Page 89 of Terragnata and the Heir of the Earth

“Blades first,” I replied.

She acquiesced, her armor’s cover flying off and landing in a pile at her feet.

I stepped through my wall of flame, which parted momentarily for me to pass.

Tey’s face contorted. “I said, drop. Your. Shield,” she ground out.

It was a gamble to leave the shield up while fighting. The spell required a steady feed of magic from me, which would impair my skill in combat. But the alternative meant leaving the Talpa vulnerable, which seemed like a worse choice.

I shrugged. “If you kill me, the shield will drop. Our deal was hand-to-hand combat. Perhaps you doubt your abilities to win fairly?”

Tey’s face twisted into something feral, and she launched into the spar. Her quickness and lightness of foot drew me in. Her now undone black hair, a violent contrast to her pale skin, whipped around as she danced and twirled. Our blades met briefly each time; she was relentless, her next attack came while I defended the last. I grew tired fast. Her rhythm was too swift for me, which was new.

I had to slow things down, force her to match my pace. That was how the slower, bigger opponents usually won against me. But I didn’t have the experience with that, and before I could figure out my next move, her blade slashed across my face. I saw it come out of the corner of my eye, but my dodge was too slow, and the tip drew a line parallel to my cheekbone. The resulting wetness tickled my cheek, a slow stream of blood.

Tey bared her teeth, but did not relent. She had been training her whole life for this and knew not to revel in any small triumph. She gave me no ground, and in fact used my faltering against me. Her body spun around, and Tey sent a sharp kick of her leg backward, the heel of her boot meeting my stomach with wild force. I hit the dirt hard, landing right outside my spelled wall, my sword ricocheting out of my hand.

My head tilted up to see the green flames licking out above me. I half grunted, half wheezed, the wind knocked from my lungs. Tey’s black hair swarmed in my vision.

She grinned but remained silent, raising her broadsword. When it came flying towards my neck, I felt the tug of a blade raising my hand. Ezren’s dagger had somehow appeared in my palm, the emerald shining on the hilt. I had no time to wonder how. My arm rattled with the impact of her large sword against my smaller dagger, reverberating through my body. I struggled to hold, her blade sliding closer and closer to my chin. I gritted my teeth when her eyes locked in on mine, swirling with a violence that roused my own anger.

“Can you see yourself, your reflection, in my eyes?” Tey hissed. “Look closely and see the face of a coward. Look closely, and you will see your own death.”

She made to push harder, her final blow, but I flung my other hand up to the dagger. It glowed again, blindingly bright, and in one push, I shoved her up and back away from me. Tey flew through the air, hitting the ground with force. I barely had time to blink at the unnatural strength that push would have required—strength I didn’t have.

“How in the—” She spat blood as I forced the heels of my palms into the dirt. We rose to meet each other, well-matched dancing partners. She lifted her blade, ready to strike once more.

Before she could deliver her next blow, a voice echoed through the cave, moving closer to us.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Such violence in you females!” Fayzien’s disturbingly delighted face appeared from the shadows, and our jaws went slack.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CURSED TIES

“What areyoudoing here, Fayzien?” I asked at the same time Tey said, “You shouldn’t be here, outsider filth.”

Fayzien smirked. “I am half Fae as well, darling, just like the princess.”

Tey gave him a look of murder and said, “She isn’t welcome, either, if you can’t tell. The Skøl maesters will come for you in minutes, and you’ll be executed for interfering.”

“Tey of House Saxoni, howluckyis it that I’m the most powerful Witch you will ever meet,” Fayzien responded. “Shielding myself from the eyes of others is child’s play.”

I felt my heel touch the green flames that remained in place around the Talpa. I had no idea why Fayzien was here, and I didn’t really care. I knew better than to waste a good distraction. So, I stepped through the shield, my back connecting with the Talpa, who then gripped me with the fierce strength of Ezren’s body. As we portaled, my eyes narrowed pointedly at Fayzien, before I glanced to the near-dead Xinlan. As much as Fayzien hated me, I prayed he cared for Cas enough to get his lover out of there alive.

I went as faras my memory and ability would let me, and we soon landed in that soft grassy clearing amongst tall trees. I gave the Talpa one look, and it lay on the ground, for it knew we could wait no longer. My heart tightened at the sight of its eyes closing, my mind repeating “this is not Ezren” as a mantra. I sat on its mid-section, my knees bordering its ribs. I pressed its shoulders to the ground and coaxed the air from its lungs. The sensation shocked me. It felt like I called to the air as I did to the Earth, and for a moment, I thought I’d broken the rules. But nothing rang out above me. I had not summoned the Earth, so I continued my work. Bringing two fingers to the place on its neck, I could still feel a slight pulse. Amazing that the Talpa did not struggle at all, such a feat against basic instinct. Eventually, I felt no pulse, and the creature shifted back to its small, leathery body, its withered hand clutching a piece of paper.

I didn’t care about the parchment right now—I cared about reviving the lifeless being in front of me. I clasped my fingers together and began to compress and release its chest. I felt stupid, using the human tactic taught in Argention. But I was no healer, and though my magic searched the creature for a spark of life to ignite, it found nothing.

So I continued to press my hands into its chest and blow breath into its airway, attempting to inflate its lungs. After seconds that felt like minutes, I saw a soft rise and fall of its chest. Its black eyes looked up at me in wonder.

I cupped its cheek and pushed the tears back. “You are in your true form, friend. Shift if it saves you pain.”

“Cobal. Cobal.” It beamed at me. “You may call me Cobal. And for whatever reason, Terragnata of Nebbiolo, it no longer hurts to be in this form.”

I relaxed into the grass for a moment, my legs stretched out, and looked down at my forearm. Unlike before, no new thin gold band appeared. It didn’t surprise me, given the dead Talpa we’d seen, and what I noted on Tey’s wrist. I had lost the second event and had to kill the Talpa simply to remain in the Skøl.

Cobal dumped the parchment in my lap and bounced up and down. “I knew you could do it!” the Talpa exclaimed, skipping around the small meadow. It looked joyous, with orbed eyes that beamed as it took in the world, finally comfortable in its own form.

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