44. Chapter 44
Chapter forty-four
My father, Dey, and Jo all gave me concerned looks when I returned. As I sat down, I noticed Cam striding out of the arena.
His ability to win the match while fearing for his brother's life spoke not only to his skill but to his faith in me. I just hoped I was worthy of it.
Down on the field, the terriservian soldiers finished digging a trench around the edges and water rushed in to fill it, setting the stage for the next match.
My hands clenched tightly as the aquiservians took their places.
I waited breathlessly for it to begin, sending out a silent prayer to whatever Gods watched over this world to protect Sin.
The horn blared, my heart stopped, and Sin burst into movement, thrusting his arms forward as streams of water leapt to his command. Shifting his body to face the Silver Court male dressed in head to toe black, Sin fired off three rapid punches that sent a trio of watery missiles at Tenyn, who dove into an evasive forward roll then popped to his feet. Sin marched forward, arms pumping, and a dozen lances of water sprang from the trench and hurled themselves at the Silver caster.
Snarling, Tenyn spun away from Sin and slashed his hand through each water spear, dissolving them into nebulous floating blobs.
I held my breath as the watery orbs rocketed away from him, speeding back toward the male who had come to mean everything to me.
With cat-like reflexes, Sin snatched the projectiles from the air, redirected their trajectory, and allowed them to splash harmlessly a dozen yards away.
I let out my breath. He was strong. He could do this.
While Sin gathered more water around him, my eyes flicked briefly over to where Peywyn clashed with Vankin. As much as I despised these battles, I actually cheered a bit when she drew a rope of water out of the canal and wrapped it around Vankin’s left wrist, yanking him to his knees.
The male caster slashed his right arm at the rope to cut through the casting, but the water bent to absorb the blow, and Peywyn’s foot connected with the side of Vankin’s head in a beautiful crescent kick. He slammed face first to the sand, and Peywyn whirled her hand, directing her water rope to leave his wrist and wrap around his throat.
Vankin’s eyes bulged as his lungs screamed for oxygen. After a minute, his body fell limp to the ground, and I rose up in my seat to get a better look at the prone male. I knew Peywyn was fierce, but I couldn’t imagine her killing in cold blood.
Peywyn released her water, checked her opponent's pulse, then gave him an attaboy slap on the shoulder before she raced off toward Sin’s duel.
An anguished shout filled the arena, and every head in the crowd whipped over to where Bartyn had stalled in his battle with Tenebra, unable to peel his eyes away from Vankin’s unconscious body.
Too late, Bartyn noticed what the Silver female was doing, and her leg kicked out, sending a tendril of water to lock around his waist. Before he could defend himself, she flipped into a back handspring, and the water followed suit, flinging Bartyn into the air before slamming him down into the canal behind her. The crowd grew silent as Tenebra began lazily twirling her hand, and Bartyn was sucked to the bottom.
A minute passed. Then two.
I screamed inside my head for him to fight back, to do something. This couldn’t be happening again.
Except it did happen.
While Vankin lay unconscious on the other side of the arena, the lover he refused to leave behind drowned in less than two feet of water. And nobody did a thing to stop it.
Silence hung thick in the air for only seconds before a body flew across the field, and Tenyn crashed to the ground beside his partner. The fury on Sin’s face told me he had seen what Tenebra did.
Closing in on the Silver caster, Sin dove into a forward roll to dodge the spear of water she threw, popped up, and kicked her in the neck so hard I expected to hear a snap.
Unfortunately, Tenebra rolled with the blow, bouncing to her feet with another agile handspring before she and Sin clashed in hand to hand combat.
Blow for blow, Sin matched her and soon began pressing her back, advancing forward as she gave up ground.
Suddenly, Sin arched his back, crying out as a lance of water thrown by Tenyn collided with his spine. The scream of pain quickly dissolved into choking gasps when he caught a blast from Tenebra full in the face.
“No!” I screamed out as Sin faltered and hit the ground, not caring that Dey and my father whipped their heads in my direction.
I glanced around furiously, searching for Peywyn, only to find her crumpled in the corner of the arena, having taken a hit I didn’t even witness.
Sin was on his own, and I could do nothing to quell the icy grip of fear around my heart.
He managed to get back on his feet, but the Silver Court casters pressed their two-to-one advantage, driving him toward the canal with rapid blasts of water. His movements grew sluggish and devolved into sloppy flailing as strikes began landing, eventually knocking him fully into the trench.
Moving in sync, the couple advanced on Sin, spinning their hands in loops and swirls that pulled forth a swell of water. Shifting and writhing, the wave wrapped itself around Sin, lifting him into the air and engulfing him in an azure prison.
My heart stopped beating, and Sin’s words echoed through my head.
“I love that you’re worried, Fea Remia, but you don’t need to be. I’ve seen the other aquiservians fight. They are no match for my skills.”
Tears flowed down my cheeks as the thrashing within the vortex of water began to slow. Sin went agonizingly still, his body forced into a fetal position.
“Sin!” I screamed out, jumping to my feet and racing forward to the edge of the arena. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back. Dey grunted as I struggled wildly in his arms, catching him in the gut with a sharp elbow.
I needed to do something. I couldn’t just watch Sin die. Flames prickled under my skin, and I prepared myself to torch the Silver Court casters. I didn’t care who saw. Sin was not dying today.
Before I could unleash my fury, Sin’s prison of water began to expand, and a kernel of that damned hope bloomed inside me. The Silver couple backed away, their confident expressions now slack in disbelief.
The crowd watched spellbound as the funnel swelled, doubling in size.
Larger and larger it grew until it reach nearly halfway across the arena. You could hear a pin drop as everyone waited to see what would happen.
Without warning, it burst like a popped balloon.
Tossing millions of droplets of water into the stands, the explosion left a hazy cloud obscuring the field.
The mist slowly cleared, revealing a kneeling angel of death. With ethereal grace and perfect control, Sin rose from the sand, his entire being radiating power and malice.
I had never seen anything more beautiful yet terrifying at the same time.
The Silver duo stared at Sin dumbfounded as he lifted his hands and every ounce of water in the canal surged toward him. Thousands of gallons spun into a massive swirling vortex, the water churning and coalescing into the shape of an enormous dragon that loomed up over Sin's back. Two whiplike water tails thrashed while six clawed hands flexed in anticipation.
Sin slammed his palms together, and the dragon lunged, smashing down upon the casters with the roaring fury of a tidal wave. Water flew in every direction, dousing the screaming spectators in the first dozen rows.
After a moment, the water ebbed, wicking into the sands and sluicing back into the canal to reveal a lifeless Tenyn and Tenebra suspended in a floating pool. Sin flicked out a hand as he turned and stormed out of the arena.
The bubble holding Tenyn and Tenebra collapsed, and the two bodies crashed to the ground.
The Silver Court casters didn’t move, didn’t breathe, and I couldn't summon any pity for them.
I felt only relief that Sin had won.
Which meant that now it was my turn.