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Sana’a nodded. ‘I see. So it’s not all savagery and barbarity.’
‘It never was. We’re just a passionate people.’
As Sana’a huffed, the crowd outside went wild.
The kavs floated away, bowing, the victor raising a fist as flowers rained on her head.
K?stian sunk back to the surface, his mighty rachís flapping behind him.
With a chin lift, he held his hands up for silence.
As soon as the noise died down, he spoke. ‘We have a special treat for you, so ensure you follow all the actions closely. This next match will pit two of Kos’ best k?thi kavaliers against each other.’
He pointed up into the stands. ‘You all know of Kartik, The Kite of Kagnian and Sab?r of Khanata. He who has felled entire divisions of his weaker enemies and stopped the carnage of the Hound of Hades.’
The name elicited more cheers and even some chants.
‘In this very arena, he has bested over ninety opponents. Today, he will face the yet undefeated Sana’a of the Shotelai.’
The crowd roared in approval, falling silent at his raised hands.
‘To ensure this bout is as fair as possible, we have asked Kartik to bind his talons to fight, giving him limited íkan control. He insisted on this himself so the Shotelai woman is not humiliated.’
The spectators were frothing, wings unfurling and beating in cadence.
Their powerful feet drummed the ground in the rousing pulse of sound.
‘May the best kavalier win.’ He hoisted his arms. ‘Fight! Kuvu!’
Kartik did not leave the tunnel at a walk.
Instead, he burst out at full speed.
The coliseum shook with the force of his beating pinions as he took to the air. He let out a frightful vocalisation, a high-pitched scream meant to strike terror in the hearts of everyone in the arena.
He moved so fast that his winged form was blurred, and a haze of dust trailed behind him.
Sana’a was slower in revealing herself.
With a sigh, she gripped her shotel tighter and sent a command to her metsai crushers.
They lifted off, and she sailed out of the waiting tunnel into the light to a thunderous welcome.
She shot into the sky alongside Kartik, where the pair circled one another at arm’s length apart.
The crowd’s excitement was palpable as the two prize contenders sized each other up.
When K?stian pulled up to bind Kartik’s hands in cuffs dripping with diamonds, the crowd clamoured at the gesture. Screeching even louder as the two fighters started to circle one another.
When Kag?an’s eyes flashed, a roar from all the Kä’avi present rose into the air, starting from the far side of the arena.
After a moment, Sana’a realised the spectators were chanting her opponent’s name: ‘Kartik! Kartik! Kartik!’
The chant intensified as the opponents circled, gaining in volume. The two adversaries surged toward each other, crossing the distance in a fraction of a second.
Blocking out all sound, Sana’a leapt into the fray.
Kartik’s sword whirled to the left as he controlled his sab?r’s íkan.
