Chapter Eleven – Scarlett
Chapter Eleven
Scarlett
‘The blade is poisoned. All it will take is one cut–’
‘You want me to cheat?’ I asked idly, twirling the dagger in my palm.
‘It will ensure your victory,’ Avril replied. ‘I doubt Zandri could have anticipated you challenging a Warrior to a duel, but had she known, this is the sort of strategy she would employ.’
‘No poison,’ I told her. ‘I might not have the enhanced strength and speed of the court Warriors, but I can win this fight.’
Avril frowned, but said nothing. The other Masks – all female, all fiercely loyal to my mother, and all tasked with protecting me – shifted uneasily behind her.
Their lives hung in the balance too. My mother’s reputation for ruthlessness was well earned, and if I died, she would make sure these women suffered for it.
But I wasn’t going to die. I was going to win .
Across the pavilion, Aric was pacing. He had pledged to protect me, and I knew how seriously he took that vow. It must be tearing him up that he couldn’t help me now. But he would have felt far worse had he known how my decision impacted Lillian.
‘I’m surprised you haven’t tried to talk me out of this,’ I murmured, approaching her. She stood apart from the others, and though the sun was bright in the sky, she had somehow managed to blend into the shadows.
‘Would it make any difference?’ she asked, softening the question with a faint smile.
Her compassion surprised me. It seemed strange that anything kind could be left after everything Lillian had experienced: her death, her resurrection, Mira’s apparent betrayal. But Lillian’s compassion was part of her personality, and she clung onto it with everything she had.
I still hadn’t decided whether that was a weakness or a strength.
‘You know what this means, don’t you? If I die, my magic will no longer be able to sustain your life. You’ll . . .’
‘Die all over again,’ Lillian finished, that soft smile still on her lips. ‘I know I’m living on borrowed time, Scarlett. Aric doesn’t believe that – he doesn’t want to believe it – but I’ve never allowed hope to blind me. Whatever happens, I’m thankful for the additional months you’ve given me.’
A foreign emotion twisted my stomach. I hadn’t saved Lillian out of kindness.
I hadn’t even done it out of affection for Aric, though that was what she believed.
I had done it because I’d wanted to take something away from Mira, because I had wanted to test the limits of my abilities, and because I had wanted to use Lillian for my own ends.
‘Let’s hope for years,’ I replied, and the gratitude in Lillian’s face made my throat tighten.
I returned to the main table, where the others had gathered to discuss strategy. Aric had taken his place at its head, embracing his role as my senior general.
‘Cade’s strength is impressive,’ Aric was saying. ‘I warned Scarlett that he has a reputation.’
Avril lowered her voice. ‘Without a poisoned blade, how will Scarlett fare? Is victory even possible?’
‘Not unless we find a way of evening the playing field. We could–’
‘No,’ I said, stepping into view. Aric and Avril started guiltily – they didn’t know about my power of illusion, and they were clearly wondering how they could have missed my presence.
‘I appreciate your concern. I do. But if I’m going to win the respect of my army, I need to succeed on my own merits. ’
Aric moved away from the table. ‘Scarlett,’ he said, low and intimate, ‘you don’t have to do this. Let me fight as your champion. You’re in this situation because you appointed me as your general. I’m the one who should be proving myself.’
‘I won’t allow anyone to fight my battles for me, Aric. Not even you.’
Aric clearly didn’t like it, but he nodded.
Wordlessly, he checked me over. I knew I looked good in the black fighting ensemble, which had been tailored especially for me.
But if Aric noticed, he didn’t let on. His touch was careful and professional as he tightened the straps holding my dagger and sword, the only two weapons I was allowed.
When he finished, his eyes met mine. But I already knew there would be no drawn-out goodbyes, no emotional declarations. Sharing last night together had been enough.
‘Don’t die,’ Aric told me with a brief smile. ‘Your Majesty.’
It was the first time he had said those words to me. The first time anyone had, and they filled me with a potent mixture of conviction and determination.
Empress , I told myself as I strode from the pavilion. I am their future empress.
And they will see me victorious .
I was disappointed when I saw my arena. It was nothing like the one in Ravalia, surrounded by towering stands and steeped in centuries of tradition. Instead, it was a large patch of red sand, encircled by officers and Warriors.
I half expected them to cheer as I walked through their ranks, but there was only silence. Watchfulness.
This will still need to be a show , I reminded myself. There were too many eyes on me for it to be anything else.
The last few onlookers parted, and I saw that Cade was already in position on the other side of the circle. Behind him were the officers and Warriors who supported him – including Officer Langton, who seemed to have chosen a side. The wrong one.
My people arranged themselves at the front of the crowd: Aric and a handful of loyal officers, Avril and her Masks. Lillian and my attendants were still inside the pavilion. The placement made sense, but Lillian’s distance distracted me in a way I hadn’t anticipated.
I strode to meet Cade, who was dressed in the black of court Warriors, though he was bare-chested. The gold armbands on his muscled arms were a chilling reminder of his status as a senior Warrior – and I had no idea what additional magical abilities my mother might have granted him.
But I had formidable abilities of my own.
‘Princess.’ Cade grinned at me, displaying teeth filed to sharp points.
‘Cade.’ I kept my voice cool, as if this challenge didn’t bother me. ‘May your blood be spilled with honour.’
He echoed the words, though they held a sarcastic edge.
And we began to circle.
I wasn’t sure exactly what I had expected – some sort of mad charge, probably – but Cade engaged me like a swordsman rather than relying on brute strength. Somehow that was more unnerving: his graceful, elegantly honed skill.
Parry, block, feint. My movements were instinctual, a result of years of practice.
Fighting wasn’t so different to Court politics, really.
My eyes remained on Cade, searching for a weakness I could exploit.
He was doing the same, but I could feel something shifting.
His strikes became faster and more fluid, the strength behind his blows increasing.
Never retreat , the captain of the guard had told me during my training sessions. Never give up momentum.
Easier said than done , I thought as I narrowly blocked Cade’s next swing, the force behind it making me stagger backwards. Before I could regain my composure, he stabbed at my ribs with his dagger.
I’d forgotten to watch both his weapons. Though I twisted out of the way, it sliced through my clothes and into my stomach. Was it deep? I resisted the urge to check, knowing that was what Cade was hoping for.
Hurling myself out of the way of his next strike, I rolled across the hot sand and rose onto one knee. Hunger burned in Cade’s eyes as he watched me, but he seemed content to wait for me to rise.
‘You’re not bad,’ he acknowledged, stalking closer. ‘But it was foolish of you to challenge me. Foolish, and arrogant.’ Cade tossed his dagger into the air and caught it. ‘Roran always said your arrogance would be your downfall.’
‘Roran’s one to talk,’ I snapped, rising to my feet and lunging. Cade – overconfident and still playing with the blade in his hand – avoided my sword but not my dagger. I smiled as it sank into an unprotected section of his armour, biting into flesh.
The instant blood welled, Cade grew taller and larger. And his eyes–
No longer brown, but blood-red. The colour of rage. Of murder .
I backed away from the mountainous man in front of me, heedless of my pride or the watching audience. But though my eyes were on Cade, I wasn’t focusing on him. My attention was on the carrion birds nearby, feasting on the bodies in no-man’s-land–
Cade’s sword flashed in the sun, and I moved to meet it with my own – a terrible decision. Locked body-to-body like this, I couldn’t compete with his unnatural strength. His muscles bulged as he forced me back, my sword dropping inch by inch.
But already, I could feel the death in my veins surging. The silver of my blade darkened as my magic moved through it–
Too late.
My sword went flying as Cade broke through my defences, sending my death magic surging back into me. I gasped at the sensation – like being immersed in an icy bath.
Cade’s sword descended, but before he could complete the killing strike, a swarm of skeletal birds speared towards him.
I raced for my sword as Cade’s frustrated grunts rang out behind me. But when I turned, weapon in hand, it was to see Cade wielding his sword in a vicious arc, leaving black blood and grey feathers in his wake.
Then he was bearing down on me, bloodlust in his eyes. I blocked his first vicious thrust and dodged the second, slamming the hilt of my sword against his collarbone.
Cade didn’t react. Didn’t even blink. Then he jabbed his elbow into my bleeding stomach.
I instinctively hunched over – just for a second, but a second was all Cade needed. He kicked me to the ground in a plume of red sand.
Vaguely, I could hear Avril screaming my name, Aric shouting something I couldn’t make out, and the audience roaring, their respectful silence dispelled. I wondered dizzily whether they were excited to watch me bleed, or whether some of the spectators remained loyal to their princess.
Cade thrust his sword forward, preparing to run me through, when he paused. My illusion was desperate and clumsy, but he dropped his weapon in shock, seeing a striking viper wrapped around the blade. Jeers rang out from the audience, who saw no logical explanation for his actions.
Before he could regain the upper hand, I slashed at him with my dagger and then whirled to the side, using my illusions to confuse him. He swung at me, but I was never exactly where he thought I was, and I managed to dodge his blows.
‘Fight fair,’ he growled.
I didn’t reply, relying on every scrap of focus to plan and maintain my illusions. My stomach was burning, and my right arm felt like it was on fire, but I had learnt to fight almost as well with my left.
And I was fast.
I danced around Cade, landing a few lucky cuts to his side. As my confidence increased, the slices became deeper, sending him into a snarling rage.
But right when I was relying on my illusions to shield me, he hurled his dagger.
It careened through the air and sliced into my shoulder, making me stumble.
Cade advanced on me, his face contorted, and I knew that my illusion had faltered.
He no longer had a weapon, but his fury was enough.
He would rip me limb from limb if that was what it took.
I lunged in the direction of my fallen sword, trying to summon another illusion, even though it was useless. My concentration was in tatters.
Cade’s fist connected with my face, knocking me off my feet. In a daze, I went to roll out of the way, but he anticipated it, his meaty hands fastening around my neck.
Touching my skin –
I grinned.
My death magic responded instantly, black veins spidering underneath his skin. Infecting him.
Air flooded into my lungs as Cade released me, tearing his dagger from my shoulder.
I gritted my teeth against the pain, watching intently as Cade staggered back, seeming smaller and weaker than he had a few seconds before.
Whatever abilities my mother had granted him would be useless soon, my death magic sapping his strength and reflexes.
With the circling carrion birds still providing a distraction, I wiped any trace of my death magic from view. In place of black veins, I visualised red slashes on his arms – cuts inflicted by my own hand.
Cade’s yells were balm to my ears as I reached for my dagger.
He didn’t notice. His blade was angled over his chest, as if he might try to cut the veins out of his body.
As Cade debated, I drew up behind him.
Blood sprayed as I sliced my dagger across his throat.
The last of the carrion birds flew off, squawking their displeasure, and as they cleared, so did my view of the onlookers.
For a second we were all united watching Cade, his face white with shock as he raised a hand to his throat. It came away slick with red, and more blood bubbled out of the side of his mouth as he gurgled something unintelligible.
I could have left him to topple forward. But this was supposed to be a show.
My booted foot slammed into his back, knocking the muscled Warrior into the sand. He didn’t rise again.
Forcing down the pain and exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm me, I retrieved my sword. With my blood still dripping steadily to the sand, I stood tall, envisioning myself as one of those fierce ancient rulers from the icy North. Staring down at my people and daring them to challenge me.
I raised my sword in victory.
My army cheered for me, their princess who had beaten the odds and survived. There was nothing a crowd loved more than being surprised, and what a surprise I had given them.
‘I will win this war,’ I vowed when their cheers had finally died down. ‘But to do that, I need your obedience. Do I have it?’
And while I might not have been my father or brothers, the Warriors around me dropped to their knees.
One by one, they bowed to me, as deeply as if Emperor Kalias himself was standing before them.