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The crowd was still blinking their eyes and reaching out to check on their neighbors when an explosion of fury and energy surged from High Lady Erna’s private box.

"Scaly strength, entrap, entwine!" High Lady Erna shouted, unleashing a wave of scintillating, iridescent serpents that shot across the willow grove of the arena before coiling around members of the Cauldron of Flame, binding them in place with constricting restraints that not only restricted their movement, but completely bound their magic.

"You dare to harm the innocent," Nyrielle snarled, leaping to her feet as dark energy surged from her fully opened wings, coalescing into several deadly feathers formed of shadows so dark they seemed to devour the light.

On the arena floor, Heila had already drawn her wand, an invocation on her lips when she heard Ashlynn’s voice from above.

"Save your strength, Heila," Ashlynn said as she strode forward, drawing her own gnarled wand carved from the branch of the Ancient Oak. "I will tend to the wounded."

"Through nature’s heart and healer’s grace,

Let soothing waters find their place,

Let healing waters wash away

The scars of fire’s cruel display,

Till every child stands whole again,

Beneath this sweet and gentle rain."

Beneath the light of the moon and the twinkling stars, faintly glowing emerald clouds formed, swirling around the arena as Ashlynn turned her wand in a slow, lazy circle, gathering up the moisture in the air and infusing it with the pure, healing energy of living, growing things.

Seconds later, the clouds dissolved into a gentle rain of faintly glowing water droplets.

Where the rain fell, burns melted away as though they’d been painted on, leaving behind fresh, tender skin and scales. Even singed fur healed and recovered under the gentle wave of healing light that soothed not only the flesh but quieted fears and eased troubled hearts.

"How dare you," High Lady Erna spat as she slid up to the railing of her private box.

"To harm the audience by losing control of your sorcery during a fierce battle is already a grave crime, but to strike the innocent simply to demonstrate your might.

.. do you think the people of the High Fen are fangless babes?

Name yourself, knave. Who are you to behave so calously in my presence? "

"Forgive me, High Lady Erna," Ropati said with a dark smile on his twisted lips as though he wasn’t bothered by her confining magic at all. "I am Ropati, Second Ember of the Cauldron of Flame. I didn’t realize that your people were so weak that they couldn’t endure a little light show," he added.

"I promise you, our battle will not harm even the weakest, most infirm of your citizens who have gathered on the lowest floor of this arena," he said with a pointed look at the wealthy merchants and powerful champions who had earned the privilege of mingling with the guests of honor earlier in the evening.

"Merchant Yotsun," High Lady Erna said, shifting her attention to the opposite private box where a pair of guardsman had just arrived.

"By law and tradition, you are responsible for the actions of your champions when they fight on your behalf. You will suffer alongside them for the harm they’ve already caused.

Are you certain that you wish to allow them to continue representing you? "

Sweat poured from the balding merchant’s brow and he had to clutch firmly at his tunic to resist the desire to tug even more at the hair he had left.

That fool Ropati had just cost him thousands of tails of silver in reparations to be paid to the families injured on the upper floor, what was the fool thinking?

If it had been anyone else, at any other time, he wouldn’t have hesitated to yank such an unruly warrior back and take his losses out of the other man’s hide.

But these men... if he backed out of his deal with them now, they’d have their retribution whether this whole mess was their fault or not.

Yotsun was certain that they would wait, these men worshiped volcanos that simmered for centuries before erupting with cataclysmic force.

They’d wait, and then one day, he’d return from a trading expedition to find his home and everything he owned burned to a smoldering heap, perhaps with his family trapped inside.

"For-forgive me, High Lady," Yotsun said, kneeling on the floor of his luxurious private box and bowing his head low.

"My champion is a stranger to our city, he only wanted to establish his own prestige after witnessing the glory and power of the Mother of Trees and her Willow Witch.

His display was excessive, but he means no harm. "

"Very well," Erna said, waving a hand and releasing the sorcery that bound the men on the arena floor.

"Mister Ropati, there are consequences for harming others outside of the arena, even if the Mother of Trees has done you the favor of healing the wounded.

You should thank her for that, but when this battle is over, my men will come for you.

An accounting is still due for your crimes. "

"Don’t bother," Nyrielle said as she stepped back from the railing and withdrew her dark, shadowy energy.

"Lady Heila," she said loudly. "You have fought hard for the Vale of Mists, and you have secured many champions to join our fight.

But these men, I could not trust them to fight beside us.

They would kill our allies along with our enemies without care or concern for who they hurt. "

"So, Lady Heila," Nyrielle said in a voice that was colder than the Frost Walker blade at Heila’s hip. "You need not spare their lives tonight."

On the floor of the arena, Heila took only a moment to glance at Ashlynn for a confirming nod before bowing deeply to the woman who was the highest authority within the Vale of Mists.

Her battle hadn’t even started yet and already things were spiralling out of control, but seeing the faces of children on the upper levels as they clutched their parents and cried out for someone to protect them from the horrifying ball of flames.

.. there wasn’t any part of her that disagreed with Lady Nyrielle’s judgment.

"As you command, Lady Nyrielle," she said, formally acknowledging the commands she’d been given before turning to face Ropati and his men. "Prepare yourselves," Heila said, drawing Snow Fang and taking a fighting stance with the icy blade in one hand and her willow wand in the other.

"Three points, three times," Ropati growled, his voice sounding rough and strained as he commanded his men into a formation.

His nine companions quickly divided themselves into groups of three, each one forming a triangle, one in front of their leader and one to either side, as though they were preparing to protect him from any direction that Heila could attack from.

Seeing both parties in position, High Lady Erna wasted no time, holding her hand up high as she sat in her gilded throne. Already, she was worried about things spiraling out of control because of Yotsun’s desperation to salvage victory at the end.

She should have offered to cover the cost of champions she selected herself, ensuring a spectacle and preventing this disaster but she felt it would have tarnished Heila’s victories and insulted her teacher in the process.

Now, like everyone else embroiled in this fiasco, she could only allow things to play out.

"Tonight, we honor the Blood Princess of the Arena with glorious battle," High Lady Erna said, her voice resounding in every corner of the massive coliseum. "Let this battle begin!"