Page 29 of Daughter of the Ninth Line: Part One

I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t feel the urge to perform for you, my liege,” I mocked gently, but I couldn’t keep my lips from curling. He enjoyed our bickering as much as I did; I was sure of it. “Are you participating in your own tournament?”

He gave me an imperious look. “Of course. I need to show the masses that I do not need my magic to be the most powerful person here.” I wondered how long he’d been listening to our conversation as he glanced behind me at the Twelfth table.

Rolling my eyes, I cleared my throat. “Of course. What was I thinking? Is there something I can help you with, Vox?”

He opened and closed his mouth several times, before he shook his head. “No. Just wanted you to know that you are a disappointment to me yet again, Ninth.”

Yeah, I didn’t think that was it, but I didn’t want to dig around in Vox Vylan’s words for his hidden meaning today. I inclined my head. “I’ll be sure to cry myself to sleep tonight over your words.”

Had his lips just twitched? Before I could confirm, his face was once again the royal, pompous mask.

“Be sure you do. Enjoy the first round.”

Then he was gone. I didn’t have time to wonder what the fuck that was all about, because Hayle was bounding over, a grin onhis face as he scooped me from my spot. “Hey, guys,” he said quickly to the Twelfth conscripts. “Just going to steal my girl.” He didn’t wait for anyone’s response, just carried me like a sack of potatoes to the Third Line section. “Guess what?” he said as he dumped me on the table beside Lucio’s plate.

I smiled apologetically at Hayle’s second-in-command. We’d bonded over my almost death. “Hey, Lucio.” I turned back to Hayle, and my heart beat faster in my chest. Why was he so damn beautiful? Surely this feeling in my chest should have disappeared by now. “What am I guessing?”

“They put out the rounds. My first battle is against Eugene from the Fourth.” His grin was purely predatory. “I’m going to make him wish he was never born.”

I frowned, my eyes drifting to Vox, but his back was to me as he talked to his own second, Shay. Had he done that on purpose? Did he know about Eugene trying to kill me? Why would he even care?

The mysteries of Vox Vylan’s actions were far outside any mere mortal’s ability to comprehend, that much was clear. But maybe, just maybe, he gave a shit about me?

I snorted at the ridiculousness of the thought. But he’d been right; I really would enjoy the first round.

Eighteen

Hayle

The instructors had opened up the training ring for the tournament, splitting it into six different rings. People sat on the post-and-rail fence that ran right around the edge, including Avalon. I was glad she wasn’t fighting. I would’ve laid down my sword and let her win if we’d ended up against each other, and if she’d been hurt?

Blood would’ve been spilled.

Besides, I kind of liked the idea of her watching me from the sidelines, making Eugene remember that he was nothing more than a shitstain on my boot. I looked around the rest of the ring, at all the other people prepping for their fights, stretching and warming up their muscles so they were limber.

Except Shay Vylan, who sat behind a table, looking annoyed. She’d gotten stuck hosting this thing rather than fighting too, and I knew she’d be annoyed by that. Strutting over, I smirked down at her. I liked Shay far better than her fuck of a cousin—she was mean as a war cat with its tail on fire, and she hated everyone equally, regardless of Line. I could get down with that.

“Shay, pushing pens for Vylan today, I see?”

She glared at me. “Fuck off, Taeme, before I have you neutered.”

I laughed, drawing the glare of others around the table. “I would just like to see the battle bracket, if I could.” It wasn’t a question, but she was a haughty bitch, so she might make me beg.

The other thing I liked about Shay was that she never hit on me at the Upper Six parties. I’d fucked my way through most of the Upper Line conscripts, where social standing and politics didn’t matter. But Shay was the only female in the First Line dorms, because unlike my Line who had warriors from all genders, the Vylans were patriarchal. They believed the daughters of the First Line were only good for marrying off and for political alliances. Boys got trained in the art of war at Boellium War College, and the girls got trained how to lie on their backs and produce Heirs. It had been that way forever—until Shay. I had a feeling Vox had something to do with that, given how close they were.

Not to aggrandize my own desirability, but I was fairly sure that Shay wasn’t interested in me, not due to Line loyalty, but because she wasn’t interested in dick at all.

Some of the other conscripts had suggested that she and Vox fucked to keep the Line pure, but those were just rumors, and I highly doubted they were true. Vox and Shay were close, in the same way Lucio and I were close. I trusted that man with my back, but I didn’t want to fuck him.

“Do you want me to read it to you like a fairytale your mama would tell you at night, or are you going to fucking take it and read it like you have two braincells to knock together? Youcanread, right?” Shay snarked while I was lost in my thoughts.

“I think so. Does this word here say boobies?” I pointed to the wordbattleat the top of the handwritten sheet. Shay actually picked up her dagger, and I danced away, laughing. “Sorry, sorry!”

Looking over the sheet, I noticed that Vox was against Lucio in the second round. That would be a good match to watch; I hoped my own battle was done by then. I’d duelled Vylan a few times since we were both conscripted, and while I wanted to blame his powers for his battle prowess, it wasn’t true. He was highly trained in several different weapons, as well as hand-to-hand combat.

But the Third Line was made for battle. We were warriors by blood and by code.

Yeah, Lucio and Vylan would definitely be a good battle to watch.

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