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Now Lyrastra was panting. Good.
“Whore,” she spat, leaning forward towards me, her serpentine eyes gleaming. “You have no right to be here. None at all. In this ring with me or in the prince’s bed.”
Despite myself, some of her words surprised me. “You like to throw that word around a lot. For a woman so much older than me, you have a shockingly narrow vocabulary. Don't tell me you care about who the prince gives his favors to, Lyrastra. Can it be? Are you actually... jealous?”
I couldn't help it. Once I’d started, the words kept spilling out.
“First the elder brother, now the younger?” I whistled, blatantly trying to provoke her. “Does it drive you mad to think of me there, in your prince's bed, waiting for him to come to me? Perhaps you wish you could switch our places?”
I pressed sharply forward, unleashing a flurry of rapid strikes. Lyrastra responded with swift parries, maneuvering and repositioning.
But she wasn't quite quick enough. For a moment, I had her. Pushed up against the wooden fence, I leaned over her as she licked her lips.
“But he doesn't want you, Lyrastra,” I whispered cruelly. “Does he? He wants me. And you can't handle it, can you? You're pathetic. I thought the Siabra had a sense of pride. But look at you, you're just a jealous, cheating...” I wasn’t sure exactly how I planned to end that sentence, so I was almost glad when she interrupted.
“Shut up,” Lyrastra roared, her gold and purple eyes filling with fury.
With a lightning-fast thrust, she caught me off-guard, piercing my defenses and grazing my arm with her sword before I could block.
I jumped backwards, sidestepping and narrowly evading a second attack.
“You have no idea,” Lyrastra snarled. “No idea who you're dealing with. But perhaps it's time I gave you a taste.”
And with that, she dropped her shield and reached a hand forward towards me.
A shadowy serpent slithered forth from her fingertips.
My eyes widened. I took a step back, then another, as the serpentine entity slid to the mat.
Before I could even open my mouth, it was upon me, coiling around my legs, constricting my movement. I reached my hands down, desperately trying to untangle the creature but instead, the serpent stretched and slipped around my hands, binding me still tighter.
The snake's grip was painful. I could feel the circulation in my wrists being cut off. I clenched my teeth.
This was the moment. I could reach for my own powers. See if they would come for me.
I could turn this serpent to ash and send Lyrastra up in a fiery blaze.
But as I looked up at her, at the hate and anger in her face, I knew I wasn't going to do that. And my own anger began to dissolve.
I sighed. “All right, Lyrastra. You've won. Cheated, but won. Is that what you want to hear? I yield. Let me go.”
But in response the snake's grip simply became tighter. I let out a cry of pain.
“Let her go, Lyrastra!” Odessa leaped over the rail, her eyes flashing with anger. “Release Lady Morgan and then get out. I warned you not to pull a stunt like this. Did you think I was joking?”
Lyrastra’s eyes flickered briefly to Odessa then back to me. “We’re not through,” she hissed, her voice just loud enough for me to hear. “Next time we’re alone, you and I, you’re dead.”
The serpent vanished as if it had never been.
It had been impressive conjuring. But all I really cared about was getting the feeling back in my legs.
Shakily, I stood up and leaned against the fence.
Odessa watched as Lyrastra leapt the side of the fence and disappeared out the courtyard entrance. “You really put her back up.”
I scowled. Was I going to be blamed for this? “Wasn’t exactly hard to do. I didn’t even have to try.”
“You’d be surprised. With the others, she’s usually quite restrained. She’s a good teacher to the younger girls.”
