Nothing but the taste of betrayal in my mouth and the knowledge that if Perin got close, if he touched me, I wouldn’t survive it.
The ring had never felt so wide… or so final.
Perin stepped forward with the casual ease of a man who already knew the outcome. His blond hair gleamed under the morning sun, his armor slick and perfectly fitted, his expression that same smug tilt of indifference he’d always worn, except now, it was edged with hunger.
I joined him in silence, stepping into the center of the arena. The stones were rough, and every movement sent a jolt of warning through my aching limbs. Kaelith hadn’t returned.
She wouldn’t.
This would end badly. Painfully.
But my dragon had chosen this death for me.
So I accepted it.
Say goodbye to Siergen for me, I whispered, unsure if the bond would even carry it that far.Tell him he was wrong, I wasn’t strong enough after all.
Perin and I circled each other like wolves sizing up the weaker link. He smiled at me—slow, cruel. I didn’t return it. My fingers flexed near the hilt of my short sword, but it felt meaningless. A show. He drew his blade.
The crowd was silent. No cheering. No jeering. Just quiet anticipation. A funeral kind of hush.
He struck first.
I parried, barely.
We moved fast, blades flashing, metal clanging against metal. Despite my exhaustion, despite the tremble in my arms,I kept up for longer than I expected. I even landed a blow—an elbow to his ribs that made him grunt and grab my wrist.
His power flared.
A red light shimmered at his fingertips, and before I could move, it coiled around me like an invisible wire.
My tendons snapped tight. My arms jerked backward unnaturally, legs stiffening like iron bars. The pain was blinding, white-hot lightning through every joint.
I screamed.
I collapsed.
It felt like my entire body was tearing apart from the inside. No magic came. No wind. No flame. I didn’t even try to summon it. What was the point?
I welcomed the dark, prayed for the end.
And then strong arms were around me, yanking me back.
“No!” someone shouted, voice ragged.
Remy.
He pulled me from the ring, dragging me across the stone like I weighed nothing, cradling my upper body as my limbs shook violently. He turned to the major without waiting for judgment.
“She cedes the fight.”
Ledor hesitated, but didn’t argue. The crowd remained deadly quiet.
Remy’s glare snapped to Perin. “And if you ever use your power on her like that again, Iwillend you. Guild rules or not.”
Chapter
Nineteen
