"This is my fight," he spat.
"How dare you," I muttered softly.
The cliftolights seemed to grin at this, their sharp jagged teeth opening more. Almost curious, and watchful at Klarc's and I's interaction.
"How dare you—" I pointed my fire blade at him, "—stand in my way," A cruel kind or darkness entered my voice.
Klarc panted, his eyes darting.
In a swift move with a kick behind his knee, I slid behind Klarc and held my blade to his face.
"You should have feared me. Not them." I lit my fire blade, ready to plunge it into his eye.
Everything was happening so fast, but in my eyes, it felt like I had all the time in the world.
"Yes, daughter of shadows. Do it. End his life. Feed us."
I licked my lips from the temptation.
"Morana!" Fala shouted.
It wasn't a shout— it was a command. With an unsatisfied grunt, I lifted the blade and struck the blunt end of it into his head, rendering him unconscious. I have fought two cliftolights. I have killed two of them now. I was taught that to know your opponents' next moves, you have to become them. And this was something I found frighteningly impossible with these creatures.
It seemed like some of the arena guards had come to their senses because they began ushering spectators out one by one.
Fire erupted into my blade, prepping myself to attack two of them at once, but their voices stopped me in my tracks again.
"This is not our fight, daughter of shadows. Till we meet again."
Charred wind pushed me onto my back and I held my arms to shield my face. I rolled over swiftly to attack... nothing. They had vanished, gone with no trace to tell where they had exited. I was panting ruggedly, looking side to side. No idea what was happening. The fire on the torches came to light once more and the odd smell the cliftolights brought with them seemed to dissipate. I could see the arena more clearly. Yet the sudden brightness was disorientating, I brought my arm to shield my face, and I was almost thrown aback by shock when loud roarsof cheers came from the spectators. Tello, the arena announcer, almost tripped as he entered the arena field.
His face and hair dishevelled. No doubt getting up to nonsense with the young lady who waved him off from the exit.
"What a show, ladies, gents, and royalty! Are you not amazed? The cliftolights feared our mighty warrior and fled!"
Tello made a dramatic flourish in my direction. I was just catching my breath as my eyes unknowingly darted to the balcony, hoping to see red eyes looking back at me. Yet, he was not there. He had left. Perhaps even escaped during my fight with the cliftolights.
"Coward." I thought, almost feeling disappointed. The crowd went wild when Tello rose up my arm. My gold sleeve looked brown with black blood.
"Your arena champion!" Tello announced and winked at me. I ripped my arm away from his and did a bow, showing arena warrior etiquette. I turned away to leave, needing to see Fala. Needing to reveal all that has happened, all the words from the cliftolights, all these voices that seem to keep plaguing my mind.
"I heard they are impossible to kill," a sly captivating voice called out.
I froze.
It was a voice almostfamiliar.I turned to see red eyes staring back at me.
"Unless the reports from generals and scholars were false. You killed it with little effort and lack of coordination."
"Your Highness, you shouldn't be—"
"Hush now, Inanov. Can't you see, we're in the presence of a champion." The prince smiled, interrupting the young guard behind him. The smile didn't reach his eyes as he crouched to inspect the cliftolight's blood and then arose to kick its head towards my foot. My stomach churned but for entirely differentreasons. The arena went quieter by the second. No doubt intrigued by the prince on the arena field.
"Unless it let you kill it, of course." The prince smirked. All eyes were on me, being put on the spot. I felt angry for him to assume that I was not capable of killing it.
And yet fearful... Of whom he was.
"Bow, Morana." Tello, who I remembered was still next to me, gritted out, already on his knee.
