“Good eye,” I said, surprised.
“Scorpio specialty,” he replied with a half-shrug. “We know our venoms.”
We stared at one another for a long, silent moment and I realized I didn’t exactly hate Draco as much as I hated Percy and Aiden.
“Well,” I finally said, “this has been sufficiently awkward for everyone involved. Enjoy your dinner.” I turned to leave, but Percy’s voice stopped me.
“Tomorrow. Combat arena. Eight a.m.”
I looked back over my shoulder. “Was that an invitation or an order?”
“Consider it a test. If you’re going to be at Dominion, we need to see what you can actually do.”
Aiden nodded. “Unless you’d rather keep hiding behind your snake.”
I felt a slow smile spread across my face. “I’ll be there. Remember to bring your ego. I’d hate to damage it when you’re not looking.”
Without waiting for a response, I walked back to my table, aware of every eye in the dining hall following me. When I sat down, Tye was grinning like an idiot.
“That,” he said, “was spectacular.”
“What did they say?” Lydia asked eagerly.
“They want to meet me in the combat arena tomorrow morning,” I said with a long sigh, stroking Noodle’s head absently. “Apparently they need to ‘test’ me.”
Vega’s eyes widened. “They never spar with new students.”
“They’re not just testing your combat skills,” Hector said. “They’re going to push your magic to see what happens.”
“I figured as much.” I took a bite of my now-cold pasta. “Good thing I’m not easily intimidated.”
Rick leaned forward. “You realize this is going to be a whole event, right? Word will spread overnight.”
I sighed. “Great. An audience.”
“Hey,” Tye said, nudging my shoulder. “This could work in your favor. Show them what you can do, shut down the rumors once and for all.”
“Or confirm their worst fears about me,” I muttered.
“Either way, we’ll be there,” Lydia promised. “Front row seats to watch you kick their perfectly sculpted asses.”
I laughed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
As we finished dinner, I couldn’t help glancing back at the Nightfall Shield’s table. They were deep in conversation, heads bent together, occasionally looking in my direction. Planning, no doubt. Scheming, in fact.
‘They smell worried,’Noodle observed.
“Good. They should be.”
I returned to my room that night and pulled out the ancient texts I’d borrowed from the library. If I was going to face the Nightfall Shield tomorrow, I needed every advantage I could get.
The book on Ophis powers mentioned lightcraft, the ability to harness starlight energy and shape it into physical forms. I’d accessed this ability once or twice during intense bane fights, but never consistently. I mostly infused my magic into the physical weapons I brought with me, but I decided to spend the next few hours practicing lightcraft. The text suggested it was tied to emotional state, particularly to confidence and clarity of purpose.
“Great,” I muttered. “Just be confident while four of the most powerful zodiacs try to pull you apart.”
‘You will win,’Noodle said, coiling himself on my pillow.
“How can you be so sure?”
