Esta enters the cage as quietly as Ollie did, but she doesn’t kneel, remaining standing, her focus on the spot where the conjured Reaper will appear.
When I witnessed Esta’s power at the Purification, it presented as feathers and sunbeams, the apparent power of soul, although it’s not obvious to me what that means yet.
Her armor is a deep, navy blue and is muted in the bright lights as she closes her eyes. My heart sinks, since it looks like she intends to give in like Ollie did.
Then… a glow builds around her, increasing in brightness, a golden haze surrounding her body, as if she’s standing bathed in sunlight and now the shimmer in her armor catches the light, creating sparkles around her slim form. Her golden hair meshes with the sunlight and her light-brown skin glows.
In front of her, Reaper’s form takes shape, her snarls breaking the silence. Ever since Bera died, the whispering in the crowd has been subdued and now it has died down completely. I remember the way the elites smiled at Esta at the Purification, the way they love her as much elites can love, and I sense the unrest among them.
Esta’s eyes remain closed, her features composed, as if… like her mother before… she isn’t here anymore…
Reaper’s teeth gnash at the air. She prowls around Esta’s glowing form, head low, lips pulled back and her claws scraping through the blood-splattered floor.
My heart is beating fast.
I’m not attached to my royal siblings—but if I could have formed a relationship with any of them, it would have been Esta.
Reaper prowls full circle, her growls chilling me to the bone.
Her muscles bunch.
Then the wolf leaps.
Her claws slash across Esta’s chest, savagely enough to cleave ribs apart.
They glance off Esta’s armor.
Her eyes flash open as Reaper lands and spins for another attack.
With a scream, Esta’s power explodes, a fierce flash of golden light bursting within the cage like a nuclear explosion.
The crowd breaks out into shouts of terror. I throw my arms over my eyes, the power too bright for my demon sight, my wolf rising to protect my eyesight.
As the light fades, the inside of the cage comes back into view.
Esta has taken a knee inside the space, her arms held wide, tendrils of her power encircling her hands like wayward beams of sunlight.
I’m shocked but weirdly relieved to see that Reaper lies dead at her feet.
Esta rises, the final whisps of power fading from her arms as she strides to the now-open gate, but as she takes a step through it, her legs buckle and she grabs the side of the gate to steady herself.
Her chest rises and falls, deeply and visibly, and it’s clear she expended a lot of energy to save herself. She wobbles again as she struggles to make it back to her seat.
I nearly jump up to help her, but Koda’s hand lands on my shoulder and he gives me a quick shake of his head.
With that, he rises to his feet, rolling his shoulders and bouncing on the balls of his feet as if he’s limbering up for a boxing match.
Sending a sharp glance back at me, he says, “It was nice knowing you, Nova.”
“Like fuck it was,” I growl.
He snorts and strides off the dais before Crone has time to announce him.
“Get the fuck on with it, old lady,” he says to her as he passes Crone and enters the cage.
He bounces again, his fists forming as he waits for Reaper’s body to appear. The minute she materializes, he attacks with a roar, throwing his fist against her face.
To my shock, several of her teeth fly out of her mouth. Snarling, blood dripping down her chin, she leaps at Koda, an enormous blur of fury, knocking him down.
