“What is taking so long? You know, you really are a princess sometimes.” Lenny’s grumble is muffled by the door separating him from my room as I tear off my dress.
“Calm down,” I mumble back. “I’m trying not to rip my gown.”
“Yep. That’s something a princess would say.”
I roll my eyes and pull on my thin training pants, pairing them with a loose cotton shirt. “Well, would a princess be going into a fight to entertain guests at a ball?”
I slip on my boots, and my hands itch to snatch my dagger and slide it into one of them. But when Lenny came banging on my door to inform me that I was needed in the training yard for an impromptu brawl, he also made sure to mentioned that outside weapons were prohibited. I sigh at the sight of my silver dagger, wishing I could have it on me for comfort alone.
When I swing the door open, Lenny nearly topples over after leaning heavily on it. I snort and he gives me a sarcastic smile before we begin at a quick pace down the hallway.
“Is this normal?” I ask in a hushed whisper, leaning close to him so none of the other Imperials can overhear. “Making us fight at a ball? And right before a Trial?”
He throws me a look, and even with the white mask obscuring half his face, I see the worry in his eyes. Lenny’s emotions are always on display, always written all over his features. “Nothing about this year’s Trials is normal.”
I nod as we round the corner and head out towards the training yard. The rising platforms around the dirt ring are filled with elegantly dressed guests in green and black, looking out of place among the muddy yard. Torches surround the ring, casting eerie shadows across the excited faces in the crowd.
“Did you get any information from your prince yet? Perhaps about a certain tunnel?” Lenny asks quietly.
I sigh and shoot him a look. “Not in the few hours since you last asked, no.”
He cracks a smile at that, but it quickly vanishes when we step up to the ring and the crowd around it. My eyes sweep over the scene, taking in Tealah at the center and the crowd leaning in to hear her every word despite it being amplified loudly.
“Since you are all unable to witness the Trials firsthand, as is typical, we have a special treat tonight!” The crowd claps as Tealah continues, “The contestants will be selected at random to fight, and the outcome may aid in your decision of who to cast your vote for!”
My heart skips a beat.
Not only am I going to lose this, but I am also going to lose their votes.
I scan the crowd for my fellow contestants, spotting them across the ring. It seems that only the girls were allowed to change, their gowns gone while the boys still wear their pants and dress shirts.
My eyes roam over a stretching Andy next to a stiff Blair. Beside them, Jax and Braxton talk quietly while the latter begins rolling up his sleeves to reveal his massive arms. Ace stands farther off, content to stick his nose in the air and observe the crowd.
And then my eyes stop on him, roaming over his rolled pants and the now see-through shirt sticking to the body beneath. He’s dumped water on himself in an effort to sober up, and a faint smile lifts my lips at the sight of him shaking out his wet hair.
When Tealah calls out his name, Kai lifts his head and meets the eyes of his opponent. Braxton stares back at the prince for a moment before offering him a nod and stepping into the ring. Within the next few frantic beats of my heart, the boys break into a brawl.
Unsurprisingly, Kai is sloppier than normal, which is to be expected since he isn’t exactly sober. But even with his disadvantage, years of training has him quick on his feet as he falls into a familiar rhythm. The fight is fierce, captivating the crowd with every punch and dodge. Only when Kai barely manages to pin Braxton to the ground for several seconds does the crowd erupt. Imperials quickly rip them apart before they can do any more damage.
Andy and Ace’s names were called next, and their fight was a fast one. Upon stepping into the ring, Andy shifted into a wolf with a sleek burgundy coat. She growled when Ace used his typical trick of surrounding his opponents with identical illusions of himself. But with Andy in her animal form, she stuck her nose in the air and smelled the real Ace among them, pouncing before he could even react. She knocked him to the ground and sank her claws into his chest, looking far more animal than Andy.
“Next up is Blair Archer and…” Tealah skims the card before saying, “Paedyn Gray!”
I let out a shaky breath while my heart slams against my ribcage.
Of course it’s her.
I move towards the ring, ready to face my fate when rough fingers wrap around my wrist and whip me around. My braid flies over my shoulder and nearly hits me in the face when I turn to see Kai staring down at me. I barely glimpse the bloody cuts and bruises that are already beginning to bloom on his face before he pulls me against him.
To anyone else, it likely looks as though I stumbled into the prince.
He dips his head so his lips are brushing my ear as he begins speaking in a hushed, hurried tone. “Stay on your toes and keep moving. You’re scrappier than her so use your head and use anything you can. She’s weak physically where you are not, so take advantage of it.” Then he leans back enough for me to look up into those smoky eyes as he murmurs, “Distract her. You’re good at that.”
And then his fingers find the bottom of my braid, giving it a gentle tug before giving me a quick wink and walking away.
I blink, trying to clear my head as I turn and step into the ring.
My eyes scan over the crowd, stopping only when they meet the king’s from where he is sitting in a carved wooden chair beside his queen. I don’t think I imagine the flicker of smug satisfaction that crosses his face, making me wonder just how random these pairings truly are. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if this were the king’s doing, wanting to see Blair tear me apart just as much as the people likely do.
Kitt’s smile couldn’t look more different than his father’s beside him. He gives me a small nod, encouraging me with one slight gesture. A flash of lilac draws my attention back to the ring and the opponent standing before me. Her hair is currently tied up with a strap, swinging back and forth as she strides forward.
The moment her feet meet the dirt, the game begins.
A knife whizzes over my head right as I drop to the ground. I hear a cynical laugh bubble from her throat as an axe flips through the air towards me. She is pelting me with weapons from the racks surrounding the ring, and though I’m not entirely sure that’s allowed, I don’t exactly have the time to think about it with all the dodging I’m doing.
I lunge to the side as a small, wickedly sharp knife cuts through the air, cutting my skin along the way. Hot, searing pain slices across my cheekbone, bestowed by the blade.
“Did your Psychic abilities not warn you that was coming?” she croons, continuing to hurtle scattered weapons at me. I can vaguely make out shouts coming from the crowd circling us through the blood pounding in my ears.
The only thing I’ve accomplished in this fight so far is tiring myself out. It’s clear she doesn’t want the match to end any time soon, or else she would choke me and call it a day. No, she wants to have some fun with me first, wants to show the crowd what she can do.
I can’t stay on the defensive much longer, but I also don’t want to end up like a pin cushion, needled with knives.
Here goes nothing.
I charge at her. But instead of running at her head-on, I zigzag. Her eyes widen slightly, clearly not expecting this, but she recovers quickly and continues to throw weapons, branches, and rocks at me.
If I can just get my hands on her…
She’s no fighter, and she knows it. That’s why she hides behind her power like most Elites do. This match would already be over if it weren’t for her ability.
Despite all my zigzagging, she keeps pushing me back towards the edge of the ring. I can’t gain any ground with her hurtling sharp objects and forcing me to dodge them.
A rock hits my shoulder, hard.
Think. Think.
Blair halts her assault of flying objects only to raise me off the ground with a flick of her wrist. A strangled cry tears from my throat as I hover a meter above the packed dirt.
And then she drops me.
I hit the ground with a thud. The air rushes out of my lungs, leaving me gasping for breath. A cloud of dust drifts up from where I lay sprawled on the ground, choking on the humid air.
Get up.
Everything aches but I scramble to my feet while Blair looks slightly surprised I even bothered.
Distract her.
Kai’s words ring in my head, followed by an idea.
I snatch a rock from the ground, the one that’s likely the cause of my aching shoulder and clutch it in my fist. She’s resumed pelting items at me, and as I dodge, duck, and roll, my fingers find a knife lying in the ring alongside several other weapons.
In one quick movement, I cock my arm back and fling the knife at her face before chucking the rock right after. She stops everything and lazily raises her hands to halt the blade and rock before they meet her, amused that this is the best I can do.
Or so she thinks.
With her full attention on stopping the objects midair, I waste no time. I tackle her around the middle, and we tumble into the dirt. With a huff, the air is knocked from her lungs, giving me seconds before she throws me off her.
But that is all I need.
This was never about winning—it was about making a point. Proving to myself, and everyone watching, that I am still a threat. Whether I have a power like theirs or not, I will find a way to hurt them.
My fist crashes into her jaw, snapping her head to the side. She’s likely unfamiliar with the pain accompanying a punch, unfamiliar with people getting this close to even try. She’s stunned. I get in another solid hit to her perfect, little nose, and watch as blood gushes from it. I raise my fist again—
But she’s finally come to her senses.
With a shriek, she throws me into the air like a rag doll. I collide with the hard ground and once again find myself staring up into the starry sky, gasping for air.
I hear her shriek in frustration, probably rubbing at her aching jaw and clutching her bloody nose. The sound of boots stalking angrily away tells me she’s hurrying off to a Healer, refusing to be seen with injuries to her flawless face. Especially when I’m the one who gave them to her. She wouldn’t dare be seen injured by a Slummer.
I hear clapping, cheering, and confused chattering ripple through the audience. A smile tugs at my lips and before I know it, I’m shaking with laughter. I can’t stop it from bubbling out of me as I lie sprawled in the dirt.
I may have lost the match, but it’s Blair who lost her pride.
