Instead of punching him, he held his arm in a tight grip and his face switched into a deep focus. Amira quickly realised that he was trying to change the drunken fae’s mood. A few fae had started to notice the commotion and were looking at the scene without intervening.
The fae pushed Rhay away. “You have a problem? Fight me, then,” he yelled before planting a long knife on the table. The whole room went silent. They all understood what the gesture meant. A challenge had been placed, a duel of honour.
Rhay turned around to look at the crowd that had gathered around them. “Who has a knife?” he shouted with too much excitement in his voice. A tall and bulky man stepped out of the crowd and gave his knife to Rhay. Rhay stared at the drunkard before plunging the knife into the wood. The crowd cheered. The challenge had been accepted.
Crushing her like a boulder, the tension in the room made Amira completely panic. Rhay and the drunk fae were still staring at each other, each of their knives planted deeply into the table. The sight of the two blades cutting deep into the wood changed into a vision of a blade cutting deep into Rhay’s skin.
She knew that as long as the blades were not made out of almandine, he’d be fine, but she couldn’t stop her heart from beating fast.
Amira leaned in and whispered into Rhay’s ear, “Are you sure this is wise?”
“Don’t worry, I have experience. I also know this type of guy and he won’t stop until he gets a good beating. Plus, I can’t let him insult you like that,” Rhay whispered back.
She wanted to say that she was used to insults and that this one wouldn’t cut deeper than the hundred her brother, or now Karwyn, had said to her. But the crowd started to cheer loudly, excited by the perspective of combat.
Amira felt a presence to her left. She turned her head and witnessed Gadrane coming to stand next to Rhay.
The bartender raised her hands. “I don’t condemn fighting, but if you really have to take out your excess of violence, then please do it in the indoor courtyard,” she said while staring at Rhay.
Rhay took his knife out of the table and raised it above his head. “Well, you’ve heard the lady, to the courtyard,” he roared before leading the crowd to the back door.
Amira followed with fear in her heart. Rhay seemed to be enjoying the situation a little too much and she worried that he would make a stupid move.
The small indoor courtyard quickly filled up with the curious crowd and a circle formed around Rhay and his opponent. A fae in the crowd created little fireballs to illuminate the duelling ground.
Rhay and the other fae stood still, their long knives in hand. Rhay exuded confidence while the drunkard could barely stand still. Someone counted down from ten to zero and then the duel started.
Amira quickly noticed that the fight was at a disadvantage. Rhay was vastly superior in terms of strength and speed. Everyone could see that he had practiced hundreds of times before and he quickly got the upper hand.
Dancing around the other fae, Rhay inflicted multiple tiny cuts on his opponent. Instead of stopping him, the lacerations fuelled his anger and his attacks became bolder and more erratic. A few times, Amira had to hold her breath as she saw the drunkard charging Rhay, his blade raised high. But every time, Rhay swiftly avoided the knife, taunting his opponent with his sly grin.
She was relieved to see the assailant growing more and more tired with each failing attack. Rhay managed to grab the man’s arm and twisted it enough to make him groan and drop his weapon. The crowd cheered loudly and Amira let out a relieved sigh. The fight was over when Rhay pinned the fae to the ground, his tall figure towering over the immobilised fae. Amira heard a few shouts encouraging Rhay to hurt the fae more, but she knew that he wouldn’t listen to them.
As he was about to let go, a sudden gust of wind pushed him far away from the drunk fae. The strength of the wind made Rhay stumble before falling on his back. Amira noticed a dark-haired woman in the crowd making hand movements just as a second wave of wind pinned Rhay to the ground.
Before anyone could stop him, the drunk fae took out a small knife with an unmistakable red tint from his boot.Almandine,a voice whispered in Amira’s ear. Her heart shrunk in her chest. The assailant threw the knife. It sunk into Rhay’s hand, drawing a distressed cry from his throat. The drunk fae stumbled and Amira understood that the woman with air magic had helped his perfect shot. Luckily, she hadn’t aimed for Rhay’s heart or he would be lying dead in front of her eyes.
“He’s cheating,” Amira screamed but the loud cheer of the crowd covered her voice. They wanted a show and they were getting one.
Amira tried to get to the front of the crowd, but she was pushed back. In between the cracks of the crowd, she saw the drunkard pick up his iron knife from the ground while Rhay stood up and removed the almandine knife from his hand. Droplets of blood fell to the ground.
The cheating fae launched himself at Rhay, who was clearly still in shock over his injury. Rhay still managed to knock the iron knife out of the drunkard’s hands.
They wrestled on the ground, each trying to grab a knife. Just as Rhay almost reached his weapon, the other fae punched him in the face. Rhay immediately retaliated, delivering a right hook that surely hurt. In the heat of the action, the drunk fae’s hand desperately searched for his knife. Just as Rhay delivered another punch, the drunkard grabbed the first knife he could get without looking.
But it wasn’t the iron knife. Amira saw the dreaded red tint just as it plunged into Rhay’s chest.
Time slowed down. Amira watched in horror as Rhay’s hands fell to his sides, no longer able to hit back.
The woman with air magic screamed, “Mylner, what have you done?”
Mylner stared at the knife in Rhay’s chest with disbelief and sobered up immediately. Horror and fear crossed his face. He removed the knife, cursing loudly. “Shit! I didn’t mean to!”
Amira tried to get closer to Rhay, her eyes set on his wound. He seemed to have missed Rhay’s heart, but her fear for his life didn’t let up.
The fae, Mylner, looked around, panicked. The bloody knife still in his hand, he used his free one to press on Rhay’s chest. “I’m—”
Suddenly, the blade flew out of the hands of the assailant. Was the air wielder trying to clean up their mess? But when Amira turned her head to where the crowd had parted, she was shocked to see a hooded figure holding the knife in his raised hand.
