I attempted to cast myself free and one of the mages slammed me against the cold marble floor. I bit the man's hand and screamed as loudly as I could.
There was a shuffle of footsteps from down the hall, and then the mage who I had bitten went flying into the wall in front of me.
"Let her go!"
"Get out of here lowborn, or I will imprison you for interfering with a prince!"
"You can't do thi-"
There was the sound of a scuffle and then I heard someone slam down on the ground beside me. Twisting in my captors grip I saw Ian facedown beside me – there was a large welt on his forehead. Three additional knights and the mage from before were holding him down.
"Blayne! What in the name of the gods is going on in here?" Darren's irritated voice came from around the corner. It suddenly cracked as he registered the scene before him. Ian and I held down and restrained by seven of the King's Regiment while his brother stood idly by, brushing blood off his knuckles.
"Ryiah?" Darren faltered. His eyes were livid as he turned on Blayne. "What is the meaning of this? Let them go at once!"
"Stay out of this, brother. That red-headed one tried to attack me and the boy was no better-"
"I don't care what she did!" Darren yelled. "Let her go! Let both of them go now!"
"This is none of your concern."
"LET THEM GO NOW OR I SWEAR BY THE GODS-"
Blayne made a face and with the wave of his hand the guards were called off. "I was doing you a favor, Darren. They should be imprisoned for defying me."
"You think the Council will see it that way if you imprison two of their future mages over a petty disagreement?"
"The Council does not control me."
The two continued their heated argument as Ian and I attempted to stand. The marble below me was slick with blood – from Ian or me, I wasn't too sure. I pulled myself to my knees and started to slide. Ian reached out and caught me.
"Thanks," I whispered, staring up at his split lip and the bruise that was already forming across his right eye.
The third-year brushed back a strand of my hair that was stuck to some blood on my face. His green eyes were filled with concern as he gently lifted my chin, checking for injury.
"Well, brother dear, it appears I was wrong after all." Blayne's cold voice cut through the air like a knife. I immediately jumped and Ian steadied me.
"Look at them."
Darren's eyes shot to Ian and I. He froze as he took in Ian's arms around my waist, but his expression quickly shifted to indifference as he faced his brother again. "I am done with your mind games, Blayne. Let them be."
The crown prince just laughed loudly. He continued to cackle as he strolled out of the hall, a malicious smile on his lips.
For a moment there was only silence. Then:
"Thanks for stopping your brother, Darren," Ian told the non-heir gravely. "All this time I spent wondering what kind of man you were… I feel silly for questioning you now."
"There is no need to thank me." Darren's tone was oddly vacant. My head shot up and I stared at the prince. His eyes were fathomless. For a moment I was sure I saw pain, but it was gone so fast I was sure I'd imagined it.
Ian released me and held his hand out to Darren. "I meant what I said: I am truly grateful. I don't know what I would have done if Blayne had hurt Ryiah here."
Darren's gaze never waivered from my face. "Anything I can do to help."
CHAPTER EIGHT
"Does anyone have a problem with their role in the strategy I just outlined?"
I glanced around the field to see if anyone did, but, as I suspected, not one person - even Jayson or Tyra, minded. Darren had proven himself last year in Ishir. There had been no other nominations for a leader in the day's mock battle.
"Good. Now… we have one hour left. That should be enough time for everyone to get to their appropriate station along the bluff outlooks. You already have your teams. I expect you to gather as much loose boulder as possible during your off time until one of the others gives the signal fire. When they do, leave your station immediately and come to their aid at once. We will need all the manpower and castings we have to sink the mentee's barge… I don't expect us to lose – we have the advantage, we are mentors after all - but…" The prince's eyes rested on mine, for just a moment, before flitting to the rest of our circle. "But I don't want us to be taken for fools either."
"Is it just me or does the prince seem extra irritable this morning?" My twin followed me off the docks with a shy fifth-year Alchemy apprentice named Barrett trailing silently behind. The three of us were partners for today's mock battle.
"I wouldn't know." Darren and I had barely spoken in months, and every time we had he'd been unusually curt.
"I thought you two were friends."
"We… I think his brother said something to him."
"Blayne?" My brother's tone was full of unadulterated hatred. Ella had finally disclosed to him why she had left court with her parents so many years before. "Why would he involve himself in something that regards you?"