He looked pointedly to the blood dribbling down his arm from the now-healed wound and continued, “Because of that connection, when Aven attempted to Claim me, he couldn’t. He thinks he did, which is the only reason I’m still able to remain at Meya and spy on him, but Aeylia’s original hold on me is keeping me safe, since her will is stronger than his.”
Maggie was breathing heavily as she looked between the two of them, her eyes welling with tears. “You’re not lying, are you?” she whispered. “About any of it?”
Niyx released a weighty exhale and whispered back, “No.”
“But—But the king…”
Niyx didn’t answer, but Alex wouldn’t allow him to lose what might be the only chance he had to earn back his sister’s trust, so she said, “That wasn’t Niyx, either, but he made Aven think it was to prove his loyalty. No one can know, Maggie. His life will be forfeited if Aven discovers the truth. Do you understand?”
Maggie didn’t respond verbally. She also didn’t nod or offer any other confirmation of secrecy. What she did was hiccup a sob and launch herself at her brother, burrowing deep into him while crying thousands of years’ worth of anguished tears onto his steady shoulders.
I’ll, um, leave you to it, Alex silently told Niyx, knowing they needed some privacy. Share anything you need to with her, including any of my secrets if you think she needs to hear them.
Niyx nodded over Maggie’s head, gratitude clear in his eyes.
Just remember that more people are going to start waking up soon, Alex warned him. You might want to take her somewhere else to catch up. But also don’t stay away from Meya for too long—she’ll understand the risk, especially now.
I won’t, Niyx promised softly. Now go and get some rest before your fight.
Alex’s stomach lurched with sudden nausea. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s over.
And we’ll celebrate your victory, he told her, again with that confident assurance. But then he added, Long-distance celebration, since I shouldn’t leave Meya again today.
Alex grinned and turned away from her friend and her teacher, amused by the idea of what a long-distance celebration might entail.
But as she trekked back to her dorm with the intention of following Niyx’s suggestion to get in a nap before heading to Graevale, Alex realised she didn’t care what that celebration was, just as long as there was cause for it.
Alex couldn’t breathe.
She couldn’t breathe because her nerves were crushing her windpipe, restricting the airflow into her lungs.
She couldn’t breathe because there were purple flames all around her, cutting her off from the masses of Shadow Walkers jeering from all sides of the Obscuria; cutting her off from her anxious-looking friends, her uneasy wolf, the tense Caspar Lennox, the stoic Shirez Ganare and three smug elders.
She couldn’t breathe because she was standing in the middle of the fiery central hexagon of the six-sided star, staring into the dark, merciless eyes of her opponent.
“It’s not too late to back out, human,” Trell said in a surprisingly deep voice, casually spinning the weapon held between her hands—a long, black staff with thick, jagged blades on each end.
Despite Shirez’s early morning warning, the blood had still drained from Alex’s face upon first seeing Trell’s weapon, such was the lethality of the staff.
“The same goes for you,” Alex returned, somehow managing to keep her voice steady, along with her grip on A’enara. The flaming sword had caused quite the commotion amongst the Shadow Walkers when she’d first summoned it, but other than a slight widening of her eyes, Trell hadn’t otherwise reacted.
Alex was just thankful that she and the Shadow Walker were starting their fight face to face rather than with a surprise attack like last time. Trell didn’t seem fazed either way, since everything from her relaxed stance to her amused expression told Alex just how much of a joke the Shadow Walker seemed to think their match was.
Silence descended upon the enraged, catcalling crowd and Alex looked through the flames to see everyone’s attention focused on the balcony of elders. All three of the ancient Shadow Walkers were seated on their thrones and looking out over the assembled masses. In the next balcony over, Alex saw Jordan, D.C., Bear, Caspar Lennox and Shirez all watching together, with Soraya restlessly pacing beside them. The wolf was smart enough to understand when Alex had told her to stay, but that didn’t mean she was happy about it.
“The victor of the vatali targo, Trell Roven, has been challenged by the human, Alexandra Jennings,” Radek called loudly from the elder’s balcony, causing the crowd to hurl insults towards Alex in both the common tongue and their own until he raised his hand for quiet. “Trell Roven has accepted the challenge. We shall witness their battle and, regardless of the outcome,”—Alex could see he looked entertained by the very idea of Trell not winning—“continue with our celebrations to signify the end of the trials.”
Another roar, this time excited.
Saber spoke next, directly to Alex and Trell. “Your battle will be considered complete when one of you willingly yields, or when one of you is unable to continue.”
The next words were from Azalia, and there were only three of them. “You may begin.”
After the surprise beginning last time, Alex was prepared even before the three-word statement that offered at least a modicum of warning. Adrenaline scored through her body, blocking out everything from the screaming crowd to her fears of failure. Instead, she narrowed her focus solely onto the white-haired, grey-skinned Trell. And when the Shadow Walker lunged into action, Alex was ready.
With a battle cry that was painful to Alex’s ears, Trell charged forward, her staff held in the middle by both hands and raised high over her shoulder. Alex planted her feet and used a two-handed hold on A’enara to block when the Shadow Walker swung the staff down in a powerful blow, their weapons clanging together in a shriek of sparking steel.
Undaunted by Alex’s easy deflection, Trell immediately sliced the bottom half of her staff upwards in an attempt to catch Alex with the second blade. But Alex hadn’t spent hours practising that morning for nothing—and with Niyx, a Zeltora-trained Meyarin warrior who no Shadow Walker would come close to beating in a fair, unmoving fight.
Jumping back from the second attack, Alex leapt forward while Trell re-centred herself, hoping to catch her off guard. But before A’enara could make contact, the Shadow Walker disappeared in a flash of darkness, reappearing behind Alex.
Spinning around, Alex only just managed to duck in time when one of Trell’s blades soared so close to her head that the air whistled past her ears. While she was crouching and the staff still following through above her, Alex swung out a leg and hooked it behind the Shadow Walker’s ankle, tugging her forward.
Trell staggered and disappeared in a cloud of shadows again, rematerialising to Alex’s left.