My eyes widened as Zephyrus put away his wand, the block disappearing with it. “Chig, take this idiot to the medic.”
“Yes, sir,” another Malefic Blood said, his body width twice the size as that of the male on the ground. He lifted the unconscious man and tossed him over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing, then headed off the field.
“I’ll move you into the winner’s circle, Shade. But I expect to see defensive magic in your next match.” Zephyrus dismissed him before he could comment and gestured for the next pairing to come forward.
Which was Kols and a petite female wearing a wicked smile. “Ready, future lover?” she asked him, her catlike eyes glowing red with power.
“If you think I’m going to go easy on you, Emelyn, then think again.”
Her resulting laugh reminded me of nails on a chalkboard, her expression nowhere near amused or kind in any way. She flipped her long black braid over her shoulder and fell into a fighter’s stance. “I’ve been practicing.”
“I’m sure you have,” Kols replied, his stance relaxed as they squared off. “Give it your best shot, Jyn.”
“Is her name Jyn or Emelyn?” I asked Ella in a low tone.
“Emelyn Jyn,” she replied, her tone sour. “She’s Kols’s future mate.”
My eyebrows lifted. “She is?” Didn’t he say something about not doing girlfriends?
“Yeah. Assigned by the Council. Some sort of agreement between Malik and Lima.”
“Yes, our Council fancies arranged pairings,” Shade added as he came to stand with us. “I was assigned to Cordelia, Stiggis’s older sister.”
I frowned at him. “Then why did you bite me?”
“Why indeed?” he mused, his lips curling. “Maybe I wished to avoid my arrangement. Or maybe it was for another reason entirely. And maybe, if you’re a good little rose, I’ll tell you one day.” He touched the tip of my nose with his index finger and sauntered off just as Kols pinned Emelyn to the ground beneath a wall of power. It reminded me of the one Zephyrus had used to block Stiggis’s attack on Shade.
Emelyn screamed in pain, but Kols didn’t stop.
And Zephyrus merely watched.
“Isn’t he going to stop him?” I demanded, torn between Shade’s commentary and the action unfolding before me.
“Who? Zeph?” Ella asked, snorting. “Yeah, no. He’ll let this continue until Emelyn gives the signal, which should happen in about three, two, there it is.”
A cloud of red smoke puffed out around them, and Kols released the brick of magic. “Practice harder, Jyn,” he said, walking away.
“We’re next,” Ella informed me.
“Great.” I followed her into the ring and noted how several fae fell silent around us, their intrigue palpable.
Too bad for them this would be a short show.
“I have no idea what I’m doing, so go ahead and start,” I said, owning my inexperience.
Ella smirked. “Already am, princess.”
I almost asked what she meant, when Ifelther energy swathing me in a cloak of immobility. The thought of being bound triggered me into action, that blue light within me igniting to life and easily cutting through her invisible ropes while also memorizing the magical feel of them.
Using the knowledge, I tried to weave my own spell to wrap around her and nearly smiled when her legs locked in place.
“Holy shit, you’re a fast learner,” she said, pulling out her wand. “Italaka.”
My spell dissolved.
I took out my wand as well, unsure of how that would help me, and waited for her next attack. Which came in the form of a water figment shaped like a lion. I jumped to the side as its jaws yawned wide, its teeth far too real. They reminded me of crystal fragments. Sharp, precise, and turning right for me.
A cerulean wave of power billowed out of me, destroying her fragment and sending Ella to the ground.
