Justus’s lessons crash through my mind at lightning speed.Block, get away. All I know is I’m outmatched here. I swing my short sword and Damocles blocks it with no real effort.
“What’s a pretty little siren doing so far from the sea?” he says, approaching me with deadly intent. “Was my brother’s call enough to pull you from the ocean? It’s unfortunate he will be the death of you, as he has been for so many.”
Damocles knocks the short sword from my grasp, and it skitters over the sand. I back up as quick as I can but hit a stone wall. If I don’t use my thorns now, I’ll die. Damocles raises his sword—
It’s met with a clang that sounds through the arena as Dayton steps between us, blocking the attack.
“Get away from her,” he snarls, voice tinged with fury.
“He finally joins the fight,” Damocles says. “I thought you would sleep through it.”
Dayton snarls, matching Damocles blow for blow. Quickly, I search the arena for Decimus. He’s recovered from the collision with the pillar and races toward his brothers.
“Dayton! Look out!” I cry.
He catches my meaning, bringing up his sword just in time to block Decimus’s attack. I have to help him. He’s outnumbered and they’re all content to ignore me now.
Running back to the remnants of my bow, I pick up the pieces. It’s snapped in two. Quickly, I tear off a chunk of one of Kairyn’screepy vines and wrap it around my snapped bow. It’s not much of a repair, but it’ll have to do.
Running back to the fight, I glance up at Kairyn and the Nightingale. I see they’re both on the edge of the pulvinar staring with rapt attention.
Well, watch this.
I draw back the bow, take aim, and shoot. It goes wide, the bow twanging awkwardly in my hand. Dammit. Hopefully, they didn’t watch that one.
Drawing a second shot from the quiver on my back, I aim it at Decimus’s broad shoulders. The arrow hits, and he roars, rearing back. Dayton takes the opportunity and strikes him across the chest. The light flickers. He almost has him.
The crowd gives a collective gasp of anticipation. Dayton hears it. I see it in the way his precise movements slow.
“Strike down your brother now,” Damocles snarls. “Give him another death as you did when you left him on the battlefield.”
“No, I—” Dayton stammers, turning just in time to block Damocles’ attack.
“Show everyone the death you caused,” Damocles says, driving forward, pushing Dayton back into Decimus.
“Our little brother always falters when there’s a decision to be made.” Decimus pummels into him with the bulk of his shield, pushing Dayton straight into Damocles’ swords.
I scream. Blood spurts from Dayton’s wounds as the swords draw out of his body. He gags, blood dripping from his lips.
“No!” I yell. Magic crackles within me as I run forward. But I don’t reach for my thorns. Instead, I connect with the plants of the arena, plants Kairyn created. Those of Spring, those of my mate’s magic. A towering coil of vines beside the brothers collapses. Both Damocles and Decimus back up, and I pull Dayton to the other side.
The vines create a divide between us. I grab Dayton around the shoulders and drag him deeper into the plants’ embrace, silently asking them to rise up around us. Hopefully, it’s not noticeable to Kairyn from this far away.
As soon as we’re shielded from the view of the crowd, I press my hands to Dayton’s bloody stomach, searching for my healing magic. I know that power must be inside me, but I’ve neveraccessed it before. I should have had Ezryn teach me the way he taught Farron.
Snarling, I remove my blood-soaked hands, rip the hem of my dress, and wrap it around the wound. At least no one can hear us in here.
Dayton grips my shoulders tight. “Get us out of here, Rose. I can’t do this. I can’t win.”
Every instinct in me wants to summon my thorns and spirit us away from here. But that would mean abandoning Summer, the chance at my bow. Abandoning all the people here, counting on us.
“That’s not true,” I say. “Justus said you could win against your brothers. You know their weaknesses. Youtoldhim.”
“It’s one thing to know it and another to do it.” Dayton shakes his head, blond hair wild. “They’re mybrothers.”
“No, they’re not. It’s not them. Kairyn is doing this to frighten you. He’s doing this becausehe’sfrightened.”
“Oh, I’m sure he’s quaking in his metal boots.”
