Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Helaina clutched her arm, feeling the seeping warmth soak her fingers. The thick material of her suit did nothing to protect her. She regretted not donning a single piece of armor.
Breyer began to change, her muscled form morphing into something red and sleek and much larger, taking up damn near half the arena.
Her hands became thick claws, her skin turned to scales.
A spiked winding tail sprouted from behind, the end of which resembled the tip of an arrow.
Helaina recognized this creature of legend.
A fire drake. Breyer could change into a fire drake.
This was no sparring match.
Breyer was trying to kill her.
Helaina’s leg throbbed. She had pushed through every bit of pain. Her teeth clenched to the point of cracking every time her foot met the ground in a sprint. She was already at her limit.
“Ures, help me,” Helaina gasped, getting down on her knees to pat the grass, blindly feeling for her sword’s pommel. She wouldn’t dare take her eyes off the beast before her.
Breyer let out an ear-shattering roar as she stomped forward. Her long neck stretched so high up, her head was shrouded by night, no longer within the light of the torches. Her razor-sharp mouth opened wide, igniting a new form of light, molten embers spinning between those jaws.
The crowds of soldiers behind Helaina fled, leaving her alone before the beast.
She didn’t run. She doubted she would get very far.
Breathe. Just breathe. Focus.
The chilled air abruptly shifted. Heat dripped from the creature, threatening an onslaught of fire to consume her.
Focus.
Helaina held her blood-soaked hand above her face, searching deep for that burn in her chest, just like Theodon had said to do.
Breyer released crackling fatal heat from within, aiming for Helaina.
The shadows answered her call, wrapping around her.
The flames surged at her sides. The shadows held strong, protecting their master.
At first, Helaina was relieved, but the attack didn’t stop, the temperature getting worse.
She was going to boil alive in her shield of shadows.
Helaina screamed as the sweat evaporated from her skin.
The fire drake stomped the ground, continuing to propel its molten death from above.
Helaina’s shadows began to falter. Trickles of flame shot through tiny spouts, like a watering can sprinkling a garden.
She was finished. As her shadows faded around her, she braced for death.
But death didn’t come.
Somehow, she was still breathing. A greater force had strengthened her wavering shield.
She let one eye narrowly open. Through the scorching winds, she could barely make out the body in front of her.
Theodon, he was blocking the blow.
He was so close she could reach out and touch his boots.
He kept his arms raised toward the assault of fire.
Not a single flame touched him. It soared around him, parting to either side, his body creating the divide.
Still, the terrible burning winds stole the air from Helaina’s lungs. She couldn’t tolerate this much longer.
Through squinted eyes she watched Theodon advance, pushing back the fire with every step.
The blast retreated, simmering into smaller flares.
He clenched both of his fists, and the fire drake’s mouth clamped shut in unison, extinguishing the flame completely.
Breyer struggled and clawed at her own snout, shaking her head frantically.
Her scaled form shrank, and her womanly figure reappeared.
Fee ran to meet her, inspecting her mate as the smell of smoke and ash flooded the valley. She placed her delicate hands on Breyer’s spiked pauldrons, throwing the armored pieces to the side. Breyer seemed taken aback, deeply disturbed by the interference and who had caused it.
When Fee looked at Helaina, there was no animosity in her gaze. Helaina could have sworn she saw a glimmer of respect there. “I would consider the matter settled, Captain. Breyer is the victor,” Fee declared.
Helaina’s breaths grew ragged through the unrelenting pain. “She cheated.”
Theodon turned to look down at her. “There is no cheating. There is no fair here. There are those who get to live and walk away, and those who fertilize the grass with their corpses. You better decide soon which one you want to be, before someone decides it for you.”
Helaina was fuming.
“If you insist on being technical about it, you’re the cheater. It was supposed to be one-on-one combat. I intervened.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
He picked her up off the ground, hoisting her within inches of his chest. “There you go again, avoiding a simple thank-you. Would you have preferred I let you roast alive?”
She glared up at him. “I tried, I used my powers. I did what you said.”
“You did,” he admitted. “It was . . . impressive. Where did you learn to wield a sword?”
“My brother.” She hoped he wouldn’t ask further.
“I see . . .” His eyes danced from her to the surrounding crowd. “Despite your efforts, Fee is right, you lost. You’re in for a long night.”
Her jaw twitched. “What do you mean? I did exactly what you asked me to.”
“Here, if you lose in the arena, you take night watch duty in one of the towers.”
Her jaw dropped. “Night watch? Now?” Her energy had been completely depleted. She wanted a bed.
She heard snickering all around as the crowd disassembled and funneled back underground. Breyer gave her one last look, which didn’t seem as furious and bloodthirsty.
“Maybe a night in the south tower will motivate you to win next time.”
A few lit torches marked the beginnings of a bridge a couple of miles away from the training valley. She could hear the swinging of knotted ropes on wood as the structure rocked in the breeze. Firelight beamed on the other side of the deep canyon, indicating the end of the hanging walkway.
“You have a lot to learn, but you fought well back there.”
“Is that your version of a compliment?”
Theodon ignored her. “You need more endurance, more strength. That’s for certain.”
“Then get a better watchman.” She scowled. She just wanted to sleep. He was right, though. She had been strong once, especially during the long months when Adriel had trained her. She wanted that strength back.
“I have better watchmen. They are up there waiting for you to join them.”
She looked past the bridge to the other side of the canyon. There in the darkness was a single stone tower stretching up toward the sky.
“You will report for training every morning after tonight. That includes tomorrow. Whether you’re sore or not, whether you’re tired or not, you will show up and learn to fight like one of us.”
“I can fight fine.”
“No, you can survive. Defending yourself is only half the battle. You need to learn to attack, anticipate weaknesses and use them against an opponent. Most importantly, you need to practice using those damned shadows. I can feel your panic every time you let them out.”
She tried to calm her anger with a deep exhale.
He gestured toward the bridge, signaling her to go.
She looked at the structure swinging back and forth, and then to the vast emptiness below. Her eyes came back to Theodon. She gulped down the knot in her throat.
“Is it safe?”
“Nothing is safe out here.”
A fair statement.
She walked forward cautiously, fully aware of his eyes on her backside. She gripped the ropes, lightly shuffling board to board until she made it across.
She waited for her heartbeat to steady, placing her hand on her pounding chest. Then she realized that hand felt weightless. Her fingers traveled to her wrist, finding it empty.
“Oh no.”
She turned back. Theodon was gone, and so was her bracelet.