Page 7 of A Legacy of Poison and Lies

The Wolf circled her as she pressed a hand to her ribs, searching for an opening. If he wanted to play dirty, so could she. She feigned right, then spun to her left to grab hold of his sleeve, swinging up onto his back and clamping her legs around his neck. He threw her over his shoulder with a deep laugh, and as Zylah slammed into the mud she could have sworn dark shadows swarmed towards her.

She rolled out of the way, mud coating her soaking clothes. “Cheat,” she breathed, wiping at her mouth.

Not only would he have been pulled out of the ring for cheating, but magic was not something to reveal in these parts of Astaria. But he’d done it subtly, so no one else but her would have seen it. It was how he intended to win.

The Wolf gave her a toothy grin, and for a heartbeat, Zylah wondered if he was Fae. She hauled herself to her feet.

“So what if I am?” the Wolf asked. His eyes were so dark they looked black through the rain, not a splash of colour remaining.

“Bastard.” Zylah still had her dagger tucked inside her boot, but she’d be disqualified if she pulled it on him. She swung for him again, and more of those dark shadows spread from his fingertips, but Zylah didn’t care, she launched herself towards him, her fist connecting with his jaw so hard it sent pain rolling through her body, right to the vanquicite lump in her back.

The Wolf stared down at her in disbelief before swinging at her, and they quickly became a tangle of limbs as Zylah slammed herself against him, grabbing hold of his shirt to duck out of his blow.

His shadows had felt like wards… but Zylah didn’t have time to dwell on that. She pivoted away from him, swinging a kick into his lower back and he staggered forwards into the mud. Her lip had split in their scrabble, her head was throbbing. He’d landed more blows than she cared to admit. More shadows shot towards her, pulling at her limbs until she was kneeling in the mud as if she’d merely stumbled.

The Wolf loomed over her, one hand fisting in her hair to yank her head back. He leaned close to murmur above her head, rain falling off his face onto hers. “I don’t know how you did that, but I’m fucking tired, and I want to go home.”

Zylah weighed her options as the rain came down, and the Wolf seemed to pause for dramatic effect. If he was willing to cheat, she’d wager he was willing to do more than just a few knocks and scrapes. Kopi cried out again, and it was all the encouragement she needed as she felt more of those shadows creeping towards her. She reached for her dagger, yanking herself up against the Wolf’s arm until the tip of her blade pressed into his ribs.

His eyes widened as she looked up at him. “You just had to be a show-off, didn’t you?” she murmured, holding her blade firm.

Arms pulled her back, the ringmaster dark-eyed and soaking wet between them. “The Wolf wins by default. Little Bird is disqualified for bringing a weapon into the ring.”

The crowd booed and Zylah was vaguely aware of small objects hitting her back. Rotten vegetables, if she had to guess. The Wolf held her gaze.Cheat.She shrugged out of the grip of whoever was holding her, sheathed her dagger in her boot and swung her braid over her shoulder as she glared at him.

The crowd continued booing, but Zylah didn’t care. Didn’t give a shit what they thought of her. Tomorrow they would all have forgotten, heads heavy with hangovers and the beginnings of a chill from the rain.

The Wolf winked at her as she stormed out of the ring, wiping her wet hair from her eyes. She pushed past the bouncer, who took a step back as she passed through the room that led to the street.

“You fought well,” he said, following her.

She glanced up at him, one eye already swelling. “Shame I’m a fraud though, right?”

She didn’t wait for his response as she shoved open the door to the street. Rain ran thick and fast through the gutters, puddles forming across the dirt. Zylah swore under her breath. She was covered in wet mud. Everything ached, and she didn’t know where to press a hand to first as she glanced out at the rain. Kopi flew down to her shoulder and hooed softly.

“Let me through,” a voice called out from behind her. “Liss!”

It was Sasha, unfastening Zylah’s belongings from her back.

Zylah sighed. She couldn’t handle the old woman’s disappointment.

Sasha fastened the bundle onto Zylah’s wet back and rested a hand on her cheek. “What did I tell you, girl? Old Sasha doesn’t miss a trick. That sneaky bastard will get what’s coming to him.” She ran her thumb across the mud Zylah knew was caked to her cheek, the gesture making her eyes burn.

Zylah tried to smile, but the split lip turned it into a grimace. “You saw him cheating?” Sasha didn’t seem like she was Fae—but there was the possibility she was hiding, too, just as Zylah was.

“I did. Now get home, before the crowds find you.” She patted Zylah’s arm gently, ushering her out into the street.

Zylah didn’t have it in her to argue. She staggered back through town, one hand pressed to her ribs, glancing over her shoulder every few minutes with that feeling she couldn’t place, like someone was lingering in the shadows, chasing her all the way home.

She tried not to think about how long it would take for her injuries to heal. She’d prepared plenty of poultices and vials of tonic, but the more she used for herself the less she’d have to sell… and that meant she’d have to find other ways to make money over winter. As the traders earned less, people had less money to spend, and Zylah doubted she’d be permitted back into the ring after tonight.

She sucked in a breath, white hot pain shooting through her and slicing up her back from the vanquicite lump, reminding her that her wounds would not heal so easily. She’d been a fool for thinking this could work… reckless… but she couldn’t deny the exhilaration she’d felt in that ring. It was the most alive she’d felt since before Raif’s dea—

Zylah couldn’t finish the thought. She deserved every ache and bit of broken skin. She had to find a way to make money for Sasha and the others. She would come up with something.

The forest was quiet as she made her way out of town, buildings giving way to trees. With her heightened senses and the rain that had yet to ease, all she could hear were the usual sounds of the forest at night, nothing out of the ordinary. She knew Kopi would warn her of any trouble, anyway.

As soon as the cabin was in sight, the little owl flew up to the roof. But Zylah stopped as a familiar smell carried to her. She stumbled up the steps, her eyes falling to the brown paper bag at the foot of her door. A pathetic whimper escaped her as she scooped up the soggy parchment one-handed, the wet paper falling away from her fingertips.

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