Page 39 of Mistake of Magic
“I can’t—”
I lean forward and brush my lips over his a final time. “I said, don’t worry.”
Shade steps up to me next, his golden eyes sharp as he runs his fingers through my hair, reaching back to gather the whole lot of it into a tight braid. “We’ll be standing right beside Malikai’s quint—he knows who will pay the price if he tries something. So, nice and easy. You are too brave for your own good, cub, but we need that bravery for another day.” Leaning down, he presses a kiss against my forehead, slips his face toward my ear, and—
I yelp, rubbing the top of my earlobe, which now has a drop of blood on it. “What was that?”
Shade grins. “My scent. Very much on you. I want that bastard to remember exactly whose mate he is facing across the sand.”
A small smile touches my lips and I turn to Coal. “Are you planning on biting me as well?”
“No.” Pushing away from the wall, Coal strides to me with hard steps. He grips my shoulders, his blue eyes flaming. “If something goes wrong, mortal, kill the bastard. No pulling blows.”
My senses fill with his musky scent, his anger, his need. It’s all I can do to give him a small nod.
“I think you missed the part about this being a game,” Tye says from the side.
“There are no games,” Coal snaps without breaking eye contact with me. “Not when it matters. And this matters. If you need to kill him, you do it. Understand?”
“And you have some way for me to accomplish this?” I ask.
Coal taps my chest. “You do. Don’t forget it.”
The sound of a gong breaks apart our little gathering, and with a final check of a dulled sword that Coal settles into my hands, I step out onto the sand of the trial arena for the second time.
Like before, sand stretches in every direction, the sun beating down into my eyes. I wonder if there is always sun in the arena, another trick of magic ensuring that every trainee experiences the same environment as the other. Squinting against the brightness, I stride toward the center, which is a bit of a feat—my body is all but trembling despite what I told the males.
Warriors die in this arena. And I can’t be one of them.
I surrender, I want to shout to the winds. But I can’t. Not yet. So I take step after step until Malikai’s form appears before me. He’s dressed in the orange tunic of his quint, his eyes nearly translucent in the sunlight. His gaze meets mine, for once steady instead of cruel—almost calming.
“You are all right,” he says quietly. “You made the right choice.”
I shift my sword, my eyes darting toward the sky.
“They can’t hear us,” Malikai reminds me. “They will only hear the surrender because it will trigger a ward. It is safe to speak if you wish, but there isn’t much time.”
The second gong sounds and Klarissa announces the start of the trial.
Malikai draws his sword in a single motion, closing the distance to me so quickly that I yelp in surprise.
“Block the bloody attack,” he yells, slowing his sword just enough for me to remember what I’m supposed to be doing and bring up my blade. He scowls. “Pay attention. I can’t do this dance for both of us alone. Block low.”
I drop my sword just as Malikai takes a glorious swing. It hits the center of my blade in such a way that I actually manage to maintain my balance. Coal’s training rushes into my mind, moving too quickly for me to make much use of it. Gripping the sword with two hands, I swing wildly with all my might, which effectively turns me in a circle when Malikai slides out of the way.
He circles me now, a cat playing with a mouse as his blade jets in and out, the dull blade slicing across my ankles and belly and shoulder. Unlike Coal’s blows in training, Malikai’s slices don’t hurt and certainly don’t threaten to break my bones. My heart slows enough to look around and watch what I’m doing, my blocks coming faster and more effective. Low block, step right, slide out of the way and swing for Malikai’s head, only to drop the tip of my blade to parry a cut aimed at my midsection.
“So those bastards did manage to teach a human something,” Malikai says, the hint of approval in his voice somehow cheering me. “It’s almost time for you to surrender, but I promised you could land a handful of blows. Take your pick.”
Kill him, Coal’s voice says in my head. I snort at the silliness of it and swing for Malikai’s flank instead. His arm drops in a perfect parry that manages to miss my blade by a hair, and he grunts with approval.
“Not bad,” he says. “I’ll give you one more.”
“I don’t want it,” I tell the male, my heart pounding hard from the exertion. I realize the truth of my words as I say them. I don’t want to strike someone who isn’t defending himself, who is no true threat to me. Malikai might get pleasure from such things, but I do not. “I need nothing more from you but the promise that you will not go near me or my quint ever again.”
“You have it,” Malikai says smoothly, closing the distance to bring the dulled edge of his blade against my throat. “Now surrender and let’s end this.”
“I surrender!” I yell, Malikai and I both freezing as we wait for the gong to end the battle.
