above. Elimine giggled, "It's the defensive array we put up to contain the competition area. Your Arcane Sight is quite impressive to be able to perceive it."
"Will that be enough to keep them in?" Emory whispered, "It looks so thin and fragile."
"Even you would have trouble breaking that shield, and those beasts can't hold a candle to you. We'll be fine," Elimine answered with a toothy grin.
The announcer roared, "Well, I hope you all are ready for our third and final event tonight: wyvern busting. We have a record number of riders this time, meaning we will have twelve pairs out here competing. Just like always, there's only one rule: don't fall off. Now, please give our brave riders a round of applause as they make their way onto the stage."
As the trumpet blew, massive lizards scurried into the stadium from all directions and ran amok across the dirt field. The beasts were already trying to shake off the riders, but Emory noticed a set of shackles connecting all four feet on every wyvern. Once all the competitors were on the field and a little calmer, a trumpet blew, and the clinking metal of chains thudded as they fell to the ground. Half of the wyverns took flight immediately, trying to spring the riders off their backs. When they reached the top of the stadium, they nosedived back to the ground and only pulled up at the last moment. Soon the rest of the wyverns joined the others in the air and spun midair to try to unseat their riders. It almost looked like a dance the way the creatures twirled and flew through the air, all without ever colliding with one another.
Finally, a rider was ejected at the five-minute mark and flung into the shielding array. As they fell to the stage below, two people rushed from the side, one to the rider and the other in front of the approaching beast. The latter created a lash of Arcane magik, swung it out, and wrapped it around the wyvern's neck which calmed it down almost instantly. Together they were led back through the tunnel they came out of. A second rider was kicked off as they neared the seven-minute mark, with the same team of two called in to deal with the situation. Then it was a few minutes before more riders came off their steeds.
Four competitors flew off in quick succession just after the ten-minute mark. Yet only the same pair came out, even when two were thrown to the ground within a few seconds of each other. With only half of the competition still in the fight, the wyverns all landed and prowled around while they rested for a moment. Soon, the beasts made a large circle with each one followed by the next as they walked around. Then they stopped, faced each other, and opened their mouths one after another. Without flinching, they began to launch fireballs at each other because they couldn't be hurt by another wyvern's breath attack. The riders had one of two bad options: surrender or take the hit.
"How can the riders take the hit time and time again?" Emory wondered aloud, "Even if their bodies are tougher than humans, they shouldn't be able to take this much damage."
Elimine leaned over, "Unlike with the Hasda, the riders are allowed to use magik to hold on and defend themselves. It's too dangerous to not allow them. And it's part of the competition to see how long they can hold out, magik and all."
Emory nodded as her attention returned to the arena. After the fireballs didn't work, the wyverns bucked about wildly and flung off two more riders, narrowing the field to four. Then they took to the air again, and while the beasts couldn't both fly and pull off other riders, they could swerve and knock into each other to jostle the riders. With this action, two more riders fell off and plummeted to the ground. So, at the twenty-minute mark, only two teams remained, and the crowd sat on the edge of their seats. For the next ten minutes, the wyverns tried every method to scrape off one or both riders to no avail. Finally, when the competition reached thirty-four minutes, one of the riders got hit by his wyvern's tail and flung off. The final rider grounded his steed, leaped from its back, and gave the audience a great bow. In response, the crowd roared with applause.
Emory stood up and stretched as the crowd began to empty out of the arena stands. Luckily, the people in the box were able to exit through the restricted passage and slip out without delay. Once out, most of them joined with the leaving crowd, but Emory sprouted wings again and flew back to the grand hall where the Legion was meeting. Though instead of landing at the front and walking in, she landed on the top which resembled the top of a medieval castle. Rummaging through her bag, she found her link stone and pulled it out. One by one, she called each of her friends to check on them. Everyone was happy to hear from her and anxious to have her back. No one had detected anything on the long-range scanners, which relieved Emory. When she finished checking on everyone, she leaned back and sighed, "You know, it's not polite to listen in on other people's private conversations."
"I didn't mean to listen in, but you flew off so quickly after the rodeo," Soren replied apologetically, "You truly care for your friends, I see."
"Of course. I asked them to come with me, which is the opposite way I acquired most of my other allies. So, I feel responsible for their safety," Emory smiled painfully.
"I was always going to be a part of this war. Generations of my family have fought and died in this brutal conflict," Soren grimaced as he walked over to her, "But for the first time in centuries, the elders are talking about the tides turning. Bramimond talked my ear off all night about different ways to integrate humanity and you into the battle plans."
Emory agreed, "I hope we can end this conflict once and for all. Thank you for shopping with me tonight and for showing me the area last night. You make me feel like I fit in."
"What do you mean? You're kind, generous, and beautiful; how could you not fit in?" Soren wrinkled his brow at the very idea.
"No, it's not that," Emory waved her hands, "I just mean all these other leaders, especially the human ones, just see me for my power. I don't feel like I can be a normal young woman around them. But around you, I feel like I can be myself. Thank you."
Soren took Emory's hand, "Don't let them turn you into something else. You are more than just your gifts." Then he kissed the top of her hand and stepped back. "It's getting late," Soren bowed, "Don't stay up all night." With that, he turned into particles of dust as he teleported away. Emory blushed and held her hand for a moment as she looked up at the stars. Moments later, she too turned to particles as she teleported herself back to the room she had stayed in the night before. After changing into her nightgown, she got into bed and tried to go to sleep. But when she flipped over for the third time, she decided to get up and sit at a desk in the corner of the room. A paper pad that wasn't there earlier conveniently lied on top, a gesture Emory rolled her eyes at. Yet this was why she couldn't sleep in the first place; her conscious told her she had to speak tomorrow. Using magik that covered just the tip of her index finger, she began to lightly char words into the paper. She ripped up and crumpled the first few attempts but finally figured out what she wanted to say. When she climbed into bed fifteen minutes later, she had no trouble falling asleep.