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Fire slowly rose up Alora’s sword. “Stop talking, or stars be damned, I will make you eat your words.” And slowly, she prowled a step toward Jade. Leaving white flames shaped like burning footprints in her wake.

Thalon stepped toward them.

Garrik’s hand swung, hovering before Thalon’s chest and flashed him a critical glare.

A menacing laugh tore from Jade. She’d found the spot to push Alora now, and she’d whittle it down and make sure it scathed with every word. “Being waited on hand and foot.” Jade spun, sword colliding into Alora’s, producing a shower of sparks from the impact. “Getting anything she wants, anytime she wants. The perfect little princess. Bed never cold, worshiped by males, servants left and right. Just look at you. Perfectly kept hair, pretty dresses and jewels, no doubt. You won’t last one day on the battlefield. Your easy days areover.” Jade relentlessly swung. One. Two. Three.

But each ruthless attack was perfectly defended by Alora’s flaming sword.

Their blades caught. Alora relentlessly pressed against Jade’s strength, flashing her clenched teeth inches from her face.

“Easy?” Alora’s throat began to constrict. “You think my life waseasy?”

A ring of fire surrounded them on the ground. Like following a path across the dirt, it flowed in two directions until the flames connected at both ends. With painstakingly slow speed, the flames climbed higher into the air.

Panic filled Jade’s eyes as her breathing picked up pace, scanning the growing inferno. “I bet you’ve never had one hard day in your life. Never had anything to fight for. It’s not surprising with the way you fight. Someone should’ve taught you a long time ago how it feels to fight for your life.” Jade’shand traveled down to her leg and pulled out a dagger before launching it into Alora’s armor at her stomach.

Flames burst around the impact as Alora shrieked.

Jade flinched back, catching her breath as the flames faded.

Somewhere outside the flames, Garrik growled, pushing off the wall, “That isenough, Jade.”

But neither of them listened. Jade inched closer until Alora could see flecks of bronze in her green eyes.

“Perfect little princess. No one has given you a reason to fight, have they?” Patronizing and cruel and?—

“Shut up.” Alora’s vision lined with red. She couldn’t stop it anymore. Couldn’t hold it back.

“I saidenough.” Garrik took another step.

Fire burst in front of the High Prince.

Alora looked at him. All the life left her eyes. Only glowing white embers surfaced in its place.

Alora—

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

The flames in front of the High Prince flared higher. Garrik started yelling, but she could only hear Jade’s piercing words wounding her deeper than any sword ever could.

“Face me, coward. You think the High King’s army is going to just walk away from you because you’re scared? You won’t last a minute on the battlefield. We should have left you to die in Telldaira, we’d be better off for it.”

She was burning. Everything felt too hot.

Way too hot.

Too—

White flames detonated into a castle-high explosion.

Thalon flew into a swirling storm of lightning. His body appeared and crashed into Jade’s on the other side before they were swallowed by thunderclouds and striking branches of light in hurricane winds. Then they disappeared from the arena.

Smokeshadows whorled to every faerie within range of the fiery destruction, dawning them away before a wave of flames crashed into the arena walls. Railing against anything that dared keep them from expanding, the fire fed on the surrounding air. Starved and finally taking its fill.

Inside the flames, Alora couldn’t get enough air. Her voice ripped through the veil of sound and space as her inferno climbed higher and spread beyond the walls.

She hit her knees, screaming from the depths of her core. Her white hair glowed in the fire’s intense light; her eyes burned beneath streaming tears.