Page 10 of A Kingdom of Shadows

I force the bout of anger back down and step in front of him, causing him to halt. "Wretched mortal or not, I am still the only one who got you out of the dungeons."

We're standing just as close as we were before, and noticing the glare I must be throwing his way, he inclines forward.

"And I got you out of the trials."

I clench my fists. "I had a plan."

"You have a lot of pride in yourself, Goldie." His voice rings with laughter. "Never want to accept the truth even when it's right in front of you."

My teeth grind together, partly wishing he didn't have to be so right.

"It's almost like," he says. "Everything is a game to you."

"You started it that way!"

"And who is winning so far?"

Blanking on that question, I stammer, watching his lip curl into a victorious grin.

"Miss Nara is!"

I blink at the sound of Tibith's voice and glance to my left, where he flaps his ears and looks over to Darius.

"You always give into the arguments, D-Darry."

Well, Solaris be damned.

I clap once, and a single laugh, loud and full of mockery, slides up my throat as I turn to face Darius. His frown tells me how offended he is as I say, "For once, I am winning against you at more than just the Liars Dice! Actually, you know what? I always win—" I walk backward with a tight smile "—Because you have lost the ability to argue against me and I—"

Am on the ground.

Except it's not the ground, it's thick, cold, and wet, drenching me completely.

Mud.

Putrid-smelling mud.

I look up from the ditch I'd fallen into, and this time the sound of laughter comes from Darius as he appears at the top, holding his lower stomach in hysterics. "What is it you were saying, Goldie?"

I'm sure a feral snarl explodes out of me.

"Something about always winning?"

Another grunt of anger expels from my lips as I stand, only to slip and fall on my backside.

"Dirt suits you, Goldie. It's quite—"

My knees quiver as I get up again and reach around his ankle, pulling him into the mud pit with me.

We topple over each other, rolling even deeper into the dirt. Round and round and round until both of us show no single silk of skin.

"You're the most infuriating person I've ever met!" I hiss, throwing mud at his face as I land before him with my legs coming at either side of his. He chuckles, gripping my waist, causing me to slip off him and fall as he hovers above me. As I hit his chest, some raging animalistic noises bubble out of me. But he snatches my wrists, pinning them down into the squelching clag.

"You know this won't end well for you, Goldie." His nose touches mine, and both of us breathe manically. "Acting irrational always makes you lose against me, even if you think you've been winning so far."

He makes me act irrationally.

He's a rush of adventure I can't get rid of.

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