Page 18 of Fake Dating a Human 101

“Come with me to the roof, Brother,” Kahn-Der invited, and a weak smile spread across Shayne’s face.

“Finally,” he rasped. Shayne tried to stand but discovered his legs were drained of usefulness, and he fell right back into the chair. He gripped the armrests so he wouldn’t slide out of the seat as Massie chuckled. Shayne took in a deep breath. He forced himself back to his feet, keeping his eyes wide open and…

“Queensbane,” Shayne muttered to himself when he looked around at the table. He had no idea how he was going to get down without simply falling. He wasn’t sure how he was going to take his first step forward either.

Massie solved his problem though when he shoved him.

Shayne fell sideways, off the table, over a chair, and toppled onto the floor. The dining room spun for a moment; the chairs were caught into a whirlwind, the smell of day-old pudding flying around with it, and the large painting on the wall of five white-haired Lyro children with two of the faces scratched out whisked by like a magic carpet. Despite his delirium, Shayne smiled. One of those pretty, scratched-off faces was his.

For a split second, Shayne wondered what his Brotherhood brothers would think if they saw him like this, and his smile fell off. He could not think of Dranian, Cress, and Mor right now. He could not think of them in his last moments, or he might decide he wanted to live. And he was long past that option.

Kahn-Der grabbed Shayne’s shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. The handle of a long fairsaber was shoved into Shayne’s hand. Shayne was turned around, and Jethwire and Massie waved goodbye as Kahn-Der led Shayne to the stairs and shoved him, step by step, up to the roof of the pagoda—a journey that felt like hours by the time they reached it.

Shayne took in the red and gold dragon statues at the roof’s four corners. He leaned a little to peer over the roof’s edge, seeing thick pillars the width of a bathing pool below with flat tops. If he’d had any energy, he might have tried to leap onto the nearest one and spring from pillar to pillar to escape.

But if he tried to jump in his state, he’d fall. Fall and fall and fall. He’d do Kahn-Der’s work for him.

“A death trial for the highest chair. I’ve wanted this since the day our father chose you as the heir instead of me,” Kahn-Der said—Shayne only half listened. He already knew all this boring stuff. His return had likely made Kahn-Der worried that Hans-Der would hand the title of heir back to Shayne.

“He changed his mind about me after he chose me,” Shayne mumbled anyway. “He sent me away and gave you everything you wanted.”

Kahn-Der snarled. “Not everything. He let you live.”

Rain spat upon the roof, turning the flat area slick. Shayne released a light chuckle from his sore throat as he lifted the shiny sword in his hand to gaze at it; the sword of his childling years. A special sword everyone in the House of Lyro knew how to use. Long and thin; meant for quick slicing.

“He let me live because he knew you were the real culprit behind our sister’s death. He really only sent me away for being wild and hilarious and fun—something the rest of you haven’t a clue how to be.Maybehe even hoped I’d return some day and slay you.” Shayne rolled the fairsaber in his grip. He teetered as he tried to find his stance. Then he smiled—one last smile for the insufferable brother who’d destroyed so many fairy lives. “Enough chit chat. Let’s play.” He raised his sword.

Kahn-Der’s crooked smirk returned, his ice-blue eyes narrowing, his white hair turning to glassy strands in the rain. “This will be a good day for me,” he said as he raised his fairsaber.

Shayne didn’t dare try to run at him. Running would make him tip over. So he waited, and sure enough, Kahn-Der struck first.

The blade came down so heavily that Shayne fell backward when he blocked. He rolled out of the way as Kahn-Der stabbed the roof, over and over, only ever missing by a thread. Shayne threw his leg up into Kahn-Der’s stomach, revelling in the sweet sound of bone snapping.

Kahn-Der growled, finally hesitating long enough for Shayne to climb to his feet.

Shayne reached over and patted himself on the back. “I’m not doing so bad considering how unfair this fight is, don’t you think?” he asked. Kahn-Der didn’t give him time for more thoughts; his fairsaber swung at Shayne with the speed of the wind, and Shayne took it.

He took it…

He was too fatigued to see it coming, too weak to dodge it.

The blade tore through his flesh, right across his front, and Shayne released a guttural cry. He dropped to a knee, using his sword for support as purple blood raced down his body, mixing in with the rain puddles. He checked to make sure he was still breathing, that his faeborn lungs hadn’t stopped working. Then he clenched his jaw.

This fool. Did he even know he’d stolen Shayne’s happy life without a care?

Kahn-Der swept in to finish him off as Shayne’s eyes threatened to fall closed. He took in one last breath and slashed through the air, catching Kahn-Der’s midsection so their cuts matched. Kahn-Der gasped and grabbed his stomach. He looked up at Shayne in surprise.

Shayne flashed him a smile. “Twinsies,” he said.

Kahn-Der growled and kicked Shayne backward. The second he was down, Kahn-Der kicked him again, forcing Shayne to roll dangerously close to the roof’s edge. And with Kahn-Der’s last kick, Shayne tumbled off, his hands weakly grabbing for something to catch and finding nothing.

Wind and rain slapped his cheeks on the way down.

Shayne collided against a flat surface, his ribs bending inside of him, his body skidding to a stop. He realized he’d landed atop a pillar when his fairsaber tipped over the edge and soared far below to the ground where he’d never get it back.

Kahn-Der landed beside him and used his boot to flip Shayne over.

Rain fell into Shayne’s eyes, blurring his brother’s crooked smile. A brief break in the dark clouds sent light burning over them, turning Kahn-Der into a silhouette as he raised his fairsaber high above Shayne’s chest, blade point aimed for Shayne’s heart.

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