But he’s distracted now, the light of victory glittering in his eyes.
The crowd gasps.
Panic pushes my heart into my throat. They’ve just warned Baldric.
His eyes widen in realization. He attempts to turn, but it’s too late.
Maeva thrusts her sword into his back. His mouth falls open, but no noise comes out. His eyes dim, turning blank. She’s pierced his heart. Instant death.
I swing my own sword, slicing through his neck.
Blood sprays, and Baldric’s head slips free.
Twin thumps sound as his head and body hit the ground.
Silence.
Maeva’s eyes meet mine, and when she smiles, her teeth are stained red. She’s been vomiting blood. Not a good sign.
And then the first screams sound. Screams of jubilation.
My mouth fills with the taste of something sour. We must have put on a good show.
Maeva sways on her feet, so I sling her arm over my shoulders.
“You came for me,” she murmurs.
“Yeah. I guess I did.”
She lets out a breathless laugh, but she’s still trembling, her eyes glassy.
“You need a healer.”
“A good fight.” The emperor’s voice booms over the arena, and the crowd goes quiet.
Maeva slowly pulls away, bowing her head. I do the same.
“However,” Vallius continues, gazing down at me, and the arena turns silent once more. “You broke a rule. A very important rule.”
Footsteps rush toward me and hands encircle my wrists. I tense, but a hard boot slams into the backs of my knees.
I hit the ground. Just a few rows from the emperor, Maeva’s father stares down at us, his face bone white.
He’s powerful enough that he could have stopped this. He must have noticed his daughter was drugged. But he didn’t say a word. And he’s not saying a word now.
Our eyes meet, and I let him see my disgust.
“There must be consequences,” the emperor says.
A ball of dread forms in my gut, and my mouth turns watery. The emperor smiles, and Tiernon enters the pulvinar. He’s wearing his helmet, but I don’t need to see his eyes to see his fear for me. It’s clear in the clenched fist at his side, his strange, still posture, and the way his body is angled forward.
He wants to save me. But there’s no saving me from this.
“What do you have to say for yourself, novice?” There’s no hiding the delight in the emperor’s voice. He wants me dead, and now he gets to ensure it happens without the people turning on him.
“Maeva was drugged, Dominus,” I croak out. Someone has used their power, because my voice echoes back to me.
Murmurs sound. “That’s cheating,” a woman calls from low in the stands, and if I could kiss her, I would.
