Page 88 of Feathers and Thorns

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It was over quickly. She had managed to trip the female archer to the ground and grappled her into an arm lock. The archer had fought valiantly but ended up tapping out.

Rook fought next, taking out his opponent with ease. Then Baztien lost to a woman from Estelar named Astrid. She was in her early thirties and took him by surprise, dodging as his arm swung for her ribs and used her own arm and his forward momentum to flip him onto his back, winding him. He popped to his feet quickly, but she burst forward in an onslaught that he didn’t see coming. He landed hard on his hindquarters in the dust. He let her help him to his feet and shook her hand before saying, “Good fight.”

They were down to the final four, which included one guard from Irefeld and the elder twin, Ikei, Enara, and Rook. Enara defeated the guard, but she had earned herself a bruised rib and a slight twinge in her left ankle.

She watched on as Rook and Ikei entered the ring, dying to know which one of them she would be fighting. The speed at which they moved was mind-blowing, reminding her of when Rook had fought off the beast, Corvus, in Thorncrest. She felt a twinge of sympathy for him as she remembered what he had looked like after losing against his mentor.

She heard Soren gasp as Ikei landed a punch and two swift kicks to Rook’s chest and upper thigh.

Enara had to admit she was impressed with how well he was faring this far into the game. She had not been surprised when Ikei had made it to the top of the ranks after witnessing his fighting skills back in Edras Mora. His brother had only been defeated two rounds before by the same woman who had taken out Baz.

It was a long fight, and both men were limping by the end of it.

Rook had noticed that Ikei was favoring his leg and made it his new target, finally knocking him out of the ring. They shook hands, and he gave Enara a devilish smile that said, “You’re next.”

Rook was offered a fifteen-minute reprieve before entering the ring, which he refused.

Furious that he thought she needed to be given an advantage, she stormed right up to him to give him a piece of her mind.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she growled.

“Only what is fair,” he responded calmly.

“I don’t need help or pity to claim king of the ring. Or in my case, queen,” she pointed out.

“I was not trying to offend you,” Rook said quietly. “I have an unfair advantage already, in case you forgot.”

Enara’s eyes went wide, and then she mentally smacked her hand against her forehead. “You heal,” she hissed. She scanned the crowd, trying to decide if she should call him out, but the strategic side of her warned that it would not be a good idea to share his secret.

“The worse the injury, the longer the healing time,” he continued in his lowered voice. “But if you want to make it more interesting”—he raised his tone so everyone could hear—“we could use blades. Give this crowd a real show.”

“Is that a joke?”

“Not at all,” he said, his eyes glinting with mischief. “First to draw blood wins. Sound fair?”

“Fine,” she replied, turning to grab Coraxis from Baz’s hands. “Don’t worry,” she said, assuaging his unspoken concern.

When her focus was back on the ring, Rook stood waiting, his rapier in hand. Normally, he brandished two, but Soren held the other tightly in her fist, her knuckles turning white with the effort.

“Let’s do this,” Enara snarled as Jai entered the ring.

It was decided that Jai, Duke Erick, and the king would not be allowed to fight in case of accidental injury. The leaders needed to remain in top shape with sound minds to lead them into battle, so they settled for cheering on the mayhem.

“The rules are as follows,” Jai started, and the crowd went silent as he spoke. “First to draw blood wins it all.”

“What’s the prize?” an onlooker called out.

They had yet to announce what the winner would earn. There had been so much pent-up energy amongst the warriors that just the thought of a reward had them all signing up for the mini tournament.

“The winner,” he continued with a dramatic flourish, “will get to enjoy a hot bath and … will switch accommodations with me for the next three days.”

Oohs and ahhs sounded from the crowd.

It was amazing how something like a war could put things in perspective. Before the recent attacks, a bath and a larger, more comfortable bed would have been a disappointing prize when now both things were highly coveted.

“Maybe I should let you win,” Rook said, crinkling his nose in disgust. “I’d be doing us all a favor—I can smell you from here.”

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