“Ilwen, don’t.” I hold up my empty hand. “I know you don’t like me, but this is crazy!” I have to get through to her somehow. “I’m on your side. We can fight the Sentients together.”
“No, we can’t. What you can do for me is die.” She rushes me again, her sword perfectly angled to gut me.
At the last possible moment, I hurtle toward the wall, boost myself onto the side, my feet pounding the barrier as I flip back toward Ilwen, her blade barely missing me as she swings it up, and then I grab her ponytail, jump off the wall, and slam her onto the mat hard, her head bouncing violently, cutting off her scream.
With a hard kick, I knock her sword away and straddle her, pinning her arms to her side and pressing her own knife at her throat. It draws blood with just a touch. The crowd roars, and I can feel the thumps of thousands of hands beating on the barrier. The noise coalesces into a steady rhythm, a drumbeat that shakes the air.
Ilwen blinks hard, her eyes first dazed and then growing in pure rage. “Get off me, fliggy!”
“You’re beat, Ilwen. This is over.”
“You cheated.” She spits. “You still have Ceredes’s power.”
“Well then I guess we’re even.” I press the knife against her more, blood welling around the blue blade. “Now yield and get it over with.”
“No.” Her eyes water. “I won’t lose to you.”
“You already have.” I look up as the barrier shimmers and dissipates.
My Alphas are in the ring with me before it’s even fully gone.
“It’s over, Ilwen. All of this stupid high school drama is done.” It occurs to me that her murder plan was a hair worse than regularMean Girldrama, but I push through it. “We have bigger problems. Much bigger. If we don’t come together, the Sentientswilldestroy us.” I hop off her and toss the knife down as Ceredes takes my wrist and lifts my hand over my head. With a quick pulse of energy, I heal myself, then think about closing the cut on Ilwen’s throat but decide against it. Maybe a little reminder of this day would be good for her.
“Your victor!” Ceredes roars.
The cadets cheer, the sound a rumble of deep thunder, as I look up at a scowling High Commander Bartanz.
“He wanted Ilwen to kill me.” I glance over at Ceredes. “I thought you said he wasn’t a traitor.”
“I thought he wasn’t.” He shrugs, then lifts me onto his shoulders and parades me around the ring as Jeren grins at me from the center of the arena.
Tilda runs up. “Can I kill her?” She hitches a thumb at Ilwen. Onin’s patching her up.
Uaxin peeks from behind her and nods hard, as if in agreement with the murder idea.
“No. I’m hoping she’ll turn over a new leaf, but I won’t be holding my breath.”
“Well, Omega Commander, what is your will?” Tilda gives me an open-mouthed smile.
“I’m Omega Commander?”
“You beat the Omega Commander in a duel, so yeah. You’re the boss of us now.” Tilda holds up a finger. “Might I request that you have Ilwen clean the Omega dorm toilets for the foreseeable future?” Her smile is contagious.
“I’ll take that under advisement.” I jump to the ground and peer at the dispersing students. “Where’s Kyte?”
Jeren and Ceredes exchange a look.
“Hey.” I stomp over so I’m in front of both of them. “What gives?”
“He had some things to discuss with dicknose.” Jeren shrugs. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Omega—err, Lana.” Master Harlan strides up. “You fought well.”
“Ilwen tried to kill me, and you were going to let her.” My adrenaline is draining away, and anger seems to be taking its place. “You didn’t stop the duel even though youknewher weapons were at full power.”
“And you survived.” Bartanz appears behind Harlan, his hard gaze making my skin crawl. “The losing Omega and whoever aided her will be disciplined in any way Master Harlan sees fit.”
Ceredes steps up beside me, and I know Jeren is at my back.
