‘Why?’
‘You are still my little sister, Diar. I’d prefer you to stand behind me, on the battlefield.’
My fingers quivered as I pointed the bow toward the furthest target. Ferris' smile vanished when he noticed. His eyes found mine, but I broke our gaze.
Seeing his face reminded me of the people who’d charged into our manor and taken the only thing I’d had away.
I couldn’t fail here. I had to find them.
Breathing, I relaxed my stance and steadied my hands. Murmurs broke out behind me.
Agendra watched, expressionless.
Something shifted within me. I felt the ice surging within the bow, the waters lapping beneath the platform. A still, endless sea had stretched beneath a stormy sky when Ferris’ hand brushed mine.
I breathed in the ocean’s scent and fired.
The arrow flew above the lake, spreading mist in its wake. A line of ice streaked across the water, freezing the waves. With a loud crack, the stone target shattered when the arrow struck it, raining ice and rock into the sea.
Ferris beamed at me. “Show off."
Laughter drew my gaze to the crowd. A little girl sitting on her mother’s shoulders clapped her tiny hands together, eyes glued to the flecks of frost falling from the sky.
A soldier burst from the crowd. I recognized his sky blue eyes—this was the man who’d taken us to the Archdruid.
“You did it!” He grinned beneath his helm and clapped me on the shoulder. “Ha, Sejiro isn’t going to like this.”
“Sejiro?” I asked.
“My commander,” he answered. “The general of our armies.”
I winced. Nazumi’s general would be the second most powerful lord in the city, behind the Archdruid.
Agendra placed a hand on his hammer’s pommel. “We aren’t done here. You can shoot—but can you fight?” He pulled the enormous maul from his back and clasped it in both hands.
Taluncride. The hammer of Terishal.
The guard patted me on the shoulder and retreated to safety. Ferris did the same, shrinking against the gazebos’ railing.
Stepping back, I broke Siotha over my knee, shattering it into two pieces. The ice quickly reformed into twin daggers.
“Interesting,” Agendra observed. “Ishii’s secondary form was spear. This matchup isn’t in your favor.”
It wasn’t. The maul’s long reach would outpace my daggers. I needed my sword.
Agendra lunged, bringing the maul down on my head. Throwing the daggers aside, I pulled my blade from my belt.
The weight of his strike fell upon my sword. Wincing, I staggered beneath it, barely able to keep myself upright.
Shifting my weight, I slid my sword toward the hammer’s head. He twisted, throwing the butt of his weapon toward my shoulder. We broke apart, and I darted back, barely avoiding the attack.
Agendra twisted the maul’s handle. Vines and verdant green leaves soared through the air, entwining around the weapon’s shaft as it changed. The steel of the circular maul broke, sharpened, elongated.
He took up a new stance, holding the vine-wrapped halberd with both hands.
Now he had even more reach. Great. My only hope would be to get in close.
Darting forward, I ducked under his first swing and grabbed my blade halfway down the handle. Swinging it around, I jabbed it toward the chinks in the Paragon’s armor. My blade slammed into stone. Rock formed around the exposed chainmail.
