Page 12 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

And so is someone else.

Dread flits through my chest as I notice a pair of legs wearing familiar black armor.

Crap.

Why hasn’t he left with the other clan leaders?

I keep my head bowed while I silently try to force Draven to leave by simply the power of my mind. I even consider using my magic to manipulate his emotions so that he will feel impatient and restless enough to leave. But I decide against it. I can’t risk the administrator seeing it. If he does, he might disqualify me before the trials have even started.

Clothes rustle as the final non-contestants hurry away to my right.

I barely dare to breathe as I keep my eyes on Draven’s black boots.

He takes a step forward.

Shit.

Dry grass crunches underneath his boots as he strides towards me.

Shit, shit, shit.

I discreetly slide the knife from my holster and hide it behind my back instead.

Draven continues advancing on me.

My heart slams against my ribs.

His boots stop right in front of me.

The distinct ringing of steel fills the air as he draws his sword.

I tighten my grip on the knife behind my back. If he tries to execute me right here, I will have to fight him. I know that I won’t win. But I’ll have to try.

Sunlight glints against metal as Draven moves his sword towards my neck.

My fingers tighten on the hilt of my knife.

Cold steel kisses my skin as Draven places the tip of the sword underneath my chin. With a firm push, he tilts my chin up so that I’m forced to meet his gaze.

His golden eyes lock on mine with such intensity that I forget how to breathe.

“You,” he says. “I remember you.”

“No, you don’t,” I blurt out before I even know what I’m saying.

Mabona’s tits. I want to slap myself. What the hell was that? I sounded like a delusional five-year-old who tries to deny that she was found during a game of hide-and-seek.

Something almost like a breath of amusement escapes Draven’s lips. But the smile that follows is all threats. “Yours is a face I’m not likely to forget.”

“Understandable.” I flex my fingers on the knife behind my back. “And now, you’ve… what? Come to take an eye for an eye?”

That lethal smile on his mouth widens, and his eyes glint. With a firm push of his blade, he forces me to tilt my head farther back, exposing my throat completely to him.

“An eye for an eye sounds too fair.” He flashes me a wicked smile. “I’ll be taking the whole head.”

My heart skips a beat. I squeeze the hilt of my knife hard, getting ready to yank it forward and slam it into his leg.

But right before I can begin my desperate and doomed fight, he abruptly removes the sword from my throat, flashes me a threatening smile, and walks away.

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