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Out in the center of the floor, the lights dim The announcer’s voice coentleet--started!"

The arena around us fades out, and we are transported into an alternate world

Cold sunlight makes radually, the glow fades, and I finda vast expanse of blue ice and snow-covered glaciers, all shifting and cracking under their oeight The snow glitters under an alien sun in a ht The sky is a sheet of purple and pink and gold, and giant planets are suspended against it, their rings curving past the horizon Enorlacier at random intervals The monuments look carved from the wind, hunched and holed and weathered, translucent, and stretch as far as the eye can see Even thearound us sounds cold--synthetic bells, echoes, a background wind, and a deep, thudding, rhythmic beat

But what really catchescliffs of blue ice on either side of us, for our path Frozen inside this blue ice are enore as a skyscraper A white ith a on A saber-toothed tiger A woolly mammoth I shiver in awe at the size of them They look as if they could explode from the ice at any moment

My stoht red Architect gear, my boots and thick hood tri on what looks like a hovering board strapped to my boots Blue flames shoot from two cylinders attached to its base To ear, each of the to be a race

To ade is dressed in bright silver Jena gives Asher a snores her Max Martin’s gaze sweeps coldly across us all But Tremaine is the one with his full attention focused onfor me, and I remember how I’d trained for him with the others, how Roshan had warned ht The two refuse to look at each other

"Welcoah our headphones "Today, the Deainst the Phoenix Riders in the White World, a landscape of speed, stealth, and quick thinking There will be no time to hesitate!"

Our tea red diamond A silver diamond appears over Jena’s head Dozens of colorful power-ups pop up around the level, suspended in the air and over thefor any within rab

"Emi" Asher’s voice comes on in my ears, fed into our personal tea power-up? Get your hands on it"

I catch sight of a white-bluehole in the first ice structure Inlandscape we’d been shown before the ga before me I allow myself a brief s choice for Captain Asher!" the analysts are now saying "Flanked on either side by not just one, but tild cards in the Phoenix Riders’ first match of the season E their training"

"Good luck," Ren says as the announcer reads out the faameplay I know it’s directed atit earnestly or ht smile

"Same to you," I reply Silently, I remind myself to look for the first chance to seize him

We all tap our chests tith our fists as the announcer finishes The world stills All I can hear is silence

Then, the starting call blares

"Gaht!"

The world around us coh into the sky The flarees--I’un Instantly,instincts kick in--while the others around me wobble unsteadily, I crouch down in position, perfectly balanced Asher glances atup The white landscape rushes past me, and the ice monuments loom close Beside me are Asher and Ren Asher has started to pull ahead of us I gingerly test my hoverboard, then realize that a button exists on the board beneath each of my heels When I push my front heel down, I speed up When I push my back heel down, I brake I’ll have to be careful--if I brake too hard, I’ll stall in