Page 45 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

“You,” he growls. “Why the fuck do you care?”

“Following the rules is vital,” she replies. “And that means no harming each other outside of trials.”

“But inside the trials is fine?” His expression darkens and his voice drops lower. “You fucking killed Maximus.”

“Yes.”

“Why? You weren’t even among the people affected by the food poisoning.”

“It wasn’t food poisoning. It was just poison.”

“Still.Youdidn’t suffer from it.”

“Doesn’t matter. He broke the rules.” Her voice is flat and emotionless. “So he had to die.”

Anger flashes in Alistair’s eyes right before they begin to glow again. Fire blooms in his palm, casting flickering light over the pale stone walls. Yanking his hand up, he shoots a stream of fire towards Lavendera’s branches that still linger next to him.

But before he can burn them to ash, something flat and pale flashes through the air.

A violent hissing sound echoes between the walls.

I stare at the sheet of ice that showed up to block Alistair’s flames.

Footsteps sound from my left. Turning my head, I look towards them.

Isera strides up the corridor. She doesn’t look hurt or angry or even remotely bothered by anything. With her chin raised, she simply continues towards us as if she hadn’t just thrown a sheet of ice to extinguish Alistair’s flames.

From a few strides away, Alistair scoffs and flashes her a mocking grin. “So, the ice lady has emotions after all?”

“Of course I do,” Isera replies as she walks. But when she reaches us, she simply continues walking right past without stopping. Right as she passes Alistair, she adds, “I simply do not waste them on insecure little boys like you.”

His cheeks flush bright red, in anger or embarrassment or both. He clenches his jaw hard and flexes his hand. Right when it looks as if he’s going to summon another ball of flame and throw it at Isera’s retreating back, a dark voice cuts through the corridor.

“Is there a problem?”

I whip my head towards the source of the voice and find Draven stalking towards us.

He spreads his wings wider, blocking off the entire corridor, as he advances on us. Lavendera lets her branches vanish into thin air and slips away after Isera while Draven’s gaze is temporarily fixed on me. Alistair is about to do the same, but before he can take so much as a step, Draven slides his commanding gaze to him instead.

“I said, is there a problem?” Draven demands. Threats drip from his every word like searing poison.

“No,” Alistair quickly replies.

Draven comes to a halt between us. His massive wings flare slightly as he turns and fixes Alistair with a death stare. “No,what?”

Alistair clenches his jaw so hard that I can almost hear his teeth crack, and he squeezes his hand into a tight fist. But we all know that no one defies the Shadow of Death. So in the end, Alistair drops his gaze to the floor in submission and forces out, “No, sir.”

“That’s right.” Draven cocks his head. “Now, do you need a reminder of what happens to people who instigate fights outside of the trials?”

“No, sir.”

“Good. Then get the hell out of my sight.”

Alistair raises his head while Draven turns around to face me instead. And now that Draven can’t see his face, he locks eyes with me and flashes me a threatening smile. Then he mouths, “Watch your back.”

I narrow my eyes at him as he slinks away. But I don’t have time to watch him leave, because Draven is now looming over me instead. Pain and exhaustion still pulse through my body, soI drag in a bracing breath before shifting my gaze to the ruthless commander in front of me.

“And you…” Lightning flickers in Draven’s eyes as his gaze drops down to the blood coating my forearm. A muscle flickers in his jaw as he locks hard eyes on me again. “Get that wound stitched up. Right now.” He lets out a sharp breath, and then adds, “Before you dirty the whole castle with your blood.”

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