Kira coughed, her lungs trying to fill up with nonexistent blood as her body insisted it had suffered a mortal wound.
“The sensory feedback in this place is no joke,” Kira gasped.
It was difficult—especially when both her mind and body experienced sensations that were all too real.
Kira had been close to the brink a time or two. She’d be a fool not to recognize the slow creep of death stealing over her.
“Kira, your vitals are all over the place.” Jin sounded panicked as his mini spawn shifted on her wrist.
“A little death. No big deal.”
Kira twisted her blade in the wanderer, making sure the wound she’d dealt was as fatal as the one he’d given her.
The last of her strength expended, she didn’t try to stop him as he stumbled backward.
The shock on his face made her grin.
“Mutual destruction. Fitting, wouldn’t you say?”
Kira’s vision wavered, her body trying its damnedest to shut down. Her mind attempted to follow.
Kira refused to allow it.
In real life, she would have had little choice but to yield. Determination and will took you only so far. Eventually, reality caught up.
An illusion, no matter how realistic, was different. The same incontrovertible rules did not apply.
The wanderer pressed a hand against the spot where her blade had penetrated, his expression still a little stunned.
Not expecting that, was he?
Ah, well, Kira didn’t like to be predictable.
Distantly, she became aware of the hush that was slowly falling over the arena as her platform became the center of attention.
Tuann whispered to each other, their eyes on Kira and the wanderer.
“Why haven’t we been booted yet? We both failed.” The wanderer’s hand dropped from his side as he stared up at their audience.
“It’s not just what is said that is important. It’s what they’re not saying that really matters,” Kira replied in a distracted voice as she looked up at Roake’s box.
An outsider would never be able to see the worry and tension on her uncle’s face.
Kira did, though. Or at least thought she did.
It was hard to see but she thought she caught a glimpse of apprehension on those austere features.
The problem was she couldn’t tell what about the situation had unsettled Harlow.
“What does that mean?” the wanderer asked.
Kira finally looked at him. “Graydon said it before. ‘Demonstrate your skills.’ He didn’t say anything about winning.”
It was a gamble, but Kira had been right in her assessment of the situation.
Graydon was a clever man. For him to leave such a big loophole in his words had to mean something.
Turns out she was right.
