Page 139 of The King of Koraha
“Kill the King first and then we’ll deal with them,” Najib ordered. “Time’s running out.”
Xerxes turned, crouched next to the cushion, and drew his knife back. Before he could plunge it into the King’s chest, Mojag tackled Xerxes, knocking the man into the pool.
Shyla froze a moment in surprise. Mojag had been strong enough to resist the sunfire’s compulsion. Then Gurice rushed to Mojag, helping him up. Shyla kept an eye on Xerxes who, of course, knew how to swim. He reached the edge of the pool. Uh-oh. Rendor stalked toward Najib, who yanked out his pendant.
And there was surprise number two. A large sunfire, not a blackfire, shone from its center.
“That’s close enough, Captain,” Najib said.
Rendor froze, staring at the stone. Son of a sand demon. Najib was workingwithXerxes, notfor. No wonder he’d ordered Xerxes to kill the King.
“Now that I have your attention,” Najib said, brandishing the pendant.
Shyla glanced at the siblings. Gurice and Mojag both stared at Najib. The sunfire was twice the size of Xerxes’. The big man climbed from the pool. Dripping wet, he glared a promise of pain at Mojag.
“Everyonewillkeep their distance from me and the commander,” Najib ordered them with the magic of the sunfire. “Xerxes, finish the job.”
Except Shyla felt no pressure to obey. Instead of keeping back, she dove for Xerxes. He spotted the motion and turned just in time to deflect her. She landed on the floor. Xerxes now loomed over her. She’d thought him massive before, but from this perspective he was a giant. With a blur of movement, he looped a blackfire pendant over her head and held the stone so it captured her gaze. It glinted with its iridescent shine but didn’t tug her soul. Huh. Finally something going right for her.
Then Xerxes staggered to the side as Rendor shoved him away from Shyla.
“You all right?” Rendor asked.
“Yes.”
Rendor pulled his sword.
Xerxes aimed the sunfire at him.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Rendor slid into a fighting stance. “That doesn’t work on us anymore.”
Shyla glanced at Najib. Mojag had pinned him against the wall. The tip of his knife rested on the advisor’s neck.
Gurice gave her an I-don’t-know shrug. “It’s a beautiful stone, I couldn’t resist staring at it. But it’s not that engrossing. Mojag, were you pretending to obey Xerxes?”
“Of course. It’s the only way I could get close to him.”
Finally catching on, Xerxes dropped the pendant and drew his sword.
Rendor’s grin widened. “This is going to be fun.”
Xerxes lunged at Rendor, who sidestepped. “I’ve seen you fight, Captain. You’re no match for me.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not alone.” Rendor stabbed forward.
Gurice stood next to Shyla as they watched the fight. Shyla was always amazed over Rendor’s speed. Xerxes used his strength to his advantage. Neither man wasted any more breath to goad each other. They were professionals, using quick, efficient, and brutal strikes aimed to disarm the other. No fancy moves and no wasted energy.
“Do you think Rendor will let us have a turn?” Gurice asked her.
“Not until he’s ready to share.”
Xerxes ducked under Rendor’s feint and slammed him into the wall. Shyla cringed in sympathy.
Gurice smirked. “I think he’ll be ready soon.”
“Oh no, it’ll be a while. Do you want to know why?”
“Don’t keep me in suspense.”
