Time to dance.
They sang as I slashed through the air, aiming for her face. I revelled in her surprised expression, but she moved just in time before my claws caught her.
Adrenaline burst within me, filling every muscle with fire.
I almost fell when her leg connected with my shin, but I caught myself in time to slam my forehead against hers. She stumbled back, her hand pressed to her nose. Blood oozed between her cupped fingers, droplets escaping and falling to the floor.
The crowd’s sounds changed with each move. Their shouts mutating from ohhs and ahhs to screams and shouts. Hearing their joy over seeing blood sickened me.
I heard Hadrian over them all.
Illera straightened and dropped her hand, revealing her nose and bloodied mouth. She ran her tongue across her teeth, making a wet smacking sound. “Want to see my claws?”
My body chilled.
She wouldn’t dare.
I moved quicker, aiming for her arms, legs and face. Anything to stop her. She smiled and dodged my advances, one after the other. I knew what she was thinking, what she hinted at. I couldn’t let her shift.
I swiped again, catching her with my claw. I retracted, then pain exploded on my side. I looked down to see an open gash and Illera yanking her dagger back. She’d stabbed me.
It was ice cold and burning hot all at the same time. I was transfixed by the gushing blood and Illera took full advantage. One moment I was looking in shock, the next I was screaming as Illera jammed two fingers into the cut.
Pain raced up my left side and my vision faltered. I crumpled, wanting to get away from her. I pressed a hand to my side and rolled, dodging a foot as she kicked out.
I was blind with panic.
My magick stirred.
A fist connected with my face.
A foot smashed into my leg.
I screamed.
She stabbed at me again. I slapped my metal coated palms onto either side of the blade and with all my strength, I twisted. The dagger fell from her grasp and I threw it behind me. I didn’t know where it landed, but I heard a gasped scream of someone in the crowd followed by the dull thud of the dagger. I didn’t care.
Illera’s face twisted in rage and she pounced forward. She went for my throat, both hands reaching out. I swung a fist into her throat and she stumbled back.
I lifted my foot again and aimed for her chest, but she grabbed it and turned with it in her grasp. We both went down to the floor. The back of my head smacked into stone, sending a spark down my spine.
She lay on her stomach, my leg beneath her and she sank her teeth into my exposed ankle.
“BITCH!” I screamed.
In blind rage, I dug my claws into her back until the tips had disappeared beneath her clothing, into her warm flesh.
She roared. But it was not a normal sound, her beast was waking.
She let go of my leg and I pulled it from under her. Scrambling backwards against the floor.
I turned to find Hadrian, hoping someone would call off the duel and announce me victorious. Then, I smelled the shift.
Within seconds Illera was no longer behind me. The lion was bigger than I remembered it to be. It wasted no time to pounce.
I opened my mouth and froze. Illera placed a paw on my shoulder and held me down.
She opened her jaws, strings of spit connecting each pointed tooth. This was it.
A loud horn blew. I opened my eyes and saw Illera looking in the direction of the sound. Hadrian was shouting, running through the wall of guards, his sword drawn and pointed at her.
“Get off!” His scream matched the purr that vibrated in Illera’s throat. He stood his ground, pressing the tip of his sword onto her muzzle. “NOW!”
“Stand down, Hadrian.” King Dalior’s voice burned with anger. Even Hadrian faltered at the rage that oozed from him. I rolled my head to see King Dalior walk through the crowd, the Commander following behind.
“It is an unfair match, you cannot allow duel between a lion and a simple elfin.”
“I can allow whatever I deem fit; I am your King! This is not over, not until I say it is.”
“But—”
“You have spoiled this event for your own selfish emotions. Stand down.”
Hadrian dropped the sword from Illera and stepped back. “I request a break.”
King Dalior kept Hadrian’s gaze, cocking his head to one side. “Is that so?”
“Allow Zacriah a moment to prepare, please. Father, please!”
King Dalior recoiled at the word.
“Fine. Both competitors have until the horn blows to compose themselves. Believe me, if you interrupt the duel again you will be removed from the room, Prince or not.”
King Dalior turned and walked back through the wall of guards. I didn’t notice how silent the room was until he left from view.
I fell into a fit of coughs when Illera removed her paw from my chest. I rolled on my side, keeping my eyes on her as she padded toward Commander Alina.
Hadrian knelt beside me and pushed his hands beneath me to help me up. “Let me get you some water and clean you up. We do not have long.”
A stool had been brought forward and Hadrian placed me on it. A chalice turned up and I took the first gulp, swigging it around my mouth and spitting it onto the floor. Blood and water covered the ground before me. I repeated the process until the coppery twang left my mouth.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I said. The cut in my side stung when Hadrian held a wet cloth to it.
“I do a lot of things I should not do. I promised I would stop if it got out of hand and from where I was standing, it looked like you were about to have your face ripped off.”
He was right, but he was only delaying the inevitable.
I followed his gaze to where Illera was, still in her shifted form, prowling back and forth.
There was shuffling behind me and a familiar soft voice. Nyah apologized, pushing her way towards us. I could hear those around her complain, but she caught our attention and waved.
“Let her through,” Hadrian commanded.
The guards moved their spears and allowed her to pass. She fell to her knees beside me, her face pinched with concern. She lifted my hand to see the cut on my side. “If you don’t get this looked at you are going to be in serious trouble.”
“You don’t happen to have some of that healing water with you? I could do with some right about now.” My attempt at breaking the tension didn’t work. Neither Nyah, or Hadrian laughed.
She shook her head. “I don’t. I have been too busy, with… you know.”
My heart skipped a beat as I studied Nyah’s face. She knew something.
Her eyes flickered to her boot. “Zacriah, I know whose blood this belongs to…”
ILLERA’S MIGHTY ROAR drowned out what Nyah said next. But it didn’t stop me from reading her lips. Until a single name rang in my head.
The name melted my control.
The name was the hammer that smashed the cage open.
The name broke down every wall.
The name allowed the world around me to burst into wind and magick.