Page 140 of A Pact of Blood

Turentan clasps my free hand and holds it in the air. “Our empress will also carry out the rite to earn Sabrelle’s favor! If our godlen offers her blessing, one more of the treacherous traitors from Lavira will fall to Her Imperial Highness’s blade.”

A round of cheers that’s not quite as thunderous as that for Marclinus rolls through the stands. The soldiers are already leading my opponent out to the now rumpled red sheet that marks our battleground. The other rebel’s corpse has been carted away.

I recognize the woman from my prison visit, but after just a few seconds of observing her approach, my heart sinks.

Her steps sway oddly, as if she’s slogging through ankle-deep water rather than air. Her head bobs to one side and then the other. Her gaze drifts across the arena grounds without appearing to focus on anything.

Oh no.

If I actually wanted to end this woman’s life, I’d be grateful. Either Marclinus or the temple staff have arranged for my opponent to be drugged so she won’t put up much of a fight.

I’d imagine the effect isn’t so strong that she won’t attack me when I’m right in front of her, but the clumsiness will make it easy to cut her down.

Except cutting her down isn’t what I want to do. I meant tosaveher life.

Whatever drug they’ve given her when combined with the sedative on my sword will almost certainly overwhelm her body. Just the swipe of my blade across her forehead could kill her without my landing another blow.

A chill spreads over my skin. Cleric Turentan is finishing the rest of a speech I’ve lost track of. Any moment now, he’s going to direct me the rest of the way down the stairs and onward to this battle I can’t conquer.

What more can I do? I’ve lost before I had the chance to even try.

That thought sends a surge of defiance through my veins. My fingers tighten around the sword’s grip.

I didn’t come all this way, go through all the trials and struggles I have, just to give in to the full brutality of the empire now.

I know who holds the real authority even in this rite. I spin toward my husband while gesturing at the woman with my sword. “I need a different challenger. Fighting that one would be an insult to Sabrelle.”

The cleric gapes at me. A few seats over from Marclinus, I see High Commander Axius frown.

My pulse hitches faster, but I focus all my attention on my husband.

Marclinus cocks his head. “How so, wife? You approved of her yesterday.”

I don’t even have to accuse anyone of willfully rigging the odds in my favor. There’s an alternate explanation. “I’m very familiar with the signs of illness. She’s out of sorts, weak and sick. Look at the way she moves. It would hardly be a fair fight. There were four other prisoners. Let me fight one of them, one who’ll be able to fight back properly.”

One who’ll have a much better chance of harming me. But better that I take the risk than take the life of one of these people on purpose.

It’ll be better that than betraying everything I stand for, whether I can voice those qualms to anyone around me or not.

Marclinus studies me through several thuds of my heart. I can’t tell what’s going on behind his chilly gray eyes.

Axius clears his throat, his frown deepening. Does he suspect I have ulterior motives?

Before the high commander can speak, another voice, sultry but resonant, lifts from the swarm of nobles. “Let her have a real battle! We should get to see just how mighty Her Imperial Highness can be. The wild princess obviously isn’t afraid to show her worth.”

My attention snaps to Bianca, who’s looking at Marclinus rather than me, her lips set in a coy smile. She’s giving him even more excuse to accept my request, framing it in selfish terms that won’t sound too odd to anyone listening.

Perhaps she really does think it’ll be more entertaining to watch me stand off against a fiercer foe.

Bianca’s nerve appears to have emboldened others amongthe court. Vicerine Saldette speaks up too, in a more brittle tone. “Yes, she’s never shied from the struggle before. Why should she be forced to take it easy this time?”

My breath snags in my throat. From her taut expression, I suspect she’s hoping I’ll meet the same fate that her daughter did in the trials months ago, but her animosity might work in my favor for now.

Marclinus lifts his eyebrows at the two noblewomen. Then he meets my gaze with a satisfied smirk. “You deserve every opportunity to prove yourself. Guards, fetch one of the other prisoners—and make sure they’re in good health.”

As Bianca turns away, her gaze catches mine just for an instant, with a flicker of a softer smile. An ache forms in my throat.

She doesn’t know exactly why it matters to me, but she understood that it did. She spoke up for me.

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