Seen and unseen strikes land against my body and there’s nothing I can do but give it my all.
Swing out with everything I got. Block where I can.
Let the unrelenting grunts that form from either pain or perseverance rip out of my mouth.
My sword clashes with another. Neither survives the collision. The rest of the useless, splintered wood gets tossed away.
I ready my fists and so does Kuthro.
His biggest mistake, though, was hesitating.
I don’t hesitate. Ican’t.
It’s a risk that will leave me lying in a bloody heap at the mercy of the men around me.
My fist soars through the distance separating us faster than lightning. The hit lands with a deafening crack against an opponent that wasn’t standing there less than a second ago.
The arena falls deadly silent as I stumble back, shaking my hand and my head. Denial and dread spear through my chest.
“I…why did you step in front of him?”
My hands latch on to the ones that snatch me back by my hair. A shriek colored in curses thunders out of me as my scalp screams for relief.
“What the fuck were you thinking, Thayla?”
Mellcom’s bellow makes my teeth rattle together and my glare narrows to match his.
“I was thinking you pitted eight of these fuckers against me and I was protecting myself.”
“There was nothing and no one to protect yourself from. The match was over and you targeted Jeremiah for no gods damn reason.”
“I didn’t target that piece of fucking shit.”
I thrash against his hold, but he grips me tighter and snatches me closer to his side.
“She’s gone too far this time, Mellcom.” Jeremiah wipes the blood from his lip, sneering at it, then at me. “These tantrums need to end. Now. You can do something about it or I will.”
“Oh fuck off, Jer—”
“You’re right.”
Ice slithers through my veins.
I freeze in Mellcom’s hold, although it’s pointless. He drags me to the post that once upon a time, the two of us would hit with our wooden sticks his father gave us to practice with.
I’ll never forget the smile on his face when his dad upgraded me to a sword.
He allows my head to tilt far enough back that I can look at him.
“Mellcom.”
“Something has to get through to you.”
How can his eyes hold so much hate and love?
“Something got through to me when you swore you’d never do this to me again.”
“Obviously not, Thay. I thought punishing you privately would keep you from acting out publicly. I was wrong. You keep proving me wrong and I don’t understand why. After everything I’ve done for you. Are you doing this to embarrass me?”
