Bright Blaze of Magic (Black Blade, #3)(74)
“As to the meeting,” Hiroshi said. “I’ll let Claudia address that.”
Claudia nodded at him, then stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her, staring out over the sea of faces. “Victor has demanded that I fight him in a duel, or he will order his men to attack everyone associated with the other Families—guards, workers, even pixies.” Her mouth hardened and anger flared in her eyes. “I have chosen to accept his challenge. The duel will take place tonight, and the winner will take control of both of our Families.”
Shocked gasps rang out through the crowd, and worry and tension tightened more than one person’s face, including my own. In an instant, people started shouting, each one trying to be heard over the other.
“No way!”
“You can’t do that!”
“He’ll kill you!”
More and more shocked gasps and murmurs sounded, but Claudia held up a hand, asking for quiet.
“I’ve agreed to the duel because it is the best way to avoid more bloodshed,” she said. “We all know that Victor is the main threat. Most of the Draconis are decent folks, like everyone in this room. It’s not their fault that they work for a man who wants to destroy us all.”
More looks were directed at Deah and Seleste, but this time there was some sympathy mixed in with the glares.
“Victor challenged me to a duel, but I have decided to choose a champion for myself, for the entire Sinclair Family.” Claudia paused. “And that champion is Lila Merriweather.”
My friends whipped around, staring at me, their eyes wide and their mouths gaping open in shock. But they weren’t the only ones looking at me now. Every single person and pixie in the dining hall regarded me with a mixture of shock, surprise, and wary hope. It was the hope that made my throat tighten, my spine straighten, and my chin lift—hope that I could finally end the threat that Victor posed to all of us.
Devon was the only one who wasn’t surprised by Claudia’s announcement. He stared at me and slowly nodded his head, blazing conviction and rock-hard certainty flashing in his eyes. He knew how important this was, not just to the Sinclairs and the other Families, but to me personally. He knew that this was my chance to finally make Victor pay for murdering my mom.
And he believed that I could win.
That meant so much to me, more than he would ever know. I reached my hand out across the table and Devon threaded his fingers through mine. I smiled at him and he winked back at me.
“The duel is to be held at midnight tonight at the lochness bridge, well away from the Midway and all the shopping squares,” Claudia said. “Victor will be there, and I’m betting that so will all of the other Draconis. If the duel doesn’t go his way, I have no doubt that Victor will order his men to attack us, to try to wipe us out so he can take control of the town anyway. I’m asking for volunteers to come to the lochness bridge to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
She had barely finished speaking before guards from all three Families started shooting to their feet, raising their hands, and declaring that they wanted to be there tonight. Mo got up and started going around the room, taking down the name of everyone who wanted to come to the duel, as well as pairing up folks to go work down on the Midway today.
But the most surprising thing was that people started coming over to me.
One by one, they approached me, saying how proud they were of me and wishing me good luck. And it wasn’t just the Sinclairs. Members of the Ito and Salazar Families came over and offered their thanks as well. Once again, the faint hope shining in all their eyes took root in my own heart. My throat closed up with emotion and all I could do was just nod at everyone, shake their hands, and accept their soft touches and pats on the shoulder.
I might have started working for the Sinclairs in order to get revenge on Victor, but now, I was truly a part of the Family. And I was going to protect my Family the best way I could.
Or die trying.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
One by one, all the guards, workers, and pixies left the dining hall to head down to town and their assigned stations, but my friends and I stayed behind in the Ito mansion.
Poppy led us to one of the game rooms, complete with a pool table and a large-screen TV, but none of us felt like relaxing or goofing off. Not when we knew what was coming tonight. But Poppy popped in an action movie and we all sat down on the couches and pretended to watch it. Eventually, the others started talking, but I got up and went out onto one of the balconies.
The Ito mansion was a little lower down on Cloudburst Mountain than the Sinclair compound, but the view was just as spectacular. It was a little after noon and the summer sun was shining in the clear blue sky, but the neon lights of the Midway still glowed, pulsed, and flashed down in the valley below, as though they were competing with the sun to see which could shine the biggest and brightest.
I put my elbows down on the warm stone ledge, thinking about everything that had happened over the past few days. A few minutes later, the door behind me whispered open and Devon stepped outside to join me. He leaned his elbows down on the ledge as well, and the two of us stood there together, our shoulders touching. We didn’t speak for a few minutes.
“I know why you feel like you have to do this,” he finally said, looking at me. “Why you have to face Victor. I understand. But I want you to know that you won’t be doing it alone. I’ll be right there with you, every single step of the way.”