Page 84 of Poisoned Kingdom
‘That’s all you have to say?’ Irsha answered. ‘Fine, ask me nicely, and maybe I’ll send you back to Jagon in one piece—more or less. Yes, I know that bastard’s planning something, so don’t bother denying it.’
‘I do not serve Jagon, and Roksana is not yours,’ I sneered, my body already twisting as I reached for my sword. Its blade flashed in the moonlight, sleek, silent, and deadly, surprising my captor. Blood flowed from where the edge of his dagger had rested, but it was too late. I’d already twisted away from his grip and, with a powerful kick, sent him flying backwards.
‘You’re signing your own death sentence. Now you’ll die like a dog,’ Irsha said, lunging at me, his dagger flicking out in a distracting feint, ready to strike at the last moment.
I’d barely slipped my shield on before I used it to knock the thrusting knife to the side, my sword stabbing into the gap I’d created.
I hadn’t fought a decent opponent since the war. Five long years of pretending to be civilised, of longing for the thrill of battle, of dancing with death. I couldn’t restrain my manic smile when Irsha parried my attack, turning it into a riposte I barely avoided.
‘Try harder, Blades master. Do your best, I fucking dare you,’ I jeered when he adjusted his stance, attacking again.
Gods, he’s fast.
Despite the longer reach of my sword, I still struggled to hold Irsha back, the small round shield covering my hand now decidedly less round.
Stop overthinking, Rey, you can do this.
Another feint.I sneered, ignoring it, only for the dagger to slice through my sleeve, which made me realise I might not win this time.
Fuck!
Light flooded the courtyard as a door opened, and my opponent’s eyes flicked to the side. I twisted my wrist, ignoring the pain of the blade scoring my flesh and hit him in the face with my sword’s pommel.
‘What the pit’s going on here?’
Sana’s voice drowned out Irsha’s grunt, but it didn’t stop him from kicking my thigh, and I stumbled, my leg suddenly numb.
I shifted my shoulder as I fell, turning my collapse into a roll, before lifting my sword to parry a long sweeping cut directed at my neck. With a snarl, I pushed back, but something shattered on the floor at our feet. Yellow smoke billowed out, and breathing became impossible. Instinctively, we both fell back, but my foot slipped, forcing me to kneel.
Time slowed as Irsha threw a dagger with such grace that I could only watch in awe as it sped towards my heart. Instinctively, my arm came up, but a blurred shadow jumped between us, shielding me.
‘Irsha, no!’ Roksana yelled, arms wrapping around me, her body sheltering me from danger. Fire exploded in my chest, filling me with inhuman strength, and I leapt up with a singular thought.Protect her.
My weapon was long gone, my arms dragging Sana away from the deadly projectile.
‘Are you out of your mind, woman?’ I shouted, pushing her to the ground as the dagger sliced through my mask, splitting it in half and grazing my temple as it passed.
‘Roksana!’ the assassin bellowed, rushing towards us.
I ignored Irsha, focusing on the woman at my feet, still unable to believe she had jumped in to shield me. My fury soon abated when I saw how much she shook.
‘Why did you do that, Viper?’ I asked quietly, helping her up as gently as I could. Her pupils were blown wide, and her breathing unsteady, so I embraced her, hoping to help by holding her close.
Roksana didn’t resist, but Irsha’s eyebrows shot up at the sight. He looked like he was about to say something, then wisely thought better of it. Before I could say another word, Roksana shoved me back and punched me—hard—right in the jaw.
‘You bloody idiot!’ she snapped. ‘What kind of stupidity made you challenge Irsha? You could havedied, you moron. You could have died, and it would’ve been my fault.’ Her voice cracked. ‘And now you’re fucking bleeding.’
The punch had hit me like a bucket of ice water, clearing my thoughts just in time to see her drawing back for a second swing. I caught her fist midair, pressing it to my chest as my world narrowed to the fire in her eyes.
‘There, there,’ I teased. ‘You don’t want to kill the man you just risked your life for.’
She only glared harder, but I didn’t care. Whatever had been between her and the master of the Blades, whatever had happened between her and me in the past, this one gesture had erased it all. Roksana had chosen my life above Irsha’s, above her own, and I finally didn’t feel like a fool for yearning for her.
It was . . . liberating.
‘Come inside, Irsha. Sana will join us when she’s ready,’ Tova called out to the Blade before walking to him and dragging him inside. ‘But I have to ask—whydid you attack the king?’
The assassin groaned, but at Sana’s nod, he turned and followed the dwarf through the open door, leaving the two of us alone.
