Page 15 of A Drop of Anguish
The sharp-eyed Elite students are gathered together, glaring my way.
There are three high fae—one of them an icy blond with bright-blue eyes. Auren is beautiful and powerful, and we also happen to have something in common. We’re both Jarron’s ex.
She hates me.
Or at least, I think she still hates me. I did sort of save her life once, but I never got the feeling she was particularly thankful. She was more or less annoyed I had the power over Jarron to convince him to give her mercy. Most believe a human should never hold that over a fae. She was also the one to expose my journal and the fact that I was investigating Liv’s murder—and that the students in this school were my suspects.
Now, Jarron is gone, and there’s no one stopping her from showing me my place on the food chain.
There is another fae, two wolf shifters and an Elite-level witch. There are five other students from lower levels. Three from Superior Hall and two from Major Hall. I’m the only one from Minor Hall.
I drop my bag in the corner and approach the center of the arena. The ground is a massive field of AstroTurf with a large purple mat in the middle. A white circle pained on the mat acts as our ring. Not exactly intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.
The fae staring at me from the other side of the circle is intimidating enough.
“Everyone, welcome our new student, Candice. She’ll be just warming up for the next few days, but we’re going to get her a little experience in the ring today. A gentle warm-up spar is all we’re going for. Got it?” Coach eyes the Elite students, who don’t so much as acknowledge her.
I hate being looked down on. It’s already making my skin itch.
Coach approaches me. “This will be your first practice fight against beings more powerful than you, but it’s really not a big deal. We’ll take it easy and slow. Would you like one of the Major Hall students to go first?”
My hands clench and unclench, adrenaline already pumping. I’m horrified and pissed that I have to be here, but I’m going to prove my worth.
I’d like to say no, but with so much attention zeroed in on me, I do think it would help to alleviate some of the tension. I nod.
“Melissa and Ryan. You two first.”
One of the shifters leers in my direction. His arrogant grin tells me he thinks I’m scared.
He’s right, but I’ll never give him the satisfaction of seeing it confirmed.
“Remember, this is only practice. It will not be an all-out brawl, and tap-outs are not frowned upon. Skill is important, but fighting your fear is as much an opponent as the creature you will fight.”
Melissa, a fae with pale skin, green eyes, and a long braid down her back grabs a set of silver cuffs and claps them onto her forearms. The fae girl rolls her shoulders as her eyes dim. The bracelets stop her from using any of her magic—the only way I could even pretend to stand a chance in that ring against any one of these students.
A young mage from Major Hall steps forward. He’s a good three inches shorter than the female fae he’s facing. He does have more muscle, but not by a ton.
“Fight,” Coach says firmly.
The mage boy pants excessively before they even begin then drops into a solid defensive stance. They slowly circle around the ring. The teacher instructs Ryan to enter the ring. He obeys.
Once within striking range, Ryan lunges, but the fae evades, simply stepping out of the way and then waiting again. Ryan grimaces and then tries again with a forceful punch.
I watch every move carefully. I’ve trained most of my life in self-defense, and I love winning a battle, so I’m not at all inexperienced in sparring like this. In my previous combat class here, though, we only did drills and exercises.
This will be my first time getting in a ring with beings even close to this strong.
The fae blocks and then goes in for her own strike. There’s a thud as the fae’s padded glove hits the mage’s upper arm. The fae is fast, but her hits are light. Ryan strikes back quickly.
The fae is smiling as she retreats, blocking each successive blow, and then finally bends and kicks into Ryan’s side, sending him flying out of the circle.
He twists and lands on all fours, sliding to a stop.
The teacher hops into the ring, hands up. “Fight over!” she announces. She and the fae are smiling widely. “That was a wonderful job, Melissa and Ryan.
Ryan shakes off his rage and straightens. His cheeks are red, his chest heaving, but he manages to cool himself off and stands among the others, who pat him on the shoulder.
“Candice,” she calls.
