Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
~ Shade ~
Okay, Shade, you can do this. Just show the king you’re powerful and that he doesn’t need to skin you alive.
At that, an image of me all bloodied and broken comes to my mind, and a cold sweat breaks out on my skin.
I picture my mates finding me like that, and the world tilts.
It’s times like these that I wonder how I got here.
How did I go from reading romance books at the library to standing in front of a psychotic alien king?
“I can’t do this,” I tell Elgen and Tarlaz as I face off against King Malgur.
Once again, a crowd of Xalgrith warriors and hybrids circles the area, watching with keen interest. Professor Yevar stands near the students, his expression calm and assessing, like he has total faith that I’m not going to embarrass him today. I wish I had his confidence.
“Yes, you can, girl,” Elgen rasps.
“But look at him. He’s huge!” I say in exasperation as the king lifts his massive sword. He bares his teeth as he smiles at me, and my throat tightens.
“Haven’t you heard? It’s not always the size that counts,” Elgen replies shrewdly.
“Yeah? Well, tell that to all the men with big dick energy,” I reply, swallowing hard because it really is the largest sword I’ve ever seen. I snicker then, just thinking about how annoyed my guys would be to hear that.
“Focus, Shade,” Tarlaz chastises. “You promised Professor Knox you would survive, so that’s what you’re going to do. You don’t need to best the king. Just show him you have power. Ignite his interest in you.”
I frown. “Didn’t I already show him I have power by managing to resist his mind fuckery or whatever he tried to do to me?”
“The king doesn’t want soldiers he can’t control,” Tarlaz replies. “But he does want power. Show him you can give him that.”
I’m still not convinced I can even do this, but I let out a long breath. “Okay, fine.” Come on, Shade. It’s time to channel your inner badass. I mean, it’s not like you’re up against the massive, scarred king of the Xalgrith warriors or anything. Yep, I suck at pep talks.
Pulling myself together, I use my magic to conjure a sword. It looks puny in comparison to what the king has, but it’ll have to do.
King Malgur looks excited that I’m going to fight, but I’m surprised when he sheaths his sword. What is he doing? This guy seriously enjoys his mind games. There’s something in his eyes that has awareness prickling along my skin.
“Warriors,” King Malgur calls out to the crowd. “It seems the human has had a change of heart, and she’s willing to be our weapon against the shadows.”
Shouts and jeering erupt around us. “So, let’s see what she’s made of, shall we?”
I drop into a fighting stance, but King Malgur smiles wickedly.
He clicks his tongue. “First, you need to choose your opponent.” He gestures with his hand to the group of hybrids in the crowd.
“I had planned to test you myself, but I think this will be more fitting. Show me that you understand the sacrifices of war. Choose one of the hybrids.”
My heart lurches. No. I stare at the students from Shadowbone, their pale eyes glassy and unblinking. I don’t want to fight them.
“This is a good thing,” Tarlaz comments. “A hybrid will be easier to fight than the king.”
I know that he’s right, but it doesn’t ease the churning in my stomach.
Jensen stands amidst the group, but I don’t pick him.
For one, he’s a formidable warrior, but also, I don’t want to risk hurting him.
Most of the other students I don’t recognize, but there’s a woman with short rust-colored hair and a distinct dragon tattoo that catches my attention.
Generally, when Kenzie spoke of Leira, she talked about how amazing her brain worked, but that tattoo…
Kenzie had said Leira had one just like it on her shoulder.
“Leira?” I whisper without thinking about it.
“Ah, you’ve picked a worthy opponent,” King Malgur says, beckoning to the hybrid.
“Wait. What? No, I wasn’t picking her!” I say in a panic, but it’s too late. The girl steps into the circle, taking a position a short distance from the king.
Oh crap. Okay, this is fine. I’ll just try not to hurt her too much.
Like he can read my mind, or at least, see the panic on my face, King Malgur adds, “Warrior, kill the human. Show no mercy.”
The hybrid stiffens and replies woodenly, “Yes, Your Highness. I shall bring you her head.”
Oh, this just keeps getting better and better. I open my mouth and I’m about to protest, but the warrior cries out and attacks, and I barely get my sword up to block her in time. The blow sends me to my knees, and pain shoots down my arms as adrenaline pounds through my system.
“She shouldn’t be this strong,” I hiss to the shadows.
“Yes, I suspect messing with their minds isn’t the only thing King Malgur has done to the students,” Tarlaz replies.
I whip out my shadows, aiming for the hybrid’s legs, and she jumps back to avoid them. It’s the reprieve I need to get back on my feet, and I keep a distance, dodging her attacks. The crowd shouts at us, and I know I can’t do this for long.
The hybrid jerks, her movements unnatural, and I wonder how much King Malgur is controlling her right now.
“If only we could figure out how to free her,” I say to Elgen and Tarlaz. “There must be a way to help the students.”
“Yes, a blade to the throat would do it, I should think,” Elgen replies.
“I can’t kill her! I’m pretty sure that’s Leira, Kenzie’s friend. You and I have very different ideas on what helping someone means.” I spin, avoiding the hybrid’s blade as she attacks again. She’s fast, and I stumble, only just escaping her sword.
“Do we?” Elgen retorts. “If I were being mind controlled and had my body altered by an enemy race, and I was being used as a weapon to hunt my own kind…well, I would see death as a kindness.”
That makes me pause. I get what she’s saying. I do, but… “I refuse to believe we’re at that point,” I reply. “Not yet.” I’m hoping not ever.
“Well, you’re about to be at that point very soon, girl, because this warrior is planning on taking your head, so unless you have another idea…” Elgen replies.
I’m supposed to be only focused on my survival.
I promised Knox that I’d do whatever it takes to live, but killing Leira is a line I won’t cross.
As she comes at me again, I think about how it had felt when the king was trying to break into my mind the last time I was here.
The despair is crippling to the point you start to think you’d do anything to make it all stop.
That’s what the king did to the hybrids.
He broke them until they felt as if they had no other choice but to let him in.
That it was either pain and despair, or the bliss of nothing.
But they need to be reminded that those aren’t the only choices.
I dodge the hybrid’s next attacks, and I send out a shadow whisper.
“Okay, so I know the king asked you to kill me, but you’re a student from Shadowbone Academy. You need to remember. You’re a shadow warrior! Not a pawn of the Xalgrith. I know you’re scared but—” I duck to avoid her blade that sails above my head.
I can feel King Malgur’s eyes on me, and I know he’s growing impatient the longer this takes. Even though he asked the student to kill me, it’s obvious he wants me to end her and display my strength, and the thought of him happily sacrificing one of the hybrids makes me angry.
“King Malgur doesn’t care about you,” I whisper as I narrowly avoid another strike. “And fighting for him won’t make the pain go away. It’ll only bring more suffering. Let me help you.”
Truthfully, I’m not really sure how I can help her, but I figure this is kind of like therapy. Admitting there’s a problem is often the hardest part.
The hybrid slices a stripe across my chest, cutting into my leather outfit but not reaching my skin.
The leather flaps down, revealing a good portion of cleavage, and whistles go up around the circle.
I roll my eyes. “You know, Kenzie wouldn’t be happy to hear you’re trying to cop a view.
” I’m joking, but something flickers in the hybrid’s eyes. Recognition, maybe?
She lunges at me again, and she shoots out her shadows. The pale streams of gray are so different to the shadows I’m used to seeing in the shadow realm, and her shadows fight with mine, twisting and attacking.
“Kenzie,” I say again, and there’s that same flicker of awareness in her eyes. A tiny burst of black spreads amongst the milky white in her gaze.
“Kenzie. Kenzie. Kenzie,” I whisper the name over and over again.
“Oh look, Tarlaz, she’s having a seizure,” Elgen comments like she’s completely serious.
I ignore the shadow, because that darkness keeps spreading in Leira’s eyes, and excitement surges through me.
“You know, Kenzie, the gorgeous girl with pretty dark hair and doe eyes that really suck you in?” I go on.
“Kenzie’s waiting for you back in the shadow realm.
You just have to gain control.” Okay, so gaining control is only one step of many if we intend to make it out of here alive, but one thing at a time.
“And you’re Leira,” I continue. “According to Kenzie, you’re seriously clever, so it seems fitting that if anyone can fight King Malgur’s mind control abilities, it would be you.”
She doesn’t stop fighting, but more clarity returns to her eyes. Thankfully, so far, it doesn’t look like King Malgur has noticed.
“Do you see that?” I hiss excitedly to the shadows.
“See what, girl? Your pitiful display of sword fighting? You’d better do something soon, because it seems that King Malgur is losing his patience,” Elgen replies.
She’s not wrong. King Malgur stands with his arms crossed, and the curiosity has faded from his gaze and has been replaced with boredom.
“End her before he gets someone else to fight you,” Elgen says. “Stop holding back.”