Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
BIANCA
‘ C rown pet’ is written all over my locker. There are also mocking and disgusting figures painted across the metal. The irony of the insult doesn’t go over my head. I’m so angry I forget to breathe. My vision goes blurry on the edges, and my breath comes out in shallow gasps.
My clothing is all shredded, like someone went manic with scissors. The tactical training gear is nearly gone, except for a few items that are also damaged. None of that is what makes me see red. Nope, not at all. It’s the cut-up old shirt and pants. The ones I had in my possession when I arrived at this castle. The one decent pair I bought with my money.
Bullies only go as far as you permit. They exploit the vulnerable but retreat when they see you're no longer an easy mark. I've tolerated this for too long. Wanting to keep the peace and my head down has cost me this. I am the only one to blame, and that ends today.
For all I know, this happened days ago. Since I haven’t been back here, I have no way to know. The reason for my attendance slips away as I storm out. I spot Dora casually leaning against a post, serving a very bored Jesse with a flirtatious smile. He’s always here, either practicing or watching from the sidelines. At times, he stands with his brother or other guards, but other times, he’s alone. Like every other time in the training circles, I ignore his presence.
“You fucking bitch!” I close the distance between us.
I know it was her. If it wasn’t for the bullshit she threw my way the first week, her stupid handwriting would have given her away. Many heads turn in my direction, but I pay them no attention. It’s not until I’m feet away from her she realizes I am yelling at her. Her devious smirk at my outburst is all the confirmation I need. She likes to see me riled up. Well, she won’t feel the same soon enough.
“Now, you’ve done it,” I say.
I picture Dora as the object of my focus. I mentally close in on her like nothing else around exists. She is the cup across the library table. I say a spell under my breath that allows me to bend air. I redirect a gust of it directly to her with all my might.
I don’t give her time to block as I send her flying backward. Oh, Santiago will be so proud when he hears about this. He’s taught me a lot this week, and I’m about to test his hard work.
The bitch catches her body in mid-air and lowers herself slowly while still sporting a smirk. I vow to see it gone today. Unsheathing two long blades from her hidden pockets, she flexes her hands on the hilts before fixing her eyes on me. She’s not wearing training gear; it's her castle guard uniform.
“Ladies.” Jesse steps forward with his hands up.
I use the same spell to shove him back enough to give me a direct path to Dora. I noticed how much easier it was the second time. Only having three small daggers doesn’t bother me. I plan on stealing hers. I toss two daggers back-to-back. She blocks the first two, expecting every move. But she either doesn’t expect the third or isn’t fast enough. It embeds itself deep into her left arm, leaving her partly incapacitated. I see her wince in pain before she can mask it and raise her hand. The wind picks up. Before I know it, she creates a cloud of dirt that blends the air all around us, creating a dust ball.
Everyone’s eyes must be on us by now. Sparring sessions and training lessons are never this chaotic. I’m not concerned about anyone stopping us. Students can challenge each other, and the moment she unsheathed her blades, she accepted my challenge. Now, I need to make sure I win. It’s rare that cadets kill each other in the training circles over challenges, but it has happened.
The dust ball becomes bigger and thicker in seconds. There’s no chance she can see any better than me, and that thought alone keeps me from losing my shit. My strength doesn’t lie in mixing magic in battle. Hand-to-hand combat is my strength, so I need to close the distance between us if I want any chance of winning.
I turn to my side and see Jesse watching the entire exchange with ease. Unlike me, he isn’t shading his eyes from the dust. The dust moves around his face. A spell mentioned during my study sessions comes to mind.
“Good one.” I hurriedly mimic the spell he is using.
I get it right on the second try, reminding me how green I am. As soon as the spell is up, I find a furious Dora charging at me. Both blades are in the air, aiming for my shoulders.
I act instinctively, moving to the side at the last minute, using her momentum forward to trip her legs. One of her blades slides across my forearm, but I push through the pain. She drops both blades on the floor on her way down, but quickly gets up and faces me.
Blow after blow, we go back and forth. The dust ball dissipates as she focuses all her attention on deflecting hits or attacking. Dora isn’t bad. We’re similar in height, and her training is not lacking. I can’t use the same techniques and tricks I did for men twice my size.
I begin to tire, and for the first time, I fear I might not win this. A blade lands nearby before I can think of something that will give me an advantage. Dora doesn’t hesitate to pick it up. I recognize the color and shape belonging to a classmate in Alejandra’s team.
Technically, no one said anything while throwing the blade, but I am not inclined to believe it was meant for me. They’re helping her, and no one is going to help me. I think of the one boy who would have always come to my rescue, lying unmoving on a bed. He depends on me. I can’t let him down.
I straddle Dora on the floor while she leans to grab the blade off the ground. I press both my hands on hers. They are above her head, and now the blade is facing up, aiming straight for my head. She isn’t planning on making me submit and lose the challenge. She is aiming to kill, and I can’t begin to understand what would make a person hate someone this much.
I try very hard to not utilize some of my cheap street shots, but all bets are off when my life is on the line. I aim my forehead at her nose and crack it down. The bone breaks in one swift movement and the blood that flows after is all the confirmation I need. The angle her nose remains in is also all kinds of fucked up. I have a hard head.
Instinctively, Dora lets go of the knife and covers her nose. She curses me all the way to Sunday, but the blood flooding down her face and hands muffles her words. Despite being distracted and in pain, she is not ready to submit. I see it in her simmering eyes.
I grab the blade, now deserted on the ground, and toss it far enough away before I flipping her over and bending her leg at an angle. Like the man before, she doesn’t expect the move, and once she catches on, it’s too late.
The three taps on the floor come predictably soon after. I let her go and step aside. I don’t help her up or attempt to do fake pleasantries. Losing to me isn’t punishment enough for what she did.
I’m angry and dazed as I walk away. Cuts and bruises cover my face and body. I want to get back to the locker room and clean up. I know I’m walking in the wrong direction when I see Jesse on my path. He was standing on the other side of the circle when it all began.
What gives me pause is his expression. He’s warning me. No, urging me to turn around, but I can sense it’s too late.
I can feel the blade coming toward the back of my head. Call it a sixth sense. I know it to my bones, like I know a crowd is watching, the sun is up in the sky, and my lungs need air to work. It’s a deep, unavoidable knowledge that needs no reassurance.
I stop walking and wait for the unavoidable moment; it will embed its sharp edge into my skull and kill me, but the moment doesn’t come when I know it should.
I slowly turn around. My intuition is right about almost everything. The blade is there, hovering inches from my head. Floating mid-air but not holding itself in the air; instead, it’s being held. Dora’s expression of shock and disbelief tells me she doesn’t know why. I don’t have time to guess when a figure speaks from the crowd.
“Our court of honor should go above all, including petty disputes amongst yourselves.”
The statement comes with movement as the crowd parts, and no other but Brandon Oscuro walks into the circle.
“She, she, she started it.” Dora’s lips are already trembling at the sight of the crown prince .
“Ms. Blanco initiated a challenge that was accepted and returned. Her actions completely align with the rules of the training circles. The rules do not allow the throw of a blade at the back of a retrieving cadet.”
“I’m sorry.” Her words shake with every syllable. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. It will never happen again.”
“There is no room for dishonesty in my ranks.”
The blade drops to the floor. The clanking noise of it hitting the ground is the last thing we all hear before Dora’s eyes turn black. She begins to sob and scream, louder and louder. Harsh jolts shove her body from side to side until she finally drops. I take in every excruciating second. Black smoke begins to slip out of her nose, mouth, and eyes before her body thrashes on the floor one final time, leaving her unmoving and dead. My eyes don’t leave Dora, even after her eyes drain of light.
Brandon turns back to the crowd. “Let this be a lesson, not a warning. Those do not exist on the training grounds.”
The crowd scatters off like they can’t get away fast enough. That’s when I realize it. He was never talking to her. His words were always to those watching. While she pleaded and tried to reason for her life, her fate had already been sealed.
Brandon walks off, just like that, without a single word to me. I remain standing with what remains of Dora staring into space.
Jesse approaches me slowly. His hand tentatively lands on my shoulder. The gesture of comfort snaps me from my frozen state. My lungs don't seem to fill enough for me to catch my breath. My feet urge me to outrun this feeling. Before I know it, I head in the same direction the crown prince departed.
I follow after him deep into the forest. The road is uphill for a few minutes. I lose my anger and energy with every step until I huff and puff just to keep up. Unlike me, he continues to walk peacefully—or at least that’s what it looks like. I don’t say anything when he finally stops and turns to face me. I have nothing in me but questions, yet no words to phrase them.
“I know you wouldn’t have done it.”
Like he somehow knows what I am capable of. The definite rise of his chin tells me he’s ready for me to argue with him. Should I? He’s calling me weak. Is it weak to not desire to be capable of such a heinous act?
“You know nothing about me.” My fists are tightly clenched at my sides.
I let the clouds in my mind take over. The voice that speaks is not mine anymore. I give in to the red steam inside my chest. Brandon might not deserve it, but he’s my current target. A deep subconscious part of me targets him because I know he can take it. I’m tired, in pain, and sick of having to prove myself. Pent up anger inside feels like it is going to consume me if I don’t let it out.
“I know what you are made of, Bianca Blanco, and it’s tougher stuff than this.”
I see understanding in his eyes, and the look doesn’t soothe me. Goosebumps break out over my skin. He sees too much, and he is so sure about what he sees. For a second, my brain pauses, and I wish I could see it too. The steam inside my core cools down to a numb feeling.
His hands cup my cheeks, and I raise my face to meet his eyes.
“You didn’t use your gift once. You could have activated your gift and slit her throat as easily as you could breathe. Yet, you chose instead to beat her on her own turf.”
“They need to know I am not easy prey.”
I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince him or myself. Is that what I was really doing?
“You need to understand that there is no beating people at their own games. The rules will change when they realize the odds are no longer in their favor. Stop trying to win over opinions you have no business caring about, anyway. It’s pathetic.”
With those parting words, he steps away, and I lose him to the shadows of the forest.
I stand there alone until the sun sets. Thankfully, no one comes to find me. It feels peaceful and is a well-needed break from everyone until the shadows of the night darken my path. Finding my way to the castle becomes difficult, but I manage.
I cleaned up on the training grounds, simply so I wouldn’t walk across the castle covered in dirt and blood. Not because I’m delaying facing Brandon. At least, that is what I tell myself as I watch the dirt flow down the drain.
I replay every event of the day over and over again. I think about each decision I made and how it led to the ultimate moment that took Dora’s life. Regardless of how many times I tell myself that her throwing that blade to my head is the only reason she’s dead, I can’t help but rethink my actions.
When I enter the castle, I head straight for my bedroom. I see a tray with dirty dishes outside the shared space doors. The food looks to be cleared out. A trail of laughter comes from inside, making me feel uneasy. My hand rests on the door handle for a couple of deep breaths before I finally turn it.
Brandon is in the sitting area with Lexi Blue, and Isabel. Besides a small wave from Isabel and a nod from Brandon, I don’t get any other acknowledgment as I enter the room. I feel uncomfortable as I join them, causing my eyes to trail to my closed door, wondering if I should excuse myself and deal with this tomorrow. The need to ask him about our upcoming departure keeps me glued to my seat. I know the day is near, but I haven’t received updates and I never got to do whatever performance Brandon had in mind for me today.
They are talking animatedly, and it’s almost like I am intruding on their moment. Brandon asks Lexi Blue for a spell, and within seconds, she recites a list of information, then Isabel claps with praise. This goes on for a while, and I begin to yawn.
“Are you tired?” Isabel looks at the time and then at her sister. “We need to get ready for bed soon. I’ll start the bath.”
Lexi turns to Brandon, but he just shrugs. “We have time for a few more.”
I’m growing impatient. I wait for a few more minutes, but as soon as Lexi stops talking, Brandon asks her yet another question, and off she goes again.
“For what purpose would you possibly need that information?” I roll my eyes, exasperated.
I don’t want to sit here and continue to listen. If I knew this would be the case, I would have gone straight to bed.
Brandon looks at me with a stern frown. Lexi Blue is staring at him, waiting for an answer. He gives her a soft smile and sends her off to join Isabel.
“We will continue tomorrow,” he says to her. “I have to talk to Bianca.”
Lexi nods and heads to her room. The door-clicking shut echoes in the silent space. I clear my throat, ready to talk, when Brandon’s glare stops me.
“You might not like my rules or the way I do things. You might have your own way of treating your friends, I do not care. But what you will not do is ever make mine feel useless.”
I’m taken aback by the fury in his eyes. His defensive posture and tone dawned on me.
“You do it to give her purpose?”
“Lexi is valuable. Just because you don’t see it does not mean it is not there. You are simply blind.”
I try to open my mouth to defend myself and explain that is not what I meant. The day’s events are weighing heavy on me. My mouth remains sealed shut despite how much I want to apologize and say I didn’t mean it.
He starts talking again before any of those words can fall from my lips. “I suggest you go to bed and get some rest, Ms. Blanco. Today’s events changed our plans. I’m satisfied with your abilities and deem you ready for your assignment.” His eyes narrow, and I shrink in my seat. “Let me remind you that you have a part of the deal to uphold. Do not disappoint me. I don’t want to be forced to rethink our agreement. For your friend’s sake, if nothing else.”
I don’t address him as I take my leave. Not a single noise leaves my lips as tears fall down my cheeks. Once I bury my face deep in my pillow, I let the loneliness swallow me whole. Silent sobs paint my night, but not a single soul will ever hear them. I allow myself to cry tonight and vow to rise anew tomorrow.