Page 108

Figuring his confusion was somehow related to the mysterious weapon that kept appearing and disappearing without warning, Alex deliberately tried to ruffle Aven a little more. Remembering a trick he’d pulled once, she ran her fingers down the edge of the blade, willing it to shrink. She tried not to show her amazement when it did so, and instead, she threw the now dagger-sized blade into the air casually and caught it by the handle. Twice more she repeated the gesture, and each time Aven’s expression darkened further, his fury growing with her continued flippancy.

“Do you name all your weapons, Aven?” Alex asked. “That’s kind of lame, you know. Geeky, even.”

“A’enara isn’t a name, you foolish girl,” Aven spat. “It’s an identity. And one whom you’re not fit to be in the presence of, let alone wield.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex said, deliberately sounding bored. “Skip the part where you insult me and jump ahead to where you let me and my friends walk out of here. I’ll make you a deal—the weapon for our lives.”

Aven stared at her for a long moment, then his expression relaxed and he started laughing.

“I truly do find you entertaining,” he said. Then his face hardened. “There’ll be no deal. I’ll take A’enara from you, dispose of your friends and return with you to the academy where you’ll escort me to Meya. In return for your obedience, I’ll allow you to live.”

Alex paled—not at the threat, but at the actualwords. Or, more specifically, at the audience listening to his words. She could practically feel the questioning stares from Kaiden and Declan at the mention of Meya.

“That’s not going to happen,” Alex told him, and a trickle of foreboding prompted her to run her fingers along the blade to lengthen it again.

“It is, whether you agree or not,” Aven replied. “I don’t need you to cooperate for my plan to succeed.”

She was ready for him, at least. But she still staggered from the strength of his attack when he launched himself towards her, striking out with his sword. She managed to deflect his weapon, and she could see the surprise in his eyes before his expression turned calculating. Then he lunged forward again, and she forcefully shoved every distraction from her mind as she fought against her impossibly skilled opponent.

He was Meyarin, she was human. Even with his powerful blood rushing through her veins, he had a good thousand or more years of experience on her. He was faster, stronger andmuch more dangerous than she could ever hope to be. And yet… hadn’t she fought his apparently more skilled brother— wearing a blindfold, no less—and managed to hold her own until her human body had given way to exhaustion? Just maybe she would be able to keep Aven distracted long enough for the others to come up with an escape plan.

Aven attacked Alex at lightning speed, and she somehow managed to maintain a steady defence—thank you, Karter. She tried to let go and sense her surroundings, but she struggled to remember how it had felt when she’d fought with Roka, knowing that her current situation was entirely different. Then, she’d felt only surprise and a little anxiety, not true fear. Now, fear was messing with her attempt to relax and ‘listen’. Her defence became more and more difficult with the stress of the moment and the knowledge that if she failed, her friends would die. She refused to let that happen, so she decided to do something stupid.

She closed her eyes.

Alex heard Aven’s disbelieving laugh, but she blocked him out and focused on everything else. She focused on the room they were in, on where her feet were positioned on the floor, and on the weapon in her hands.

And then it happened.

Alex felt the shift as her senses expanded and she opened her eyes to see everything was so much clearer than before. She not only saw, but alsofeltAven’s weapon soar towards her stomach in what seemed like slow motion.

She deflected the blade and thrust out her own sword, aware of the startled gasps in the room as she moved into an attacking stance. Blow after blow she met and returned, and each time she was just as aware of Aven’s shock as her own. Her focus wavered when he managed to graze her forearm with his blade, but she continued on, keeping pace with the increasingly astonished Meyarin.

After a particularly jarring strike, Aven pushed her backwards and paused his attack. Alex kept her weapon raised and her eyes narrowed, waiting for his next move. While she was panting for breath, he was barely winded.

“This is an interesting development,” Aven bit out. “I’d very much like to know how you’re keeping up with me, Alexandra. You fight almost as if you’re… No. You’re a weak human, bound by the limits of your flesh. So let me give you a warning. Thus far I’ve used but a fraction of the skill I possess. If you continue to fight me, youwilllose.”

“Bold words, Aven,” Alex said, trying not to gasp for oxygen. “You look nervous. You’re not afraid of a teenage girl, are you?”

Okay, so she was goading him. But she had to hope that her friends were making use of the time she was giving them. She wanted to get out of there alive—she wantedallof them to get out of there alive—so she would continue to play her part until an alternative plan was offered.

“I revoke my earlier offer,” Aven said, raising his sword again. “The idea of your death is too appealing. Once you’ve given me what I need, you’ll die just like your friends.”

“We’ll see,” Alex returned, and she launched herself towards him once more.

She quickly discovered that Aven hadn’t been bluffing about holding back. Within seconds of their renewed fight, Alex knew she was in trouble. She was exhausted, which wasn’t helping her focus, and Aven’s increased vigour was startling. The fight was also extremely damaging to her body, which sustained more injuries with each attack.

“Give up, Alexandra,” Aven told her after slicing his blade across the side of her thigh. It was a shallow wound, but it was one of many he’d given her in less than five minutes. “You can’t fight against a Meyarin and win.”

“But I cantry,” she said through gritted teeth, lunging towards him with her blade.

He deflected her easily, and just as she was about to attack again, the doors burst open. They both turned, and Alex felt her stomach plummet with dread when she saw the rest of her classmates and Samson standing at the entrance to the room.

“Look, dinneranda show,” Skyla said excitedly.

Alex would have groaned if she’d had any air left in her lungs.

Without waiting for Aven’s order, Calista stretched out her arm and the new arrivals soared through the air and were planted on the ground beside Jordan, Kaiden and Declan.