Page 36 of Heir Of Sun And Moon
A shot of rage-fueled adrenaline goes through me with his words.Of coursehe would say it’s a joke. That’s all it is to him and everyone else who thinks that I’m less than because I am different. They are cruel until they are called out on it. Then suddenly,I’mbeing overly sensitive and dramatic.
“You might want to shut up and focus. I’ll even give you an advantage and tell you I’m going to attack first.”
His eyes narrow, his anger flaring like I hoped it would. Dilan always told us that letting our emotions get the best of us during a fight would only lead to injury and loss. It doesn’t matter how much stronger or taller you are than an opponent, all it takes is one misstep, one break in concentration, to have a sword jabbed into your side. Or a spear. Of course I won’t kill him, despite my baser urges to, but I will revel in beating him in front of his friends.
Gosston takes the same measured steps that I do while he taunts me. “You know, I’ve always felt bad for you. You have all the prestige of a princess born to one of the strongest mage couples in the kingdom. You have a brother whose flame sparked higher than any other in well over a century.” He stops, dropping his arms to his side in an attempt to lower my own defenses. “Yet you were born magicless. And all your dedication andtinkering,” he says with a mocking sneer, “has yielded nothing. The very thing that you’ve made your life’s work has been for nothing. That must be so hard for you. It must be hard knowing that no matter what you do, your fate is to be nothing more than a magicless wife.”
The world seems to slow, a loaded pause building in the air, as I stare Gosston directly in the eyes. I inject every ounce of rage that has boiled over into that stare before I lift my lips in a smile that is mostly a baring of teeth. Then I swing. My spear comes down hard and fast, Gosston barely having enough time to lift his sword and block. His eyes widen as he looks at me, almost like he can’t believe I’d do what I said I would.Idiot.I lift my spear again, before arching it down and to the side. He doesn’t have time to block this strike, the force of my swing causing his breath to rush out with a loud grunt from the contact.
“You bitch,” he seethes as he lifts his sword and starts to advance towards me. His swings are powerful as he counters, moving left to right and jabbing forward. The clashing of our weapons echoes out into the air, the people around us silent while they watch us go back and forth. I parry every time he comes at me, my agility helping me counter his advances without taking the brunt of his power. When he presses forward again only to have me block and twirl away from him, his eyes flare briefly with panic. “Let’s do this without the weapons,” he says, chucking his sword to the side.
“You want this to be even more humiliating for you?” I taunt as I watch him shake out his hands.
“You’ve got a pretty face,Princess, are you sure you want it ruined?” My eyes roll in response.
“Bahira, come on. You’ve proven your point; there’s no need to keep fighting,” Daje pleads loudly, and though his voice is calm, it has the opposite effect on me.
“Thank you for your input, Daje, it’s duly noted,” I respond before tossing my spear to the side and stepping closer to Gosston with raised fists. Low murmurs sound around us as we begin to circle each other again. I breathe in deeply, relaxing my shoulders and tuning out anything that isn’t the sound of my fast-beating heart.
Gosston moves first, leaning in to snap his fist towards my jaw. I dodge the movement, using his own momentum to tug on his wrist and pull him right into my oncoming fist. His head snaps back, his guard rising before I jab with my other hand. He blocks my fist, but it was nothing more than a distraction. With his arms lifted and his focus so heavily on my hands, it leaves his sides exposed, an opportunity I greedily take advantage of by bringing my knee up forcefully. He bellows at the contact before gritting his teeth and staring at me with an unhinged gleam in his eyes. I move to retreat a step and block his attempt to hit my face. He counters quickly with a hard jab to my ribs, causing me to drop down onto one knee while my breath whooshes out of me.
I can hear a voice in the background hissing my name, but I’m too lost in the blinding anger within me. I will never let someone else determine my own worth. I will never let someone treat me as nothing more than a metaphorical or literal punching bag for their cheap jokes. OnlyIdecide what hurts me. OnlyIdecide what can be used as a weapon against me.
I jump back up to my feet, swinging my leg out and kicking directly onto the side of his knee. My fist closes the distance between us in an uppercut to his jaw, making his head jerk up. His face flushes with irritation, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Gosston’s fatigue begins to show as his next attempt to hit me is weak.
Holding my guard up, I bounce on my toes, planning my next hit when a sudden flash of orange light blinds me. Before I can react, I’m thrown back hard against the ground. The bastard used his magic against me. My ears ring and my head aches as I try to blink through the dazed fog. I move to get up, but Gosston stands at my feet, the orange glow also emitting from his raised hand. He squints with concentration, using nearly all his effort to hold me down with his magic. Orange rings wrap around my wrists and push them above my head, more glowing around my torso to hold me in place. I start to struggle out of his magical grasp on instinct, but I know I can’t get out without magic of my own. The best thing I can do is wait until he’s too weak to hold me down anymore.
“All your talk and now look at you.Thisis your reality,Princess,” he says, his teeth showing like a rabid dog. Sweat beads down his temple and his hand begins to shake. It won’t be much longer until he’ll be too weak to hold me down fully.
“Let her go, Gosston.” Daje’s voice pierces the violent tension in the air. I watch him step forward, holding his sword in one hand while the other is in a tight fist at his side. The mask of lethal fury on his face is illuminated by the soft yellow glare of his magic surrounding his entire body, like a stunning cloak of sunlight.
“Stop, Daje,” I say, wiggling and finding there is a little less resistance holding me down.
“Bahira, I won’t stand by and watch this. This asshole—”
“I don’t need your help,” I grunt, clenching my jaw as I try to roll onto my side.
“Don’t be so stubborn,” he seethes—actuallyseethes—back at me. Daje has never spoken to me like that, and he briefly draws my concentration away from trying to get to my knees. He walks to Gosston, raising the hand not holding his sword. His yellow magic grows even brighter where it gathers in his palm.
“Daje,stop,” I breathe, pushing my body harder to free myself.
“Yes, Bahira, let Dajerescueyou. He’s been doing it since we were kids anyway.”
“Shut up, Gosston,” Daje growls back.
“Daje,” I repeat, but the hardened lines of his face tell me he’s not listening to anything I’m saying anymore. Gosston’s hand falters, the light of his orange magic beginning to flicker.
“Daje! Look at me!” I shout, finally getting to my knees, the magical bindings now loose enough for me to move more easily. Daje’s gaze flicks to where I’m kneeling and my eyes bore into his as I command quietly, “Donothit him with your magic.”
Gosston’s magic starts to fade from his palm, the intense orange now dimmer, barely there. I can feel it lessen its hold on me, and my body becomes my own again. Finally able to stand, I move towards Gosston, but as I am mid-step, Daje lifts the hand holding his yellow magic up.
“No!” I shout, but Gosston is already grunting from Daje’s hit. The orange glow from his hand winks out instantly while Daje takes a step forward. Gosston drops to a knee, the people around us either cheering or snickering from where they stand before yellow bindings appear around him and anchor him to the ground. I turn to Daje and shove him—hard. He looks at me, eyes wide and full of shock.
“What are you doing?” he shouts, splaying his arms out in frustration. “Gods, are you so afraid of appearing weak that you won’t even take protection when it’s clearly needed?”
My head snaps back like I’ve been slapped, my brows rising high on my forehead. I’m rendered speechless, my gaze locked on my best friend. He’s slow to hide his shock, as if he’s just realized what he’s said. His mouth opens to say something, but Gosston interjects.
“She’s not worth it, man,” he slurs from where he’s still kneeling in the grass, “her pussy isn’t even that great.” My body turns rigid, the crowd around us falling completely silent. Even the trees pause their rustling in the breeze, like they too are waiting to see what happens next. “She’s nothing but a fragile, magicless whore.”
