Page 107 of The Serpent’s Shadow

We stepped back into our spots, opposite ends of the Sticks. The audience returned, confounded and whispering to each other, wondering what in Hel was going on.

I finally understood what she was doing.

She doesn’t just want to pass the final. She wantstotalvictory.

Ravinica wants to be the best, and for everyone to see it, so there can be no talk of her getting lucky or fortunate I had misplaced my step.

In that moment, I fell in love with her even harder. The fire and grit she showed amazed me, stirred me with lust and heat of my own.

“Fuck it,” Hersir Osfen drawled. “Begin.”

He stepped further back, throwing up his arms—showing that he wasn’t going to officiate this bout. It was all on us.

Ravinica came at me hard. Sheran, closing the gap.

When she was five paces away, she leapt to the side, arcing her sword like a spear to strike right at my face.

My eyes flashed wide and I hid my head behind my shield at the last second, feeling the jar of my bones rattle from her intense strike.

Students’ voices rose. A few of them hollered—yelling and cheering, clearly loving the extra brawl.

Growling, I came out of my crouch, swinging both sword and shield outward, sending her skittering back.

She came at me again. I met her this time, blade to blade.

I was the stronger, and I quickly had her bending back, gritting her teeth as we stared in each other’s eyes while our swords crossed. My biceps bulged, grinding down on her.

Feeling that she was losing the battle of strength, she flung herself back at the last second.

My momentum carried me forward, and I continued hacking to keep her from doing anything sneaky.

She swiftly danced out of the way, then brought her sword to my side to try and end it.

I lashed out with my shield, catching her sword, nearly striking her wrist. The strength of my hit caught her by surprise and spun her in a half-circle.

Then I was righted, coming at her, showing no quarter.

Ravinica raised her shield at the last second—

As I feinted low, bending my knees to move faster than my large body should have let me.

More gasps from the crowd as they saw the end coming.

Ravinica read my sleight of hand and ignored it, striking high to counteract my maneuver.

It brought both of us off-balance—me lifting my shield to protect my face from her attack, and she backpedaling to prevent her legs from getting swept out from under her.

I lunged again, and she sidestepped and spun in the same way Magnus had, trying to get behind me.

I wheeled in a violent arc, side-winding, sure I would either meet her body or her flesh once I was turned around.

But all I saw was my sword swingoverher shield.

Confusion rattled me—she was not behind me anymore. She had stuffed the rim of her shield into the soil, right-side up, rather than take a swing at my exposed weak side.

And she was already circling in front of me.

So I closed my guard up, bringing my sword and shield close to my body, expecting her to waylay into me with both hands on her sword, now that she had discarded her shield.

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