Chapter 11
11
H ollyn couldn’t take her gaze off of Kai as she sat down beside Uma in the stands. She wanted to scream for this to stop. The whole thing was barbaric, and Hollyn couldn’t believe Uma was okay with the son she’d just reconnected with putting himself in danger for a kingdom he didn’t even want. But Hollyn couldn’t do anything but watch.
Oleen sat down next to Hollyn and leaned forward in her seat. Hollyn couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling, seeing her husband and a brother she never knew facing off in a public exhibition that would determine her fate, too.
Being between mother and daughter gave her an awkward feeling. She couldn’t even tell what kind of relationship they had with each other. From the little time she’d spent with them, it felt strained, but maybe they just kept things formal.
The two men had just chosen their weapons, and someone in a seat behind the three women had asked Uma a question that she was now answering as if this were just a weekend tennis match.
Oleen sat back, took one glance at her mother and addressed Hollyn as she said, “I’ve never met a siren. Where are you from?”
The question seemed so ordinary. Hollyn just wasn’t sure if she were being set up for another insult or if Oleen were actually trying to make conversation.
She decided to treat it like an innocently polite question. With a smile she didn’t quite feel, Hollyn answered, “I’ve mostly lived on the east coast.”
“Are there a lot of sirens on the east coast? I just don’t know much about them.”
Hollyn relaxed, her smile genuine as she said, “I don’t know much about them either. I wasn’t raised among sirens. I’m…” Did she want to reveal details that could set her up for more scrutiny? How would they take the news that she had a warlock for a father. Most creatures she’d met ostracized any creature connected to a warlock. She didn’t want to take that risk. She finished her statement as she said, “I’m new to the siren life.”
“Well, I’m happy to meet you, and despite all of the politics, I hope you and I can become friends. I need friends.”
Hollyn’s heart squeezed at the words, but before she could react, Oleen sat forward again as the fight began with the two men circling each other. Hollyn’s full attention was zeroed in on the center of the arena, feeling nausea roll in her stomach as Makoa swung the sword in his hands at Kai’s midsection. Kai barely jumped out of the way at the last second and returned an awkward swipe with the trident he’d chosen. Makoa took a step back, but he quickly lifted the sword to strike again, this time managing to connect with skin, the tip of the sword grazing Kai’s upper, left arm. Even from a distance, Hollyn could see the red line of blood appear.
But Kai didn’t seem to notice as he once again awkwardly swiped the air with the three-pronged head of the trident hitting nothing. But Hollyn noticed. She felt the pain of it in her gut. What if this was it? What if something happened to Kai? What if he died before she could tell him how she felt about him? What if she thought she might…love him?
Come on, Kai! “Get it together!” Why had he chosen the damn trident?
Oleen reached over and patted her leg a few times and gave her a reassuring nod. “Don’t worry. He’ll be okay.”
She seemed so confident in her words, but how could she know that he would be okay, and for that matter which he was she even talking about? Wasn’t she rooting for her husband? Or did she hope for her husband’s loss?
They returned their attention to the match. Hollyn sucked in a quick breath as Makoa charged toward Kai, sword raised as if to strike. As he closed in, Kai caught the wrist of Makoa’s sword hand in his free hand, and they struggled against each other to get the upper hand. Both men suddenly hit the ground, and Makoa’s sword bounced free from his hand and skittered across the sand. The crowd gasped in unison.
Makoa rolled away and toward his sword, and Kai scrambled to grab onto the other man’s legs to pull him back. Makoa kicked at Kai until he was free and crawled to his weapon. In the seconds that Makoa used to get to the sword, Kai climbed to his feet once more and took two strides to stand over Makoa who grabbed his sword just in time to knock away the trident that Kai pointed at him. It was all happening so quickly, but the crowd reacted each time one of the men seemed to be winning only to be bested in the next second.
Her heart now lodged in her throat, Hollyn covered her eyes as Makoa swept Kai’s legs out from under him with one hooked foot, and Kai landed hard on his back, stunned long enough for Makoa to scramble to his feet and raise his sword. She was about to lose her mind! What would she do if something happened to Kai? She felt tears begin to sting her eyes.
But as Makoa growled loudly and struck, Kai blocked the sword with the trident. Sparks flew from the point of contact between the two weapons. Makoa swung again, but this time, Kai caught the blade of the sword between two of the three prongs of the trident and jerked it out of Makoa’s hands. He then flung the sword across the arena, nearly sending it into the screaming crowd, but the blade sunk into a wall of the arena just below the seating area.
Now, it was Kai’s turn to use the trident to knock Makoa onto his back in the sand. Kai leaped to his feet and stood over Makoa with the trident pointed directly at his throat. The crowd chanted for Makoa’s death, and Hollyn took one look at the scowl on Kai’s face and thought he might just give them what they wanted.
Wishing she could use her abilities to stop him, she whispered, “Don’t do it, Kai.” She willed Kai to spare Makoa’s life, but before she could open her mouth to shout those words, Kai slammed the three-pronged point of the trident into the ground to the side of Makoa’s head, and the whole arena shook, causing the spectators to grab onto their seats and cry out.
Kai addressed the crowd as he said, “I am Kai Iona, and though I have defeated the king, I do not claim the throne. I simply wanted to shut this asshole up. I refuse to strike him again, but let the record show that I defeated him!”
The crowd went silent for a moment before going nuts and shouting “King Kai! King Kai! King Kai!” They repeated the phrase until it echoed in the arena, and she saw the look of dismay on Kai’s face.
Beside her, Uma got to her feet and raised her hands to quiet the crowd. They all fell silent as Uma shouted, “The people have spoken! Kai is now King of Hanupali City!” The stadium erupted with shouts again with everyone cheering for King Kai. Uma raised her hands again, and a hush came over the crowd once more as she spread her hands wide and called out, “Who amongst you would be Queen? Let the competition begin!”
The crowd cheered loudly once more, but as they quieted, she bent toward Oleen and asked, “What did she mean by that last part?”
Oleen gave a shy smile as she answered, “Kai is now the King, and his first priority is to marry a Queen. All eligible women will compete for the honor, and the winner will be his wife.”
Hollyn swallowed past the lump that had just formed in her throat as Kai’s situation became clear.
Kai was the King and, as such, would have to marry whomever won . Just as she’d feared, she’d already lost him.