Apprentice (The Black Mage, #2)(51)

I'm going to lose. I should have hoped for a fifth-year.

Swallowing my pride I followed the prince to a rack of blades beside the commander and Byron. I picked up a couple of different knives, weighing them in my hands, testing their grip.

I chose a medium-sized one of quality steel. I wrapped my fingers around the base of the handle so that my thumb overlapped my forefinger. The blade angled up with my wrist, locked and ready to strike. I was ready.

I stood with my feet a shoulder width apart, comfortable and diagonal to my garnet-eyed opponent.

The knowing grin on Darren's face was obnoxiously self-assured. I could hear Priscilla cheering him on loudly to my right. You should have known Byron would never let you win.

It was hard to imagine a month ago I'd been kissing the prince and now I was contemplating the easiest way to strike him down. Before he struck me.

Let Darren go first, I decided. Wait for him to make the first move and then disarm him. Don't engage – disarm. Do not take him on without disarming him first!

"Why so quiet, Ryiah?" Darren interrupted my thoughts as I matched him, circling so that we continued to stand across from one another leaving no side exposed. "I should think you'd be pleased Byron thought us equal opponents." He was smiling and waiting for me to take the bait. He knew just as I did our pairing was not, as the commander had insisted, random.

I stayed silent and continued to study the prince's features, not willing to waste precious energy in banter.

"Gut her like a fish, your highness!" Merrick screeched.

I bit down on my lip, hard. It was all I could do not to throw my weapon at my mentee's face.

Darren took the momentary distraction to lunge – striking in like a serpent, quick and precise.

I jumped back just in time. I shoved my knife into its sheath and then lunged forward, snatching the prince's right wrist with my right hand. I threw it back behind him while I used my left hand to gouge his eyes.

Darren swore and swung wildly with his left. I quickly pulled his blade arm and myself behind him. At the same time I grabbed his jaw with my left hand, pulling it left as I attempted to force him to the ground.

Darren wasn't going to lose easily. I could feel it in the way he pushed back. His legs dug into the dirt, fighting my weight. My arm was starting to hurt. The move hadn't worked as easily on him as it did on Merrick during our drills. I kicked off with my weight, letting my feet bear down on his arm as I tried to break the non-heir's defensive stance.

But I couldn't break it.

All at once the hand gripping his arm began to shake.

Darren was fighting like mad to break free and the pressure became too much. I lurched back, barely avoiding the swipe of his knife as I once again drew my own.

"Now it's my turn," Darren told me. His eyes danced as he slashed once left and up and then across to my right in an effort to startle me. I used my blade hand to draw each attack away from my body - but my speed was lessening as he continued to slash in a seemingly random pattern of assault.

I was so focused on blocking that I missed the quick movement when he switched blade hands.

A sharp, biting pain found its way across my stomach. A long line of blood trailed my waist. I tried not to gasp as I fell back, stumbling to avoid his next attack.

Darren pressed forward, continuing his gain.

He used my pain to his advantage and swung down on my blade arm. I cried out, dropping my knife.

The prince brought up his weapon to my throat and held it there.

"Surrender yet, Ryiah?" His hot breath tingled against my ear and I was unhappy to notice how pleasant it felt in the midst of defeat. His eyes were dancing.

I groaned reluctantly and Darren spun the knife back in his hand, watching me with humor. "You put up a better fight than I expected."

But not good enough.

The two of us returned to our seats. Commander Chen nodded approvingly and then sent me to a regiment healer as the next pairing began.

I glanced at the master. Byron was smirking.

When we were finally dismissed I was the first to go. I spent the next four hours watching the tide rise and fall from the harbor, studying the way the frothy waves sprayed across the pier.

Ella found me after awhile and sat down beside me, leaning her head against my shoulder with a sigh.

Guilt reared its ugly head. "I am sorry I am such a bad friend," I told her.

I felt rather than saw Ella smile. "I shouldn't pretend to understand, Ry." She paused. "I know you. If you are struggling this much with the decision it's because Darren means more to you than your brother and I realized."

"I don't want to choose him. I know a future with him would never be what I want it to be." I felt a sudden urge to explain. I tried to shove it down and bury it but I couldn't. I had been silent for too long. I needed to tell someone. To acknowledge the truth that I was fighting so hard to deny. "When he kissed me, Ella, none of that mattered. I wish I could say it did… but I've never felt anything like that with Ian. Or anyone else..." I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. "I know the answer is simple but a part of me won't let Darren go."

"Is that why you were trying so hard today to win the tourney? To run away from them both?" Her eyes were two pools of sparkling amber.

"Yes," I admitted. "But it didn't do me any good." I laughed weakly. "Maybe I will get lucky. They both won their matches. Maybe one of them will rank first and I can pick the one that stays behind."