Page 52 of Shadebound
The guy—Marcus—grunted as he stepped forward. He walked like he’d been in enough brawls to stop caring whether he won or lost. His hands curled into fists as he dropped beside Zayden.
Vadren kept going, eyes roaming the group until they settled beside me. “Maya.”
Maya strode onto the sand, her posture loose but focused. She looked light on her feet, her expression cool. She shook her arms out, rolled her shoulders, and stretched her neck from side to side.
“And... you.” Vadren’s hand flicked toward a smaller boy hovering near the edge. The one with twitching wings and skin that glittered faintly in the light. “Callen, step forward.”
Callen blinked as if he’d been named in a death sentence, but he still flew forward, hovering a little above the sand before touching down lightly beside Maya.
“First two to defeat an opponent win,” Vadren said flatly. “You may begin.”
Zayden moved the moment the words left her mouth. He didn’t run or charge—he sidestepped, letting Marcus thunder past him like a charging animal. Callen darted to intercept, but Zayden turned with almost lazy timing and let the fairy overshoot.
Then Zayden tapped Callen on the shoulder from behind.
The poor boy whirled, already off-balance, and Zayden swept a leg out to give him a swift kick to the stomach. Callen’s wings fluttered wildly, but he couldn’t recover in time—he crashed backward into the sand, landing hard on his tailbone, wings crumpling beneath him.
Zayden stood over him and bowed, theatrical and smugly. “And that’s what we call a one-star performance.”
I didn’t laugh, but it was difficult not to let my mouth twitch.
Maya’s side was less showy. Marcus lunged at her with his arms wide, trying to grab and overpower. She ducked under the first swipe and drove a fast elbow into his stomach. He stumbled, and she didn’t give him a second to regroup. She twisted, pivoted, and used her full body weight to land a hook across his jaw. He staggered sideways, his feet slipping in the sand, and she followed up with a sweep that knocked him flat.
To my glee, he landed with a muffled groan, face half-buried in the grit. He didn’t get back up.
Maya stood still for a moment, catching her breath. She brushed her hands off, the edges of a smile tugging at her lips. I rather enjoyed the fact that she looked completely unfazed.
Eris blinked. “I didn’t realise Maya could fight.”
“She and Bells used to train together,” I swallowed hard. “They were in a stupid secret fight club. Both of them liked using their fists more than magic.”
I kept my tone even, but something tightened in my throat. Though I didn’t say anything else, the weight of my sister’s name pressed hard enough on its own.
Vadren nodded once. “Winners: Zayden and Maya.”
She scanned the crowd again as they high-fived each other and meandered back towards us. Unfortunately, that meant her eyes naturally followed them until—“Jinx. Step forward.”
It was hard not to roll my eyes. But I managed to refrain as I walked forward, every step heavy with dread. I didn’t want to do this. I knew I wasn’t very good at it. But saying no wasn’t an option. Not here. Not with all these eyes.
I preferred the idea of getting beaten whilst confident than laughed at whilst weak.
Vadren waved a hand toward a thin boy with hollow cheeks and nervous energy spilling from every limb. “Bran. You’re up.”
Bran joined me with a quick, apologetic glance. He looked like he’d never been in a fight that wasn’t accidental. From a single glance at the pentagram around his neck, I guessed he was a spirit witch or a seer. Neither of which was any good in combat.
I was hoping to beat him. I’d feel bad, but at least it might have been easy.
“The other two are... Alessandro and Tyler,” Vadren crossed her arms.
They stepped forward at the same time. Alessandro looked relaxed, even disinterested, as he adjusted the sleeves of his long black T-shirt and cracked his neck. He didn’t smile, but his eyesslid to mine with quiet amusement. I instantly braced myself for him to attack me, presuming he would make a beeline so he could make me bleed and feel like he had won something.
Tyler also looked like he wanted blood. His knuckles were flexing. His mouth was curled in a sneer. I watched the smoke curling from his nose as he wiped a hand over his orange hair and faced me.
“Begin,” Vadren said.
Bran darted forward first, a little too fast, a little too eager. Alessandro moved in a blur, not even needing real force—he kicked Bran’s ankle out from under him, then slammed his elbow into Bran’s chest as he fell. The smaller boy hit the ground with a breathless wheeze and didn’t get up again.
I barely had time to register it before Tyler was on me.
