“That’s enough for tonight. She needs to rest,” Rhodes said from the sidelines.
Fallon’s eyes flicked to where he was now leaning against a tree before she rolled them. “She has years of practice to catch up on with no time for rest.”
“And whose fault is that?” I snapped, holding my arms out by my sides. My sister’s gaze snapped back to me, her eyes widening slightly. She knew exactly what I was referring to without me having to say it. She knew I existed, and yet, she didn’t come for me either.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Fallon said through gritted teeth.
“Enlighten me, then.”
Her mouth twisted as she physically held back the words she wanted to say. But what she did say felt like a knife to the chest.
“I’m not the only one withholding information, sis.” She nodded her head in Rhodes’s direction.
“That’senough. You’re done for the night,” Rhodes yelled as he pushed himself from the tree.
Magic stirredat my fingertips, a warning crackle of heat licking at my skin. I shoved it down, biting the inside of my cheek until the flames subsided.
“Focus,” Lakota growled.
I adjusted my stance, tightening my fists. Fallon raised an eyebrow like she was daring me to come at her again.
So I did.
This time, I didn’t go for the obvious attack. Instead, I feinted left, drawing her attention before twisting right. She shifted to counter—exactly like I knew she would.
I dropped low and swept my leg out, catching her off guard.
She tried to jump back, but she was a second too slow. My kick slammed into the back of her knee. Fallon’s balance faltered. Her arms flailed as she fought to stay upright.
I didn’t give her the chance.
I shoved my weight forward, slamming my shoulder into her chest. She stumbled—then fell. The ground shook as she landed flat on her back, a sharp oof escaping her lips.
For a second, I couldn’t believe it.
I did it.
I knocked her down.
Chest heaving, I stepped back, half expecting her to spring up and retaliate. But Fallon just lay there, staring up at the sky.
Then she let out a breathless laugh. “Finally,” she muttered, rubbing the back of her head. “Piss you off, noted. We are more similar than you’d like to believe.”
I scowled, still catching my breath. “I’m nothing like you.”
She grinned, propping herself up on her elbows.
“And you don’t have to piss me off to get me to fight back,” I said, chest heaving. “Go after someone I care about,and you’ll have to get through me first. I’m sure that was your blind spot, seeing that you don’t seem to have anyone in your corner to fight for you.”
Her grin dropped, any sarcastic comment she was about to make dying on her lips.
I wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand as she got up from the ground. Fallon’s chest was heaving, and I couldn’t tell if I had just knocked the breath out of her or if she was about to strangle me. Footsteps sounded behind her in the woods moments before I saw River’s eyes reflect in the moonlight. Then I heard the wingbeats above, knowing our dragons had caught up with us in the veil of the night.
“We have two fire elementals, why do we need so much firewood?”
“Because, Fitzroy, for the one hundredth time, it’s better to have a secure fire that will burn through the night without them having to exhaust their magic. And they can’t channel a fire to keep us warm while sleeping,” Nash snipped at my sister.
They had been bickering back and forth since we started setting up camp. Nash being from the Glade and Fallon from the Hollow, they had very different ways of doing things.
