Page 9 of Dance of the Phoenix
Cassidy’s fight didn’t last long. All she had to do was open her mouth, utter one strong note, and everyone onstage froze entirely. She walked around her partner to her opponents, and with a strange expression, chopped them at the back of their necks, knocking them unconscious.
Everyone waited with bated breath to see what would happen next, but when ten seconds went by, then another ten seconds, and another, and no one but Cassidy moved on the stage, Kaylon finally said into the mic, “Well, it seems the fight is over! Team Kazar wins!”
Cassidy murmured something, and her partner and opponents unfroze, finally able to move again.
Silence filled the hall for a shocked moment before everyone finally cheered far louder than they’d cheered so far.
And I could understand. Cassidy’s power was frightening. If all she had to sing was one note for the enemy to freeze, then she was a force to be reckoned with.
“Your friend is doing well,” Ragnor whispered in my ear. “As you can see, she’s an asset.”
I glanced at him. He scanned my face, as if worried thatIwas worried about Cassidy. “She’s not my friend anymore,” I informed him quietly, before returning my gaze to the stage.And it’s kind of your fault,I couldn’t help but add inside my head.
Though that wasn’t fair to Ragnor. Cassidy had been on the Waiting List to become a vampire. Ragnor only did what he did because she wanted him to. With or without my intervention, our friendship would’ve ended either way.
“And now, for the final round—the Commanders!” Kaylon now called excitedly, and the four Commanders took to the stage, each wearing their Brigade color. “Oberon and Neisha versus Logan and Haneul!”
This fight was mostly a blur. The four of them were so fast, I couldn’t help but simply watch, not understanding who was attacking whom, until Kaylon said time was up, and the blur cleared, showing all four breathing heavily and grinning at one another, still on their feet.
And just like that, the show was over.
Or so I thought.
“Now the Troop’s show is over and done with; it’s time to start the improvised show!”
Murmurs broke through the crowd, and I frowned, glancing at Ragnor. “What the hell is that?”
Ragnor’s face became somber, and before he could say anything, Kaylon raised his voice and said, “If anyone in the audience would like to volunteer for a one-on-one mock battle with a randomly chosen Troop member, you have ten minutes to sign up! Find me near the stage to apply. Until then—have a final break, before this exciting final part of the show begins!”
Ragnor gave me a serious look. “This is your time to shine.”
I blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
Ragnor gave me a humorless smile. “You must compete in the Hecatomb,” he said, “however, nobody but you and me knows that.”
Realization dawned. “You want me to showcase my abilities so I will be most likely ‘chosen’ to participate,” I surmised, stunned. “Why didn’t you tell me before? I would’ve prepared.”
His smile dissolved. “Because you need to seem as authentic as everyone else who’s going to come onstage after the break,” he replied quietly. “I don’t want anyone to know about you having to be there. Nobody needs to know about how deeply involved you are in the war.”
I mulled it over. My relationship with Atalon, other than him being my former Lord and me his League member, was unknown to anyone in the Rayne League. The only thing the League members knew was that Isora and I had defected from the Atalon League for mysterious reasons and that Zoey had run away from the Renaldi League for quiteobvious reasons. Only those who had been involved in the Jinn incident knew the truth of it all. No one else did.
Ragnor wanted to keep my involvement a secret. And so this was a good opportunity to keep up the ruse.
“Okay,” I said, grimacing and rising to my feet. “I’ll go sign up, then.” Even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.
He suddenly grabbed my wrist, and I turned to give him a confused look. His returning gaze was dark. “Don’t use you-know-what,” he said, and I knew he meant my magic. “But feel free to use everything else.”
I stilled, eyes narrowing as I studied his face. He was telling me to give it my all. It had to be convincing, after all.
But something in his intonation, in the unintelligible look in his eyes, made me feel like there was more to his words than simply that. A subtext I couldn’t quite read. And that put me on edge.
We never discussed it, but Ragnor knew I could fight. He’d seen me fight, knew I was versed somewhat in mixed martial arts. But he didn’t know the extent of my knowledge. He didn’t know about one thing in particular.
And yet it almost felt like he was telling me to use that specific thing.
Or perhaps I was just reading into it?
Regardless, I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Don’t worry, my good Lord,” I said, satisfied to see his nose scrunch in annoyance. “I’ll do my absolute best.”
