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‘You need to pay for killing my fighter.’
Her utterance was a kharpi’s screech, echoing loud above the tumult.
A wave of anger crashed against Sana’a’s soul.
She wrenched from Kaniz’s grasp and marched across the sun-beaten arena. Toward the deceased, Kíríga’s sister, gripping her blades, body taut with outrage. ‘And you fokkin’ owe a ton for setting him on me and for being the mastermind of genocide.’
Her shout echoed in the open sky auditorium, and the gathering of Katáne’s Kä’avi gasped at her words.
By this time, she’d tracked to just under Kalila’s stand, shaking off Kaniz’s efforts to pull her back.
‘Who the fokk do you think you are?’ Kalila snarled.
With a cry of fury, the royal Kíntí transmuted, her black rachís unfurling behind her. At the same time, she reached for a hand, and the dark íkan sword K’grona had wielded flew up from the arena floor and into her fingers.
She rushed towards Sana’a, who’d pushed away her k?thi master, activated her metsai boots, and rose.
Kalila raised the necrotic koya as if to fling it at Sana’a.
The royal’s enraged attack was foiled when another set of wings crossed her trajectory, forcing her to pull up midair and drop her weapon.
‘Stop this bullshit, Kalila.’
Kesia hovered in Kalila’s way in half royal hawk mode, her krest quivering with loaded emotion. ‘We all saw what K’grona did. We saw him wield the same dark-lanced blade in your hand. He was going to use it, and all the Shotelai did was defend herself. Your fighter is to blame for his death, which we all know would not have happened unless you authorised it.’
Kaniz pulled Sana’a’s arm and whispered fast into her ear. ‘Let Kesia distract them all while you get the fokk out of here.’
But it was too late.
Another roar rose in the arena as a phalanx of Kän?dôrs streaked in from overhead. Their vigorous strokes created gusts of air that blew up the arena’s sand.
They were heading straight for Sana’a.
A chill ran down her spine as they closed in.
She spotted a break above a narrow alleyway up ahead, her best chance of escape. She darted towards it, hoping to dodge the Kän?dôr thugs.
Two fell before her path, their koyas drawn and pointed at her.
The Shotelai woman sighed and reached her hands out, flicking them even as her SHärd blades formed in her grasp.
She tracked her eyes around her, at the guards surrounding her, at Kaniz, K?stian, Kesia and finally Kalila.
‘Do you really want to do this?’ Sana’a murmured, her voice laced with weariness and pain.
Kalila’s chest heaved. ‘What I want is to see you tarred and burnt to a crisp for your insolence and murder.’
‘Says the murderess of the century. Fokk, I’m over this.’
Sana’a flung her blades right at the woman, who opened her mouth to protest.
It was then that a mighty wind rushed through the arena.
One so forceful that Sana’a’s blades were swept away from their true course.
‘Nada!’ she yelled out, ‘Don’t stop me. Not now.’
She just managed to command her daggers back into her grasp when her body was enveloped.
